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September 2, 2013

KIMONO COOL {TUTORIAL}


Kimono: me (tutorial below) you can find similar styles here, here, here and here, Top: Nordstrom, Pants: Dittos c/o (out of stock, but similar here and here), Shoes: No longer available, but similar here (loving these for the fall), Necklace: similar, Cuff: vintage (similar here, and here)

I have been majorly crushing on kimonos for a while.  I picked up this amazing silk fabric from Mood during Fabric Weekend, fully intending on making it into a dress.  But the more I thought about how delicate the silk was, and how I don’t want to have to dry clean it too often, I had a light bulb moment and decided it was time to make a kimono.

I figured I would just let this gorgeous fabric do the talking and paired it with all white.  Today might be Labor Day, but I’m not breaking up with white.  White pants will still be great for fall and I’ll continue rotating them into my wardrobe.

*Also, don’t forget that today is the last day of the Labor Day sale over at leannebarlow.com!  All of my maxis are 20% off till midnight PST tonight!

Shop my look below

I’m also loving these gorgeous kimonos…

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Click below for the tutorial

Materials:
  • 1 yard of lightweight fabric.  (Mine is 100% silk and I got it at Mood.  Also loving this, this, and this)
  • Matching thread
  • Rolled hem foot (optional)  

*tip: The trickiest part about this piece was simply getting the silk to
cooperate.  It doesn’t stay still very well to cut, so if you are
working with a slippery light-weight fabric, I would suggest creating a
pattern first from patternpaper, and use this as your guide when cutting
the fabric.  I found this allowed me to get a nice clean straight cut.
 

  • 1:  Cut 2 rectangles for the sleeves.  Mine measured 10″ wide x 26″ long.  You want the sleeves to hang extra long, so to figure out your sleeve measurements, measure around your bicep and add about 15″.  Plug this in for the length measurement above.
  • 2:  Take your measurements from shoulder to shoulder, and add 8″.  This will be the width of the back of your kimono.  My back rectangle measured 26″ wide x 37″ long.  To cut, fold your fabric in half and divide your measurements by 2, so that you get an even rectangle.  Cut out a tiny curve at the top for your neckline (pictured above), and round the bottom so that the back will hang longer than the sides (pictured above).
  • 3:  Cut 2 rectangles for the front of your kimono that measure from the end of your cut neckline to the corner and from the top corner to right before your back rectangle starts to curve.  My front rectangles measured 10″ wide x 30″ long.
    • 4:  Place the front 2 rectangle on top of the back rectangle rt sides together (pictured above).  Stitch along the top and sides, leaving an opening for your sleeves (the opening should be the half the width of your sleeve. Mine measured 13″).
    • 5-6: Fold your sleeves rt sides together and stitch up the edges. Turn your sleeves rt side out. 
    • 7-8:  Slide the sleeve into your bodice (bodice inside-out).  Pin edges and stitch around sleeve (pictured above).
    • 9:  (not pictured) Use a rolled hem foot or carefully turn over all unfinished edges twice to create a very thin hem.

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