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Kimono Project 2: Gothic Rose

 All the fabric I need for this project has arrived! So the plan is to make this a casual everyday, but nice kimono. And I loved the colors of these roses and wanted to do something with purple roses as a dress of some kind. So I decided to make a kimono out of this fabric. 

Got this in a polyester silk. It feels so nice! 

Kimono Parts

The main body of the kimono will be a female cut kimono with tomesode length sleeves. (About 49 cm). It will need a juban underneath it and I plan on making a nagoya obi that I can tie into an O-taiko musubi. In order to tie this particular knot, I require an obiage and an obijime. 

Nagoya Obi

This is what the more formal, wide obi are called. They're usually about 4 meters long or more. I got a black taffeta damask fabric with a little felting on it to really get into the Victorian goth style. The plan is to follow the construction style according to the Nagoya Obi construction available on Billy Matsunaga's Patreon. So most of the obi is folded in half except for the last 45". I actually found I didn't quite have enough fabric to make the whole length but the nice thing about this method of construction is that based on where you put seams, some parts of the obi are never seen so you can use different fabric for those parts. So I found some leftover satin from the cape I made last year for the Christmas pageant and included that in my fabric cutting. I also cut out my iron-on thick interfacing/interlining. 

The obiage is a silk tie that you use to help make the shape of the O-taiko knot. It's tucked into the top of the obi and reminds me of cake icing trim. The obijime also helps make this knot style and looks like a rope tied around the middle of the obi. I looked into making these but ended up buying some off Etsy instead. I got a nice, simple white obiage and a purple and silver obijime that'll go so nicely with the obi and kimono! 

Undergarments

Since this is not a yukata, it requires an undergarment known as juban. (There are many layers to kimono.) This layer is not worn directly against the skin, but over another undergarment layer which includes the hadagi or hadajuban. Over this is any padding to create a certain silhouette. Point is that my plan is to make a nagajuban for this garment. The nagajuban is all one piece that's about 30 cm shorter than the kimono. Alternatively I could make a hanjuban which is half the length. The hanjuban is worn with a simple wrap skirt known as susyoke. So basically a two piece or a one piece. 

I'm making a white naga juban to wear with pretty much all the female kimono projects. I've cut the pieces out for my nagajuban. I did mess up my cutting layout so I may need to get a bit of extra cotton fabric to re-cut the collar and collar cover (or han eri). 

Shoes

I got some Geta shoes with purple roses on the straps! They're so cute! And fun to wear. They came with stretch tabi. 


Which only reminds me that moths ate the tabi I knit by myself. 😭😭 So bummed. 

Design?

It really doesn't feel like I'm designing a kimono but rather coordinating. If that makes sense. Kimono have a set shape with only a few variations with sleeve length, garment length, and print style. (There's lots of nuance but generally speaking, this is so.) Kimono styling is the art of coordinating all the pieces together. 

I am rambling a bit but I'm stalled on this project because my sewing machine is getting a tune up at the shop. I wanted it to be in good shape for these kimono projects especially since one of them will involve a great deal of embroidery. 

Until next time. 
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