Modesty's Costume Closet

 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 u

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 into a nagajuban.  Ma

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): 160 cm (62") Center B

Some of the blogs and videos I've been watching use this kind of folding board that was long and narrow. Perfect for cutting, marking, and sewing Kimono and Obi. I come to learn it's called hera dai. (Google translates it as Spatula Table). Basically, when you use this with a tool called a hera (it is like a resin spatula) you can make indent marks on your kimono fabric instead of using chalk or markers.  From Morio-Hobby.com The closest thing I could find that was similar for Western sewing was this Dritz's cardboard pattern making mat. (I have one!) I like it and just realized I can put pins in it (game changer) but it doesn't stay as flat as I'd hoped. Also, it's made of corrugated cardboard which bends easily and can't get wet.  You might be able to purchase a hera dai by going to a shop in Japan. I did see some online stores, but I don't think they ship these internationally. I haven't seen them on eBay or Etsy either. So, that means I have to m

 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

   I've been following this tutorial on making Kitsune masks.  Things I've learned.  Glue is sticky! It's all over my fingers after a few minutes. But peeling the glue off is cathartic. I kind of love it. I guess it's like how some people like slime.  The first layer of paper mache will be kind of rough and a bit wrinkled.  I made the ears and forehead bump before putting down my first layer of mache.  It takes SO much paper! But varying the thickness and length helps with curves and dents.  I've got one layer of paper so far. It's already hardened but definitely needs smoothing out.  After awhile, I was not loving the shape of the first mask. I wanted a 2nd crack at it so I started another one. I cut up another soda fridge box and this time the base was much smoother. I made the muzzle smaller. I used brown paper from a roll and made sure most edges were uneven. (It sticks better.)  2nd attempt. A smaller snoot side by side comparison front inside the masks Aft

 My plan is to make a total of 4 kimono. 2 are cosplay kimono and 2 are original designs.  I am taking a different approach to these (and any future kimono) than I did with the Wisteria Fox project. Recently I sent images of it to fellow kimono stylists for feedback and got some helpful advice. I also got access to a Patreon video for tailoring kimono from bolt to finished product. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, been busy with Halloween and Dance Comp dress which I finally got in the mail! I'm sure it will give me even more insight than I have now. But, I need to get this post out of my head and onto the digital paper.  So, first, if you want to make a kimono, These are the 3 videos I recommend you start with from Billy Matsunaga Ultimate Kimono Measuring Guide (video) Make an Authentic Kimono (the easy way) - Video ( Men's Version ) How to Put on Kimono by Yourself - (video) From there, it makes following these patterns and sewing tutorials a bit easier:  How to M

 Shame on me for not posting sooner, but the Unicorn dance costume was a success! (A proper post-mortem will come later.)  However, I've decided to enter my first competition. Just a mini-match for now but I will need a dress for it. Which of course, is very exciting when it comes to "what should I wear?" I've been Pinning ideas for different dress shapes, colors and designs and maybe overwhelming myself. So, it's time to hit pause and layout some design considerations as well as practical ones. Let's start with practical.  Practical Considerations - Budget and Investment These are the pillars of practical decisions for costumes (and other creative things): Budget and Investment.  Budget = what you can spend/spare in terms of time, money, space, and energy. Basically it's what you have on hand already.  Investment = what you can put into a project in terms of time, money, space, and energy. It's more about capacity. My analogy of this is Investment is

The Goro puppet project has been going on quietly in the background. It is a learning experience and some things are going very much to plan while other things are decidedly not.  My first positive is the back scales:  I was able to crochet the back in a few hours. (Not in one sitting mind you.) I mixed metal with plastic scales which has a fun effect. I still have some left over plastic scales that I could sew into the body but I like how this looks.  Victory 2: Body Structure While the head has been my main focus I was able to take a break from that and morph some EVA foam sheets into a makeshift skeleton for the body.  Positive 3: Started the yarn tails to see how they'll look compared to the body size. I've done this before so feel confident that I can do it again.  Positive 4: While I did burn myself with hot glue, I made some ears with minky, stiff felt, and a bit of faux fur. I even painted them so the markings are correct.  Positive 5: Mouth contructed! I put in the jaw

 Continuing with our Mompe Hakama/Karusan-bakama we're going into some of the prep work for construction! See Part 1 for pattern drafting and design stuff .  NOTE : This is currently UNTESTED. I have sewn trousers before and pockets, but not button flies. I'll update this as I learn more with my actual experience. 🙈 Waist Band Closures A challenging part of this is that you WILL need closures. Because this is non-stretch fabric and we are not constructing traditional hakama, we must have an opening so we can get our trousers past our hips and up to our waist. However, I personally did not want to have that "J" shape fly on the front of my hakama and I wanted to have the closures hidden. So how to do this? I have a couple of options.  Buttons on the side Seams - I found a drawing I did where I drew a 1920s aviatrix with pilot pants and it had buttons up the side seams. I can hide the buttons easily enough and it is kind of like sasahida in traditional hakama. And the