Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Thrifty Kitsuke (Part 2)

Welcome back to Tips and Tricks Tuesday, where  you can expect to find a wide range of tips and curios that might not otherwise have a forum in my regular crafting or kitsuke posts.

I missed posting this last week as I was recovering from an absolutely amazing experience at Clockwork Alchemy. To anyone who has found this blog after attending my panel, 'Don't be That Gaijin,' welcome!

As I mentioned in my last installment, I've been a long-time fan of thift-store shopping, for day-to-day wearables as well as more unique treasures. I've had a lot of luck in finding kimono and accessories in thrift stores, but I know that not everyone has time or luck, so I thought that I would spend a little more time this week talking about finding kimono in online venues.

You won't be able to handle the garments as you would if you found them in person, so you have to rely on the information the seller provides to determine if the garment will fit. For this to be a successful venture, you need a little information beforehand, specifically, your own measurements.

To get the best, most accurate measurements, have a friend help you figure out the following: Height, 'Wingspan' (the distance from wrist to wrist across back with arms outspread), and Hip Circumference. Make note of these measurements in both inches and centimetres, as not all sellers will list measurements in both systems. Once you have these, you're ready to venture deeper into the web to find your own kimono.

A quick google search will show you that you can buy kimono (or garments calling themselves kimono) from a multitude of places. Amazon has listings for kimono, for instance, but many of these will likely be of synthetic material and more appropriate for use as a dressing robe than wearing out in public. If you are looking for more authentic garments but are not ready to go down the etsy/ebay rabbit hole, I recommend starting your search at Kimono Flea Market Ichiroya.

Ichiroya has 15 years of experience in selling kimono on line. They are very thorough with their documentation of any stains or flaws in their pieces and the information is always clear. New items are added almost daily, so there is always something different to see. They are based in Japan, so shipping might be a little pricey, depending on where you are, but there is no doubt that you can buy from them with confidence.

Another kimono-exclusive vendor from whom I have received excellent service is Ai no Kimono. This is run by a kimono enthusiast living in South Korea. Updates are not as frequent as Ichiroya, but the quality is always well documented, and the vendor is very easy to communicate with. I have made purchases from her in the past (this is where I found my bat komon hitoe), and I was absolutely delighted with the service.

If you are feeling adventurous, then ebay or etsy might be the place for you. I would still recommend having a good look at Ichiroya, though, because their listings can be an education in kimono vocabulary and will give you a better idea of terms you might want to use to refine  your searches. They are also the best example of the sort of information you want to find from a trustworthy kimono vendor.

I would like to stress this last point because your success with ebay or etsy is going to rely on the fact that you can not only refine what you're searching for, but be able to recognize authentic kimono from 'silk robe.' Sellers will tag or title items with a myriad or descriptors that might not have anything to do with what you're looking for-- they're just trying to get as much visibility as possible. Even if you are searching for specific terms like 'yukata' you may come up with things that sellers have mis-identified, or accessories that go WITH yukata, like han-haba obi.

Beyond what I mentioned above, both ebay and etsy have pros and cons when it comes to kimono shopping, even once you have found some items of interest. With ebay, you have the chance of finding quality garments for a lower price, whether the listing be auction style or 'buy it now.' It's more likely that in this venue, you will then be contending with shipping from overseas which can sometimes cost as much, if not more than what you paid for the garment itself-- and can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to arrive.

On etsy, I have found that the price is likely to be a little higher to start,but your only option is to buy, rather than bid, so you don't have to worry about being out-bid. You will still be contending with shipping, but that shipping may be from within your home country, so you won't have to wait nearly as long for your item to arrive.

I have had a great deal of success in acquiring garments and accessories from both ebay and etsy at what I consider to be bargain prices (remember, if you buy several items, the seller will often reduce the shipping cost!). My success has a lot to do with patience, diligent searching, saving sellers whose offerings I like and service I trust, and waiting for items to be on sale. With the pointers I've offered, I'm sure that you, too, can expand your own kimono collection to suit your tastes, and not hurt your wallet (too much).

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Thrifty Kitsuke (Part 1)

Welcome back to Tips and Tricks Tuesday, where  you can expect to find a wide range of tips and curios that might not otherwise have a forum in my regular crafting or kitsuke posts.

I've been a long-time fan of thift-store shopping. It's amazing what sort of treasures can be found if one has the patience to look. It's always a bit of a gamble, as thrift stores are reliant upon the people who make donations, but with patience and perseverance, some really quality items can be added to any wardrobe. I know that I'm not the only one who thinks so, too. Tami, over at Thrift Shop Commando, is one blogger I found during the A-to-Z Blog Challenge, who has a lot of fun with her thrifting adventures and was partially responsible for my inspiration to do this post.

Accessories that can be adapted for kitsuke are certainly the most easy to find, but even kimono and obi can be found in thrift stores. Finding these will take a sharp eye and some knowledge of how garments are likely to be sorted, as well as frequent trips. Turn-over of items can be fairly quick in some thrift stores, depending on region and the sorts of donations the stores have to work with in the first place.

The easiest additions to find in a thrift store are accessories. Sheer or lightweight scarves can be used as obi-age, and these can be found practically everywhere, at any time of year.

Fans and handkerchiefs can also quite easy to find, and are very useful. They may not be directly kimono related, but if I am out in kimono, I am always carrying at least three different handkerchief with me (and I explain why here!). Fans, too, are a lovely accessory to kimono and in the summer months I am always sure to take one with me.

Another accessory to look for in your thrifting excursions are geta and zori. Spring and summer are generally the best time to look for these as many thrift stores are usually savvy enough to rotate seasonal stock. As these are shoes with a familiar shape to many people (think flip-flops), they have a broader appeal outside a kimono-wearing audience and are therefore more likely to show up in a thrift store.

More difficult to find, but not outside the realm of possibility are kimono, haori, and obi. The best place to look for kimono garments in your own local thrift store is to check any section that looks like it has bathrobes, either men's or women's. I have found a number of yukata (summer cotton kimono) in these sections at my own local Savers stores. Haori might also be found tucked in with women's blazers or light jackets, as they are shorter than kimono, but it's just as likely they might be sorted in with robes as well.

Women's kimono, found in a section for ladies' robes and nightwear.

Men's haori, found with men's pajamas. It was also hanging inside out, so the green of the lining was what caught my eye.

Some stores may even go so far as to sort out anything they consider to be 'ethnic' clothing, like one of the Saver's I frequent. Even so, I have found kimono at this store that were still tagged and stocked as 'bathrobes.' This shows very well that there can be little consistency in how garments are sorted and tagged, and that it can depend a great deal on who might be working and sorting behind the scenes.

Finding obi in a thrift store environment can be the most challenging, as there are several ways that a person not versed in kimono might decide to sort what, to them,is just a very long piece of fabric. Housewares might be a good place to start, especially as a popular use for obi that can no longer be worn is to feature them as table-runners. If your thrift store has a 'crafts' or 'fabric' section, this might be another good place to check. The men's obi in the photograph below was found sorted and hanging in a section usually devoted to yarn and sewing patterns.

Men's kaku obi

If you are comfortable with a sewing machine, and are anything like me, you probably already check the fabric sections of your local thrift stores. This is a great place to find fabric to make your own juban or other undergarments, or even a kimono! I've certainly found quality cotton yardages for juban, hadajuban and suseteko on more than one occasion, and once, I even found a tan for kimono. If you've never worked with a tan of fabric before, it is significantly more narrow (about 14 inches from selvage to selvage) than the fabric you find in your local fabric stores, so keep that in mind as you're shopping!

I found this hanging with other yardages of fabric at a local Savers. The photo is not the clearest, but this is the full width of the fabric, about 14 inches from selvage to selvage.

I admit that living in California, in an area with a thriving Japanese-American population, gives me a certain advantage when it comes to finding actual kimono in thrift stores. However, there are many other articles you can shop for and repurpose for your own kitsuke practice, so don't give up!

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Fabric Selection and Identification

Welcome back to Tips and Tricks Tuesday, where  you can expect to find a wide range of tips and curios that might not otherwise have a forum in my regular crafting or kitsuke posts. Last week, I spent a little time talking about the common-sense habit of carrying three handkerchiefs while out in kimono. This week, we're going to hone in on something that is very relevant if you were thinking of following along with the Wednesday Crafting series and creating your own hadajuban-- fabric selection and fiber identification.

Until I started to sew for myself, I didn't give the material content of my fabrics much consideration. As I learned more, I discovered that my selection of material had a direct correlation to my comfort level when I wore certain garments. Having cotton or another light-weight, breathable fabric next to my skin made a world of difference in the summer when I wear yukata, while in the winter months, one of my mixed-fiber juban was preferable because I stayed a little warmer in my kimono.

 If you are purchasing your material from a fabric store, chances are very good that the material is clearly labeled. You'll be able to tell at a glance if it is 100% cotton, polyester, rayon, etc, and chose accordingly. The other benefit of shopping at a fabric store is that you will be able to have cut for you the yardage your project requires.

Fabric stores, however, are not the only place we can find material for projects. I am a habitue of several local thrift stores, all of which have a 'materials' section stocked with fabrics that have been donated. Because these are thrift store donations, the quantity is seldom regular and the quality can be difficult to discern, but there is a good chance that something usable can be had for significantly less than one might pay at a regular store.

A selection of materials found at a local thrift store. There was over 7 yards of the blue, and about 4 of the peach and of the white.

For making in-the-moment selections like this, the most I can do is touch the fabric.  If I don't like the feel of it, chances are good that I won't like working with it and will like wearing it even less, so it doesn't really matter how much there is. If I do like the feel of the fabric, I'll do a quick measurement for yardage. I happen to know that from the tips of my fingers to my opposite shoulder is approximately a yard, and you can hold a tape measure yourself to see where your 'yard' might fall. If there is a significant amount of fabric and I like how it feels, chances are good that it will come home with me.

Once the fabric is home is when the fun begins. If you want to have an idea of what sort of fabric you're dealing with, a simple burn test will do the trick. Be sure to do this in a well-ventilated area, away from other flammables, and USE CAUTION! The Fabric Mart has a very good breakdown of what to expect HERE as well as instructions that you should be sure to follow if you conduct your own burn tests on fabrics.

Triangular swatches of each of the thrift-store fabrics from previous photo.

Triangular swatches after trial by fire.

All three swatches caught fire quickly, formed no beading (as they might if non-natural fibers were present), and produced a grey smoke. The blue and white fabrics did not have a particularly distinct odor, while the peach colored fabric had a slightly sweeter aroma to the smoke. I suspected from the start that I was dealing with cotton fibers for the blue and white and linen or a linen blend for the peach and this test reinforces that opinion.  Burn tests are hardly conclusive for identifying as blended fibers as well as anything that might be used to treat the fabric will skew results, but they can give you a baseline from which you can begin to make an informed opinion.

Thank you for joining me today. For next week's Tips and Tricks, I'll be talking about thrifting for kimono and accessories. I also hope that  you'll check back in tomorrow for the third installment of the Crafting: Hadajuban series!

Tips and Tricks Tuesdays: Three Handkerchiefs

As part of my resolve to have a better-regulated posting schedule, I've been introducing theme days. You saw the first of these last Wednesday, when I started a Workspace Wednesday/Crafting series. This week, I'd like to introduce Tips and Tricks Tuesdays, which was inspired in part by something I'd mentioned in passing last week (though I'll be covering the actual topic that inspired all of this next week).

What you can expect to find here will be a wide range of tips and curios that might not otherwise have a forum in my regular crafting or kitsuke posts. This week, I want to delve into a one of the habits I've developed for when I'm going out in kimono, a habit that would not be at all obvious unless I made mention of it.

The three handkerchiefs pictured stay with the bag so they can't be forgotten.

I'm not entirely sure how I came to the practice of carrying three handkerchiefs when I go out in kimono. I'm certainly not nearly so conscientious or fastidious when I step out in my western clothing. I suspect that it was something that Ann (my room mate, photographer and fellow kimono aficionado) pointed out to me when I started to practice kitsuke with greater frequency. I was struck by the practicality of it, and the fact that it gave me an excuse to use some of the hand-me-down lacy confections that I'd acquired over the years. These days, if I am out of the house without at least one handkerchief, I find myself feeling a bit lost.

But why should I go to the trouble of ensuring I have three? Most people, when they bother with this archaic habit, still manage to make do with one. The answer to this is really one of practicality and the fact that each handkerchief has its own particular use.

Larger handkerchief and tenugui, all suitable for sitable fabrics when out and about.

The largest handkerchief that I carry is for laying over seats before sitting down. I don't always do this (it would be rude to do so in a restaurant or in someone's home, for example) but if I am sitting on a park bench or a low ledge, then this helps to protect my kimono from the uneven surface and any dirt that might be hidden there. A tenugui can also be appropriate for this particular cloth, and you can check out some techniques for making your own here!

A selection of small, vintage handkerchiefs that can be used in the lap to protect kimono.

I like for my second handkerchief to be somewhat decorative, either with embroidery or a tidy lace edging. This is the handkerchief that will rest in my lap so that I may rest my hands on it. With yukata or more easily tended kimono, this one is not particularly vital, but with silk kimono, it leaves me assured that any oils from my hands will not mar the fabric.

Plain, white handkerchiefs ready for a bit of dirty work (though they could use an ironing).

For the final handkerchief, I prefer one that is plain, white cotton. This is the handkerchief that does the duty of wiping away crumbs or potential sources of staining from my hands. It also comes in very handy in restrooms, especially if there are no towels present.

So that I can't forget these practical accessories, I took some time to match my most-used bags and kinchaku with complimentary handkerchiefs, as in the photograph at the beginning of the post. It's proven to be very useful, especially since while I know I will want a handkerchief, I'm not always mindful enough to ensure that I have one before leaving.

I have plans for a future Crafting post where I'll talk about some of the techniques that you can use to create your own handkerchiefs and larger, furoshiki-style finished cloths that you can use for the largest of the 'handkerchiefs' I suggest here.

If you, kind readers, have any tips you'd like to share, or if there is something you're hoping I might cover in the future, please don't hesitate to say so in the comments!