HEIRLOOM TECHNOLOGY
By Tim Anderson
Instant Cozy Kimono Robe
Everyone loves this robe, and there’s room in it
for everyone!
WHEN I WAS A KID IN AKITA IN NORTHERN
Japan, friends gave us a couple of traditional
kimono robes that were extremely simple and
extremely cozy. It’s amazing how little cutting and sewing it takes to make one of these
— it’s more garment for less work than you
would think possible. You’ll want to make all
your blankets and comforters into robes.
START
1. Make 3 cuts.
Make 3 cuts in the blanket as shown in
Figure A (along the red lines). If you’re going
to add a hood and don’t want a seam against
the back of your neck, you can leave the triangular tab there. Otherwise cut it off.
2. Make 4 folds.
Fold the top parts of the blanket down to
form the sleeves (Figure B).
Fold the sides in to form the body of the
robe. Suddenly it looks like a robe!
3. Sew 4 seams.
Sew the edges of the sleeves together along
the line E–F and C–D (Figure C). Leave big
enough holes for your hands!
Sew the seams on the front together, A to A
and B to B.
Don’t sew under the armpits. Leave a gap
there. Kimonos are like that as are the robes
made by the Plains Indians — visit your local
museum to see examples.
If your sewing machine has trouble with
the material, get a thicker needle or sew it
by hand. (Use really big stitches if you sew
Tim Anderson
170 Make: makezine.com/29
