Crafty Mummy Japan: Sewing a Yukata

Sleeves and Finishing Touches

We're almost done!

First, we need to sew the side seams and then hem the bottom. One of the things I like about this pattern book is that it doesn't take short-cuts. There are lots of finishing touches like the corner below that take a bit of time but are well worth the effort.

It is looking more like a yukata, now. All we need now is the sleeves and the ties.

The outside edges of the sleeves are hemmed and finished with some more French seams.

And now the sleeve needs to be attached to the body of the yukata.

Attaching the sleeves is a two-step process. First, the sleeves need to be attached at the top of the shoulder between the two 袖つけ止まり [sode tsuke-domari - sleeve attachment points]. We then need to sew the remaining seams in order to make the characteristic vents under the arms.

This is a close-up of the sleeve where it attaches to the body. I can't really explain it very well but you need to sew up the side seam, do a U-turn, sew around the inner edge of the sleeve, do another U-turn and sew down the other side seam. This creates the vents on both sides where the ties pass through. Now the sleeves are on, hooray!

Next is the tricky bit - 腰上げ [koshiage - waist tuck]. The body of the yukata needs to be folded up so that the yukata is just the right length. For adults, this is done with ties. Children tend to be rather wiggly creatures so it's easier to sew the tuck in place so it only takes five minutes to put the yukata on. I measured the height of my daughter from the nape of her neck down to her ankle and adjusted the yukata to fit. It was a fairly fiddly process involving pegs and pins and some simple maths (not my strong point!)