Kimono - making choices

Make A Garment A Month project for "November Nights" theme finished. I chose NEWLOOK 6072 from project runway ,now discontinued. I'm not feeling like I want to go out dancing in this - but I will take it on a hot holiday somewhere.

 

In the beginning..... I was going to use the camel silk for the contrast. It matched perfect, despite my lying camera. But the colour looked ghastly against my skin. So then I thought I might embroider on it to "help". Way to much work and it really wasn't helping...mind you it looks ok in the picture.

Then I found the blue Asian print, in the stash. And I kinda like it. Better colour for me. The right weight. Mixing the prints is tripping me up though, but I'm going with it anyways. I read some where?- when making a quilt you need 10% CLASH. This is sitting at about 100% right now. ( no- this is not going to be a quilt, just using the same theory).

Then.... I love it when this happens.... I was hanging up piles of clothes in my bedroom and this scarf jumped up and hit me in the head.So now I'm throwing this into the mix! Keeping my fingers crossed ,I believe there is enough Fringe to add to the bottom, I may have to fudge it some. This could be very interesting or a big hot mess.... Humm ... Wish me luck.

After playing around a bit more I think I might just try to use the scarf to make some flat piping to bridge the prints together, and I like the texture it will add. So here I am taking a very easy peese project and making it way too complicated.

Here's what I have so far. The flat piping was very crooked despite my best efforts. So a design op presented itself. This summer I bought a button up shirt with fringe on the front- so I used it for inspiration.

Mine looks like this. I opted not to put the fringe on the bottom, even though I did have enough. I liked it better without.

 

Over all , I'm happy with my kimono. It was dead easy to make with great instructions for a beginner, I like the fit and shape. I like the final choices of my materials, but it will be for indoors, a lay around the house kimono, and I kinda wanted to wear it out. Oh well , I have enough fabric left over to make some wide leg bottoms and a camisole. This out of print NEWLOOK 6572 is my go to TNT for pj's.... then my lounge out fit will be complete.

Stay tuned for my next kimono. I have already picked out my fabrics and am happy to say I will be wearing It outside.

Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to comment.

 

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Kimono - take two

My first take on NEWLOOK 6072 turned out rather sleepwear-ish. Nice but big yawn! See it here.Then one day, while minding my own business, picking up some elastic- I found this beautiful drapey velvet burnout. Done! But there was nothing I liked in the whole 10 thousand square foot store for the contrast!!! This time I was for sure going to avoid anything satin. I was so psyched when I got home, I tore through my boxes of black and found the perfect piece of black crushed velvet. Circa 1989- thank you 80's.

I guessedimated the quantity of fringe I needed and wound up haveing 1 1/2 inches left over- whew. This was not included on the pattern, I have been collecting inspiration kimono photos from Polyvore for a while and I knew I wanted 5 inch fringe.

I altered the front hemline of the NEWLOOK pattern by rounding off the corners, kinda the high/low thing. I think it worked out well.

 

I needed a top to wear under it and had picked up McCalls 6960 in the summer, perfect shape. I used view C for the front and view B for the back. This pattern called for a woven but I went out on a limb and used a bamboo/Lycra knit. I made a small and it is kinda huge. Is it just me or is pattern sizing just a crap shoot!!!!! The next time I make it I will cut the extra small. I'm sure even in a woven it will be ample in size.

Because 6960 was a woven it had all sorts of facings which I omitted and switched to 1 1/2" bindings. I pressed narrow strips of woven interfacing to the neck and armholes to help stabilize them and then stitched in the ditch from the outside with my whatchamacallit in the ditch foot and they turned out great.

 

Huge , but wearable/bearable. I love it when things go my way, I know I will wear this combo to death. Already on the hunt for more great fabric to make this again, maybe in a chiffon?I finished the bottom hem with a 3 thread overlock turned up and top stitched without stretching it. A very professional look, and I'm too lazy to set up my cover stitch.

Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to comment.

 

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The Best Peasant Blouse pattern ever!

I love peasant blouses. I have a favorite, one I bought ready to wear a few years ago at the Gap. I always thought I would copy it and knock it off. I never did get around to it, I have made about four different versions, none of them I liked so I kept looking. Anyways I found it, search over. I'm a happy girl.

It's New Look 6091 . I've had it for a while, I don't think the reviews were all that positive, so it sat there keeping the rest of my pattern stash company, until I found this lovely cotton lawn in a paisley border print. I gave it a whirl and I'm so glad I did.

Not the best photos I know but this is me after a day working in it, and it was hot today 26c. The fabric is so yummy. Of course my husband said - 'black and grey, we haven't seen those colours for a while' HaHa.

What I liked about this one was, it fit right out of the envelope, size 8, all I did was shorten the sleeves. Oh ya I added 3 1/2 inches to the length so I could have a nice wide hem. There is no elastic, it's a bias bound neck and sleeve, a bit fiddley so it was hand stitched - but that only took a few minutes. The next time I make it I will widen the hip width by an inch or so and maybe do a scalloped hem or some funky trim. Yup I guess there is still a little of the 70's in me, I like my hippie styles! This will be one I will be making again and again.

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