Thursday 4 December 2008

The Kimono

Here's Louisa's kimono dress up for a Multicultural celebration at her school.

I did use a pattern as a base: McCalls M4953 but made loads of changes, reducing the material significantly by making the sleeves and the body shorter, and doing away with the lining. I felt that in the Queensland heat, extra fabric is not a good thing.

Of course I got a little carried away and cut it too short, so added a contrast band around the bottom rather than the neckline, and I really like the effect. By the time I got to the sash/obi part, I winged it with a rectangle of fabric and some velcro. I have no idea what the pattern required as I'd tossed it aside by that stage. That's one of the things I enjoy about kids' dress ups. There's no real rules and you can experiment without feeling too bad if it doesn't work out! But in this case I really like it and it's a great addition to the girls' dress up box.
The fan was a gift from some friends who went to Japan recently, and the drinking straws in the hair were Louisa's idea, which I think look very cute.

6 comments:

lolliegirl said...

It looks great Suz! I love that fabric. So pretty!

Karen said...

Suz that's adorable, I bet all the other girls in Louisa's class were jealous!

Beetlehouse Designs said...

That's the best looking Kimono I have ever seen. It's gorgeous. Well done.
Lisa

Unknown said...

Suz, it looks gorgeous! Well done!

thehummingcat said...

Just beautiful, gorgeous girl.
I need to make a donkey costume, boring!!

Corrie said...

sooo cute!!! I think your sewing hibernation now has you in overdrive