During a trip to Japan 4 years ago, my darling told me he wished for a pretty yukata. I thought it was a great idea to make one for him in the coming months but... covid arrived and my schedule became very busy in my former role as hospital manager... anyway, the yukata project was shelved and then the shop opened... until recently when I told myself it was time to keep my promise!
And what better than his birthday on January 2nd to give it to him!
So, ready to discover my first sewing project 2024?
Let's go!
What is a yukata?
The yukata (浴衣) is a Japanese garment that resembles a kimono. It is therefore a garment that covers the upper and lower body. It has a clean, straight cut and long sleeves. Unlike the kimono which is made with very noble fabrics (silk), the yukata is a lightweight version usually made of cotton sometimes with linen and/or hemp.
In the past, the yukata was reserved for baths and home. It was an indoor/intimate garment. Today, it is worn outside especially in summer and during summer festivals called matsuri.
Nothing beats strolling through the festival and enjoying the fireworks dressed in a pretty colorful yukata. It has really become a fashionable garment and young girls and boys choose them carefully to look their best at the festival!
Generally made of cotton, this traditional thin and light garment is ideal to wear in summer when the weather is hot and humid. Just like the Japanese kimono, the yukata is accessorized with a belt. Women wear it at the waist and men on the hips. It is worn directly over underwear.
The yukata comes in many colors and prints. Some feature stripes, geometric shapes, flowers, and traditional Japanese designs (cherry blossoms, wagara…) while others focus on simplicity. If the yukata of young women and children are particularly colorful and decorated with patterns, men and older people choose simplicity and darker tones.
What is the history of this garment?
The yukata appeared in the onsen: the Japanese hot spring baths during the Heian period. Originally, it was a linen garment called yukatabaria that nobles used to dry themselves after their bath. This custom was adopted by the samurai of the Edo period. Later, with the development of thermal tourism in Japan, this robe became widespread in public baths. Its name literally means "bath garment". Today, this lightweight kimono is often offered in hotels and ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) where it serves as casual indoor wear.
My boyfriend's yukata
My boyfriend wanted a traditional yukata in sober indigo tones but with a little touch of fantasy. So, we chose together a plain indigo blue fabric and a fabric featuring a traditional pattern mixing seigaiha (wave), rabbits, and sakura flowers.
We both liked this pattern:
- the rabbit symbolizes dedication and intelligence
- the sakura: renewal, vitality, and beauty
- the seigaiha: calm strength and good fortune
In short, this pattern was perfectly suited to our project.
To create the pattern, I was inspired by haori patterns and a Japanese book I had on different yukata (for women). I also thoroughly inspected the yukata I brought back from Japan to see how they were constructed. Of course, I took my darling's measurements carefully to adapt the pattern to his size.
In the seamstress's basket
The yukata is a long and wide garment; it therefore requires a large amount of fabric.
Count about 4.2m to 4.5m for a woman and about 4.5m to 5m of fabric for a man.
For my part, since my darling wanted a two-tone yukata, I used about:
- 1.5m of indigo blue fabric
- 3m of usagi fabric.
For the rest of the materials, all you need is a good thread, a bit of fusible interfacing for the facings, and an overlocker for a clean finish inside.
My sewing experience
I really enjoyed taking on this challenge! I really like sewing new wardrobe pieces, it challenges me. Here, the biggest challenge was to create a pattern adapted to Gaëtan's measurements and that included all the specificities of a yukata.
I think I did quite well, even if I can still improve the assembly of the facing.
For the rest, the assembly is quite easy because we are working with clean and straight lines. The technical difficulties are more related to the assembly which takes us out of the usual "European" assembly habits.
I am really happy to have been able to offer him this pretty piece in time for his birthday. I hope he can wear it this summer and why not in Japan. That would be great!
And you, does it make you want to create this kind of piece?
Would you be interested in a yukata workshop? It's true that with all our pretty Japanese fabrics, it makes you want to!
Come on, get your needles ready!
