Post by yumehime on Jun 5, 2016 14:29:28 GMT -5
Recently, a friend of my mother's cleared out her garb closet. Mom is familiar with my Asian fascination, and knows i have a use for large amounts of cloth for any number of projects. So when she spotted what she thought was a bad attempt at a Japanese garment, she asked if I'd like it. when i asked about materials, she described it as "Feels like bad disco era double knit polyester, but the lining fabric is quite soft. and it looks like a bad Halloween costume."
I adjusted my expectations and planned to make it a bathrobe.
And then i saw it. She was thrown off because the length looked like it was for a man, but the sleeves were very short on the arm, fitting my step dad like a t-shirt. the fabris had been ...tossed in a heap, so the curve at the sleeve was a nasty mess and it seemed like the lining didn't quite fit the garment. and the texture of the outer was very rough, so I understand the 'disco polyester' reference, but as soon as i saw it i spotted the hand sewing. It's got all the points I look for when i want a Japanese made kimono.
It's a weave, and much like other woven pattern kimono I own. Black strands in one direction, pale gray-blue and dusty rose that borders on salmon in the other come together to make what looks like a brown background for blue and pink geometric and flowers I see the same technique in my 'lavender smoke' kimono, a mix of black, pale pink, and silvery gray woven to look rather purplish till you get right on top of it.
The odd bit is the lining. It's a violent day-glow acid green. All over. not just an accent at the edges with a plain cream or white in the main body, but full coverage acid green. Off the body, it's...painful to look at, but the cloth is very soft to the touch, like high thread count cotton bed sheets.
Since some of the wool and silk kimono I have handled can get very rough to the touch, I popped open the bottom of the collar like I always do, pulled out some loose fibers, and did my burn test. It's a plant-based cloth.
Now the fun bit. IF I have linen, it's the best quality linen I have seen in some time. There are none of the 'home spun' lumps I tend to see at Hancock or Jo-Ann's, instead it's very smooth and professional looking. IF I have cotton, this may be the only time I have see cotton worked in this way. IF this is Japanese hemp, it's the only one I have ever seen.
What I do know is that when I ironed it, it polished and became much more flexible. Properly pressed, the glossiness can pass for silk till you touch it. The side of the collar I did not take apart is still very lumpy and i had trouble pressing the seams were the surplus cloth was hidden. I have yet to start pulling out the violent green lining, so I'm not sure if it's a bolt, or if it's a good imitation, but the lining is definitely western. I also found the sleeves are a bit short on me, and may be moved out 2-3 cm to bring it right to my wrist bone, but the rest of the fit is what I expect from older kimono on my 5 foot frame.
So how do I tell what cloth I'm working with?
I adjusted my expectations and planned to make it a bathrobe.
And then i saw it. She was thrown off because the length looked like it was for a man, but the sleeves were very short on the arm, fitting my step dad like a t-shirt. the fabris had been ...tossed in a heap, so the curve at the sleeve was a nasty mess and it seemed like the lining didn't quite fit the garment. and the texture of the outer was very rough, so I understand the 'disco polyester' reference, but as soon as i saw it i spotted the hand sewing. It's got all the points I look for when i want a Japanese made kimono.
It's a weave, and much like other woven pattern kimono I own. Black strands in one direction, pale gray-blue and dusty rose that borders on salmon in the other come together to make what looks like a brown background for blue and pink geometric and flowers I see the same technique in my 'lavender smoke' kimono, a mix of black, pale pink, and silvery gray woven to look rather purplish till you get right on top of it.
The odd bit is the lining. It's a violent day-glow acid green. All over. not just an accent at the edges with a plain cream or white in the main body, but full coverage acid green. Off the body, it's...painful to look at, but the cloth is very soft to the touch, like high thread count cotton bed sheets.
Since some of the wool and silk kimono I have handled can get very rough to the touch, I popped open the bottom of the collar like I always do, pulled out some loose fibers, and did my burn test. It's a plant-based cloth.
Now the fun bit. IF I have linen, it's the best quality linen I have seen in some time. There are none of the 'home spun' lumps I tend to see at Hancock or Jo-Ann's, instead it's very smooth and professional looking. IF I have cotton, this may be the only time I have see cotton worked in this way. IF this is Japanese hemp, it's the only one I have ever seen.
What I do know is that when I ironed it, it polished and became much more flexible. Properly pressed, the glossiness can pass for silk till you touch it. The side of the collar I did not take apart is still very lumpy and i had trouble pressing the seams were the surplus cloth was hidden. I have yet to start pulling out the violent green lining, so I'm not sure if it's a bolt, or if it's a good imitation, but the lining is definitely western. I also found the sleeves are a bit short on me, and may be moved out 2-3 cm to bring it right to my wrist bone, but the rest of the fit is what I expect from older kimono on my 5 foot frame.
So how do I tell what cloth I'm working with?
