Post by Please Delete on Sept 3, 2005 11:14:00 GMT -5
Well, I've started on my project to work on a houeki-no-hou. I've had a couple of attempts at noushi, which seem to have generally turned out okay...
...but they haven't quite gotten there. The shape is good, but the fabric is the problem. If the fabric is silk, I don't seem to get enough body...
(Yeah, I know the photo got cut off 
I ought to just crop it.)
...but the other one I did, out of polyester $0.99/yd fabric is, well, just not quite right.
Several issues here:
1) What kind of sizing do I need as a 6'3" gaijin w/ approx. 40" waist? For instance, how do I get the pouch in back to be placed just right?
2) How am I going to treat the edges? Do I cut lots of fabric and then create a rolled or serged edge on each panel piece? Or do I go ahead and use something like fray-check to keep the edges in order? I'm listing towards the latter, as it would allow me to piece it together in a more period fashion. Alternatively, I could use French seams, but that wastes a lot of fabric.
3) How do I stiffen the collar? Papier-mache seems to be one trick. Takeda-dono has used buckram. So far I've also had luck with several layers of canvas. What I like about the canvas is the bulk it adds to the neckline, and hopefully this will help keep it closed without some kind of cheater button on the inside. If the collar isn't stiff enough, though, the front will slide open in obnoxious ways.
4) Do I make it summer or winter weight? I'm leaning towards a summer weight hou, as winter events are usually inside (ie in a heated place), so I could still wear it year round.
5) What color do I use?
According to Hiraizumi-sensei's charts (and here) I would be only 6th rank, and my hou would be koki midori. However, since I doubt I will want to do tons of these, and because it is more common if I want to use it for a non-SCA function, black may be more appropriate. (I'll probably over-dye my ketteki-no-hou when I finish with that.
So, these are just some of the struggles right now. I'm currently cutting the entire thing out of muslin. I'm using the book, Jidai Ishou no Nuikata, as my reference, trying to get everything down to the seam allowance, at least for the initial muslin. I then plan to find out what fits and what doesn't in order to make changes to the pattern in silk.
Well, I should have pictures up eventually, as progress continues. Wish me luck!
...but they haven't quite gotten there. The shape is good, but the fabric is the problem. If the fabric is silk, I don't seem to get enough body...
(Yeah, I know the photo got cut off 
I ought to just crop it.)...but the other one I did, out of polyester $0.99/yd fabric is, well, just not quite right.
Several issues here:
1) What kind of sizing do I need as a 6'3" gaijin w/ approx. 40" waist? For instance, how do I get the pouch in back to be placed just right?
2) How am I going to treat the edges? Do I cut lots of fabric and then create a rolled or serged edge on each panel piece? Or do I go ahead and use something like fray-check to keep the edges in order? I'm listing towards the latter, as it would allow me to piece it together in a more period fashion. Alternatively, I could use French seams, but that wastes a lot of fabric.
3) How do I stiffen the collar? Papier-mache seems to be one trick. Takeda-dono has used buckram. So far I've also had luck with several layers of canvas. What I like about the canvas is the bulk it adds to the neckline, and hopefully this will help keep it closed without some kind of cheater button on the inside. If the collar isn't stiff enough, though, the front will slide open in obnoxious ways.
4) Do I make it summer or winter weight? I'm leaning towards a summer weight hou, as winter events are usually inside (ie in a heated place), so I could still wear it year round.
5) What color do I use?
According to Hiraizumi-sensei's charts (and here) I would be only 6th rank, and my hou would be koki midori. However, since I doubt I will want to do tons of these, and because it is more common if I want to use it for a non-SCA function, black may be more appropriate. (I'll probably over-dye my ketteki-no-hou when I finish with that.
So, these are just some of the struggles right now. I'm currently cutting the entire thing out of muslin. I'm using the book, Jidai Ishou no Nuikata, as my reference, trying to get everything down to the seam allowance, at least for the initial muslin. I then plan to find out what fits and what doesn't in order to make changes to the pattern in silk.
Well, I should have pictures up eventually, as progress continues. Wish me luck!
Tried the layers of canvas, and they came out of the wash a bit wrinkled (I really didn't prewash this load, since it is only for sizing, not really for wearing, per se--and it won't shrink the same as the silk). I just wanted to see how the canvas would hold up. I will try to show Hiraizumi-sensei later tonight and compare it with some other attempts to get an opinion on their merits.
