Studio Yotsuba Kimono & Yukata Project

So I've been on a longish break. (Though that break will be ending soon.) I've spent part of it doing the things necessary in life, and the other part with my girls and experimenting, mostly with customising and (lately) with the sewing projects I have shelved over the past year.

Over the past 2 years, my fabric stash has been slowly building up, as I entertained the idea of making clothes for my girls. Particularly Japanese fabrics and, lately, tenugui (手ぬぐい) and furoshiki (風呂敷) (traditional Japanese hand cloths and wrapping clothes, respectively).

IRL, I love kimono (着物), yukata (浴衣) and obi (帯), but my physical collection is sparse (my mental collection isn't). I suppose that's why I wanted to make all kinds of kimono and yukata for my girls. After all, they're more affordable in mini 1:6 scale sizes....

There wasn't much opportunity to get kickstarted, since I was really busy and was forced to prioritise things. (Ah! how life intrudes.) Then this longish break. Which, unfortunately, will come to an end, and will be the last longish break I will have in a long long long time....

Somewhere at the end of May, I finally collated the sewing patterns of kimono that I had. Offhand, I think I had about 3 or 4 patterns. The patterns had different measurements and dimensions. Plus, I had a difficult time with the instructions - presently, my Japanese is self-taught and, at best, elementary. I recognise hiragana and kanji characters well enough to decipher the instructions, but not all of it. Also, I'm a sewing beginner, and have trouble working with patterns.

I just gave up trying to use the patterns I had. Instead, I took measurements from a Blythe (poor Shion was the guinea pig), a Junie Moon Blythe yukata and an Azone Neemo kimono. Then I used the diagrams in the patterns as guidelines and put together a workable pattern/diagram. Using my improvised pattern, I made a test piece, then made refinements where necessary for the following test pieces.

yotsub4 Kimono/Yukata Pattern I

yotsub4 Kimono/Yukata Pattern II

The stitching instructions were taken from My Favourite Doll Book Series for Licca dolls, and I also took inspiration from chimachoco's Doll Coordinate Recipe: Kimono. (I have one of her Middie Blythe kimono, which I bought from Lele Junie Moon, and which I absolutely adore.)

*Note: Parts 3 and 4 are not missing. I just have not done them yet.*

Hurdle 2: the sewing.

So far, I have individually traced, individually cut, and fully hand-stitched every piece. Will likely get round to considering making a pattern to trace. (At some point.) As for hand-stitching, I'm quite happy with the result, save the time it takes me to finish one piece!

Whether I will switch to using a sewing machine is debatable. I have a small sewing machine. I spent most of today doing a test piece with the sewing machine. Spent a long time fiddling with the machine to remember how to thread it. (It has been almost 2 decades since I used one, even touched one.) I think I need a few more goes before I get the hang of using the machine. Also, I have to figure out why the fabric keeps bunching. (Maybe thread tension?)

The sewing machine will help shorten the time I use to make one piece, since it is faster on the straight seams and hems. But overall, the machine doesn't add all that much convenience because the eri (衿) is small (so I hand-stitch it) and I use hidden stitches in several places, i.e. the sleeves, to close the collar and the top-side of the inner lining or the yukata hems. I also still rather prefer hand-stitching because it gives me a sense of control over the stitching process. (Or maybe I am simply stubborn.)