A Kimono for me! It's more or less identical to Joanne's.

Just after Christmas, I blogged about a kimono I made for my daughter - and in that post I was wearing her kimono (I still don't have a photo of her in it - she is very photo-shy). I could use the same photos again!! This time, I took some photos for Instagram on my phone and they are pretty awful. Black is so difficult to photograph. I tried to lighten the exposure to help. David took some on his camera and they are a bit - a lot - better so I can use here. 

I used the same fabric as I had enough left, though not enough to be quite as careful with my pattern placement. I don't think it's a big issue, though. I didn't make any further changes to the pattern. I thought I might have to shorten towards the original length and perhaps use the shorter sleeves. However, I managed to get the pieces in. So this is still version D, with the longer sleeves from the full length version C.

This was an easy sew - particularly as I had just made the kimono a month earlier. This was faster to make up, partly through experience and partly through realising I really didn't need to do all the hand tacking I did last time. I also benefited from the practice and I think the corners on my bias binding are nicer.

I was all too aware of the weight I have put on when I saw the rear view - unless I pulled it down, the fabric ridged across - a faux sway back! Actually, I do have a sway back, anyway, but didn't think I'd need to adjust a kimono. Maybe I should have gone up a size.

Overall, it's a good result. I like wearing it with my black trousers. Black isn't one of 'my colours', though (I prefer navy and suit it better - I'm a cool summer). I found that I didn't have a top to wear under the kimono, though I have compromised with tops and have already worn it a three times. When I modelled Joanne's, I used a black top but felt overwhelmed by it. The top in these photos is black but has warm colour stripes across the top and down one side - not easy to see in the photos because of the necessary overexposure. Do I make a suitable top? Do I simply put the kimono aside for when Joanne will inevitably need a replacement? I plan to make another kimono for myself - if I could only find that same fabric but with a navy base!! Otherwise, I have some suitable fabric though not as nice as that fabric with the flocked embellishment.

There's nothing more to say. Nice pattern - it's described as 'easy-to-sew' and it is!. All parts match where they should. I might try view B with a more drapey fabric. 

A kimono for Joanne from Simplicity 1108

I had intended to do some sewing for Joanne for Christmas. She likes the lace edged shorts I’ve made for her, cloned from a RTW pair, and needs more. I’ve made her two pairs so far - they look identical but the fabric on one is nicer than the other. I’ve run out of time to order the nice fabric online and get them made for Christmas so that’s a task for the new year. I decided against using the fabric I bought when I was in Liverpool earlier this year to consider for a pair as I think it’s maybe not a nice enough quality and I don't have time to experiment. Also, it has a pattern and I haven’t discussed with Joanne anything other than plain black ones. (Edited to add that she definitely wants a black pair)

A year past in November I was at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show (I didn’t make it this year) and I bought some fabric thinking of a kimono for Joanne. David was with me. We liked this dark flocky fabric which has a very slight stretch but is really quite stable. I bought quite a bit. I can’t remember who we bought it from.

Well, I only this week got around to thinking of it. I had previously made Joanne a kimono but decided to use a different pattern this time  - just to mix it up a little! I didn’t want to use a border. I gave Joanne the choice of the previous kimono pattern or this one via WhatsApp. She chose this pattern in view D but said she’d like it longer. Originally, I had thought of making it a lot longer - around 12” - to match the length of view A but decided this wouldn’t work with the nice curved front. In the end, I only increased the length by 4”. This view also has optional lace around the edges and sleeves but I didn’t do that - if Joanne wants, I could add it later.

This was a fairly speedy make - and I’m sure many of you could make it far faster than I did. In fact, the longest time was in cutting out. I did my best to get pattern elements level and lying in a suitable place. I think there is a very big repeat though many of the large elements seem similar but different from the next one. The pattern is not symmetrical around a midpoint so I tried to take that into account too. It took me a while - yet when you lay the fabric down, it almost disappears so I decided to try to level only the largest element.

One change I did make was to cut the back in one piece rather than have a centre seam. The back seam was straight and I couldn’t see a real need for that seam. Otherwise, I followed the pattern. I used a lengthened view D with the longer sleeves from view C. There is only a back piece, two front pieces and two sleeves. There is no interfacing, no facings, no fastenings. My fabric doesn’t fray but I decided to finish all my seam allowances by overlocking in black thread just to finish off and give the inside a neat appearance.

The edges around the kimono and the sleeves are finished in bias binding, understitched and turned to the wrong side, then topstitched in place. This took me the longest time. I was wishing that I had simply overlocked, turned and topstitched - but I must admit the finish is lovely. I used a commercial bias binding. Actually, does this count as a facing?

So that was another item ticked off my Christmas list. I took photos on my dressmaking model and on me but hoped I would get a photo actually on Joanne.

I saw Joanne a couple of days after Christmas at our late family Christmas celebration in Cambridge. She liked the kimono and the fabric and it appears to fit well. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo as it was too dark and hectic that night and next day when she came round she wasn't wearing it. She says she'll send me a photo. In the meantime it's photos on Madame and on me.

I think the pattern sizing is pretty accurate.

I’ve had the fabric so long that I can actually enter PR’s fabric Stash contest. No chance of winning of course - but there is a random prize. I used 3 metres of fabric.