Kimono for KCWC Fall 2012

kimono, a photo by saffronbee1 on Flickr.

Fabric used: polyester (the fabric is a gift, i think as it doesn't feel cotton) with Japanese cartoon characters
Pattern used: my own

This is my other attempt of the kcwc fall challenge 2012 - something I am so proud of as I have been wanting to make this kimono for a few years ever since the hotel supplied kimonos to kids for onsen (hot spring) in our stay in Japan.

It's my first attempt to make a kimono for my girl. I remember that the kimono for kids supplied by the hotel was constructed two different simple rectangular shapes. One for the body and one for the sleeves.

I also have a kimono (bathrobe type) for myself. So, I decided to make a mini-version based on my imagination and various pictures from the internet. I also need to consider how much fabric I got and I always want to maximise the fabric I got as there is no right or wrong in lengths and sizes for something like this. So, I decided to go from salvage to salvage as much as I could. After I cut some rectangles and stitched up the shoulders and sleeves together. Hm ... the sleeves were too long because I forgot that the body was quite wide and loose meaning the shoulder parts drape over a few inches over the arms. Time to cut the sleeves short. I think I was pretty successful as I only needed to alter the sleeve lengths (last minute alteration). After the binding and the belt, Ellie put it on straight away with a big smile on her face.

I am also very inspired to make my first pattern for download to contribute to the craft world. I also want to make it a generic one so it will fit a baby to a grown up. If you would like a pattern when it is ready, please leave me your email address. I will email you.