This is the visual saga of my kimono making endeavor. I still need to handstitch the collar in place and find an obi that works. The one she has on is an old tie I tried on her to see what it would look like. This was the first garmet I ever made and I picked brocade and a silk-wannabe fabric. Oh, the beautiful naivety of that choice. Live and learn. Not to mention it is a lined garment and I had to read a book and create my own pattern. I then had to refer to a picture book of kimonos, written in Japanese. Finally, I dug out a child's silk kimono that I had forgotten I had and referred to it for clarification.
I was seduced by this pink and salmon fabric with chrysantheumums and butterflies. I should have been suspicious when the book called for taking 8 zillion body measurements and creating a neck template.
These are the two books I kept beside me at all times.
Here's the doll I bought off e-bay a few years ago. Naked and bald, that's the way I like 'em!
There is no shoulder seam. The fabric is long and folded and half and then the neck hole and center fabric is cut out. (It looked so easy in the book.)
This was the bright hot pinky salmon linen fabric I used to line the sleeves. I swooned when I picked it out to go with the brocade. I loved it that much. It was in the remnant section at Jo-Anne's.
This is the sleeve sewn-up and ready to be attached. Did I mention it was nigh on impossible to iron this stuff. It won't take a crease and laughs at the iron.
The morning sun coming in the kitchen window made it very hard to work, but I loved the patterns. Her shape is echoed in a shadow in the center of the table. She looks like she has wings. Very Icarus-ish.
This is the light salmon pinky fabric I picked to line the inside of the kimono. It was also a remnant and there wasn't enough to do the sleeves. When I put the 3 fabrics all together in my cart at Jo-Anne's, I did inadvertently start to drool just a little bit.
Here it is ready to have the collar pinned on.
This is the collar pinned in place and needing to be handsewn on.
This is the kimono on the doll.
This is the tie/obi wrap. I went to the Salvation Army and picked up two old shirts today--one linen, one silk--and am going to see if they might work.
I was seduced by this pink and salmon fabric with chrysantheumums and butterflies. I should have been suspicious when the book called for taking 8 zillion body measurements and creating a neck template.
These are the two books I kept beside me at all times.
Here's the doll I bought off e-bay a few years ago. Naked and bald, that's the way I like 'em!
There is no shoulder seam. The fabric is long and folded and half and then the neck hole and center fabric is cut out. (It looked so easy in the book.)
This was the bright hot pinky salmon linen fabric I used to line the sleeves. I swooned when I picked it out to go with the brocade. I loved it that much. It was in the remnant section at Jo-Anne's.
This is the sleeve sewn-up and ready to be attached. Did I mention it was nigh on impossible to iron this stuff. It won't take a crease and laughs at the iron.
The morning sun coming in the kitchen window made it very hard to work, but I loved the patterns. Her shape is echoed in a shadow in the center of the table. She looks like she has wings. Very Icarus-ish.
This is the light salmon pinky fabric I picked to line the inside of the kimono. It was also a remnant and there wasn't enough to do the sleeves. When I put the 3 fabrics all together in my cart at Jo-Anne's, I did inadvertently start to drool just a little bit.
Here it is ready to have the collar pinned on.
This is the collar pinned in place and needing to be handsewn on.
This is the kimono on the doll.
This is the tie/obi wrap. I went to the Salvation Army and picked up two old shirts today--one linen, one silk--and am going to see if they might work.
