Kimono Sewing

I haven't made a kimono (or yukata) since 2022 when I made four in one year, all by hand, but I was digging through my stash at the start of the year, looking for a simple hand sewing project to keep my hands busy at church and I found one. This fabric came in a bunch of hand me down stuff that a friend of mine gave me ages ago. In the same batch as the fabric I used for this despair dress maybe? And I'd had that fabric in my stash for ages before I used it last August (like, I think I used a part of it to cover a display board back when I was running a family day care in 2018 or 2019). Anyway, I had just thought it was a bunch of fabric, but when I unfolded it all, I realised it was actually a pre-cut kimono. 

A little known fact about kimono is that you don't really wash them. Since you wear other layers underneath, the kimono (or yukata) is the not right next to the skin and just gets aired after use and spot cleaned if needed. Eventually, if your kimono does need a wash, you actually unstitch the entire thing and wash the fabric strips. Since the fabric is just rectangles and only has one cut for the shoulders on the main body pieces, see the photo below (these are tacked closed with a basting stitch for the washing process), this works totally fine and you sew it back together once it's all dry. 

It's been pretty cool to start sewing this knowing that someone else has already worn it and took the time and care to take it apart to launder it properly before passing it on. Unfortunately, it does also mean that it was cut to the size of the previous owner, who was shorter than me. I have the ability to make a few adjustments in the sewing though, so I was hopeful I'll still be able to get some wear out of it when I'm done.

I took it to church a little bit at a time (you start with just the sleeves) and stitched away while listening to the sermons. I started it back in March, but if you are only sewing an hour or so a week, it's a project that's going to take some time. I also took it to the P&C meetings that I didn't have to take notes at, since I've stepped down as secretary, so that added a bit of time. 

I guess it didn't really take too long after all, since I worked on it in March, missed most of April and then finished it in May. For a project that was only getting an hour a week on average, that's a pretty quick turn around. When I tell people that I sew kimono, they are generally impressed, but the reality is, it's all rectangles and straight sewing, so it's honestly about as simple as it can get. 

Anyway, it's done now! I put it on with trepidation last week and to my delight it fits perfectly! I won't go into the details of what I adjusted or how I thought it was going to turn out unless people comment/ask, but given that you'd probably really need to be into either sewing or kimono (or both), I'm not expecting it. Happy to be surprised though. 

I absolutely love the feel of this kimono. The fabric is a beautiful cotton with a satin like feel and it is just fantastic to wear. Good thing I have a job that warrants wearing these pretty frequently! By the way I missed sewing this in April during our Japan travels since it was a little big to take as a project for the plane, but I did take something else, so I'll update you on that next time. Stay tuned!