DIY Boro Inspired patchwork Haori
I finally got over my procrastination and almost got tendonitis bcs of this thing, but for my first hand sown denim project, i think it turned out well. Imma show the whole chaotic process below, in case anyone else is interested in a week long hand hurting adventure.
I used 3 pairs of M/S sized jeans - the person who gave them is tinier than me - embroidery thread - mainly running and whipstitch
Ok then
1st! See how much material you have and how large you actually want your haori to be
The 3 panels in the middle are the back, the 2 on the edge fold over the front. At this point in production, i still foolishly thought it would be enough to wrap over the front.
Spoiler alert, i was a fool
Chop these thingies, but don't throw them away. We'll need them later
I tied the panels with running stitch. I whipstitched them later for security, but so soon in the process, you don't want to waste time on details you might need yo undo later.
Keep in mind how to overlap them so they keep the rectangle shape. Yes it will be harder to sow through more layers ( please use pliers to hems, there's no need not to, i didn't and I'm telling you you should) but you get to keep th e OG hem, so who's the winner here?
Less work
( side note, sowing hems would've been easier than sowing THROUGH the OG hems, but hindsight is everything)
SECOND
SLeeves
Measure from your shoulder to your wrist. Based on how wide the back is, they will be longer, but you can always chop off more.
Here, i used the pant leg from the third pair, and half from the second. You can see the stitch and discoloration.
Here you can see where i tried doing Boro stitching
I quickly realised i had neither the patience, the strength or the materials for it
It'll prolly be boro, bvs I'll be stitching any hole i can find and also embroider over when i can look at it w/o feeling shivers in my fingers
Now, the Shoulders!
These are the bitchiest part, esp if the pant legs are not equal - which they weren't.
Here i essentially built the back until it was equal to the front and i could do it w/ o much bunching
Here is where I'm telling you to reinforce the SHIT out of the material, esp if it's patchwork. Shoulders hold a lot of weight, and loose stitching unravels over time. Since i was going for a baggy, loose look, i kept the pocket area, but if you're going for smth more cropped, you can save yourself the trouble and cut them all to the size
3rd! Attaching the arms!
Measure the opening of your sleeve and cut the slits in the materials at the appropriate place.
Sew what you have of your shoulders, so the up side is solid, then sew the sleeves on
I didn't take pics, but pick the middle of your sleeve and pin it to the shoulder seam. Then pin carefully the rest of the sleeve yo the body