Betty's Mannequin: Kimono Dragon

After a fun-filled weekend of house hunting with my favourite petite blonde, drinking beer in a "swanky bar" as the boyfriend called it (it was a pub), road tripping in the "country" (outskirts of London), and celebrating the birthday of a Uni friend with more alcohol and more food in Richmond, I was thoroughly pooped last night! However, here it is: the following is my attempt at explaining how I winged making a kimono.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am no seamstress, although one day soon I would like to be (practice, practice, practice!), but I assume making a kimono is easy as I managed it.

You will need:

Your material (nothing too stiff)

Thread to match material.

Sewing machine / a needle.

Measuring tape.

Scissors.

Tailors chalk (optional but so much easier!).

Method:

1. Draw out a diagram of how you want your kimono to look. Add measurements to your diagram. Good god, this is an awful attempt!

2. Lay out your material. Fold in half from top to bottom and then fold in half again from left to right.

3. Carefully draw your shape onto the material in tailors chalk

4. Carefully cut out your shape.

5. Now open out the material so you are left with a T shape. What will be the outside of the material (the side you want people to see) should be facing inwards.

6. Pin and then do a running stitch under the arms and down the sides of the material.

7. Then measure down the middle and then cut the top layer of material. This will be the front of your kimono, where it opens.

8. When you reach the top of the material, cut about 5” to either side so there is room for your neck.

9. Then cut diagonally from the 5” towards the centre, creating a v neck shape.

10. Now you have to neaten the hems. Fold the material over about half an inch, and then roll it over again and pin it along the open front and neck. Sew with a running stitch.

11. Do this for the hem at the bottom, and then for the hem on the sleeves.

Note: I found tidying up the neck really tricky because it kept puckering. If I was patient and knew what I was doing, I would have done what my Nanny told me and bought some bias binding or made some myself. I stubbornly persevered, and after some hand stitching to tidy it up, it turned out ok.