This is the second serious garment I attempted, after the men’s kimono. I found this charming dark blue cotton fabric with a tiny dragonfly pattern, but it wasn’t in great shape. It had fade marks and bleached crease marks, but I still loved it and thought if I made something that aimed for ‘casual’, the fabric’s scars would be part of the aesthetics.
One variation I made to the classic haori pattern, was to put a tomo-eri (a little over-collar) onto the collar. I have not seen this on haoris but I liked the idea of a ‘collar friend’ so much, I wanted to add it. As you can see, the fabric is faded and scarred.
I was also learning how to finish off the details of the garment, like how to make a nice join between the outer garment and the lining at the miyatsu-guchi.
My hand stitching was not very good at the time, and I have since learned some more ‘invisible’ methods to join the two pieces at the openings, but I was quite pleased with myself. Not bad for a second effort.
This corner shows my lack of sewing experience. It would have been far nicer to finish off the bottom of the collar, where it meets the hem, with an angled corner. But I was just dealing with the challenges where I met them at the time.
Despite all the little flaws, I made this garment for me. I wear it often. It washes well and feels soft and light on. It’s my go-to jacket for spring, with those swarming dragonflies. There is something so lovely, to me about the combination of the outer fabric and the crisp white lining.
