A Boho Silk Kimono Welcome

There’s nothing I like better than sewing for my friends and family. When I learned my son’s girlfriend Rae would be visiting us from Singapore, I decided I needed to make her a special “Welcome to the States!” gift.

What do you make for someone you’ve never met in person

I had a sense of Rae’s style and spirit from seeing her in numerous photos and chatting with her on Facetime, but I had never met her in person. I knew Rae was tiny – shorter than me, and I’m short – and I didn’t have her measurements. However, I didn’t want to resort to making anything size-free like a scarf or a bag. When Bob mentioned that Rae loved silk, it dawned on me – a boho silk kimono would be just the ticket!

The Perfect Fabric

I too, love silk fabric, and I have some nice pieces in my fabric stash. I knew this hand-painted, hand-loomed munga silk might be just the thing. I bought a few meters a while back on a whim from Akrithi, one of my favorite online sources for beautiful Indian silk and cotton goods. The brilliant abstract floral pattern made it the perfect choice for a very special piece for Rae.

Letting the Silk be the Star

The hand-painted silk was going to be the star of this make, so I wanted to find a pattern that offered clean lines and simple construction. I ended up choosing a pattern from my library – New Look #6378 Kimono. Not a true kimono, which is a boxy garment, but #6378 was more accurate to the boho silk kimono look I was trying to achieve.

Figuring Out the Details

Munga silk is a gorgeous Indian textile. It is not a shiny silk per say, but it has a lovely gold luster to it. Though the munga seemed a sturdy fabric, it is rather thin and transluscent and I decided my boho silk kimono needed a lining to give it some substance. Inspired by the metallic selvedge edge on the munga silk, and also by Rae’s predeliction for warm tones, I found a gold pongee silk at Textile Discount Outlet here in Chicago. Pongee is a raw silk from China, very stable with a low sheen, and just the thing for lining this munga silk.

Materials in hand, construction begins

I sewed the kimono and lining as two separate garments, using french seams and kimono silk thread. After marrying the outer layer to the lining, I hand basted the raw edges together at neckline, bottom and sleeve hems with Japanese blue cotton basting thread.

I finished all the joined edges with bias tape made from the gold pongee. In order to have a clean edge treatment and avoid visible machine stitching on the front of the kimono, I hand-stitched the second fold of the bias tape to the lining using a blind hem stitch.

I love the way Rae’s boho silk kimono turned out. So luxurious, and yet so wearable. I think Rae likes it too!