home made hakama

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[andrea anzalone]

in which web site can i buy an home made hakama?
regards
andrea

[tedehara]

Originally posted by andrea anzalone
in which web site can i buy an home made hakama?
regards
andrea

Unless there is someone selling a hakama that they've made themselves, I doubt you would find anything.

However, if you sew or know someone who'd like to make a hakama for you ( :D Thanks Mom), you can find a hakama pattern at Round Earth Publishing (http://www.round-earth.com/patterns.html).

[JJF]

Hi Ted!

Did your mom use the Round Earth pattern ? I have made two hakama's myself without a pattern (your right - not an easy task) simply by copying a friends store-bought hakama and I think I could do better with a good pattern. If you used the one from Round Earth then what did you think about it ?

[tedehara]

Originally posted by JJF
Hi Ted!

Did your mom use the Round Earth pattern ? I have made two hakama's myself without a pattern (your right - not an easy task) simply by copying a friends store-bought hakama and I think I could do better with a good pattern. If you used the one from Round Earth then what did you think about it ?

Sorry, I just used Mom as an example of someone who can be recruited to sew a hakama. I'm using a hand-me-down hakama from my dojo.

If you're wondering about the pattern, I can't help you there. You can contact Round Earth Publishing (http://www.round-earth.com/patterns.html) or try putting together their Budo Bear. Since you've already put together 2 hakamas without a pattern, you probably would be just better off buying the pattern.

[Brian Vickery]

Originally posted by andrea anzalone
in which web site can i buy an home made hakama?
regards
andrea

...the closest thing I know of is buying a Bu Jin hakama. They're not home made, but I assume they're hand made!
They're custom made to be sure! Check out their site:
www.bujindesign.com

Regards,

[JJF]

Originally posted by tedehara
Sorry, I just used Mom as an example of someone who can be recruited to sew a hakama. Okay! Actually my mom did lend a hand with both of my hakama's ;) I'm using a hand-me-down hakama from my dojo. That's a nice tradition. I'm not yet allowed to wear a hakama in aikido-class so my old hakama has been used as a 'loaner' for those who pass sankyu until they can get one from a store.

I have been planning to create a sewing pattern for a hakama, but I know little (nothing !) about how to do that, and my time is limited so I will just pass on one very important lesson that I learned the hard way: ALLWAYS remember to wash the fabric BEFORE sewing the hakama. The hot-pant's style of hakama is probably not getting into style for while..... ;)

[Anne]

I've been thinking about making my own hakamas for a while now and started looking for a pattern. Since there are already several people interested in getting a properly fitting hakama, a general pattern would be best. Unfortuneately, the Folkwear Pattern seems to be out of print and is nowhere available. Searches on the internet showed only sketches of varying quality.
So, if someone has a pattern and would like to share it, I would be very grateful. Any suggestions on sewing a hakama are welcome, too.

Thanks a lot,
Anne

[tedehara]

Originally posted by Anne
I've been thinking about making my own hakamas for a while now and started looking for a pattern. Since there are already several people interested in getting a properly fitting hakama, a general pattern would be best. Unfortuneately, the Folkwear Pattern seems to be out of print and is nowhere available. Searches on the internet showed only sketches of varying quality.
So, if someone has a pattern and would like to share it, I would be very grateful. Any suggestions on sewing a hakama are welcome, too.

Thanks a lot,
Anne

Maybe your best source of information is right on this website! Take a look at http://www.aikiweb.com/misc/pattern.html

[Anne]

I already looked up Round Earth and they only offer pattern for particular sizes. I would like to get something like a general pattern that isn't too difficult to adjust for several people.

Anne

[JJF]

Maybe we should make some kind of 'seminar' on how to make a hakama. Everybody bring a couple of meters of fabric, a role of thread and a sewing machine.....

I have made both of mine just by looking at a store-bought hakama that i borrowed from a friend (he wouldn't let me tear it apart for measuring though :)). Maybe a good start would be to disassemble an old worn out hakama and use it for a basic pattern. The tricky part though is to figure out how the pieces should be varied in size and shape to make hakamas of different sizes.

[Anne]

I was thinking about giving one of the patterns I found on the internet a chance - on a small scale first, to see how it works out and where to make alterations.

Maybe we can compare our results :( :) :D ?!?
on the next Nishio Easter Camp....

Anne

[JJF]

Originally posted by Anne
I was thinking about giving one of the patterns I found on the internet a chance - on a small scale first, to see how it works out and where to make alterations.

Maybe we can compare our results :( :) :D ?!?
on the next Nishio Easter Camp....

Anne
That could be fun! I will try to remember to bring my hakama (I don't usually wear it as I am still just a 5. kyu)

Could you share some links for the patterns you have found ? I have been toying with the idea of sewing a hakama for my 2 year old daughter. It could be SO cute.... ;)

[Anne]

This are the links that look promising:

http://www.pitt.edu/~echo/Dagorhir/Hakama/

http://luxnova.home.mindspring.com/samuraigame/hakama.html

http://sarcasm.fanfic.org/hakamapattern.html

Another good one is in the file section of the sca-jml group at Yahoo Groups. It has the most detailed pattern and instructions. There are many other patterns for traditional japanese clothing as well.

Have fun,
Anne

[Anne]

Hello all,

despite having lots of other things to do :rolleyes: , I couldn't resist any longer and gave the pattern you can find under the first link of my previous post a try today.

I wanted to try it on an small scale first so I enlarged it by 100%.
It took me about two hours to assemble it and it turned out to be very easy ( :D ) though I had to change some details, e.g. the direction of the pleats.

The result looks exactly like my hakama, so I will try it full scale soon.

yours,
Anne

[Anne]

I'm now close to finishing my first hakama based on the Dagorhir Pattern (link no. 1).

Below I have attached some additional instructions (measurement, pleats, koshiita, belts, etc.) and some illustrations.

Have fun,
Anne

[Anne]

O.K, here are the illustrations.

Anne

[Anne]

I've just had a second look and noticed that attaching the text file kicked out all of the original formatting. This makes it look a bit confusing. If you like to get the original file with all of the pictures in the correct places, too, just send me an email.

Anne

[Anne]

By the way, I would still like to get an original pattern, especially the one from Folkwear.

Any help would be appreciated,

Anne

[Niadh]

Anne,
Did you try the link to earthguild for the folkwear pattern? I ordered it from their site, granted this was a year or so ago. I can't find it on the web site now, or even the catalog they sent me so I could look up the right number & a friend has the actual pattern, but even if they no longer carry it you might love their site or catalog. Here goes
http://www.earthguild.com/products/folkwear/fw1.htm
BTW, the pattern from folkwear is more a description of how to take the correct measurements than a traditional (i.e. McCalls type) pattern. Somewhere I may still have a link to different modifications that some people recommend to the folkwear pattern for use in Aikido.
Niadh

[Anne]

Niadh,
thanks for the link, I think I'll send them an email and ask if they still have the pattern.
I would really like to see some 'original' patterns since mine involved quite some 'try and error' and guessing since I didn't want / dare to dissolve my hakama...:D

Anne

[akiy]

The pattern that Ted pointed out above at [url=http://www.round-earth.com/patterns.html"}Round Earth Publishing[/url] is the one that owner Carol Shifflet derived from the Folkwear pattern. She found that the Folkwear pattern which she tried using was more for a costume rather than aikido use.

I do have the Folkwear pattern somewhere (probably lost deep in the closet or in storage) but never did use it...

Maybe you can try e-mailing Carol at Round Earth? She's wonderfully easy to talk to and what she sells on her site is good stuff. (And, no, despite the fact that I was at a seminar with her last weekend, I don't get commission or anything!)

-- Jun

[ian]

What's the best material to use for a hakama? Something that is light and cool (I get very hot doing aikido!), but holds the creases well, would be good. (thin cotton?).

Also does everyone tend to go for a straight black? - I expect a Hawaian print hakama is not recommended (unless perhaps you're making a statement about the spread of aikido).

Ian

[Anne]

Jun-
thanks, I will send Carol an email.

Even when patterns, like the one from Folkwear, just have measurement instructions I would like to get them because I calculated the whole pattern from my ankle to waist measurement and the proportions of the Dagorhir Pattern. It works well, when I measured some lines afterwards, deviation was less than 1/4 inch. But since there are already some people at my dojo who would like to get a new and better fitting hakama, I would like to be able to know where and how to measure for individual patterns.

Ian-

If you use a light material, you'll probably have to sew the pleats (inner and outer ones) full lenght to keep them well. Additionally, I would double sew and strenghten some sensitive areas as the side v-openings. I've already seen some spectacular "undressing" when people caught their foot in a light hakama during ukemi and ripped it.

Be careful with heavy cloth. Since you end up having multiple layers on the top pf the hakama, make sure your sewing machine can handle it (try jeans or leather needles when having problems).

As for colors and prints, I think every dark color is o.K. I saw some girls in beautiful dark red hakamas on seminars and am thinking about making myself one in dark violet since it's my favourite color.
And..um..er.. yes, my new hakama has a unusual print but it's a special running gag at our dojo, soooo....And since it's on the light side, too (I thought that that would make it easier for a first try....WRONG!!), I'll probably use it only at the iaido lessons and the beach training.

Anne

[Niadh]

I'm Looking for a nice medium weight, burgundy denim I once used for another project. The Sensei in Our dojo encourages different colors, I wonder how he would feel about a tartan hakama?
Niadh

[j0nharris]

My wife and I had two hakama made locally by a seamstress for our wedding.... Yes, it was a "different" kind of ceremony.
We found a Japanese "folk"pattern at a local fabric store, and purchased a high quality white cotton denim for the material.
We were able to use white for the wedding, and then dye them later to a dark blue for aikido.

The cut wasn't quite the same, as it wasn't a pattern for martial arts, so we had to work with the seamstress to make some adjustments, but the outcome was worth it, as they looked nice for the wedding and the heavy material will last for years on the mat.

I'm very interested in trying the budo bear out for my 2 year old neice's christmas present. My brother and sister-in-law both train in Aikido as well, so that would be fun.

-jon

[janet]

Hi, all. I'm the person who "proofed" Carol's hak pattern by following her instructions as I made it up and then we got our heads together and rewrote the instructions/slightly changed the pattern based on my process....some comments:
one thing that's nice about Carol's pattern is that there are instructions for how to adjust the top side opening curves for different body shapes as in male "tubes" versus female "spheres"...
choose your fabric carefully for weight and ability to hold a pleat: I made mine up in a wonderful English brushed cotton. It took the pleats well but won't hold them worth a darn. It drapes beautifully, but weighs a ton. all in all I ended up putting it away and buying a tetron one from Mugendo Budogo for regular use....
be aware that the main thing about making a hak is there is not a lot of sewing skill involved, Its more like a giant origami project. I was hauling around 5 yards of 60# fabric to measure, pleat, press, cut, sew, etc....
finally, best weird tip: inside the koshita use plumbers gasket from hardwear store, its soft rubber that gives nice support but you can roll over it ok and it holds up well.
cheers

[henry brown]

If you are sewing up hakamas, I have always wondered about a particular 'non-traditional' change I would like to make -- Do you think you could make a hakama with velcro or snaps or buttons in the crotch? Then (as a male) you wouldn't have to take the whole thing off during a long practice if you wanted to go to the bathroom.:D

[janet]

Hi, Henry. Re: fixing a hak for easier bathroom breaks:
Theoretically, yes, it can be done as there is a center front seam.
I do not recommend velcro--its a personal issue, I HATE the noise.
What might be very discreet and easy is snap tape. This is used on the inner leg seams of toddler's trousers for easy diaper changing. Its 2 matching lengths of a soft cotton twill tape with snaps attached at intervals. I have used snap tape to keep my gi tops closed and imagine that it would do what you suggest at the center front seam of the hak.

What I do, as a person of the female pursuasion, is
1. replace the drawstring in the pants with elastic
and
2. tie my hak in such a way that the back half can be dropped without undoing the front half
This allows a convenient, fast sitdown and would work for men too if they don't mind sitting instead of standing.

hope nobody's offended, I'm a nurse by profession....

[guest1234]

Having shared a LOT of bathrooms w/ male colleagues over the years, I am amazed at how large a target goes missed so often. :eek: And at my current dojo I've noticed a lot of guys with droopy, dragging hakamas. The two in combination makes me think I'd prefer you guys take them off and leave them behind when nature calls:rolleyes:

[alexandresalim]

I'm just about to have a try on the pattern in http://luxnova.home.mindspring.com/...ame/hakama.html.

Has anybody made a hakama from that pattern ?
Is it an easy to follow pattern ?
How does the hakama look like when finished ?

The pattern in http://www.pitt.edu/~echo/Dagorhir/Hakama/ in not accessible at the moment.


Thanks for the help.

Alexandre Salim

[Jill N]

Like Janet, I made a hakama from Carol Shifflet's pattern, and gave her some ideas about changes needed. I like to use mousepad material for the koshita. I love the extended front I put on mine- it stays tied on better. Also, on another related topic, someone taught me how to use the bathroom without taking off the hakama. Gotta be really careful, but you can get the pants down under the hak, and then gather up one hak leg and keep it out of the way. BE CAREFUL! But, boy does it ever save time during a seminar. (I'm a nurse too!!) sorry.
e ya later
Jill.

[henry brown]

With the help of my wife, I ripped out the material of the koshita and replaced it with a piece of plastic I cut out of a plastic bedpan I "borrowed" from a hospital. This is a nice, thin piece of plastic that would hold its own against heat or any kind og cleaning material, and keep the koshita looking stiff. The rest of this hakama sucked, but the back looked great.

[Dennis Hooker]

Man oh man this brings back memories. Red Sakamota Sensei's wife Johanna made my first hakama. It lasted long enough to hand down to my son who was not yet born. He is 39 years old now and still has it. Hand made is good.

Dennis Hooker

[Carol Shifflett]

. . . and this is Carol, who's revised a lot since Day 1 hakama pattern, thanks to Janet and Jill and others. ;-)

Folks, don't panic over making a hakama. It's really just a double-barreled apron with legs. But here are some issues to consider whether you make or buy. . .

Pleats. Don't expect cotton to hold a pleat. It may hold a wrinkle, but pleats are something else again. Look for a cotton / poly blend.
With at least 10% polyester and a white vinegar solution you can produce an excellent home version of permanent press, AND have a lighter weight, cooler, and longer-lasting hakama to boot.

Failing that, don't hesitate to stitch down the internal ("valley") pleats. Traditional Japanese textiles were only 12-14" wide, hence a hakama was pieced from a series of panels and those inside "pleats" were actually SEAMS. No danger of those falling out, and reduces the challenge of folding pleats by about half. Also useful for skinnying down the bulk of fabric if your hakama is too big and too floppy.

"Lighter" is important because layers of pleats -- there are 7 layers at center front due to the overlap. 7 layers of canvas or heavy denim can be tough for many home sewing machines. If you prefer a heavier hakama, better to buy it commercially made. Many prefer the way the heavier fabric flares and billows rather than tangling up in the legs. TOO LIGHT a fabric will trip you up for sure.

"Cooler" -- many of us have bought hakama of 16 oz cotton duck on the theory that the heavy weight will last longer and yet be cooler because "cotton breathes." Great in theory, but "duck" was originally packing and awning canvas. Fibers swell when exposed to moisture making a somewhat water resistent seal. Great for awnings. Not great for wrapping around bodies in August in Atlanta. And the knees will wear out anyway -- because of the cotton.

"Stronger" -- No matter how heavy and hot and bulky a cotton hakama you buy, the knees will still wear out. Most cotton fibers are about 3/4 inch long compared to the yards-long fibers of silk or hemp, or the miles-long fibers of spun polyester. Cotton is wonderful stuff, cool and absorbent, etc., etc., but resisting abrasion is not its strong point. One of the reasons the all-polyester Tetron hakama are so popular is that the pleats are melted into place, they're lightweight AND they don't wear in the knees. Look for a good blend and you can have the best of both worlds.

Koshiita: Some of you have recommended plumber's gasket, bedpans, mousepads. I've been told of recycled X-ray film, placemats, notebook covers, bathmats, and leather from an old briefcase. Whatever works! The Japanese traditionally used starched paper or newspaper. Open a Mejii-era koshiita and you may find a Mejii-era newspaper with interesting news of the day.

Per bathroom breaks -- rather than velcro, or snaps, or whatever, consider using a deeper crotch than what you expect in jeans. Hakama was worn over kimono and the crotch might be knee length or longer. The hand-made Mejii-era hakama that I used as a model has its "crotch" just a couple inches above the hem. Traditionally the side slits matched the depth of the crotch.
You probably won't want to be all that traditional, but several extra inches of depth with a pair of stretchy knit gym shorts can completely eliminate any need to get undressed and dressed again in the middle of class.

You don't have to make your hakama to get these advantages -- you can choose one of polycotton (rather than industrial-weight cotton canvas) and permanent-press the pleats with white vinegar, you can stitch down the inside ("valley") pleats (use a zig-zag stitch along the edge to avoid puckering), and if the rise is too high, just cut it lower. (Of course, if you want the Gordon Plaid hakama, or the red Inuyasha one, you'll just have to make your own!)

Cheers!
Carol Shifflett

[David Kai]

As for the Koshita ... I use a heavy guage leather when making my backboards. I find that it makes a nice lumbar support as it forms to the wearer's natural back shape.

KAI