For anyone needing help and having trouble. Alpha= front width [ from hip bone across front to hip bone. not back] OR divide full hip circumference by 2. ex. 121/2=60.5 A = (full hip -alpha) /2 or A=alpha/2 B= alpha -15. If you are plus size and have a bigger belly, i think this will help. Reverse A and B so B is the smaller than A. However it still might be too close so i recommend shaving off a few centimeters from A. Example. my B is 45.5, my A is 30.25. Reverse them so A is 45.5 and B is 30.25. If you still need more room or it still doesn't feel right, i would bring my B down to 25 cm. Trust me i have spent many many days and scrolling through the comments trying to figure this out and remeasuring to make sure everything was right. and this is just how it came out.
@@smitalakhade9874- when you say "full hip", you mean circumference? I'm a 3X, so i have to account for belly. I'm guessing you don't have that problem, so the math looks good. I'm cutting it up on paper and trying it on before I actually cut the fabric, just to be safe.
OMG Thank you I was just getting to the part where I have to add the 2 front panels only to find my B would we short by 6 inches! I knew I did something way wrong. You’ve just saved me🎉🎉🎉😅
0:01 talking about a brief construction of the kimono 4:12 measurements you need to make a kimono 5:33 *starting the construction* 6:50 front and back panels 10:26 uchiage 14:24 center back seam 15:17 side seam (idk what its called sorry ✌︎) 18:20 okumi 21:24 talking about the *sleeves* 23:34 making the sleeves 30:00 attaching sleeves 32:12 collar
For the center back pinch seam/hidden pleat/???, do you add 2 cm to the width of the whole body cut as seam allowance? Do you have some place you've written how much seam allowance would you add where? And for the hip measurement, do you mean the high hip, measures over the top of the hipbones like the first hip measurement, or over the fullest part of the hip? Thank you so much for making this tutorial!
This is great! As far as women go, I'm rather tall, so it's always been a struggle for me to find a cute design of kimono that also comes in a length that fits me (I'm almost 180cm), so learning how to DIY it instead is great!
Our height difference is so cute I'm 162cm I've always had friends a foot taller than me. Idk why maybe i feel safer around tall people. My husband is 195cm😍
I have been commissioned into making a kimono for a friend. This tutorial is everything I have been looking for. Every other guide or pattern math set up is absolutely baffled by the fact that western fabric is wider than 14 inches, so the layouts are simply super confusing. This makes so much more sense.
I made a kimono!!!! Thank you for the demonstration; the measurements, your knowledge, your use of the japanese words for the different seams, pieces, etc. and your cheery disposition! Loved the adventure! I made a practice kimono out of a sheet and very glad I did. Worth the time. My actual kimono I am making out of linen. Truly appreciate you.
I think this is the clearest tutorial in English on TH-cam! Having this basic understanding will really help me navigate Japanese sources on sewing kimono, thank you ^_^
@@olavikaukamieli1314, start with the idea that there are fewer differences than similarities. :) The main differences are in the way the sleeves are attached and formed.
After 4 kimono for my daughter and 1 for my husband, I'm watching this video again to make one for me.☺️ Thanks for your very detailed video. It is so helpful. Going to make my kimono for hanami.
Great video! I'm just about to start making a kimono, and this helped me a lot -- thank you! Perhaps I missed it but in case not, there's one very important thing: always wash, dry, and iron your fabric before cutting it out. It's so disappointing to spend all that time making a beautiful garment, and then have it shrink the first time it's washed. (I apologize if you said this already, or if someone mentioned this -- with over 500 comments, I didn't have the time to read them all.)
I'm so glad your computer had mercy on you! All my questions have been answered by the reupload, I was quite confused yesterday when I ended up with measurement B only 6.5 cm short, but I was also super tired, so I thought I must have made a mistake with measuring. I feel much safer now with cutting my fabric, thank you!
Yeah, I’m so sorry for that 🙈🙈 I had it right until yesterday night. And then I was so over-worked and was so confused myself... I’m glad I could fix it!
one thing i did for my first kimono sewing project was making a sort of hybrid between a haori and a kimono, with the length of the haori and the openings under the sleeves of a kimono. I learned a ton of things doing that and it used less fabric. I wear it all the time as a jacket!
time 18: 46 The white part on back and the edge of the fabric with the small wholes is called the salvage of the fabric. There is one on the other side as well with the company name, fabric name, fabric number and color dots may appear. Recommendation is to cut this off. It may distort when it comes time to wash the fabric.
Wow that was so complex, kudos to you for creating this video and making it available for the rest of us to learn from! Knowing how kimonos are fabricated makes me appreciate them even more.
I actually appreciate the algebra in the initial measurements you provided and using those labels in the video. Makes it so easy for beginners like me, thank you so much :)
Thank you Billy, it is very useful, we are in the process of making our first kimono with my daughter! Already with sleeves, now comes the collar. At 34:50 you draw the diagonal line where the collar ends. The starting point is clear. How to find out the end point of the collar? Thank you!
So I'm trying to follow this.... and it's very confusing. The instructions for the "a", "Alpha" and "b" Measurements are very confusing. I think it would help if you said your measurements so I can have an idea of what their supposed to be cuz mine feel REALLY off
Mine was too! I thought its just me! My supposed measurement is 13 cm (which is VERY small) i did what i think is similar thickness of her side seam so I made mine 30 cm from the center back, it worked out pretty good and for my measurement b was 45 which is more than half of my front and back panel so i just eye ball it (4.8 cm ish from the cut in the front) its fitting pretty good, im almost done just the hem and collar (which im scared about) hope this helps!
@Alejandra Asencio My main confusion is why the width of BOTH panels should be the yuki. But even so, this is way less confusing that the patterns I have seen in Asian magazines on the internet, ;-) EDIT: I have found that my measurements are too wide for yuki to work as my width for the front panels. Also, I have to turn part of the width into sewing allowance at the shoulder where Matsunaga-san does the opposite.
From my kimono book: Hip circumference: widest area of hip Front hip width: (hip circumference ÷2) - 8cm Front panel: front hip width - okumi (15cm) Back panel: (hip circumference - front hip width) + give (1.5cm) This doesn't really account for the MASSIVE seam allowance to do the arm holes like she did... or maybe it does if you do it right... since with the above measurements, if you sew the okumi to the edge of the front panel you'll have like 8+ cm of extra width. Otherwise I gather you're supposed to sew the two quite a bit overlapped.
Maybe I overheard in the beginning that this is for kimonos for women, but as a guy I still found this video to be very interesting! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Matsunaga-san, thank you so much for your videos, and for this video in particular. There are not many English resources for making an authentic kimono. I very much admire the way you explain things, and your knowledge of kimono dressing and wasai. Do you accept students and teach virtually? I would love to be able to learn from you in proper lessons.
Oh man im so glad this exists; i plan to move to japan in the future and i wanna go to festivals and such in kimono; but i am a very wide-set person so ill have to make my own, lol. Thank you so much!
If you are, like me, rather curvy, you may have to do the opposite from Billy in regard to the seam allowance of the opening for the arm. But then, I am also definitely shorter and have a relatively short yuki. That may not apply to you. Anyhow, it's worth checking before you sew on the sleeves. ;) Btw, I also had to make the body of the kimono wider than yuki. You see, A multiplied by 4 is the with you will get as the width of the fabric of your finished kimono, and that needs to be more than your hip curcumference plus alpha. if it doesn't you need to adjust, or your kimono will be too tight. :) Hope that helps and isn't just confusing - or just simply too late. LOL
I have some kimono and yukata (new, never worn) from when I was bigger. I recommend searching for yuttari (ゆったりサイズ) size! There are many options. I'm also selling mine if you like :)
I just want to cry with this video because now i could have a kimono ! Goodbye i go translate all the instructions 🇫🇷 Ps: Your channel is amazing and so interesting thank you so much
I love this! My daughter loves anime and wants to go as Nezuko from Demon Slayer for Halloween, but I had no idea where to start for making a kimono. This video helps a lot. Thank you!
I have discovered your videos recently and I am in love! I am in a hot sewing phase right now, about to finish my second western history inspired skirt and was looking for my next project. I love Japan and Japanese culture and never though I might be able to have my own Kimono. I am so excited that you’re making this possible 🥰
A great job on your video, as always. Sincerely useful and well done. There is so much useful information in this video, I truly appreciate it. Thank you for all your hard work, Billy!
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! You answered so many questions I had, especially about sewing the collar. I am super excited to make my first kimono!
Billy, I can't even express my gratitude for this video! It was amazing. Your whole channel is amazing. I'll be here supporting your work. Wish you blessings and blessings, and a lot of success. Kisses from Brazil 🙏🏻😘🌟🌹
I'm working on my first kimono and glad to find this tutorial ❤❤❤ I saw patterns and books but they're confusing. Your explanation gave me enlightment ✨️ thank you so much!
I've made a couple kimono, based of (bad/costume) patterns and based off of questionably 'authentic' measurements/guides that I found online (a long, long time ago) and NO ONE, nothing that I have read or followed, explained the collar, ESPECIALLY the curved part at the back of the neck, half as well as you did. THANK YOU. So much. So, so, so much. It makes so much more sense to me now. I have plans to attempt again (I'm getting better each time, at least) and will be coming back to this video then. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu. I've also made hakama and yukata with various degrees of success. If you have, or plan to make "The Easy Way" videos for those as well, I will definitely come and watch them!
I cannot thank you enough for this video. You have rekindled my teenage dream to make a kimono. It was early 90's so no internet or anything, and all I could find then was this ugly bathrobe pattern that called itself a kimono. I felt so betrayed. I have chosen old (no, it's not, it's a year old) bedsheet for kimono (blue with butterflies!) and beautiful sheer curtains (white with delicate flowers) for nagajuban, but I have problem with that. Please make a video for that some day, and please tell us could you make a seam some place if the fabric is shorter than needed for panels. For nagajuban, curtains are only 220 cm and I am 158cm, bedsheet is long enough. But anyway, million of thank yous, you have actually made me cry for joy. With love: Anonymous from Finland
I knew that was a vexento song in the back ground! Also as someone starting my sewing journey I found this really fun to watch how other places have developed their sewing techniques in comparison to the European ones.
To those of you following along as I did, here are some notes you might find helpful: On A and B: This is probably the most confusing bit of the video since I presume these are traditional measurements made and may not have been most detailed, but after a lot of thinking I think I've got it figured out. A is how long the back panel is going to be and B is how long the front panel needs to be for the okumi to wrap all the way around. Hence, A is half of 'alpha', which is the distance around half of your hips from behind. This means the two A's makes one alpha - the distance around your back. If you measure this right, when you wear the kimono the side seams will rest perfectly on your sides. B, then, is your alpha minus 15cm (the width of the okumi) the result here is that the front panel, plus the okumi, should also rest perfectly on your sides. The issues arise here on non-typical measurements (at least for Japan I presume). I'll spare you the maths, but for hip measurements over 60cm, the panels won't work. I'll instead propose a hopefully more intuitive set of measurements based on the content of the video. Since A is supposed to tell you where to sew the panels so that, from behind, the side seams line up nicely on your side, the measurement 'alpha' is going to be your widest measure around your hips, going behind you from one side to the other where you want the seams to line up. You then take half of that as A. Since B is supposed to show you where to sew so that the front panel and okumi reach from one side to the other, the measurement 'beta' should be your widest point, around the hips or stomach, going in front of you from one side to the other where you want the side seams, the same point as alpha. You then take away 15cm (or the width of your okumi if you're ignoring the traditional size) from measurement beta to get B. If B is larger than A, you will find that sewing both panels to measurement A will leave you with not enough fabric on the front panel to reach the other side. As an example, my A is 28cm and my B is 33cm. Since both panels are sewn to A, the front and back panels are 28cm wide, meaning I'm missing 5cm on the front to get the correct width. In this case, instead of marking out A on both front and back, mark it only on the back and mark B + sewing allowance on the front and join the sides on that line. Doing this will line up the back panels perfectly and leave you with exactly enough space to attach your okumi on the front. You can also increase the sewing allowance when doing this if you're worried about cutting it too close for the okumi. As a further example, here are the measurements I took when drafting my first kimono. The widest point behind me is my butt, measuring that from my sides gave me 56cm. The widest point in my front is my stomach and measuring that gave me 48cm. a: 56cm b: 48cm A: 28cm B: 33cm Since B is larger than A, I used my above example to add more space on the front, marking out 34cm on the front panel and 28cm on the back and sewing there, instead of 28cm on both. Finally, when making the collar and sewing the top piece on, to prevent having too much fabric on the bottom like Miss Matsunaga, fold the sewing allowance over on the top piece and pin where those land instead of the whole thing, since you lose a cm or so when sewing it on. You don't need to be too careful about this since if there's too much fabric on the top you can just press it down and it will cover the seam just like on all the other seams. That's all the notes I took, hopefully this helps someone out there and helps someone avoid having to have a kimono that isn't wide enough. This video is a great resource, very helpful to see it play out rather than written in some book somewhere.
I know this series is older but would love to learn how to weave kimono fabric. I know with modernization most kimono fabric is probably produced in factories but i mean you have hand made other parts of the outfit like the kumihimo so would thought I'd put the suggestion out there.
Im a fresh sewist/cosplayer and this tutorial was very important for me to be able to finish my project. It took me 6 weeks more or less and it was kind of painful, my shoulder areas are a little baggy and i suspect it is because the shoulder seam is too far down below my shoulder, about two inches and my collar closes a little bit too neatly against my throat which is mostly my problem. I like alot of other people struggled with some of the explainations, and the camera angles sometimes missed important visual information. Overall a decent tutorial, kimonos are tedious and the collar is hard to make, but i managed to make a Wano Luffy cosplay from OnePiece
Thank you so much for this amazing "How to to make a Kimono" video. My first draft (test) is done I am confident enough to cut my nice fabric and make a beautiful kimono.
Finally I make my own kimono. I got very inspirated while watching your videos. Let's hope, my kimono fits and looks great. At the moment I'm stiching a little sashiko (hope I wrote it right) on it.
Hey! Keep in mind that those video uses the word “hip measurement” for “hip circumference”. In case you are here to comment that you are waiting for a "how to sew a men's kimono" or you are confused about measurements A and B, please check out my video "how to make a men's kimono" here: th-cam.com/video/psLLyT1Pd1o/w-d-xo.html
Hi @Billymatsunaga what is slightly confusing for me is that on the A and B measurements is that my A measurement is smaller than my B measurement. So logic states I won’t have enough fabric to get the full “b” measurement. Almost as if these A and B’s are reversed. Because it would work if I use B on back and A on front. You show I measure “B” from the side seam… I won’t have the required fabric so I would just add the okumi to the raw edge. 🤷♀️
It's also generally considered a good idea to trim that before you do anything else, as it can cause ripples and uneven seams in tailored clothing. I'm not sure how it would affect a kimono.
@@goldengryphon on the edge of okumi sewn to the main panel, it has no impact because that seam is totally straight. Except maybe at the point where the collar meets thé okumi, this might stitching the collar on a little more difficult, but it's a matter of a des centimeters
In my knowledge (and I am not a professional) this actually is pretty much a yukata. A kimono has a lining sewn into it. There is a difference in the collars as well, kimono having soft full width collars while yukata have stiff half width collars. You can wear this pattern as a yukata though, just don’t wear a juban (the white collar you see) with yukata.
My Master's Thesis was actually about kimono - my university offered a unique way of going about it in which I could write a shorter paper, but had to do a supplementary project along with the paper. So, my project was... make a kimono. How I wish I hadn't graduated in 2019, because this video would have been a godsend were it around them. ;o; My collar was an absolute mess, I couldn't figure it out since all I had was a text guide and I'm very much a visual learner. Luckily, it was a yukata, so it's not like I had to make a PROPER collar... I was the only one in my class with any knowledge of kimono - no one needed to know I cheated shhhh, but even so because it gave me so many issues I pretty much gave up on the idea of ever sewing a kimono again. Seeing you actually do it in person though made it so much easier to understand though! Maybe I'll try again some day. ;w;
Thank you so much! I wanna cosplay Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer or Kimetsu No Yaiba. This series is based in the Taisho era in Japan and Nezuko wears a kimono. I could buy one but I’m plus size so I can’t really buy one. She also wears a haori over her kimono! ^^
Twinsies! I'm also making a Nezuko cosplay, but my reasoning is that the ready-to-buy costumes are not made like authentic kimonos and the fabrics used are trash 😖 Also the "obi" in those is not a proper obi, boo! Best thing about this tutorial is that you can use the same pattern for the striped yukata seen in ep 1. I'm takin inspiration from the yukata and making it into a juban, for the full kimono experience. 🤩
Thank you, Billy, appreciate all what you are doing for us! 💗 Very educational!!! I can see few mistakes I've been doing, trying to sew a kimono at home, and for sure it will be fixed with my next try 😁! Thank you again!
Not only "a little"! 💗 I wish, some day you to visit Warsaw, when you travel to Europe, you will have a warm greeting here, we have a very vivid kimono group and our home is always open for friends! You are invited!
I might have missed it - when drawing the diagonal stitch line onto the okumi for the collar, how far down should the lower end of the diagonal line be? You said that at the top, it's 23cm down from the shoulder line, but I don't think I caught how far down the bottom end of the diagonal line should be
@@DenisePollack if I remember correctly, in another of Billy's videos, she says the end point is halfway between the shoulder line and the hem. Hope that helps!
@@GoffCosplayCreative yes I heard this as well, not then she has a standard length for the collar and this would be different for different body length?!
This is JUST what I have been looking for. I have collected some resources but never really managed to fully comprehend various aspects. As a fellow tall european it has been difficult with proper yuki especially. So far i have been able to widen shoulder and side seams, but the final product is always not 100%. Now I can attempt my unlined wool kimono with a lot more confidence. Thank you so much for sharing this with us all.
Hi! your videos are amazing . I fact I've found you in my way to find how is made a kimono 😀. The only confusion I have is this : On the back of the neck only the collar is a little rounded cut ? It seems the kimono is quite flat ( it hasn't a round cut like a normal coat).
Thank you so very much Billy! I was able to make a beautiful kimono for my daughter! I loved the way it turned out and thank you for teaching me how to make it properly! 🙏🏽
Meine kleine Schwester bekommt dieses Weihnachten einen Kimono von mir geschenkt, da sie mir den ganzen Sommer damit in den Ohren lag. Dieses Video hat mir wirklich geholfen, jetzt muss ich nur noch den Stoff kaufen ; ) ! Merci Billy!
thank you so much, this is so great. when sewing Kimono eri is most difficult part for me too. but I came to the conclusion that it's much easier to align the fabric if sode aren' attached yet and the side seems of the main panels are still open. so as a very early step. I never had do redo eri again ever since I do it like this. I know eri is supposed to be attached at last but at this early step I find it easier and I can already mark katayama and kensaki. And I wanted to ask about Uchiage: two of my original kimono only have uchiage in the back. Is there a reason or meaning for that? Or is it missing?
Uneducated opinion: Uchiage hides horizontally all the extra fabric length that standard kimono bolts come in (11 to 14 meters of fabric in total for someone measuring on average 1,48 meters). Its function is to preserve a length of fabric intact and (not only historically) resell. Only at the back uchiage may occur due to measuring/tailoring style of said bolt, design layout versus katayama etc.
I have been to Japan and have two very worn yaka that I want to duplicate. I have the basic because these were authicatly sewed. This will help me a lot.
I might need your help with a kimono which I bought. I love the pattern, but it's too short. My mum's friend is a seamstress, she will help me out. Amazing how the stitching is invisible on the whole kimono. It's done inside out, but there must be a part where you have to pull it to the correct side and then...hand stitch the last part?
Definitely worth watching. I plan on making some of my own. Might be cheaper to make, to add to my kimono collection, than to keep buying to grow my collection - even though they won't be "authentic", at least they'll be authentically mine.
Thank you so much for this video!! I’ve been using these techniques for a yukata I’ve made myself and it’s a lot more difficult then it seems. I always sew on the collar by hand for safety, in case I mess it up :D Getting everything perfectly symmetrical is definitely the biggest challenge for me as well. I was wondering if you have tips on how to sew lined kimono? Since lining is so thin and delicate, I usually end up with puckered seams, despite how many times I re-do it, or press it with the iron 🤦♀️ Much love!
That's exactly what I plan to do. Thank you so much, my kimono sensei, for your hard work and dedication to others. One size fits most is a sham for many of us. I finally feel like I may one day be able to wear a properly fitting kimono thanks to you.
@@amberolsen1825 I'm looking forward to "fixing" a beautiful Happi Coat I picked up some years back. I need to unpick and resew it because of some ill treatment it suffered. I now know how! I'm very excited for this!
Excited to get started, but still don't fully understand the measuring. Billy says "we'll call the hip bones width alpha" but then for determining Measurement A tells us to subtract alpha from the hip measurement. If they're the same measurement, we just get zero, right? Billy gives us two different ways to calculate B - first she says it's hips divided in half, second she says it's the hips minus 15cm. What am I missing?
alpha is only the front part of your body, hip measurement is once fully around your body. b is basically hips divided by two, but more exactly is -15cm. :) EDIT: Actually I had problems with B as well, while making the kimono. I used half of B, because there was not enough fabric for "-15cm".
For the Uchiaga mesurment you say 2cm but in the video it really looks like it's 2 inches. I would like to suggest when doing videos with smaller mesurments that you get a shot of the ruler on the fabric. Just for full clarity. I really enjoy your videos, but this has me a bit confused as when I see it in the video it looks alot larger than the mesurments you are saying sometimes. A wierd visual illusion maybe.
I'd love to know the differences is how a mens kimono is made differently than a women's, outside from the attachment of the sleeve to the body with no opening and general length. I made a kimono for myself following your guidelines but mostly hand sewing it and it turned out quite well. I'm excited for when you do a video on the subject (hopefully soon).
I haven't read all the comments, so I hope I did not miss the one that already answers my questions. - By 'your height' do you mean the height from top of head to bottom of feet Or from top of shoulder to bottom of feet? - the hip width (not the hip bones width (alpha)) is that measured all the way around your hips? I hope you can provide me with the answer, Billy! Thanks so much for making this video. Quite a few years ago I made a yukata for my younger brother following a description from a Japanese site that was in English. Your video explains and shows me how to do some of the points from that description I wasn't too sure about how to do it. This will help me with the next kimono I intend to make for me 😉
This video is very interesting ! I was planning to make myself some yukata and I guess most of the construction techniques are the same. I have other documentation to cross reference too, but the measurements are probably too small for me. So I cannot thank you enough for this tutorial By the way, I am rewatching it today, and I cannot find the time when you explain how to get the points A and B... I am pretty sure it was there in the first upload of the video. Did you delete it ? If so, how can I calculate them ?
This video is the best kimono tutorial I watched so far, thank you so much! But, kimonos don't have a lining? To make more beautiful and clean when some inner parts are showing, like the sleeves or the bottom part? I guess they're called susomawashi, dôra and fuki.
@@BillyMatsunaga Hi! Thanks for answering! But I searched the video and I didn't find it. The fact is that I'm making a kimono for a school assignment and I want to do it really well (I'm gonna keep the kimono hehe), and I still have this doubt.
This video is super clear and concise! After wading through tons of photo tutorials it's really helpful to see the technique in motion with clear diagrams. Now, I notice it makes an un-lined kimono. For a lined version would it be better to flat-line, using two layers of fabric during construction instead of one, or a bagged lining, where the outer and inner linings are constructed separately before attaching them together? My gut says flat-lining because (in the west) that was the preferred method historically, but I could be wrong.
I think flat-lining would be faster to do and I would like to try it out myself. I think people lined the kimono the traditional way was because many casual to formal kimono used very expensive fabric that involved labor-intensive techniques of dyeing & weaving. NHK Japan does many videos on beautiful textile arts used to make kimono. So to preserve the fabric, the whole kimono had to be taken apart.
Thank you so much for this tutorial!! One question. If you wanted to add a lining (for structure), how do you do it? Is it possible to find that information in your patreon? Also. If you used cotton, How many grams should the fabric be to have a good form without liner?
I actually just barely got into historical sewing. I actually bought a pattern for a medieval tunic as well as a kimono but I decided to ignore my tunic pattern because it really didn’t look authentic at all & real tunics are made of triangles & squares so I thought it would be simpler to just make an authentic one. The kimono pattern I have looks much more authentic than the tunic & more authentic than the pattern you showed, but I’m not sure how authentic it really is so I’ll probably end up following this video rather than the pattern I have. I’d like to actually take a look at the pattern I have though & compare it to the real thing.
Believe me: no pattern is authentic, because no pattern is authentic. But you’re very right: Kimono are like tunic and constructed pretty much the same way. The construction of a kimono we know today was first seen in the 8th century. That’s why their shouldn’t be a pattern: it’s a very simple construction, where you just cut rectangles and sew them together. And as a “kimono history researcher” I can confidently assure you that even this way to make a kimono is more authentic in the process than any pattern 😉 (because even in history kimono were made out of non-kimono fabric that is wider or smaller than a roll of kimono fabric (=tanmono) would be).
These comments and replies basically answer my question! I'm also attempting historical kimono from around the late Edo period ~19 c. It's impossible to find extant garments with measurements, or patterns from the era!! I know this comment is over a year old, so did you ever complete your kimono project?!
Can you tell me what the uchiage is for? Is it a marker for where your obi should sit, or a seam to stabalize the back which gets a lot of rubbing from obi and ties? I have wondered about this for a while. If so why do you say we can skip this step?
Thank you for the very educational video. I tried to find the Japanese word "uchiage" on the Internet, but the closest definition I could find was "launch", although I did read something that said the word meant "re-sewn"? There is a word "Kurikoshe" which may mean 'Fold-over sewn to adjust length' which seems to be where you stitched the uchiage. Another term that is difficult for me to find is spelled differently in the Closed Captions: pakisen / wacky sen / vakicen? I'm not sure about that, except it has something to do with measurement A? It goes under the shoulder straight to the hem just sewn to the uchiage. I see that some seams you make are because you are not using a tanmono (bolt of fabric) which has a narrow width by Western standards. This is a very nice video. Thank you very much!
I found your Kimono Textbook - 1st Lesson : Kimono Terminology which has a very nice diagram with all the names of the parts of the kimono. I found wakisen (脇線) which translates as 'armpit; in Google translate. (^_^) I still have not found 'uchiage', but I continue to search for it. Thanks again.
Okay, now I have finally found Uchiage (内揚げ): the raising of fabric up in the middle to marry bottom edges of yukata and kimono; inner pleat. Google translate wanted to make it 'Deep fried'. I knew that wasn't right. (^_^) Thank you.
a w says in a comment ^^up there^^: "For anyone needing help and having trouble. Alpha= front width [ from hip bone across front to hip bone. not back] OR divide full hip circumference by 2. ex. 121/2=60.5 A = (full hip -alpha) /2 or A=alpha/2 B= alpha -15." And in another video, Matsunaga-san says she always uses a sewing allowance of 1.5 centimeters.
I've really enjoyed your channel and learning so much about kimonos! I bought come white cotton lawn to practice making this kimono. I was wondering if there is a way I could modify it to be a nagajuban when I am done? You have really inspired me!
Finally a good guide video to kimono sewing! Super big thanks for making such great video. 😄 I was wondering, do you use the same kimono "pattern" also in nagajuban? Or do you make sleeves slightly smaller? Few weeks ago I tackled hakamas already and would love to know other hakama tutorials out there.
Exactly the Juban sleeves are 0.5cm smaller. Also the length is about -30cm from hour height. The is quite the same. Hakama is also something I’d love to tackle one day...
this is super helpful! i have been experimenting, learning to sew a gi for kyudo. want to try juban next once i've practiced enough. hardest part was to figure out the process for collar. thank you for letting me watch! mitori geiko. some things are difficult to learn from pictures or books.
I just wrote a gigantic amount of notes and instructions and I plan on hitting this soon. I think I spent over an hour and a half watching, going back and forth to figure out steps and measurements! (I also have an existing vintage Kimono which I would like to alter to my size, and this will help me enormously! - don't worry, I'm not ruining an antique) I have a couple of questions, though: 1. Would this work for a haori, just without the horizontal chest/back seam? 2. Would this work for a juban? I noticed yours has (in several videos) a slightly padded collar. With the exception of that difference, would construction be the same? Thank you!
はじめまして、宜しくお願い申し上げます。 Nice to meet you! I am so happy to find this video. I wear kimono everyday, and I've always wanted to make my own. I have been terrified in doing it because I really do not know what I am doing! Even getting the measurements seems daunting. But, I want to do this, so I will try as best I can. I will watch this video many times🙇 I also want to make a hanjuban and a haori, have you done these before?
For anyone needing help and having trouble.
Alpha= front width [ from hip bone across front to hip bone. not back] OR divide full hip circumference by 2. ex. 121/2=60.5
A = (full hip -alpha) /2 or A=alpha/2
B= alpha -15.
If you are plus size and have a bigger belly, i think this will help. Reverse A and B so B is the smaller than A. However it still might be too close so i recommend shaving off a few centimeters from A. Example. my B is 45.5, my A is 30.25. Reverse them so A is 45.5 and B is 30.25. If you still need more room or it still doesn't feel right, i would bring my B down to 25 cm.
Trust me i have spent many many days and scrolling through the comments trying to figure this out and remeasuring to make sure everything was right. and this is just how it came out.
Thank you so much! I've been trying to draw out my pattern for the last hour and had been getting very frustrated!
How can how can your hip circumference be 121 cm you look very thin I would think that would be for a very large man. I think I’m confused
Can u help me
My full hip is 81 cm
alpha (front hip width)= 38 cm
So B= (38-15) i.e 23 cm
A= (81-38)÷2 is 21.5 cm
Is it right ☺️
@@smitalakhade9874- when you say "full hip", you mean circumference? I'm a 3X, so i have to account for belly. I'm guessing you don't have that problem, so the math looks good. I'm cutting it up on paper and trying it on before I actually cut the fabric, just to be safe.
OMG Thank you I was just getting to the part where I have to add the 2 front panels only to find my B would we short by 6 inches! I knew I did something way wrong. You’ve just saved me🎉🎉🎉😅
0:01 talking about a brief construction of the kimono
4:12 measurements you need to make a kimono
5:33 *starting the construction*
6:50 front and back panels
10:26 uchiage
14:24 center back seam
15:17 side seam (idk what its called sorry ✌︎)
18:20 okumi
21:24 talking about the *sleeves*
23:34 making the sleeves
30:00 attaching sleeves
32:12 collar
Oh, big thanks for you right there!!
Thank you for taking the time to do this!
So helpful! Thank you!!!!
Revisiting the video, I would like your comment a second time, if I could. ;)
For the center back pinch seam/hidden pleat/???, do you add 2 cm to the width of the whole body cut as seam allowance? Do you have some place you've written how much seam allowance would you add where? And for the hip measurement, do you mean the high hip, measures over the top of the hipbones like the first hip measurement, or over the fullest part of the hip?
Thank you so much for making this tutorial!
This is great! As far as women go, I'm rather tall, so it's always been a struggle for me to find a cute design of kimono that also comes in a length that fits me (I'm almost 180cm), so learning how to DIY it instead is great!
Exactly
Our height difference is so cute I'm 162cm I've always had friends a foot taller than me. Idk why maybe i feel safer around tall people. My husband is 195cm😍
I’m at 180cm, takes a bit more fabric but the outcome is glorious still!
@@slittio9587 I'm at 210 😢
@@quasa0 tf 😂
I have been commissioned into making a kimono for a friend. This tutorial is everything I have been looking for. Every other guide or pattern math set up is absolutely baffled by the fact that western fabric is wider than 14 inches, so the layouts are simply super confusing. This makes so much more sense.
Yes, definitely. Most ppl I know cut the fabric into about 14 inches straps to sew it the together again... what makes no sense🙈
@@BillyMatsunaga and also doesn't fit right in width for us less slim western women to make 14' strips...
I made a kimono!!!! Thank you for the demonstration; the measurements, your knowledge, your use of the japanese words for the different seams, pieces, etc. and your cheery disposition! Loved the adventure! I made a practice kimono out of a sheet and very glad I did. Worth the time. My actual kimono I am making out of linen. Truly appreciate you.
I think this is the clearest tutorial in English on TH-cam! Having this basic understanding will really help me navigate Japanese sources on sewing kimono, thank you ^_^
Yet it is still not clear at all. And trying to figure out how to make one for a man is not simple. :D
same here
I'm with you
@@olavikaukamieli1314, start with the idea that there are fewer differences than similarities. :)
The main differences are in the way the sleeves are attached and formed.
@@g.strobl4458 Yea it's a bit late now. I got all the info I needed.
After 4 kimono for my daughter and 1 for my husband, I'm watching this video again to make one for me.☺️ Thanks for your very detailed video. It is so helpful. Going to make my kimono for hanami.
Great video! I'm just about to start making a kimono, and this helped me a lot -- thank you! Perhaps I missed it but in case not, there's one very important thing: always wash, dry, and iron your fabric before cutting it out. It's so disappointing to spend all that time making a beautiful garment, and then have it shrink the first time it's washed. (I apologize if you said this already, or if someone mentioned this -- with over 500 comments, I didn't have the time to read them all.)
Now it's time for hakama sewing :D
Oh, i definitely want to tackle that, too!!
@@BillyMatsunaga YES PLEASE
I would LOVE a hakama sewing tutorial!
Both kinds, if possible!
@@amberolsen1825 gxf fx xf
This is so helpful!!! As a japanese fashion student I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a kimono sewing video. This has helped me alot! ありがとう！
I'm so glad your computer had mercy on you! All my questions have been answered by the reupload, I was quite confused yesterday when I ended up with measurement B only 6.5 cm short, but I was also super tired, so I thought I must have made a mistake with measuring. I feel much safer now with cutting my fabric, thank you!
Yeah, I’m so sorry for that 🙈🙈 I had it right until yesterday night. And then I was so over-worked and was so confused myself... I’m glad I could fix it!
I'm confused by which parts are actually getting sew together at 17:49... is it the back panel being sewn to front panel?
Also how is the alpha measurement being taken? Can you show video, and how is it different from the hip measurement?
Too confusing for a person unfamiliar with terminology.
one thing i did for my first kimono sewing project was making a sort of hybrid between a haori and a kimono, with the length of the haori and the openings under the sleeves of a kimono. I learned a ton of things doing that and it used less fabric. I wear it all the time as a jacket!
time 18: 46 The white part on back and the edge of the fabric with the small wholes is called the salvage of the fabric. There is one on the other side as well with the company name, fabric name, fabric number and color dots may appear. Recommendation is to cut this off. It may distort when it comes time to wash the fabric.
Wow that was so complex, kudos to you for creating this video and making it available for the rest of us to learn from! Knowing how kimonos are fabricated makes me appreciate them even more.
That green and yellow kimono you have is just gorgeous! 🤩
I absolutely love it, as well. Stunning!
I actually appreciate the algebra in the initial measurements you provided and using those labels in the video. Makes it so easy for beginners like me, thank you so much :)
Thank you Billy, it is very useful, we are in the process of making our first kimono with my daughter! Already with sleeves, now comes the collar.
At 34:50 you draw the diagonal line where the collar ends. The starting point is clear. How to find out the end point of the collar? Thank you!
So I'm trying to follow this.... and it's very confusing. The instructions for the "a", "Alpha" and "b" Measurements are very confusing. I think it would help if you said your measurements so I can have an idea of what their supposed to be cuz mine feel REALLY off
Mine was too! I thought its just me! My supposed measurement is 13 cm (which is VERY small) i did what i think is similar thickness of her side seam so I made mine 30 cm from the center back, it worked out pretty good and for my measurement b was 45 which is more than half of my front and back panel so i just eye ball it (4.8 cm ish from the cut in the front) its fitting pretty good, im almost done just the hem and collar (which im scared about) hope this helps!
@Alejandra Asencio My main confusion is why the width of BOTH panels should be the yuki. But even so, this is way less confusing that the patterns I have seen in Asian magazines on the internet, ;-)
EDIT: I have found that my measurements are too wide for yuki to work as my width for the front panels. Also, I have to turn part of the width into sewing allowance at the shoulder where Matsunaga-san does the opposite.
I think the Alpha is the diameter of the hips and b was half of that meaning the radius of the hip.
From my kimono book:
Hip circumference: widest area of hip
Front hip width: (hip circumference ÷2) - 8cm
Front panel: front hip width - okumi (15cm)
Back panel: (hip circumference - front hip width) + give (1.5cm)
This doesn't really account for the MASSIVE seam allowance to do the arm holes like she did... or maybe it does if you do it right... since with the above measurements, if you sew the okumi to the edge of the front panel you'll have like 8+ cm of extra width. Otherwise I gather you're supposed to sew the two quite a bit overlapped.
I don’t even know what the Alpha measurement/seam is for.
yay!! now I know how to make kimonos! everyone totally deserves it, right guys?
Maybe I overheard in the beginning that this is for kimonos for women, but as a guy I still found this video to be very interesting! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Matsunaga-san, thank you so much for your videos, and for this video in particular. There are not many English resources for making an authentic kimono. I very much admire the way you explain things, and your knowledge of kimono dressing and wasai. Do you accept students and teach virtually? I would love to be able to learn from you in proper lessons.
Oh man im so glad this exists; i plan to move to japan in the future and i wanna go to festivals and such in kimono; but i am a very wide-set person so ill have to make my own, lol. Thank you so much!
If you are, like me, rather curvy, you may have to do the opposite from Billy in regard to the seam allowance of the opening for the arm. But then, I am also definitely shorter and have a relatively short yuki. That may not apply to you. Anyhow, it's worth checking before you sew on the sleeves. ;) Btw, I also had to make the body of the kimono wider than yuki. You see, A multiplied by 4 is the with you will get as the width of the fabric of your finished kimono, and that needs to be more than your hip curcumference plus alpha. if it doesn't you need to adjust, or your kimono will be too tight. :)
Hope that helps and isn't just confusing - or just simply too late. LOL
I have some kimono and yukata (new, never worn) from when I was bigger. I recommend searching for yuttari (ゆったりサイズ) size! There are many options. I'm also selling mine if you like :)
I just want to cry with this video because now i could have a kimono !
Goodbye i go translate all the instructions 🇫🇷
Ps: Your channel is amazing and so interesting thank you so much
Yes, you can 😊❤️
you remind me that tatami make a great crafting surface., especially for laying out, cutting out and basting quilts
I love this! My daughter loves anime and wants to go as Nezuko from Demon Slayer for Halloween, but I had no idea where to start for making a kimono. This video helps a lot. Thank you!
I have discovered your videos recently and I am in love! I am in a hot sewing phase right now, about to finish my second western history inspired skirt and was looking for my next project. I love Japan and Japanese culture and never though I might be able to have my own Kimono. I am so excited that you’re making this possible 🥰
A great job on your video, as always. Sincerely useful and well done. There is so much useful information in this video, I truly appreciate it. Thank you for all your hard work, Billy!
Thank you!! Sorry that I’ve deleted your comment, too. Could you read my reply? I had posted that an hour or 2 before deleting the first video.
@@BillyMatsunaga I did get your reply, thank you. ❤ It was super interesting.
I shall be waiting eagerly for the male version.
35:01 How do I define the end point of the diagonal line drawn on the okumi?
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! You answered so many questions I had, especially about sewing the collar. I am super excited to make my first kimono!
I’m so excited to make my first kimono too!
Did u get success 🙂
Billy, I can't even express my gratitude for this video! It was amazing. Your whole channel is amazing. I'll be here supporting your work.
Wish you blessings and blessings, and a lot of success.
Kisses from Brazil
🙏🏻😘🌟🌹
I'm working on my first kimono and glad to find this tutorial ❤❤❤ I saw patterns and books but they're confusing. Your explanation gave me enlightment ✨️ thank you so much!
I've made a couple kimono, based of (bad/costume) patterns and based off of questionably 'authentic' measurements/guides that I found online (a long, long time ago) and NO ONE, nothing that I have read or followed, explained the collar, ESPECIALLY the curved part at the back of the neck, half as well as you did. THANK YOU. So much. So, so, so much. It makes so much more sense to me now. I have plans to attempt again (I'm getting better each time, at least) and will be coming back to this video then. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu. I've also made hakama and yukata with various degrees of success. If you have, or plan to make "The Easy Way" videos for those as well, I will definitely come and watch them!
I cannot thank you enough for this video. You have rekindled my teenage dream to make a kimono. It was early 90's so no internet or anything, and all I could find then was this ugly bathrobe pattern that called itself a kimono. I felt so betrayed. I have chosen old (no, it's not, it's a year old) bedsheet for kimono (blue with butterflies!) and beautiful sheer curtains (white with delicate flowers) for nagajuban, but I have problem with that. Please make a video for that some day, and please tell us could you make a seam some place if the fabric is shorter than needed for panels. For nagajuban, curtains are only 220 cm and I am 158cm, bedsheet is long enough. But anyway, million of thank yous, you have actually made me cry for joy. With love: Anonymous from Finland
Hi from Finland! I bet it looks amazing with the butterflies!
I knew that was a vexento song in the back ground! Also as someone starting my sewing journey I found this really fun to watch how other places have developed their sewing techniques in comparison to the European ones.
To those of you following along as I did, here are some notes you might find helpful:
On A and B: This is probably the most confusing bit of the video since I presume these are traditional measurements made and may not have been most detailed, but after a lot of thinking I think I've got it figured out.
A is how long the back panel is going to be and B is how long the front panel needs to be for the okumi to wrap all the way around. Hence, A is half of 'alpha', which is the distance around half of your hips from behind. This means the two A's makes one alpha - the distance around your back. If you measure this right, when you wear the kimono the side seams will rest perfectly on your sides.
B, then, is your alpha minus 15cm (the width of the okumi) the result here is that the front panel, plus the okumi, should also rest perfectly on your sides.
The issues arise here on non-typical measurements (at least for Japan I presume). I'll spare you the maths, but for hip measurements over 60cm, the panels won't work. I'll instead propose a hopefully more intuitive set of measurements based on the content of the video.
Since A is supposed to tell you where to sew the panels so that, from behind, the side seams line up nicely on your side, the measurement 'alpha' is going to be your widest measure around your hips, going behind you from one side to the other where you want the seams to line up. You then take half of that as A.
Since B is supposed to show you where to sew so that the front panel and okumi reach from one side to the other, the measurement 'beta' should be your widest point, around the hips or stomach, going in front of you from one side to the other where you want the side seams, the same point as alpha. You then take away 15cm (or the width of your okumi if you're ignoring the traditional size) from measurement beta to get B.
If B is larger than A, you will find that sewing both panels to measurement A will leave you with not enough fabric on the front panel to reach the other side. As an example, my A is 28cm and my B is 33cm. Since both panels are sewn to A, the front and back panels are 28cm wide, meaning I'm missing 5cm on the front to get the correct width. In this case, instead of marking out A on both front and back, mark it only on the back and mark B + sewing allowance on the front and join the sides on that line. Doing this will line up the back panels perfectly and leave you with exactly enough space to attach your okumi on the front. You can also increase the sewing allowance when doing this if you're worried about cutting it too close for the okumi.
As a further example, here are the measurements I took when drafting my first kimono.
The widest point behind me is my butt, measuring that from my sides gave me 56cm.
The widest point in my front is my stomach and measuring that gave me 48cm.
a: 56cm
b: 48cm
A: 28cm
B: 33cm
Since B is larger than A, I used my above example to add more space on the front, marking out 34cm on the front panel and 28cm on the back and sewing there, instead of 28cm on both.
Finally, when making the collar and sewing the top piece on, to prevent having too much fabric on the bottom like Miss Matsunaga, fold the sewing allowance over on the top piece and pin where those land instead of the whole thing, since you lose a cm or so when sewing it on. You don't need to be too careful about this since if there's too much fabric on the top you can just press it down and it will cover the seam just like on all the other seams.
That's all the notes I took, hopefully this helps someone out there and helps someone avoid having to have a kimono that isn't wide enough. This video is a great resource, very helpful to see it play out rather than written in some book somewhere.
I need to comment so I don’t forget to review this later
I know this series is older but would love to learn how to weave kimono fabric. I know with modernization most kimono fabric is probably produced in factories but i mean you have hand made other parts of the outfit like the kumihimo so would thought I'd put the suggestion out there.
Im a fresh sewist/cosplayer and this tutorial was very important for me to be able to finish my project. It took me 6 weeks more or less and it was kind of painful, my shoulder areas are a little baggy and i suspect it is because the shoulder seam is too far down below my shoulder, about two inches and my collar closes a little bit too neatly against my throat which is mostly my problem. I like alot of other people struggled with some of the explainations, and the camera angles sometimes missed important visual information. Overall a decent tutorial, kimonos are tedious and the collar is hard to make, but i managed to make a Wano Luffy cosplay from OnePiece
I am making my one piece oc-
Thank you so much for this amazing "How to to make a Kimono" video. My first draft (test) is done I am confident enough to cut my nice fabric and make a beautiful kimono.
Finally I make my own kimono. I got very inspirated while watching your videos. Let's hope, my kimono fits and looks great. At the moment I'm stiching a little sashiko (hope I wrote it right) on it.
Hey!
Keep in mind that those video uses the word “hip measurement” for “hip circumference”.
In case you are here to comment that you are waiting for a "how to sew a men's kimono" or you are confused about measurements A and B, please check out my video "how to make a men's kimono" here: th-cam.com/video/psLLyT1Pd1o/w-d-xo.html
Hi @Billymatsunaga what is slightly confusing for me is that on the A and B measurements is that my A measurement is smaller than my B measurement. So logic states I won’t have enough fabric to get the full “b” measurement. Almost as if these A and B’s are reversed. Because it would work if I use B on back and A on front. You show I measure “B” from the side seam… I won’t have the required fabric so I would just add the okumi to the raw edge. 🤷♀️
Danke! Extremely helpful. I am refashioning a Kimono into a gi and I have been battling with it. Now I can alter my ill fitting kimono.
That white stripe along the edge of the fabric is called selvage. It is the edge of the fabric.
It's also generally considered a good idea to trim that before you do anything else, as it can cause ripples and uneven seams in tailored clothing. I'm not sure how it would affect a kimono.
@@goldengryphon on the edge of okumi sewn to the main panel, it has no impact because that seam is totally straight. Except maybe at the point where the collar meets thé okumi, this might stitching the collar on a little more difficult, but it's a matter of a des centimeters
Does this method apply too when sewing a yukata or does yukata had a different method? Thank you, you really inspired me 🤗 👘
In my knowledge (and I am not a professional) this actually is pretty much a yukata. A kimono has a lining sewn into it. There is a difference in the collars as well, kimono having soft full width collars while yukata have stiff half width collars. You can wear this pattern as a yukata though, just don’t wear a juban (the white collar you see) with yukata.
@@IAmNotYourProblem Thank you so much! 🤗🤗🤗
When I saw the video on my watchlist was gone I had a semi heart attack, then found it reuploaded on the channel * relief sigh *
I’m so sorryyyyyy!!! 🙈🙈🙈😱😱😱 it had to be fixed!!
@@BillyMatsunaga are you a half Japanese?
Better download & save the video for your reference. There is a lot of app that can save videos from any site.
@@inleusa2980 no she is german but her husband is japanese
I am confused. How do you get the Diagonal to trace on the okumi for the collar. Also to find the pont. Is it 23 straight or diagonally?
Scouring the comments for the exact same thing 2 years later 😂
My Master's Thesis was actually about kimono - my university offered a unique way of going about it in which I could write a shorter paper, but had to do a supplementary project along with the paper. So, my project was... make a kimono. How I wish I hadn't graduated in 2019, because this video would have been a godsend were it around them. ;o; My collar was an absolute mess, I couldn't figure it out since all I had was a text guide and I'm very much a visual learner. Luckily, it was a yukata, so it's not like I had to make a PROPER collar... I was the only one in my class with any knowledge of kimono - no one needed to know I cheated shhhh, but even so because it gave me so many issues I pretty much gave up on the idea of ever sewing a kimono again. Seeing you actually do it in person though made it so much easier to understand though! Maybe I'll try again some day. ;w;
Thank you so much! I wanna cosplay Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer or Kimetsu No Yaiba. This series is based in the Taisho era in Japan and Nezuko wears a kimono. I could buy one but I’m plus size so I can’t really buy one. She also wears a haori over her kimono! ^^
Twinsies! I'm also making a Nezuko cosplay, but my reasoning is that the ready-to-buy costumes are not made like authentic kimonos and the fabrics used are trash 😖 Also the "obi" in those is not a proper obi, boo!
Best thing about this tutorial is that you can use the same pattern for the striped yukata seen in ep 1. I'm takin inspiration from the yukata and making it into a juban, for the full kimono experience. 🤩
Thank you, Billy, appreciate all what you are doing for us! 💗 Very educational!!!
I can see few mistakes I've been doing, trying to sew a kimono at home, and for sure it will be fixed with my next try 😁!
Thank you again!
Thank you ❤️❤️ I’m glad it was at least a little helpful 🙈
Not only "a little"! 💗 I wish, some day you to visit Warsaw, when you travel to Europe, you will have a warm greeting here, we have a very vivid kimono group and our home is always open for friends! You are invited!
I might have missed it - when drawing the diagonal stitch line onto the okumi for the collar, how far down should the lower end of the diagonal line be? You said that at the top, it's 23cm down from the shoulder line, but I don't think I caught how far down the bottom end of the diagonal line should be
I need an aswer for this as well
@@DenisePollack if I remember correctly, in another of Billy's videos, she says the end point is halfway between the shoulder line and the hem. Hope that helps!
@@GoffCosplayCreative yes I heard this as well, not then she has a standard length for the collar and this would be different for different body length?!
This is JUST what I have been looking for. I have collected some resources but never really managed to fully comprehend various aspects. As a fellow tall european it has been difficult with proper yuki especially. So far i have been able to widen shoulder and side seams, but the final product is always not 100%. Now I can attempt my unlined wool kimono with a lot more confidence. Thank you so much for sharing this with us all.
It looks like you have some Japanese girls who want to learn this too, so good for you!
Hi! your videos are amazing . I fact I've found you in my way to find how is made a kimono 😀. The only confusion I have is this : On the back of the neck only the collar is a little rounded cut ? It seems the kimono is quite flat ( it hasn't a round cut like a normal coat).
You are awesome! I'm making a kimono for my daughter and your explanations are so clear and helpful. thank you!
I look forward to the video about Kimono for men. I would like to try.
Using this to make a nagajuban out of old bedsheets. Finally have a use for the 3m of silk gathering dust in my stash in the attic.
Thank you so very much Billy! I was able to make a beautiful kimono for my daughter! I loved the way it turned out and thank you for teaching me how to make it properly! 🙏🏽
I wish I can attach a photo. It was beautiful. Thank you so very much.
Meine kleine Schwester bekommt dieses Weihnachten einen Kimono von mir geschenkt, da sie mir den ganzen Sommer damit in den Ohren lag. Dieses Video hat mir wirklich geholfen, jetzt muss ich nur noch den Stoff kaufen ; ) ! Merci Billy!
thank you so much, this is so great. when sewing Kimono eri is most difficult part for me too. but I came to the conclusion that it's much easier to align the fabric if sode aren' attached yet and the side seems of the main panels are still open. so as a very early step. I never had do redo eri again ever since I do it like this. I know eri is supposed to be attached at last but at this early step I find it easier and I can already mark katayama and kensaki.
And I wanted to ask about Uchiage: two of my original kimono only have uchiage in the back. Is there a reason or meaning for that? Or is it missing?
Uneducated opinion: Uchiage hides horizontally all the extra fabric length that standard kimono bolts come in (11 to 14 meters of fabric in total for someone measuring on average 1,48 meters). Its function is to preserve a length of fabric intact and (not only historically) resell. Only at the back uchiage may occur due to measuring/tailoring style of said bolt, design layout versus katayama etc.
I have been to Japan and have two very worn yaka that I want to duplicate. I have the basic because these were authicatly sewed. This will help me a lot.
I might need your help with a kimono which I bought. I love the pattern, but it's too short. My mum's friend is a seamstress, she will help me out. Amazing how the stitching is invisible on the whole kimono. It's done inside out, but there must be a part where you have to pull it to the correct side and then...hand stitch the last part?
Definitely worth watching. I plan on making some of my own.
Might be cheaper to make, to add to my kimono collection, than to keep buying to grow my collection - even though they won't be "authentic", at least they'll be authentically mine.
Danke für die tolle Erklärung für Näh-Noobs wie mich. ^^ Außerdem muss ich unbedingt noch anmerken, dass dir dein Augenmakeup wahnsinnig gut steht!
Thank you so much for this video!! I’ve been using these techniques for a yukata I’ve made myself and it’s a lot more difficult then it seems. I always sew on the collar by hand for safety, in case I mess it up :D Getting everything perfectly symmetrical is definitely the biggest challenge for me as well.
I was wondering if you have tips on how to sew lined kimono? Since lining is so thin and delicate, I usually end up with puckered seams, despite how many times I re-do it, or press it with the iron 🤦♀️ Much love!
Hey I think am starting to understand, thank u so much. I will watch over n over until I get it.
That's exactly what I plan to do. Thank you so much, my kimono sensei, for your hard work and dedication to others. One size fits most is a sham for many of us. I finally feel like I may one day be able to wear a properly fitting kimono thanks to you.
the seam that you are talking about is called a "felled seam" in western sewing terms
definitely !
Yes! Thank you. after watching Bernadette Banner "felling seams neatly", I thought I recognized the technique.
Are you certain? She did not mentioning encasing the raw edges.
ah! at 20:43 I see it now
@@amberolsen1825 I'm looking forward to "fixing" a beautiful Happi Coat I picked up some years back. I need to unpick and resew it because of some ill treatment it suffered. I now know how! I'm very excited for this!
Great tutorial, completely lost me on the collar though!
Excited to get started, but still don't fully understand the measuring. Billy says "we'll call the hip bones width alpha" but then for determining Measurement A tells us to subtract alpha from the hip measurement. If they're the same measurement, we just get zero, right? Billy gives us two different ways to calculate B - first she says it's hips divided in half, second she says it's the hips minus 15cm. What am I missing?
alpha is only the front part of your body, hip measurement is once fully around your body.
b is basically hips divided by two, but more exactly is -15cm. :)
EDIT: Actually I had problems with B as well, while making the kimono. I used half of B, because there was not enough fabric for "-15cm".
Thank You for this awesome tutorial! Where did you get the small metal rectangle with the various measurements? I’d love to get one.
For the Uchiaga mesurment you say 2cm but in the video it really looks like it's 2 inches. I would like to suggest when doing videos with smaller mesurments that you get a shot of the ruler on the fabric. Just for full clarity. I really enjoy your videos, but this has me a bit confused as when I see it in the video it looks alot larger than the mesurments you are saying sometimes. A wierd visual illusion maybe.
I did 4cm since we also thought that 2cm was quite short.
Vielen Dank für dieses tolle Video. Ich wollte mir schon lange einen Kimono nähen 😊
Omg, this is a masterclass about sewing kimono, thank you so much, I really love it!
I'd love to know the differences is how a mens kimono is made differently than a women's, outside from the attachment of the sleeve to the body with no opening and general length. I made a kimono for myself following your guidelines but mostly hand sewing it and it turned out quite well. I'm excited for when you do a video on the subject (hopefully soon).
I now need to add make a kimono to my bucket list.
I think you meant 2 inch’s not 2 cm for the uchiage because when you show close up off you sticking it, it looks much wider than 2cm
I haven't read all the comments, so I hope I did not miss the one that already answers my questions.
- By 'your height' do you mean the height from top of head to bottom of feet
Or from top of shoulder to bottom of feet?
- the hip width (not the hip bones width (alpha)) is that measured all the way around your hips?
I hope you can provide me with the answer, Billy! Thanks so much for making this video. Quite a few years ago I made a yukata for my younger brother following a description from a Japanese site that was in English. Your video explains and shows me how to do some of the points from that description I wasn't too sure about how to do it. This will help me with the next kimono I intend to make for me 😉
Yes, your hip measurement (not alpha) is your hip circumference.
And your height from head to feet. (Shoulder to feet is men’s kimono)
Hi Billy! If I need a nagajuban for under my home made kimono, can I use this tutorial to make one?
LOVED this video! Hands down a wealth of information so I’m super grateful you shared this! Would you ever consider doing one on Hakama?
This is a fantastic starting point for some doll clothes I'm planning to make, thank you!
We celebrate carnival and Halloween around these parts. It's great!
I’m here cause I want to cosplay Marie from Splatoon 2 and this really helped a lot with making her kimono
thank you so much !! this video saved my life !!!
This video is very interesting ! I was planning to make myself some yukata and I guess most of the construction techniques are the same. I have other documentation to cross reference too, but the measurements are probably too small for me. So I cannot thank you enough for this tutorial
By the way, I am rewatching it today, and I cannot find the time when you explain how to get the points A and B... I am pretty sure it was there in the first upload of the video. Did you delete it ? If so, how can I calculate them ?
Hi! I didn’t cut that out. The measurements start at 4:12 ish. Happy sewing! 😊
Oh thanks ! I don't know why I missed it this time. My bad ^^.
This video is the best kimono tutorial I watched so far, thank you so much! But, kimonos don't have a lining? To make more beautiful and clean when some inner parts are showing, like the sleeves or the bottom part? I guess they're called susomawashi, dôra and fuki.
I hope you’re gonna watch a few more videos on my channel to learn more about kimono - such as “hitoe” kimono 😊
@@BillyMatsunaga Hi! Thanks for answering! But I searched the video and I didn't find it. The fact is that I'm making a kimono for a school assignment and I want to do it really well (I'm gonna keep the kimono hehe), and I still have this doubt.
Thank you this is awesome, Kimono’s are beautiful!
Million likes for this video! And I just can't stop saying how I LOVE your kimonos!
Thank you soooo much ❤️
This video is super clear and concise! After wading through tons of photo tutorials it's really helpful to see the technique in motion with clear diagrams. Now, I notice it makes an un-lined kimono. For a lined version would it be better to flat-line, using two layers of fabric during construction instead of one, or a bagged lining, where the outer and inner linings are constructed separately before attaching them together? My gut says flat-lining because (in the west) that was the preferred method historically, but I could be wrong.
I'm curious about this too and I'd love an explanation as well!
This is my question too! I'm trying to construct an awase (lined) kimono for an Edo period reconstruction piece.
I think flat-lining would be faster to do and I would like to try it out myself. I think people lined the kimono the traditional way was because many casual to formal kimono used very expensive fabric that involved labor-intensive techniques of dyeing & weaving. NHK Japan does many videos on beautiful textile arts used to make kimono. So to preserve the fabric, the whole kimono had to be taken apart.
Thank you so much for this tutorial!! One question. If you wanted to add a lining (for structure), how do you do it? Is it possible to find that information in your patreon?
Also. If you used cotton, How many grams should the fabric be to have a good form without liner?
I actually just barely got into historical sewing. I actually bought a pattern for a medieval tunic as well as a kimono but I decided to ignore my tunic pattern because it really didn’t look authentic at all & real tunics are made of triangles & squares so I thought it would be simpler to just make an authentic one. The kimono pattern I have looks much more authentic than the tunic & more authentic than the pattern you showed, but I’m not sure how authentic it really is so I’ll probably end up following this video rather than the pattern I have. I’d like to actually take a look at the pattern I have though & compare it to the real thing.
Believe me: no pattern is authentic, because no pattern is authentic.
But you’re very right: Kimono are like tunic and constructed pretty much the same way. The construction of a kimono we know today was first seen in the 8th century. That’s why their shouldn’t be a pattern: it’s a very simple construction, where you just cut rectangles and sew them together. And as a “kimono history researcher” I can confidently assure you that even this way to make a kimono is more authentic in the process than any pattern 😉 (because even in history kimono were made out of non-kimono fabric that is wider or smaller than a roll of kimono fabric (=tanmono) would be).
These comments and replies basically answer my question! I'm also attempting historical kimono from around the late Edo period ~19 c. It's impossible to find extant garments with measurements, or patterns from the era!! I know this comment is over a year old, so did you ever complete your kimono project?!
Can you tell me what the uchiage is for? Is it a marker for where your obi should sit, or a seam to stabalize the back which gets a lot of rubbing from obi and ties? I have wondered about this for a while. If so why do you say we can skip this step?
Hi really really Very exciting! I like kimono but I haven't idea about its sewing. I wish to realise one like you did in the video. Bravo
Thank you for the very educational video. I tried to find the Japanese word "uchiage" on the Internet, but the closest definition I could find was "launch", although I did read something that said the word meant "re-sewn"? There is a word "Kurikoshe" which may mean 'Fold-over sewn to adjust length' which seems to be where you stitched the uchiage. Another term that is difficult for me to find is spelled differently in the Closed Captions: pakisen / wacky sen / vakicen? I'm not sure about that, except it has something to do with measurement A? It goes under the shoulder straight to the hem just sewn to the uchiage. I see that some seams you make are because you are not using a tanmono (bolt of fabric) which has a narrow width by Western standards. This is a very nice video. Thank you very much!
I found your Kimono Textbook - 1st Lesson : Kimono Terminology which has a very nice diagram with all the names of the parts of the kimono. I found wakisen (脇線) which translates as 'armpit; in Google translate. (^_^) I still have not found 'uchiage', but I continue to search for it. Thanks again.
Okay, now I have finally found Uchiage (内揚げ): the raising of fabric up in the middle to marry bottom edges of yukata and kimono; inner pleat. Google translate wanted to make it 'Deep fried'. I knew that wasn't right. (^_^) Thank you.
I'm still quite confused what is the length of A, B, and Alpha and how to measure it? Also how much is your sewing allowance?
a w says in a comment ^^up there^^:
"For anyone needing help and having trouble.
Alpha= front width [ from hip bone across front to hip bone. not back] OR divide full hip circumference by 2. ex. 121/2=60.5
A = (full hip -alpha) /2 or A=alpha/2
B= alpha -15."
And in another video, Matsunaga-san says she always uses a sewing allowance of 1.5 centimeters.
I've really enjoyed your channel and learning so much about kimonos! I bought come white cotton lawn to practice making this kimono. I was wondering if there is a way I could modify it to be a nagajuban when I am done? You have really inspired me!
I found the answer in the comments! Carry on...
Finally a good guide video to kimono sewing! Super big thanks for making such great video. 😄 I was wondering, do you use the same kimono "pattern" also in nagajuban? Or do you make sleeves slightly smaller?
Few weeks ago I tackled hakamas already and would love to know other hakama tutorials out there.
Exactly the Juban sleeves are 0.5cm smaller. Also the length is about -30cm from hour height. The is quite the same.
Hakama is also something I’d love to tackle one day...
this is super helpful! i have been experimenting, learning to sew a gi for kyudo. want to try juban next once i've practiced enough. hardest part was to figure out the process for collar. thank you for letting me watch! mitori geiko. some things are difficult to learn from pictures or books.
Can you please explain the part about making the collar a bit more clear? I've been crying because j dont understand itToT
This is exactly what I needed, thank you so much for making this video Billy!
Thanks for the lovely comment ❤️
What was the seam allowance billy was using
I just wrote a gigantic amount of notes and instructions and I plan on hitting this soon. I think I spent over an hour and a half watching, going back and forth to figure out steps and measurements! (I also have an existing vintage Kimono which I would like to alter to my size, and this will help me enormously! - don't worry, I'm not ruining an antique)
I have a couple of questions, though:
1. Would this work for a haori, just without the horizontal chest/back seam?
2. Would this work for a juban? I noticed yours has (in several videos) a slightly padded collar. With the exception of that difference, would construction be the same?
Thank you!
はじめまして、宜しくお願い申し上げます。
Nice to meet you!
I am so happy to find this video. I wear kimono everyday, and I've always wanted to make my own. I have been terrified in doing it because I really do not know what I am doing! Even getting the measurements seems daunting. But, I want to do this, so I will try as best I can. I will watch this video many times🙇
I also want to make a hanjuban and a haori, have you done these before?