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taeliac — Tutorial:Draft a Kimono Patten
Published: 2007-08-30 15:54:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 148289; Favourites: 2282; Downloads: 25984
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Description
You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file, as it's a PDF. You can download it here .
Please, if you 
or Download, please leave a comment and let me know what you think! Here is a tutorial that I've meant to do for a while now, but really pushed to have finished before school started.
This is basically how I draft my kimono/yukata and faki-mono outfits (flip through my gallery for examples of some of them). A lot of people seem to have problems with them, and I had a lot of requests for this tutorial, so I hope you all appreciate the 8 hours it took to do this (and in a PDF, no less!)
This is really detailed, so that if you're new to sewing, you can follow it! If ~kellin could follow it, I have no doubt anyone can do this! So give it a try!!
I tried to document every step that you need to do as clearly as possible, so you shouldn't get lost! With lots and lots of technical illustrations!
You may also find my Pre Tied Obi Tutorial [link] useful in addition to this one, so check it out! I think there could still be a few spelling/gramatical errors floating in this, so I'm sorry about those! Also, this is the first time I've made a PDF, so please be kind and let me know if there are any issues - I've checked and re-checked it through, but if I did something weird, please let me know. I'm still new to using InDesign (most of the work was done in Illustrator) so there may be some issues there
I would ask that you do not sell anything you make with this tutorial. I know that there isn't a way to enforce this, so I'm appealing to your conscience.
Any questions? Just ask! I'm always glad to answer!
If you make something from this tutorial, throw me a link so I can see! That's the reason why I do tutorials, to see what other people can come up with!!
(c) 2007 Samantha Lemieux [link]
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Comments: 753
awesome tutorial! This'll help me with my cosplay a whole bunch. Just one question. how would you make more cone shaped sleeves for it? instead of box shaped sleeves? thanks ^-^
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There are a couple of ways you could do a more cone shaped sleeve, but the easiest way would be to just reshape that inside edge of the kimono (like, curve it however much you need, instead of making it square on the corner... I can sketch it out if you need, though, if that's confusing 
Another way, if you want really dramatic bell sleeves is to use my circle skirt tutorial, and fit it to the sleeve, instead of a skirt - that one is going to need a lot of playing with to get it to work right, though, so I would say it's not something to take on without doing a mockup of cheap fabric, as well as having a decent amount of sewing experience under your belt~
What cosplay are you working on? I may be able to give you some better tips to help specifically for that outfit!~
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I'm doing Nazo No Shoujo from Ookami Kakushi. It's the girl with white hair if that helps ^-^;;
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This should be a big help for my waloli cosplay hazaah!
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Hooray!! I'm very happy to hear that 
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thanks! you shall be my idol of cosplay! <3
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Thanks for making this, I will make my first attempt right away!
Also, since it will be my first attempt... Do you think I should train on making some miniatures on spare fabric before I go to the whole thing?
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Hooray!!
This should be a really easy first piece - I think, if you're worried about how it goes, buy some really cheap cotton (even muslin, but if you can find some cotton for like $2 a yard, go for that - if it turns out, great! You have an awesome kimono (that could also make a cute gift if you're in the mood to share) and if it doesn't, well, you're only out like $10 or something
Doing miniatures may be more frustration than it's worth, even at half scale (half of my education we worked on half-scale drapes for period garments, and I have to say, sewing that tiny can be more difficult than making the pattern in the first place 
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Oh wow, thank you for answering!
I think I'll try to use your tut and a "true" kimono pattern. I want to make a furisode for cosplay and - due to the nature of the character - I'd like to be "as true as possible" to reality. So I'll see which one gets easier, I have a lot of scrap fabric with enough lenght to... Make a children's kimono. 
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Ooh! There is an amazing book called "Make your own Japanese clothes" or something like that if you wanna take on a traditional kimono - at first, my friend and I approached it with much skepticism (it looks like it's "Make tacky Asian-ish clothes from the 80's" based on the cover) but it is really obscenely accurate on how to do things, we were floored!
I wish you much luck with your project! Oh! I don't know if you've ever seen them, but you can purchase kimono that is the outer, basted together, that you have to line, fit, and finalize yourself, but you can get some really beautiful one's for a fraction of an actual kimono - My afore-mentioned friend just got hers and started working on it, and it's so cool to be able to have a real kimono, but still be able to say that you made it (because you basically have to pull it apart to line it and fit it, but at least you don't have to cut it all, especially out of a bolt of silk!)
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Nice, thanks for the advice!
Due to my location in the world, everything is a bit hard to find but I'll look for the book - it seems pretty interesting and useful for further projects.
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Also, you have to fix this download. It seems to not work anymore.
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It should be working just fine - I haven't done anything to it, unless DeviantArt has changed their backend somehow about how downloads work 
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Yeah thats why I don't understand why its not working. Idk I'll figure it out.
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You wouldn't happen to be able to make a proper obi tutorial would you? Such as, a proper Obi with the "pillow" and such?
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I do have a tutorial about how to make the bows for obi, that slide in to a sash, very similar to traditional Japanese pretied obi (I was lucky enough to get my mitts on one to look at how they do them
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I was more interested in actually making one, not a pretied; either way all you made was the bow part. I was more curious about the "pillow" and other aspects of the authentic Obi. Maybe I'll find one somewhere. Thanks anyway.
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Hey! Your tutorial is great, but I'm stuck at the collar :/ I'm not sure at all how to pin it so that it's flat, but it curves? Could you please tell me how to do that? I'm a real noob, hee. Thanks!
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Hehe, I'm happy it's good so far!
I'm not sure that I can describe it very well on how to do it, but really, it's just laying the pieces of fabric on top of each other, and kind of pulling the main kimono part (the part that is kind of U shaped) so that it's more open and straight, and pinning it all together that way - I certainly hope that makes sense!! 
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Well, I think I can try to explain things how they are: maybe that'll make everything easier, lol. I'll note you
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the tutorial is really great but i didn't understand one part (curse english for not being my mother language)- there was a part about the sleeves and the body part were you wrote "make a notch so you will be able to attach these parts later"(more or less...)
does that mean you need to cut a little triangle, sew it's edges together and than attach the slleves according to the sew line?
sorry for the stupid question but i'm already halfway through making the kimono (your tutorial is so good! it's simple and the pics are helpful!) and i don't want to screw up everything.
thanks and sorry for talking so much ^^'
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Ooh! I'm sorry that this is so late!! I'm sorry!!
Basically, all you need to do to make that notch is make some sort of mark to be able to line the sleeve and the body up - this can just be a line of chalk or pencil, it's just a reference for yourself so you can be sure everything lines up correctly!!
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thanks
in the end i managed to do the kimono. your tutorial was so helpful! really really thank you for making the tutorial!
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A notch should never be cut, its just a marking where you will fold said notch, like a triangle and sew along the outer markins of said notch.
< Imagine that is the notch.
The middle with be folded even and the two outer edges that make the line will be sew across.
That is essenssially a notch. Idk if you understood. Hoped it helped though
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i already figured it out but still, thank you very much
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Thank you, it's a very detailed tutorial!
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Hooray! I just hope it's helpful to you, even though t's so long - I always get worried that I'm going to miss a little point here or there that makes life easier, or fitting better, or something like that, which is why they get so long sometimes
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QUESTION!!!! How did you attach the sash together so it doesn't fall off? I'm planning to use velcro but is having a bit of a problem in the placement of the velcro. Help?
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I do all of mine the way you buy them in Japan - they're just a long sash that you wrap around your body two or three times, and then tuck the end in - if you pull it tight when you're putting it on, it will easily stay on all day
If you do want it to close, though, safety pins are more secure than velcro is, but you could easily just put it on, safety pin it (or regular pin it, if you're brave) and mark where the velcro has to go with a pencil or chalk or something (have a friend help - it makes it a lot easier!)
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Thank you so much for this~! I'm thinking of making one for a school project
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Ooh! You definitely should! And, if you need to know how to make it more of an "accurate" kimono, I can at least refer you to a couple of helpful books, too
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Thankyou so much! I'm sure this will come in very useful when I get around to it
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I most certainly hope so! Let me know if you hit any problems or whatnot
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awesome tutorial. I'll have to give it a shot once I get some materials after I'm done working on the cosplay I'm making <3
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Hooray! I'm happy to be of help
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I totally new to sewing, but I would really like to learn so I can't wait to try out your tutorial! Thanks for making it!
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Hehe, well, it's definitely a good learning tool! It's not too complicated to do - it's mostly straight lines, and it is a good introduction to drafting things out
I'm happy to be of help!
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I'll be looking forward to making a yukata for a future cosplay with this tutorial. XD Right now, my laptop doesn't seemed to let me download so I shall take a lot when I get to my desktop computer.
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Sorry for such a late reply!! I certainly hope that it's helpful to you, and if you're still having problems with downloading it, I can find some other way to get it to you if you need
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I love you. I really do.
THANK YOU! THIS IS SO SIMPLE TO FOLLOW! THANK YOU!
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TAHnk you!!! I've been looking on how to cut the fabrics and I found yours!!! ^W^ thank you very much!!
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Hehe, I'm so happy to be of help, then!!
Happy sewing
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Ooh, looks awesome!
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That's not a stupid question! The draft is for a shirt length one, but if you want a full body one, use whichever measurement is bigger - your bust, or your hips
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Ah, thank you so much!
If I use this (which I probably will) I'll be sure to credit you for the pattern in the pictures!
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