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 11 m (12 yd)
• 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 piece is a rectangle, 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 (folded at the shoulder), two sleeves, two okumi and one collar.
3. 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. Fold each body panel at the shoulder and sew the two center back edges together.
2. Sew the side seams, leaving the sleeve opening (the miyatsuguchi) unsewn.

4-2. Make and attach the sleeves

1. Fold each sleeve at the top and sew the underarm seam, leaving the cuff opening unsewn.
2. Turn the cuff and the rounded lower sleeve edge under twice and stitch.
3. Pin each sleeve to its opening on the body, right sides together, and sew.

4-3. Attach the okumi

1. Sew an okumi panel to each front edge, right sides together.
2. Press the seam allowances towards the body.

4-4. Attach the collar

1. Fold the collar in half lengthwise and press.
2. Sew one edge of the collar to the garment in one continuous run, from the end of one okumi, around the back neck, to the end of the other.
3. Turn the collar out, fold the remaining edge under and slipstitch it down.

4-5. Hem

1. Turn the hem under twice and slipstitch.

✏️ In Japanese garment sewing you press seam allowances to one side rather than open, and you keep every allowance falling the same way. Do that and no seam shows from the outside — the principle holds whether you sew by hand or by machine.

5. Tips & variations

• Start child-sized: far less fabric and far less sewing. Make one in the child size before committing 11 m of fabric.
• A machine is fine: it is all straight seams. Slipstitch 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.