Monday 11 September 2017

How To: Lightweight Kimono from Saree Set

I've been living in Dubai for 2 years now, and for 2 years I've resisted the legion of saree shops in the area I go fabric shopping. When I first arrived I wouldn't even have considered something so colourful (there is no such thing as a minimalistic saree). But something's happened over the past couple years and slowly all kinds of colours have started creeping into my sewing projects. So about a month ago, I spotted some embroidered roses in a saree shop window, and when I saw the straight symmetrical stripes down the front, I knew it had to become a kimono.

Tutorials take a lot of time & effort to create, and I choose to make mine available for free. If you enjoy this guide, you can support me with a donation that feels right for you, here.


TOOLS:
I used an embroidered chiffon saree set, about 4 m in total  |  Scissors  |  Pins  |  Thread  |  Serger is pretty necessary if the fabric is a chiffon like mine here  |  I also used some bias tape to finish the hem


I. First thing I did was to extend the main fabric piece by about 20 cm with the other fabric, since I wanted my kimono to be almost floor length, and there wasn't enough of the rose-embroidered fabric. I'm 175 cm tall and the length of my kimono from shoulderline to hem was 145 cm or so.

II. Then I cut the whole thing in half in between the straight lines I had visualized to form the center front seams of the kimono. Some measurements in the image. After cutting, I finished the center front seams by hand-sewing. It was pretty painful. Any other type of fabric would be a breeze, chiffon, as I have stated in the past, was made by the devil.
II. Next I used the other fabric to cut my back piece.
First finished the neckline on the back piece with a simple double fold:
III. Then I pinned the shoulders together, right sides facing, and sewed them together, finishing with my serger.
IV. To make the sleeve, I used the arm hole of the attached front & back piece as guidance to trace the curve, and did a uniform 20 cm width the whole way.

V. Then just pinned the sleeve to the arm hole, right sides facing, sewed and finished with my serger. Somehow I forgot to take photos of the rest, but it was just a matter of pinning the sleeve underarm and the sides together, sewing those, and finally finishing the hem and the sleeve hems. 
I used some bias tape to create a 2 cm fold at the hem of the kimono so it would not fly all over the place given how light the fabric is.
xo,

Julia

10 comments:

  1. I love it! That sari s beautiful! When i lived in the ME, I used to be attracted to bold colors and patterns, but i ve been living in japan for 4 years now and my wardrobe is increasingly japanized and simple. I guess we absorb the atmosphere of the place we live.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much!! Yeah I think that is exactly what has happened to me... My god I can only imagine the gorgeous prints you can get in Japan!!! So jealous!!!

      Delete
    2. wow wonderful designer you shared with trendy.
      designer sarees

      Delete
  2. Love everything you sew... Follow you also on Instagram...bit confused... Did you get married- did i miss an annoucement?? Love those pics also...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!! And yes I did indeed get married:)

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Best replica watches uk. Here you can find almost swiss brand replica watches.Replica watches,one of the most famous brands,replica rolex watches,Specialities watch for sale,Fast delivery and free shipping!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Quel est notre produit? - La meilleure marque de luxe au monde regarde des Replique Montre de la plus haute qualité! Si vous voulez avoir ces Replique bell and ross Montre de luxe, vous voulez porter ces montres sur votre poignet, mais arrêtez-vous en raison de leur prix élevé. Alors s'il vous plaît arrêtez vos pas, c'est votre endroit le plus correct..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a creative post you have shared.Make place for these gorgeous pure silk sari. Check out our vast collections and get yourself your favorite Pure Silk sarees today!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, nice piece of embroidery work. You look gorgeous in that Chiffon Kimono made from saree set

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear what you think and learn about your DIY adventures! If you use one of my tutorials, tag me on social @contour_affair, I'd love to see!

 

Contour Affair Copyright © 2011 -- Template created by O Pregador -- Powered by Blogger