I had been eyeing the magnificent Japanese fabric from the shop called Asayake for a while. You know my love (my passion, my madness 😂) for Japanese fabric, and it’s more than hard not to give in when I have a huge stock to offer you... Anyway, it became clear that I was going to sew a piece with this fabric, and if I’m going to use Japanese fabric... why not fully embrace the traditional style with a kimono? 

So I invite you to dive with me into the creation of my new favourite kimono!

First, a bit of clothing history and some clarifications

Because my kimono, well... it’s not a kimono but a haori. Haori? You might ask... Let’s take a closer look together. 

A haori (羽織) is a traditional jacket characterized by a loose cut. The word haori comes from the verb haoru, which means to put on a robe, coat, or jacket. This Japanese garment is therefore worn over another piece of clothing it covers; it can be compared to a jacket or cardigan worn in the West. It differs greatly from the kimono, which is a complete outfit (which could be compared to wearing a dress in the West). Moreover, the kimono is worn with a belt, which secures it on the body, whereas the haori is worn without a belt or ties since it can be worn open. The most traditional ones may have a slight fastening system sewn directly onto the jacket, called a haorihimo. These cords allow fastening the panels on the jacket’s lapels. Nowadays, belts worn over the haori are also found; this is a very contemporary way to wear it. 

In Japan, traditionally, the haori is used for protection against the cold, for ceremonial purposes, for belonging (samurai/clan), religious (priest), and increasingly simply for fashion because they are very beautiful (notably vintage haoris which are very popular among stylish young people). 

The origin of the haori is not entirely certain, but it is thought to have been born in the Sengoku period (around the 16th century), worn by Japanese warriors over their combat armor to protect against the cold. A few years later, this traditional garment became popular among women, especially geisha. They wore it over their elegant kimonos.

Over time, the haori became more common and was worn by everyone from craftsmen to university professors. They often bear family crests, clan/artisan brotherhood emblems, but also patched with sashiko embroidery because a haori is precious and kept for many years in poor families (or even passed down from generation to generation; the sashiko embroidery making it even more precious over the years). Today men still wear a traditional black haori at Shinto weddings, and the haori is fully part of the attire of Shinto priests; finally, embroidered vintage silk haoris are highly sought after by fashion lovers who want to add style. 

In the seamstress’s basket to sew a kimono, well... a haori 😊

To make a haori jacket, you will need:

• preferably Japanese fabrics for the traditional touch
• matching thread
• light fusible interfacing if desired for the collar and possibly the belt
• your machine (and overlocker if desired) 

The Japanese fabric is standardized with a width of 110cm. You will therefore need to add the following lengths to make your haori:

• the front length 
• the back length
• the sleeve length
• seam allowances and 2 to 3% shrinkage

For my haori with elbow-length sleeves (and my 1.53m height), I needed 1.8m of Japanese fabric and a spool of matching thread. I chose a fabric with quite a lot of durability and many gold details for the chic side. The gold stands out very well against the black background. You can also choose indigo fabrics to create a traditional haori, or why not with geometric patterns (like nami, seigaiha, asanoha...) or floral (sakura, plum blossoms...). It is possible to create very different haoris by playing with the patterns!

By the way, don’t hesitate to read the articles on Japanese patterns that I had made 😊. They are available on the blog. 

My haori / kimono 

For my haori, I chose a Japanese fabric with a crane pattern and prominent gold details for the very chic look it gives. I chose to make a removable belt so I can wear it open or closed depending on the occasion and temperature. 

After drawing the pattern and thinking about the pieces (pattern direction, aesthetic aspect), we decided to test it and it was my "apprentice tester" who sewed it entirely! Well done Dylan! 

Creative experience

First of all, I must say it was very nice to work as a duo on this project. The reason for working with Dylan is that I wanted to create a kimono workshop. As usual, I test all my workshops to provide quality teaching (that’s my perfectionist side speaking 😂). So, Dylan tested all the beginner workshops and started sewing with me during April/May. Today, he is testing the "intermediate" workshops including this famous kimono workshop 😊 which you can now find in our course offer. 

Back to the sewing experience...

After tracing and adjusting our pattern to my size, we tackled the sewing part. I often like to sew the back in two parts... but to preserve the pattern, I finally opted for sewing it in one piece to keep the design complete. 

We also had to puzzle a bit over the sleeves to keep the pattern direction and not "decapitate" the cranes. After a bit of "tetris" and cutting, the challenge was met; the sleeves have the patterns in the right direction and without too much "guillotine".

We created the facing and chose to make beautiful inner finishes. 

We made adjustments as we sewed to do justice to this magnificent fabric! 

Finally, we chose a completely black belt to mark the waist rather than cutting it from the same fabric. This helped to "break" a bit the already heavily patterned fabric. 

And here is our pattern approved in size S... all that remains is to grade it into sizes M, L, and XL for the workshop... Would you like to come sew a haori jacket with me?

Then to your needles, this way!