using kimono fabric for the hide-and-seek dress + tunic

We were contacted recently by Jill Grant from Australia. She runs a website called KimoYes which specializes in beautiful vintage Japanese kimono fabrics. She had seen the new Hide-And-Seek Dress + Tunic pattern, and when we saw how she had used some of her kimono fabrics with the pattern, we knew we had to share the idea with you. So today I’m turning the blog over to Jill who is going to tell you about using kimono fabric with the Hide-And-Seek Dress.

I’ve been aware of the simplicity and beauty of Oliver + S patterns since my daughter started sewing them for her young children. When I saw the Hide-and-Seek pattern my first thought was what a wonderful design it was to highlight a stunning piece of unique kimono fabric.

My name is Jill Grant and I own the Australian-based business KimoYes. We are mostly an online kimono fabric store which specializes in vintage Japanese kimono fabrics and garments. So it is no surprise that I immediately envisioned the yoke of the Hide-and-Seek pattern made with beautiful one-off silks. I was keen to see how well this would work, and I think that the results speak for themselves.

 

 

I made the size 2 tunic top from Moda’s “kasuri” patchwork cotton and made the front and back yoke from a 1960s vintage fabric bolt intended for a young girl’s kimono.

 

 

Children’s kimono fabrics are usually colorful and ornate, and they sometimes have gold and silver features. I made the matching butterfly brooch which has a double clip and can also be worn as a hair clip. I finished off the garment with the back buttons covered in the patchwork fabric.

 

 

The size 4 dress was made from a fawn colored hankey linen which I matched with a lovely vintage ikat silk with a cherry blossom design.

 

 

This fabric was taken from a kimono fabric that was once a garment, was unpicked for washing, and then stitched together to make a reconstituted bolt of fabric known as arihari. I added a matching handmade kanzashi brooch which, again, can be worn as a hair clip.

 

 

This time I finished off the garment with kimono fabric covered buttons.

 

 

Kimono fabric are often silk, but many are fine wools, cottons, blends, and synthetics. All are unique and allow the sewer and designer to make a distinctive and and interesting garment. The fabrics are easy to work with and, with some few exceptions, wash well. Kimono fabrics come in a standard width of about 14 inches and a bolt of 10-12 yards makes one kimono without any wastage of fabric. To make the front and back yokes of the Hide-and-Seek garments, you will need 24 inches of 14-inch wide fabric. This covers all sizes. I would suggest purchasing one yard of fabric so as to “fussy cut” the pattern pieces. One yard of fabric is also enough to make the yoke, butterfly brooch, and kanzashi brooch. The buttons can be covered in your fabric scraps after cutting.

You can find out more about kimono fabrics at KimoYes where we also have kits available for the butterfly and kanzashi flower.