1912 Kimono Dress

I had to take my sewing machine in to be fixed. The sewing machine repairman was swamped, so it took 3 1/2 weeks to get my machine back instead of the 3 days that it normally takes. It's nice to see someone getting a lot of business in this economy, but that threw me off schedule. I had to put the 1863 jacket on the back burner and switch to working on another project that I have a deadline on.

The new project is the 1912 Kimono Dress pattern put out by Sense and Sensibility that I am making for a historical presentation in June. I won't take me that long, but since time has a way of getting away from me, I thought it would be smart to get it taken care of. However, this pattern is making up so fast that it almost counts as an instant gratification project. I got it cut out a couple of days ago and should have no problem getting it finished in an afternoon.

One thing to watch out for if you decide to make this pattern - the bodice pattern is designed for 54" - 60" fabric. If they mentioned that in the yardage requirements, I completely missed it. However, that may have only been an issue for me since I made the bodice out of a different fabric than the underskirt.  I may have been able to lay the pattern lengthwise instead of crosswise that way.  Luckily, I was using one of the smaller sizes, so the fact that I was using 45" material only resulted in the sleeves being 3/8" short. Anyone trying to make one of the larger sizes would have a problem, and with medium sizes, the sleeves will be short. There is an option to add contrasting cuff sleeves which could hide some of the shortness.

I think this will turn out nice. I found some era appropriate reproduction fabric from Fabric.com for the bodice in pink and green for the bodice and sash. The rest is broadcloth in coordinating colors. Of course, I will post pictures when I'm done.

Hopefully, I will be able to get back to the 1863 jacket soon. The French blue cotton velvet I got for it is gorgeous, and I found some lovely old gold trim to go with it. Unfortunately, I have 2 other 1920's costume events in June that I also have to get ready for, so it may be on the back burner for a little while longer. Now I remember why I tend to use all my vacation time to hang around the house and do sewing.

Want to see the finished project?  Here's how it turned out.


copyright Nellie Kampmann, 2010