Modesty's Costume Closet

This past year was very productive. Lots of progress was made and I've had some reflection on my spending habits. A small space feels a lot smaller with clutter. Organizing and interior design was never my forte, you should see how rough my Sims houses are. 😂 Making plans comes a bit easier so I've been working on new ways for me to keep track and make progress on the myriad of projects rotting on the backburners.  My new promise or maxim is: Do not keep supplies that are not attached to an active project.    Let's try to keep this promise.   Organization The first thing I did was find all my scattered lists of project ideas and put it in one place. I put things into categories because that's how my brain works.  Evaluation Going through the list, I checked the projects and evaluated certain aspects about the project like if I have the supplies, how long I think it will take, and how interested or passionate I am about the project. The passion is an in the mome...

The intention here is to help you plan and prepare to create a feminine kimono ensemble for either an original design or character recreation.  For the feminine style kimono planner, we will cover:  Identifying Feminine Kimono Formality Customs Design Planner Resources, Tutorials, and Patterns  The key feature of a feminine kimono is the opening under the armpits and down the body side of the sleeve. The opening on the body is called Miyatsuguchi. Other identifying features are very rounded marumi on the sleeve corners or just very tall sleeves. When worn, there should be a fold underneath the obi called Oshori. The hem should be just over your toes and the collar is worn off the back of the neck instead of against it so there is some subtle shape differences compared to a male collar. But the obvious indicator is the open sleeves and miyatsuguchi.  Formality Customs Female formality customs can be a rabbit hole of learning. Things change over time and in some cases ...

This post is hopefully going to give you some ideas on how to plan and prepare to make a masculine style kimono ensemble. This will help both with original designs and cosplay.  We will cover:  Identifying a Masculine Kimono Formality Customs The Design Process Resources and Tutorial References Masculine Kimono The quickest way to identify a masculine kimono is to look at how the sleeves are attached. There will be no opening under the armpit on a masculine kimono. The sleeves also tend to have a sharper corner. The collar is generally all one width. Lastly, the bottom hem of the kimono reaches the wearer's ankles. However, since people vary wildly in height the most accurate and obvious identifier is the lack of an opening under the sleeves. (The opening is known as Miyasuguchi ).  Formality There are only a few identifiers that make a kimono more or less formal for men. These include material, the number of family crests (Kamon), Colors, and what other clothes you wear ...

So the male kimono projects are fairly straightforward. One will involve fabric paint but I feel much more confident about that aspect now.  Although I am finally working out my own pattern for my hakama trousers. I'll post updates about that when I make them. However, construction will be following what patterns suggest. I'm not going to get creative.  Shinjuro Kimono Pattern/Instructions:  Alice in Cosplayland Kimono  Other References:  Gathered Hakama Hashira Shawl Knitting Pattern Materials : Fabric: Polyester Twill (Wine), Cotton Broadcloth (Black) Needle: Universal 80 Thread: All Purpose Presser Feet: Normal, Blind Hem, Wide Hem, Button Hole Techniques/Methods: French Seam/Felled seam/Pinked Seam Blind Hem My Production Plan Sew Kimono using the pattern instructions but using Billy's sleeve construction method.  Use my own pattern for the Hakama Trousers.  Add pocket pouches to the leg panels.  Sew and serge crotch seam, joining the left and...

The green Polish kimono is still a female tomosode like the others but it includes a haori and uses a hanhaba obi. Also the details on the embroider add an element of complexity. I hope to wear this along with my Polish skirt to my parish's Multicultural Mass and Festival. 🌍 Polish Folk Art Kimono  Pattern/Instructions:  Alice in Cosplayland Kimono  Alice in Cosplayland Haori Other References:  Materials :  Fabric: Polyester Linen Green, Embroidery Stabilizer (tear away), Black Chiffon, Cotton Sateen, Bias Tape Needle: Universal 90/14, Machine Embroidery 90/14, Microtex 70/10, Universal 70/10   Thread: Black All purpose, Black Polyester Fine Techniques/Methods:  Machine Embroidery Bound/Biased Seams Blind Hem My Production Plan:  Digitize my Vector file into an Embroidery File. Mark the Kimono with the sewing lines and mark where embroidery will go.  Set up Kimono Embroidery Files: 3 corner flowers, 1 Tulip, 2 Horses, 2 Cats Embroider t...

 Two of the kimono I'm making are female tomosode or a semi-formal kimonos. They will both have similar steps in terms of construction and not include anything extra like embroidery or a haori. However, they are made with different fabrics which will affect the sewing process.  Gothic Rose Pattern/Instructions  Alice in Cosplayland Kimono  Other References Measurements Hip Circumference: 102cm (40.5")  Mid-back to wrist (Yuki): 66cm (26") Waist Circumference: 30" Height (Mitake): 160 cm (62") Materials Fabric: Crepe de Chine, Polyester Damask, Satin  Needle: Microtex/Sharp 70, Universal 90/14 Thread: 100% Polyester Fine (black), All Purpose (black) Techniques/Methods Hairline Seams Back Seam Reinforcement (Ishiki ate) Chikara Nuno / Mikazuki Blind Hand Stitch Kise Seam My Plans Gather my materials and set up my machine with the Walking Foot Follow the basic instructions for making a kimono mixing the pattern instructions with Billy's videos. I will try to ...

After the juban, I plan on making the one thing that won't use juban! The Yukata. The video will be my main instructions since I also want to make this with a machine. But there are some things I plan to add because it is a white yukata.   Ruka Yukata Pattern/Instructions Alice in Cosplayland Traditional Kimono/Yukata Other Resources:  Ishiki ate  - This is the thing I'm going to add to the yukata. I like to call it the CYA panel. That is partly what it does. In addition to modesty, it is supposed to take some of the pressure off the center back seam when sitting or kneeling in a kimono. So it doesn't get split up the back seam.   It can be a small patch that you blind stitch by hand to the bum area. Or it can take up the whole back two panels. I'm doing the version in between. It will stretch between the 2 back side seams and hang from the uchiage seam.  This CYA panel is typically found on hitoe (unlined kimono) made of thin silks. It can also go int...

Happy New Year! It's time to finally start the 6 projects, starting with the foundation of undergarments. My sewing machine is tuned up and all fixed (apparently it had some corrosion. 😬) Currently, I'm getting over a cold I got while on my vacation so my start has been delayed slightly while I recover. It does give me a little more time to really go over how I plan to construct the garments. So my following posts will be about proposed plans and references for the project.  This is going to be a reference for my plans for making these garments. I may make a more generic planner for anyone to use.  Nagajuban  Pattern/Instructions:  Alice in Cosplay Land: Juban Other Tutorials/References:  Measurement from the video above Small Stay cloth Stay cloth for Collar Material:  Fabric: White Cotton Broadcloth Thread: White All Purpose Needle: Universal Needle Size 80/12 Presser Foot: Normal, Blind Hem Foot, Wide Hem foot Measurements :  Full Length (Mitake): ...