How to Sew Traditional Japanese Fabric

You can sew a wide variety of items with traditional Japanese fabric.

The Japanese are noted for their distinctive aesthetic sense and nowhere is this more in evidence than in the richness of their traditional fabrics. Sophisticated, refined, whimsical and featuring exquisite colors and design, these fabrics are available in a wide variety of styles and textures, including cotton, brocade, silk. Vintage Japanese fabrics are also highly collectible.



Maybe you have stumbled across a stunning flea-market find and want to use it to best effect. While kimonos are the obvious choice, you might also consider undertaking some interior-design projects such as room dividers, or making unlined robes and quilts that incorporate traditional Japanese embroidery. Decide on an option that will highlight your fabric's best features.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Curtain rod
• Yukata pattern
• Fabric pencil
• Embroidery floss
• Needle
• Sashiko pattern

Instructions

1. Sew a traditional Japanese fabric divider, called a noren. Select two strips of fabric and cut them long enough to cover your doorway, leaving 4 inches at the top and 2 inches at the bottom for hemming. Sew the fabrics together at the top center with their right sides facing to create a seam 8 inches long. Leave the remaining fabric open in the center to create a parting for passing through the doorway. Sew a hem around the raw edges of the fabric using a 1/2-inch seam allowance on the sides and a 1-to 2-inch seam allowance at the bottom. Fold the top over 2-to-3 inches to create a channel for your curtain rod. Sew the channel. Reinforce the bottom of the seam where you joined the fabrics by cutting a small triangle from scrap fabric and sewing it to the bottom of the seam on the reverse side of the noren. Hang the noren on the rod over your doorway.

2. Make a yukata, also known as an unlined kimono. Select a yukata pattern that illustrates the method for taking measurements and translating them into a rectangular pattern for your fabric, as a visual guide is essential for this step. Mark your pattern directly on the fabric, noting that yukatas are traditionally cut using as much of the cloth as possible. Sew the fabric pieces together with a sewing machine or by hand with the right sides of the fabric facing one another using the seam allowance as directed by your pattern instructions. Wear the yukata with the left side in front of the right to emulate a traditional look.

3. Create a sashiko quilt. Mix traditional kimono fabrics with navy-blue cottons to create a patchwork. Assemble the patchwork by cutting the fabric into shapes such as squares and sewing the fabrics with their right sides together using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. When you are satisfied with the size and shape of your patchwork, embroider it in the traditional sashiko style. Transfer historical sashiko patterns, which can be found in sashiko pattern books, to the navy-blue cotton using a light- colored pencil or fabric transfer paper. Choose designs that you like and combine them, a step that the traditional Japanese method encourages. Use white or light-colored embroidery floss to embroider the pattern, following your pencil design. Finish the project by attaching backing for a quilt or a pillowcase or hemming the ends of the patchwork for placemats or a table runner.

References

• Curbly: Tutorial: Noren: Traditional Japanese Fabric Dividers
• University of Michigan: How to Make a Yukata
• Design by Aika: Traditional Japanese Sashiko Design and Instruction

Resources

• Kwintessential: How to Make a Japanese Kimono
• Janome: Noren Hanging