Category: Kimono

03 Feb

Bluebird Kimono

Amelia Hoskins / Dress, Dressing Gown, Kimono / / 0 Comments

BLUEBIRD - Modelled by Giorgia.   Simple one front button.

Kimono BLUEBIRD uses totally unique combination of nicely hanging fabrics: silk, polyester, polyester voile and viscose, for easy leisure wear, as dressing gown, or beach dress.   Front welt edge which forms kimono styled collar is identical to lining as a floral black/blue/yellow viscose shirt was used as a base to build the garment on.  Lining garment was extended with black fabric with turquoise flowers seen where extended to front to form 'hem'.

SIZE:  Loose all-size fit.  Three quarter length sleeves below elbow.  Up to 41inch bust. (105cm)  Back length 36.5 inches (92 cms)

No pockets.

BLUEBIRD available £175.00 :  direct from maker.  Price reflects one-off silk painting and full viscose lining.

(new purchasing coming soon...)

 

SILK PAINTING :  Front middle panels on left and right sides.  The silk painting was originally done independently, then blue coordinates were chosen from materials stock recently to create this garment.

Inspirations from Hopi Pottery of birds and seeds, from which I amalgamated an abstracted design. The blue bird-like image was from a stylised maize shooting from seed.  Hopi designs of birds and seeds had similarities of stylisation.

21 Mar

Rose Antique and Burgundy Kimono

Amelia Hoskins / Dye Bath Processes, Kimono, Silk Painting / / 0 Comments

Silk and Satin Kimono Dress ' ROSE ANTIQUE'

Patchwork features hand painted habotai silk top and lower ahimsa silk painted patchwork

 

Patchworks created over burgundy polyester satine shirt/nightshirt which forms lining.  Existing collar and button welt are utilised on the outside, while patchworks are created exactly to fit over shirt shape.  The burgundy satine has a pink rose print which top fabrics coordinate with.  Sleeves have been extended some inches, with darker purple Ahimsa silk borders left over from a previously logwood-dyed silk.  Two different silk painting pieces were created to coordinate with all chosen fabrics.   Loose size fits up to 42" bust.  Model is average size.

Silk Painting (top):  Comfrey dyed Habotai silk with hand painted Roses over pale soya wax resist, Celtic Triskels and red motifs from one of the prints.  The cream silk looks antique in tone when laid over the darker burgundy.

Silk Painting (hem):  Hawthorn dyed Ahimsa silk with bundle dyed texture of Sycamore leaves, then hand painted over with leaf outlines and roses, with painted motifs copied from a coordinate.   Silk painting method below...

 

LEFT Centre:  Triskeles and Roses on Habotai silk. 

 RIGHT Left: Sycamore leaves and Roses on Ahimsa silk.

COLLAR:  Utilised from lining shirt. The outside of the shirt becomes the inside lining of Kimono.  BACK:  Burgundy colour scheme echoed in intricate centre print on voile.

Side Views

Sleeves are extended from underlying burgundy shirt to create 'kimono' style.  Dark purple remnant of a silk painting forms wide extended border.  Lined with colour coordinating viscose in lilac cloud print.  The original outline of the shirt tail slits is followed.

 

ROSE ANTIQUE BURGUNDY KIMONO available £160.00 - Direct from maker.  (new purchasing coming soon...)

FRONT BUTTONING - Upper - Middle - Lower    BUTTONS - Heart shaped painted wood.

SLEEVES  -  Lining is viscose which extends to outer sleeve to form a border with dark purple, logwood-dyed, Ahimsa painted silk patchwork.

HEM BOTTOM LAYER - Original curved slit outlines followed of underlying burgundy shirt (as lining)

Techniques used in Silk Painting preparations

SOYA WAX RESIST:  My own photos were used, all enlarged to similar size, to make paper stencil cut-outs, for comfrey-soy-waxed-roses.  Rose petal areas were roughly painted in hot soya wax.  When wax was well set, the silk was placed in a cold comfrey dye bath, which showed cracking of wax after immersion, so I squeezed the roses slightly around a centre point, which produced the cracks as lines from the centre of pale rose shapes.

STEAM PRINTED PETALS and seeds are imprinted by bundle-steam method. Result is a few colour imprints of colour in areas between the roses.  Rose petals shapes were lost by the cracking effect, so they were painted finally with a more stylized curly petals.  Triangle was cut out where something was stained.  This was utilised as neck area on kimono construction.  CONCLUSION:  This technique would be good on darker backgrounds, to be tried!

Sycamore Roses Steam Printed Leaves and Painted Roses on Ahimsa Silk

Sycamore leaf steamed bundle print produced a brown texture, interesting by itself; however for this garment, I added more over painting to match with patchwork fabric designs.  The red  outlines weren't needed; a blurred background to bring out the leaf areas would have sufficed.

11 Feb

Medicine Wheel Silk Painting

Amelia Hoskins / Kimono, Silk Painting / / 0 Comments

MEDICINE WHEEL design on 3 garments 

Silk painted:  Medicine Wheel Sundress - Medicine Wheel Mini-Kimono

Printed and embroidered:  Medicine Wheel print on dress 'Desert Walk' and Dress 'Champagne'

MEDICINE WHEEL SUNDRESS

Physical - Emotional - Mental - Spiritual

The four aspects written in my painting's 4 quarters - Native American teacher explains the Four Worlds and the underlying meaning of '4' as a repetitive sacred number theme. There are also four basic elements of earth, air, fire, water.   The geometric embroidered sigil symbols are from a website; and represent metaphysical states.

Sundress Making

Sundress is built around the central silk panel, on tailor's dummy.  First attach strips to silk painting and band above bust, joined under arms.   Side flounces are a useful idea for fuller hips. Attach to side panels. (See pattern shape here) 

Back strips are created fitted to back, with flare vents below waist for movement and design interest. Back buttons for a tighter waist fit.

Machine embroidery used on the symbols.

SUNDRESS MEDICINE WHEEL available: £90.00 Direct from maker.  (new purchasing coming soon...)

Summer Kimono Jacket in patchwork silks

Medicine Wheel Kimono Making

  • Fabrics came from two dresses with interesting border prints: dark brown viscose with large pale green circles, and pale blue and brown silk print with circular border motifs positioned for sleeve edging.
  • A blue/gold tartan was chosen as a highlight colour, by using blue/gold patch to top section of collar and lower down.
  • Kimono type collar is created by wide double strip sewn to neck and front edgings.  Using a seam join at back neck, the best shape can be created to fit neck well, by shaping at an angle on a model or dummy.  For a fold-over collar, upper part needs to be wider (shape seam wider), or use back section cut on bias (across the grain, for stretch).

Making - Sleeves

  • Sleeves are simply the gaps left at the body fabric rectangle edges, left undone (seen at shoulders on dummy).
  • A four-inch strip of the blue/gold tartan was inserted below armhole space for better shaped fit. Strip needs tapering for about 4-6 inches up to sleeve edge opening.
  • A bright blue turquoise fabric was chosen for inside the sleeves, as decorative contrast and when sleeves are rolled up.
  • Narrow bows were already on the fabric used so was left in situ on the sleeve edge.
  • If sleeves are long, then turn-ups are useful using an inside cotton fabric to hold them in place well.
  • Design washed out paler than planned after steaming too long, so machine stitching is used to highlight outlines.

Kimono happy

Silk kimono sold to Jacqui when my garments were sold in local organic fabrics shop.

Length appears shorter on a taller woman than when fitted on dummy during making.  Photo shows how the loose kimono is suitable over other shirts and T-shirts and so looks good on any size.

The silk painting is on her left side, out of view.

Pocket placed over contrasting brown patched piece is a good distinctive decoration.

(shop owner's photo). 

Medicine Wheel  on linen and cotton dress Desert Walk (Sold)

This version of 'Medicine Wheel' was the result of test sample prints at the Double Elephant Print workshop for Mac design 'silk screen' printing. I used my photographs of other 'Medicine Wheel' designs, amalgamated, but there was only two 'screens' (polyester printing screens) each, so the result only shows two of the colour areas.  However, the abstract quality is interesting.  This was a quick way of getting many designs on white, grey, and beige linen and cotton samples.  This applied panel has two prints one above the other over a beige finely striped cotton, which aided the textural background.  Print ink available was not suitable for silk.

Buyer Story:  The craft fair was a washout on a windy and rainy stormy day.  Joce turned up late, from far out of town, after many crafters had left due to bad weather.  I had stayed until the end and was fortunate Joce liked my unique linen printed dress very much.  Its just right for her; the size, style and colour. She was very pleased with her original find on its first display show.

I have several samples remaining of this batch printed 'Medicine Wheel' design on cream and grey, and another dress 'Desert Flare' (not featured).  Also seen nicely on white linen in 'Opaline Frolic'.

'Making' images to be uploaded here.

'Medicine Wheel' print on Dress CHAMPAGNE (available)

Dress features two 'Medicine Wheel' prints grey-on-grey either side of front with embroidered central symbols.  Existing fitted bodice top was the inspiration, cut from a dress, preserving champagne satin frills.  Black and cream fabrics coordinate with the fine cream and black lines in ridged top.  Black viscose utilises an existing dress frill for interesting positioning.

Background image is from a range of small murals featuring Peruvian plant spirits painted in the tropical biome of Eden Project, Cornwall. Bromeliad Colita de Gavilan (Billbergia sp.) is depicted as the headdress of the spirit.

Images copyright Amelia Jane Hoskins Please email for use permission.