Yoroi Hitatare plus Manchira

[AJBryant]

Presumably, here he is referring to the cloth or leather liner for the dou proper, but i'd like to confirm, as i'm planning on being done with my dou (at least breast and back) by the end of the month.

Bingo. I'm talking about the padded collar-and-shoulder fitting for the do (the "watagami shita"). Manchira make them redundant -- either that, or they cause the do to rise too far off the shoulders.

Effingham

[Saionji Shonagon]

Makiwara - Brilliant idea on the manchira fix. someday i'll make another - prettier - manchira, fix the pattern, and post it, but for now, that's genius.

Everything I learned about sewing is self-taught and the result of many mistakes - and figuring out how to fix them.
You can even use the old manchira for pattern pieces when you get around to making a new one.

S.