This tutorial is THE BEST thing I have ever seen in any sewing-related book, video, or tutorial. I have been plagued by jackets that “curl under” at the front/facing area, and I have never known why they did it. It seemed that I was doing something wrong- and then I saw Bill Clinton wearing a jacket with the very same problem. That made me feel a little bit better- but not much… Now I understand the reason for the “curling” and how to correct it. I have been wondering about that for ten years now. Also, I love the way it looks- very professional and secure… I realize that these tutorials were done a few years ago- but are you still doing them? I would be willing to pay you for a really good way to do that “Four Point Closure” thing on a notched-collar jacket. One where the points actually meet and the pieces fit. Is that hole really necessary at the juncture? I have a fast and easy way of doing it, but the hole is not there in this method…

The lining and style work quite well with this bulkier fabric. The facing fabric does make the “cuff” region of the sleeves a little stiff, and I can definitely tell where the 4-layer seam is on the underside of the wrist, but it’s not really problematic. Now, I think original retail price on this was around $200 (I just bought it at 75% off!), so this isn’t necessarily inexpensive, but it’s hardly expensive, either.

I guess that’s what i was trying to say earlier–that aesthetics aren’t universal. I may be in the minority here though by liking the hand look.

nope, you didn’t. I was just saying that if things like “aesthetically pleasing interior”, “alterability” and “longevity” happen to be in any amount of conflict in a particular garment, then in order to determine “quality,” you have to prioritize them appropriately. You did a nice job of explaining which qualities were prioritized in which jacket, and why. Thanks!

…i doubt that the lining and outer fabric are sewn together because it’s time saving–it could be that they were using the lining like underlining–we call it flat lining in the costume world–to give body to the outer fabric and, especially if it’s delicate, to put a buffer between the outer fabric and the stitches..

Of course, I can’t be sure of the reason for sewing certain seams in this way, but speed is definitely important–a kimono sewer has to whip out a lined kimono in a day. by hand.

Traditional kimono (sing. and plur.) were never lined (nor did Jinjer say they were). Rather, they were stacked – geishas and brides sometimes had seven layers, each adjusted to peek out from the one on top. There was additionally an underkimono (help, Jinjer – I researched this all when making a full geisha one for one of the Galas and lost it in a hard drive crash) which absorbed body oils, etc. and was more easily laundered.

Carol, they were both lined AND stacked. And the 7-layered kimono (juunihitoe) were not worn by Geisha (a relatively modern invention), but by Heian-era court ladies, around 1100 to 1400 a.d., I think. And it wasn’t 7 layers of Kimono (the way we use the word kimono today), one of the layers was a pair of pants (hakama), one an apron, one a train, and one a vest. there were usually 3-5 kimono. Geisha and Maiko do tend to wear two or three (lined) kimono stacked atop eachother, though.

The kimono Heian-era court ladies wore were what is now called Oosode: the sleeves were NOT sewn up at the wrists, so you could see the lovely color play of the layers (and their linings) very easily at both the neck and the HUGE sleeve openings. That color play was the whole point of the layers (although a a convenient side-effect was that it trapped those pesky women in their houses, ’cause those suckers were HEAVY and worn very long-they didn’t start tying them up at the waist until a little later).

What we call Kimono today, are kosode, which is what they wore for underwear. The sleeves are mostly sewn up in the front, leaving a small opening for the wrist. The modern kimono underwear consists of two layers. The bottom is a sort of cotton chemise or wrapped camisole & skirt set, and the second layer is a knee-length kimono very similar to the outer garment (also lined), called a shitagi. There are all sorts of great accoutrements that go in between this underwear and the final kimono to flatten and smooth your silhouette; I have quite the collection. Not to mention all the stuff that goes around the middle on the outside–obi, obi-age, obi-jime, etc. etc. mmmm, yummmy. Wish my collection were larger, but except for the obi, these things are nearly impossible to find used, and are very expensive new. ( I paid as much for the tie that goes across the middle of the Obi as I did for 2 or 3 gently used kimono)

Happi jackets are for summer or lower class people. Haori are more prevalent, and are all-season; there is also a really cute housewife jacket that I can’t remember the name of that is a more recent invention. And probably others I don’t know about.

There is an exception to the fact that all kimono are lined: summer kimono (yukata) are unlined, and often quite sheer. You don’t even have to wear underwear under a yukata, either. (scandalous!)

sorry, you’ve stumbled into a subject that’s near and dear to my heart.

oops! I just went and looked at my shitagi (the modern underwear) and some of those are unlined.

Oh, and Juunihitoe means 12 layers, not 7. I’m sure there are plenty of other little errors like this in my essay up there.

Kimono were an essential part of the wardrobe of even the poorest woman. She might have one for her wedding that was taken apart for cleaning (as noted), have the dye discharged, and be redyed appropriately several times over the course of her life. Both men and women wrapped the same direction. Burial kimono were white, and wrapped the opposite way.

In an attempt to get this back to topic, their “jackets” were short kimono-style coats called happi (which means coat). All traditional Japanese clothing was originally constructed from the long, narrow pieces that could be made on a backstrap loom – like most “folkwear”.

If you manufacture from Hmong hemp, you’ll find it comes in strips about 18″ wide, because they still make it that way.

I would say that alterability adds longivity in some people eyes. And a quick, simple construction does not necessarily mean that a garment will last a long time.

Regarding kimonos i doubt that the lining and outer fabric are sewn together because it’s time saving–it could be that they were using the lining like underlining–we call it flat lining in the costume world–to give body to the outer fabric and, especially if it’s delicate, to put a buffer between the outer fabric and the stitches..

I do agree with you that the bulk in kimonos is aesthetically pleasing.

Oh while i was shopping today–i hate to shop really–at the mall i checked out more light weight jackets and some had Kathleen’s construction method–Hundredth Monkey? Bandolino Woman was one brand–i don’t remember the other.

Another interesting thing to examine is japanese kimono. Besides the fact that they are generally entirely hand sewn, the construction methods & sewing order are really unfamiliar to western eyes… It’s interesting to see where time-saving methods* are used, and where labor-intensive methods are used.

Everything makes perfect sense when you realize these things are almost never washed, so parts that get dirty quickly must be really easy to remove and replace. And when they are washed, the traditional method was to take the whole thing apart, sew it back into flat yardage, wash the yardage, and re-sew the whole thing. So nothing is ever cut away, all the fabric is in there, creating bulk and a really lovely weight. And shortcuts are used whenever possible. Oh yeah, and the stitch “quality” sucks. Under stress, they’d rather the seams pop than the (outrageously expensive) fabric tear.

*one common technique is to sew both shell layers and both lining layers at once, all four layers in one seam. The entire seam ends up trapped between the shell and lining on one side of the seam.
I have since seen this a couple of times in my thrift-store research missions.

You know–i love fast, simple solutions to stuff but fabric makes a big difference in what kind of construction works. FME Kathleen’s would work best with lighter weight fabrics–i’ve got a RTW jacket to prove that–but would be clunky with heavier and loosely wovens.