Modesty's Costume Closet

 This is going to be the last planned kimono I'm making for this project. There are a few extra things on my to-do list and some things on my wish list too.  Here's how the Wisteria Cat kimono went.  So some things that went well:  French Seams done well! Even on the sleeves! Bless the walking foot! Got the pattern on the fabric to be upright on front and back. Collar went on smoothly! Even hem!! OMG...finally! Some things I wish went better:  I had to make a seam on the shoulder line which is not authentic. :( I did it to make the motif on the pattern look better so I didn't have upside down cats on the back of the body and sleeves. The sleeves are a bit short  I rushed my cutting and it got sloppy making me cut a part I didn't mean to cut and having to fudge around my mistake.  There's a bunch of little extra things I've been doing for these projects. Including kumihimo braiding!  So far I've made:  A kumihimo obijime 3 kumihimo haori himo Recreated the ha

Over the past two weeks, I've worked on the male kimonos and got them put together.  The ensemble is not quite finished yet, I am working on hakama for both of them.  Color-wise they look similar, but you can tell they are different material. I've sewn the haori for the more matte red one.  With the haori As you can see, it's a very shiny haori. Needs a haori himo and some paint on it. But significant progress was made!  Kimono and Haori What Went Well I did my French seams correctly!  I figured out MY way of attaching the Okumi with French Seams These did not take long to make Pinking shears really help reduce fray They fit! What I learned Took me a bit to figure out how to put on sleeves since there no opening.  I did have to fudge some measurements because I was a little short on some of the fabric when I cut it and did not want to buy more.  The collars were still kind of a pain to put on but I'm getting better at stitch-in-the-ditch.  Blind hemming was not as clean

 Another week, another kimono constructed and I feel this is my best one yet!  Before putting on the collar and sleeves.  All put together Such a pretty pattern! I used a walking foot to make this one which meant I had to sew a bit slower, but that gave me nicer seams.  I will be going with serged seams or "hair line" seams, but I have not done that yet as of writing this post. For now, she's set aside so I can start working on the NEXT kimono which is my burgundy men's kimono. (I've already had some trouble with it. I really have to pay attention to right side wrong side when using fabric that has no obvious pattern.😅) So we're chugging along at a good pace with this project. Here's what's left:  Hem, attach collar and sleeves to burgundy kimono✅ Construct the Red Men's Kimono✅ Cut, mark and construct the Cotton Cat Kimono Sew the grey hakama✅ Sew the red haori✅ Sew the black lady's haori  Sew the black hakama Some of the extra little project

This is the classic style that you likely think of when you hear the word "Hakama". Very wide-legged pleated trousers worn by swordsmen and warriors. Admittedly these are "modern" hakama. There are variations based on historical time period and social status. But these should suit most cases.  So, lets go over how to make them!  You will see examples of this in many games and Anime but some faves of mine include: Rurouni Kenshin, Bleach, Demon Slayer, XXXholic, Hell's Paradise and Genshin Impact.  UPDATE 4/10/2024: I've redone all my instructions. Now that I've actually made a pair of hakama and found some more resources, I felt this needed updating.  From Chihirohowe's Guide Design Elements Color For modern or fantasy character design, no limits to color! You can also use print fabric and add designs! Historically, these would be a solid color and often have a neutral color scheme (white, grey, black, brown). More colorful hakama were usually worn

Andon Bakama were hakama typically worn by women in an academic setting during the 1900s or so. Modern times, they are usually worn for formal occasions such as graduation. It is also the style that just looks nice with a kimono especially for those of us with Western hips the size of Texas.  See examples in Anime/Games: Here Comes Miss Modern, Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Sakura Wars.  So let's get into how to make one. Tutorial style! Design Elements These are things to consider before you start.  by Chihirohowe Skirt Length Traditionally this is worn just below the ankle if you are wearing flat sandals, geta, or zori. It is worn above the ankle for sneakers, boots, and heels. You can adjust how high on your waist you wear it if you are going to switch between the two.  Colors Normally, these are a solid color, sometimes with embroidered floral patterns near the bottom. Red/Scarlet is uncommon outside of Miko. Patterned fabric is appropriate for this.  Side Openings The length

Time for a new series! Haven't done one in awhile. It's my plan to share what I've been collecting in my mind for my Hakama. This is stuff to the best of my knowledge which to be fair is based entirely on what I can find in English. I did learn a lot but I don't want to go too in the weeds...like I did when I was looking for info. So, I'm not going to get into history or things like that per se unless it is relevant.  I also limited to the things I wanted to make or thought I was going to make.  There are 4 variations of hakama for this series:   Ando Bakama - this is what I'm wearing for the fox caretaker Hibakama - the miko stuff I'd been studying Hakama - martial arts style, I'm sure it has a specific name...maybe Tatti Hakama, but I don't want to go back to Wikipedia at the moment. 😅  Mompe Hakama /Karusan-bakama - Gathered trouser style hakama, could be used for Demon Slayer cosplay.  Here are the general things I was researching for my costum

 As we grow as a society and as our exposure to other cultures increases, the question of whether or not we can wear another culture's traditional costume becomes a sensitive subject. Most of us want to avoid the cultural faux pas of wearing a costume that offends a majority of people! So, how does one navigate these tricky waters?  What are we trying to Avoid? I think going into this, we want to consider what may be wrong with wearing a costume from another culture:  Showcase our Ignorance Encourage Negative Stereotypes Portray a Caricature  Reducing or Mocking a Culture Display Arrogance Lack of Empathy In our day and age of information access, ignorance of a culture is no longer an acceptable excuse...past a certain age. Admittedly, children under a certain level of maturity do not have the capacity to grasp important historical realities for other people. They grow into it. And I think the current generation of parents are more culturally sensitive than previous ones and are th