How to make a yukata

1. Materials & tools

Materials (women's size)

• Main fabric (cotton, cotton-linen or shibori; a traditional bolt is about 36 cm / 14 in wide) — about 13 m (14 yd); the pattern note gives the length for your size
• Hand sewing thread (kimono is traditionally hand sewn, but a machine works)
• Optional: collar stiffener

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Adult clothes” → “Yukata” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter height, bust, panel width, sleeve width and length, okumi width and collar width. Presets cover a child's 120 cm, women's and men's sizes.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Check the measurements
   Every line is straight, so skip printing and mark the measurements from the guide sheet straight onto the fabric — a yukata is long and would take a great many sheets.
2. Cut
   Cut two body panels (front and back in one, twice the length), two sleeves, two okumi and one collar. On each body panel the front half is narrower on the inner edge by the neck-opening width, so there is a step at the shoulder line — that step is the neck opening. The top of each okumi is cut on a slant.
3. Mark
   Transfer the shoulder line, the sleeve-join and underarm-opening notches on the sides, the notch on the front inner edge where the okumi starts, the sleeve-join and cuff notches on the sleeves, and the collar-end notch on the okumi.
4. Finish the edges
   Traditional kimono seam allowances are folded rather than serged, so no edge finishing is needed.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the body

1. Sew the inner edges of the back halves together (the center back seam), from the hem up to the step at the neck opening. Leave the front inner edges unsewn.
2. Fold at the shoulder line and sew the sides from the hem up to the underarm-opening notch, leaving the sleeve join and the underarm opening (miyatsuguchi) unsewn.

4-2. Make and attach the sleeves

1. Fold each sleeve at the top and sew the cuff edge below its notch and the underarm seam, leaving the cuff opening (from the fold to the notch) unsewn.
2. Turn the cuff opening and the free part of the sleeve-join edge below its notch under twice and stitch.
3. Sew the sleeve-join edge between its notches to the body, from the shoulder down to the sleeve-join notch on the front and on the back, right sides together.

4-3. Attach the okumi

1. Sew the long edge of each okumi to the inner edge of the front, from the okumi notch down to the hem, right sides together.
2. Turn the okumi edge below the collar-end notch and the hem under twice and stitch.
3. Press the seam allowances toward the body.

4-4. Attach the collar

1. Fold the collar in half lengthwise and press.
2. Match the collar center to the center back and sew one edge in one run on each side: back neck, the front inner edge, the slanted edge of the okumi, to the collar-end notch. Match the collar notches to the corners of the neck opening and to the top of the okumi.
3. Turn the collar out, fold the remaining edge under and slip-stitch it down.

4-5. Hem

1. Turn the hem under twice and slip-stitch.

✏️ The collar is cut to exactly the length of the line it goes on, from one collar end around the back neck to the other. It sits on slanted edges that stretch easily, so if you sew from one end you will run out. Pin the ends, the center and the notches first, then fill in between. In Japanese garment sewing you press seam allowances to one side rather than open, and you keep every allowance falling the same way.

5. Tips & variations

• Start child-sized: far less fabric and far less sewing. Make one in the child size before committing a whole bolt.
• A machine is fine: it is all straight seams. Slip-stitch only the collar by hand and it still looks right.
• Make a set: a jinbei in the same fabric gives the whole family matching summer wear.