The bright red hakama with a white kimono is a common sight in both anime and video game characters. Shrine maidens or Miko also wear this combination of colors when they work at Shinto shrines. Honestly, there is a LOT of history and cultural significance wrapped up in this one.
Anime/Games: Inuyasha, Genshin Impact, Sailor Moon,
So let's talk Design.
Design Considerations
Cultural Significance
- The color is technically scarlet or vermillion, not "red". 🤷
- Miko are not part of the Shinto clergy. Sometimes they are just seasonal workers.
- Generally, Miko are young women in their teens or early 20s. After a certain age, they wear different colors.
- This was based on Heian nobility colors and fashions.
Color
Like I said earlier, the color is vermillion or scarlet. However, it is unlikely that you'll be wrong getting red fabric. That is the only color and it tends to be solid. However, there are some artistic interpretations that add subtle designs, gradients, and maybe bleached shapes.
Fabric
The fabric is typically a cotton/cotton blend. Silk for more formal occasions. You can also use linens.
Leg Shape
Pleats
Side Openings/Sasahida
Waistband
Measurements
- Waist Circumference
- Waist to Ankle Length
How Much Fabric?
Yards: 53 ÷ 36 = 1.47 (round up to 1.5)
Construction
- Cut out the large rectangles for your skirt panels.
- Use the fold technique to make the sasahida (side openings)
- Alternatively, you can use bias tape and cut the sasahida.
- Fold the pleats like so in the front panel:
- Fold the pleats for the back panel like this:
- Baste down the pleats and press.
- Lay the front panel over the back panel with the right sides together and sew up the side seams.
Himo/Belts
- Cut 4 times your waist measurement in length and 4" tall rectangle stripe for the front belt.
- Cut a rectangle 5" more than your waist measurement and 6" - 8" tall for the back belt.
- Fold both in half length wise so the wrong side of the fabric faces outwards.
- Sew around the edges, starting from the short edge and stopping in the middle of the long edge.
- Cut each belt in half, trim the seams and turn out.
- Set aside to attach to the waist band.
(Illustrations tbd)
Waist Band
- Cut 2 rectangles that are 2/5ths of your waist measurements and 6" - 8" tall.
- Fold in half and press, then unfold.
- On the front rectangle, on the right side of the fabric, sew the himo's cut edge near the fold. Sew down.
- Fold the sides and hem
- Do the same for the back belt and waistband.
- Line the raw edge of the bottom of the waist band with the right side of the fabric laying onto the wrong side of the front skirt panel. Sew along the edge.
- Fold up, fold the top edge to make a folded hem and line up with the right side of the front skirt panel. Sew down.
- Repeat steps 6 & 7 for the back panel.
- Take a large needle and white cording to make the large stitches on the front panel.
- Use a ladder stitch to close up the sides of the waist band up to the lower edge of the belt.
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