madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 22, 2005 17:47:28 GMT -5
Be sure to wear at least one under layer with it - that will absorb most of the sweat and body oil. The less you have to wash a painted garment, the longer your artwork will last. The "Shoot Me" kosode has not been washed since it was uncut, unpainted fabric straight from the shop. (It gets worn as a "coat" layer and I usually have two or more layers on under it. Saionji I would definitely not be washing that thing often. It's a hassle to go back and re-paint! This reminds me of a friend who was part Japanese (Half Indian, half Euro-mutt, and Japanese. Her grandmother was from Okinawa), she would dance in the Obon festival at the Monterey Buddhist temple each year, and she and her sisters all had some of the most splendid furisode i've seen in person, as it had fine embroidery in silver and gold thread (along with some brocade, IIRC). The garments were all thousands of dollars each, and I think they had been passed down. Her grandmother, who would of course have to dress her for each festival warned her "If you spill anything on this, I am going to _kill_ you!" No doubt she was very very careful when eating at the festival (it also helped that the obi kept her upright and from slouching).
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 29, 2005 3:04:35 GMT -5
So, i've finished all of the sewing for the four main parts of the outfit i've been creating. I've got the haori done (first project a little uneven in the lining), kimono, juban (which i'm only calling it that since it's going to be worn under the kimono, this layer is constructed like it were a yukata), and the hanjuban (which i've kind of gone my own way on, so it's a bit like a half kimono).
Anyway, one thing I discovered is that all four layers means the thing is HEAVY. It seriously feels like it's about 20 lbs total. All of that cloth means weight, and in reality there's more like 6 layers in it. Right now i've noticed with everything together, the sleeves end up a bit pillow-like. Not a big deal but you don't get a drape with this fabric (I suppose with good silk everything would drape more). I should be plenty warm when I wear this. The puffyness does seem to imitate the look i've seen in Japanese prints of men in traditional clothes a bit.
I'm thinking if I were to do this over again with the same fibres, , I'd use a thin cotton broadcloth, or find as thin and quality a cotton as I could.
The juban/yukata is made of a very thin decorative cotton fabric that was machine printed with a Japanese inspired wave print in various shades of blue with gold outlining (if gives the whole thing a bronzy look from a distance). That stuff drapes quite nicely. The eri end up a bit lower than I'd have liked on the outer edge of the okumi, but that's because I had to work with what I had, and the okumi weren't as long as the front migoro, so the corner it made with the migoro dictated where the edge of the eri would fall. The neck hole ended up being wider than I'd have liked but I think some tugging can correct the look of it when I've got the main kimono over it.
I really do like how it's all turned out. All i've got left is to do some detailing (snipping stray threads, taking cat hair, errant threads off, and pressing it a bit to take out some of the puffyness.)
I did forget one minor thing. I need an eri sugata. I've already got the white cloth for it, and it's a quick sew (no need to do fancy hemming since it's just the top that is seen, not the underside).
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Sept 29, 2005 8:26:25 GMT -5
I hope you're going to share pictures when you get 'em!
S.
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 29, 2005 23:18:11 GMT -5
I hope you're going to share pictures when you get 'em! S. I sure will! You can bet on that. But first, I need to buy a tape lint roller and go over the hems and seams to look for hanging threads.
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Post by Date Saburou Yukiie on Sept 30, 2005 7:12:53 GMT -5
Now you see, a hardened fighter would just take a wad of duct tape and have at it...Must...remember...court...ways...can...be...er, aha, ugg, good!...learn...finesse...
Whadda ya want - Mutsu is full of Duct Tape Forrests... :-)
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Sept 30, 2005 8:31:24 GMT -5
Whaddya think I use, Mutsu Man?
Whaddya think I use, Mutsu Man?
The secret is to pat and slide - you want it to pick up the lint, not stick permanently to the fabric, or leave adhesive residue on something delicate. Actually, this will work with any kind of tape.
S.
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 30, 2005 10:15:47 GMT -5
Now you see, a hardened fighter would just take a wad of duct tape and have at it...Must...remember...court...ways...can...be...er, aha, ugg, good!...learn...finesse... Whadda ya want - Mutsu is full of Duct Tape Forrests... :-) Well, you see I am no hardened fighter and I couldn't fight my way out of a wet tissue paper bag , so I stick with tape rollers. But, in a pinch i've been known to wrap my hand in scotch tape and use that.
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Post by Date Saburou Yukiie on Sept 30, 2005 12:53:31 GMT -5
Fine Marine Corps thinking! Adapt, improvise, overcome! Date
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 30, 2005 13:09:25 GMT -5
I discovered one small issue with the second kimono and the outer one. Since the second kimono has a wider neck opening, it wasn't laying right under the outer one. But, I think I figured out a quick fix: fold the collar of the under kimono in so I can bring it closer to my neck without having the entire underkimono collar sticking out. Of course, I could just as easily not wear the under kimono and wear just an eri sugata, but that wouldn't be half as much fun . By the way, how the hell did the Japanese stand to wear the padded kimono well into May, on TOP of all of those layers? Japan isn't cool year round like down here in Monterey, did they just suffer? Pain for Beauty and all?
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Sept 30, 2005 14:02:57 GMT -5
If you don't have one, get a folding fan. ;->
Don't know from kimono, I've only been reading the earlier stuff, but the Heian court wore a LOT of clothes....
S.
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 30, 2005 14:50:01 GMT -5
If you don't have one, get a folding fan. ;-> They must've built up big forearms from all of that fanning then! Silk is different from cotton of course, but even with silk, 20 layers would be quite a lot of insulation. But, I suppose when you're inside in buildings without heavy walls and lots of places for the breeze to move in and out, it's not so bad (Which is why insular SE Asian houses are usually on stilts and have spaced floorboards).
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Sept 30, 2005 17:44:59 GMT -5
(Snicker)
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 30, 2005 18:06:40 GMT -5
Silk is significantly warmer, which is why it's desirable for lightweight long underwear. In a cotton kosode and two unlined layers of silk over that, I stay quite toasty. Besides, when it got really hot, Heian women wore a kosode and nabagakama - and the kosode was a silk so thin and light that you could see all the way to Okinawa, if you know what I mean. ;-> I sure do . Sort of like the sheer Egyptian linen gowns you see queens and royalty wearing in tomb paintings, I suppose? Seems like fine gauzy cloth is popular in tropical and hot regions -- for good reason. Not surprising since animistic cultures often place high importance on making sure you do the right things in regard to nature.
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Solveig Throndardottir
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Post by Solveig Throndardottir on Sept 30, 2005 21:00:48 GMT -5
Noble Cousin!
Greetings from Solveig! While I do not fault anyone for machine sewing clothing, it does generally make a significant difference. While in much of Western clothing the idea is a "fine seam", the same is not true for wafuku where the clothing was generally disassembled for cleaning and then resewn.
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Sept 30, 2005 21:23:17 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! While I do not fault anyone for machine sewing clothing, it does generally make a significant difference. While in much of Western clothing the idea is a "fine seam", the same is not true for wafuku where the clothing was generally disassembled for cleaning and then resewn. That's well and fine, but this is a modern kimono and one that isn't intended to be deconstructed to be washed and then resewn, It's meant so that I can clean it easy if I need to. I was also well aware of that fact before I started it. Besides, one can determine how much period accuracy they want, to each his own. Besides, aren't most inexpensive yukata machined anyway? I cant imagine the inexpensive ones being made totally by hand anyway.
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