AJBryant
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甲冑師 katchuu-shi
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Post by AJBryant on Jul 19, 2011 14:50:52 GMT -5
Spectacular. I can't make decent kikutoji to save my butt. I've tried.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2011 7:46:23 GMT -5
Spectacular. I can't make decent kikutoji to save my butt. I've tried. If the kikutoji are on your butt, you have your sashinuki on backwards; har, har. I make mine two at a time by wrapping fiber around a plastic card (hotel room keys work great), tying in the middle of each side, then snipping along the edges. Lastly, iron under high steam and pressure to flatten. Here are some other tips. - Use yarn, not thread. You can use thread, but you'll have to about 8 times as many wrappings as with yarn. Thread is obviously nicer, but my yarn kikutoji have 32 wraps, and my thread kikutoji have 256 wraps. If you're going to use thread, at least use embroidery thread, not sewing thread.
- Use silk. There's nothing like silk. It puffs better, and compresses better. It also holds its shape better once ironed.
- Dritz fray check on the knots keeps everything from falling apart. Obviously, tying the knots as tight as you can is good, but a few drops of this in the middle makes everything a little more secure.
For silk thread, I'm a big fan of this stuff - commerce.idmi.net/ecommerce/catalog_detail.asp?CID=169&CI=2478&PI=42441 . It comes in a variety of colors, is thick like embroidery thread, and one cone is plenty. This merchant comes to Pennsic.
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AJBryant
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甲冑師 katchuu-shi
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Post by AJBryant on Jul 21, 2011 14:30:10 GMT -5
Ever consider going into the kikutoji business?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2011 7:07:19 GMT -5
I made some fancy pants to wear beneath the red suikan. I've been calling them sashinuki, but maybe they're more correctly called suikan no hakama; I'm not sure what the differences would be. They're made from a cotton print I got at (no kidding) the Jo-Ann fabrics. It's not perfect, but it's such a close approximation of a traditional Japanese pattern I was amazed. You will notice they are super long, 54 inches from himo to hem. The idea is that I can lend these out to other people, so they're not custom fit for me personally. There's a cord running through the hem of each leg, and for me to wear them, I'll tie them just under my knee and let all the additional leg fabric blouse out and hang down. The first person to borrow them is about 4 inches shorter in the leg than I am, so he will have to tie them just above the knee instead. Here's a close-up of the front kikutoji and fabric. These kikutoji are made from silk embroidery thread instead of the silk yarn I've been using. As a result, each one has 250 strands in it. Yikes! Luckily, I only needed eight for this garment. While looking around, I found this site's great instructions for kikutoji. yousai.net/nui/tomomasa/kikutoji.htm Actually, this site has a bunch of great instructions, mostly for cosplay reasons, but useful for us as well. She even sells patterns.
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Post by Kitagawa Natsutarou Tsubasa on Aug 2, 2011 6:20:08 GMT -5
If you ever start taking commission work, let me know. All looks amazing.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2012 22:13:39 GMT -5
I actually wound up giving the second suikan to the prince I made it for when he became king, so... The sleeve cords are just purchased trim, but the collar closure cord is hand-braided silk. I also figured out a way to make the kikutoji a little less labor intensive. More pictures at www.ee0r.com/proj/suikan03.html.
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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 Jun 24, 2012 22:25:14 GMT -5
So when do we get to see you IN it?
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Post by tengumoon on Jun 26, 2012 19:25:54 GMT -5
that is spectacular - I want one! (and thus will have to make it myself)
could someone kindly provide me info (or pointers in the right direction of) what time period is this garb? are there any colour / fabric limitations? a pattern for it? is it worn with anything else?
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nana
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~Think Pink~ "I'm obnoxious!"
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Post by nana on Jun 26, 2012 20:39:26 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2012 21:31:25 GMT -5
that is spectacular - I want one! (and thus will have to make it myself) could someone kindly provide me info (or pointers in the right direction of) what time period is this garb? are there any colour / fabric limitations? a pattern for it? is it worn with anything else? I do recommend making one. It's a nice way to spiff up your wardrobe. The suikan goes all the way back to Heian times I believe, but its level of formality varies from era to era. I do not think that outside of the palace there were any color limitations. Most suikan seem to have been made from plain linen, silk, or hemp. Suikan are unlined. Reconstructing History does sell a pattern ( store.reconstructinghistory.com/rh413-heian-japanese-mens-informal-outfit.html), but if you are familiar with making kosode, there is nothing about the suikan you can't figure out. The Sengoku Daimyo site lists all of the underlayers for the full suikan sugata.
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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.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 26, 2012 22:34:54 GMT -5
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bovil
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Fnord. Moo.
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Post by bovil on Jun 27, 2012 0:51:19 GMT -5
Most suikan seem to have been made from plain linen, silk, or hemp. Suikan are unlined. I expect someone who speaks Japanese will pop up, but IIRC "suikan" directly translates to the washing, stretching and drying of silk for the garment. The unusual part on a suikan is the collar. It's the same style collar as a kariginu, and as the very formal court clothes. I believe it's not as stiff, as it can be folded (in?) to create the look of a tarikubi (cross-over) collar. RH patterns and instructions can have a few bugs. I've done the RH hitatare pattern, and there were some issues with the hakama. The crotch seam was a bit shallow/tight (even on Kevin) and the way the leg pattern piece is laid out and explained is open to misinterpretation. The himo were also a bit narrow.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2012 7:11:40 GMT -5
The unusual part on a suikan is the collar. It's the same style collar as a kariginu, and as the very formal court clothes. I believe it's not as stiff, as it can be folded (in?) to create the look of a tarikubi (cross-over) collar. My collar is four layers of fabric. It's heavy enough to stand up, but flexible enough to fold under. I start with a half panel of fabric, fold it in half lengthwise, then fold the edges inside. This is the same way I construct my hakama himo, though the collar is sewn on differently. This is disappointing. For as much as they charge for those patterns, I would expect them to do more user testing. Designing and publishing patterns is an expensive thing, I understand, but when I buy patterns for something I am not interested in figuring things out. That said, most patterns disappoint me in this way.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2014 5:36:51 GMT -5
My fourth suikan. This one is also a gift for somebody. Red heavy linen, silk handmade kikutoji, store-bought braid and cord (not enough time!).
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Post by kazuyama on Mar 31, 2014 22:06:04 GMT -5
Absolutely love it. I have to admit this has inspired me to work more on my own kikutoji on my own suikan a bit more
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