How to make a hakama?

Llamashroom · (#1)

Hakama are basically these pants that are huge and poofy and pleated. They were used by samurai to hide their feet movements.

Now that that's over with, I've found ten billion "how to make a hakama" tutorials all over the net, but I can't understand ANY of them. I'm doing a BLEACH cosplay. I'm making the shinigami robes. The top is pretty easy, but the hakama--oh, the hakama--is making my hair fall out. ;<
Basically, I just need help getting a grasp on the instructions. And such. Also, I'm kind of worried they'll be limp and un-poofy. I'd prefer them to be as poofy as the ref pics below. :] Notice how half of the hakama leg's circumference at the end is roughly 6 of Rukia's (the girl) ankles.

The tutorial I'm using for the entire cosplay: http://chiideki.com/bleach/outfit.php
The tutorial the tutorial above suggested for the pants: http://chiideki.com/bleach/hakama.html

Ref pics -
Front: http://chiideki.com/bleach/rukia.gif
Back: http://chiideki.com/bleach/rukiaBehind.jpg.full.jpg
Side: http://chiideki.com/bleach/shoe2.jpg.full.jpg

ladyjanewriter · (#2)

OK, there was a fellow who posted his outfit with a hakama waaaay back. On his last post he says he has a pattern, and that you can e-mail him.

http://forum.threadbanger.com/showth...=hakama&page=3

I don't know if he's posted recently here, tho?

peglegparadiddle · (#3)

this site gives an AMAZING tut on how to make a hakama. mine turned out great! its gives a tut for the whole shinigami outfit
http://www.dementia.org/~djl/sca/japanese/patterns.html
and this site shows how to put it together...
http://chiideki.com/bleach/wear.gif
the hakama tut makes more sense once you see the "how to wear a hakama" link (i.e. the "triangles" that need to be made are to lace the waist tie through)

the secret in the draping is.....KNIFE PLEATS!

i made this for my Rukia outfit and it turned out pretty nice and its REALLY easy

Vladimyr · (#4)

I used the instructions you referenced when I did my samurai costume a year or two ago. It seemed confusing until I sat down with it and did it. The big thing is just getting all the measurements written down and working those out. The construction is very simple. Is there a specific part that is throwing you off?

Llamashroom · (#5)

First of all, thank you, everyone for your great responses. :]
I'm really touched that you all pitched in to help me.

LadyJaneWriter - Thanks! I actually did manage to get in touch with the guy, sooth, who made hakama for his samurai costume. :]
PegLegParaDiddle - Haha, great minds think alike. : D We're using the same gi/kosode tute! :] Yes, I intend to use the chiideki site for the costume, because I've heard nothing but good things from people who've used it.
Vladimyr - The thing that throws me off is the wording. Mostly the whole "front pleats," "back pleats" part. I intend to watch a video on pleating and consult my school's home ec teacher, so maybe that'll help. But yes, clarification on that would be amazing. I haven't started cutting out the fabric and sewing the thing (kinda scared to mess up). I'm kind of worried that the hakama will be kind of flat and not as flared and wide as they should be. As shown in the reference pictures above, the pants are quite large. :]

Vladimyr · (#6)

If you follow the measurements they recommend in the tutorial they will be fine. When you put the pleats in the "front" and "back" you're leaving the bottoms at full width. The pleats also help to force the bottom to flare out.

So at step 14 where it talks about the pleating, it says to lay it with the fabric wrong side down, right side up, with pants seam from EIF straight. This means that you should have the pants laid down, right side up, with the crotch seam in the center. In Fig. 14 it doesn't show that seam or a line representing it, which is somewhat confusing.

Once you have it laid out you just take one side, fold the pleats under as shown in the picture and pin them. It says to take 40% of your waist measurement you took in the beginning. Once you have pleated one half of the front the total measurement of that pleated half should equal that 40%. Then do the other side. Make sure you pin it along the way so it stays together. Once done just sew a straight line across the pleats close to the top to hold it all together.

Then flip it over to do the back. You're doing basically the same thing but this time you are do 2 pleats instead of 3. The measurement for the full width across the pleats here will match up with the back-piece you made in step 8.

Once you get past the pleats, which actually go pretty fast, it's smooth(ish) sailing from there. Remember that pleats are just folds in the fabric. Just do what you see in the illustration and pay attention to your measurement after you put the pleats in and you'll do fine.

Does that help at all?

Llamashroom · (#7)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vladimyr

If you follow the measurements they recommend in the tutorial they will be fine. When you put the pleats in the "front" and "back" you're leaving the bottoms at full width. The pleats also help to force the bottom to flare out.

So at step 14 where it talks about the pleating, it says to lay it with the fabric wrong side down, right side up, with pants seam from EIF straight. This means that you should have the pants laid down, right side up, with the crotch seam in the center. In Fig. 14 it doesn't show that seam or a line representing it, which is somewhat confusing.

Once you have it laid out you just take one side, fold the pleats under as shown in the picture and pin them. It says to take 40% of your waist measurement you took in the beginning. Once you have pleated one half of the front the total measurement of that pleated half should equal that 40%. Then do the other side. Make sure you pin it along the way so it stays together. Once done just sew a straight line across the pleats close to the top to hold it all together.

Then flip it over to do the back. You're doing basically the same thing but this time you are do 2 pleats instead of 3. The measurement for the full width across the pleats here will match up with the back-piece you made in step 8.

Once you get past the pleats, which actually go pretty fast, it's smooth(ish) sailing from there. Remember that pleats are just folds in the fabric. Just do what you see in the illustration and pay attention to your measurement after you put the pleats in and you'll do fine.

Does that help at all?

It actually really does help. :] However, when you say "Then flip it over to do the back," do you mean I'll be pleating the right and wrong side of the fabric? Or do you mean I'll be pleating the left half of the fabric then the right half? That's the part where I got really lost in the instructions.
Also, does this mean there will be 5 pleats total?

Thank you for your help and sorry I'm kind of slow at these kind of this. ^^;

Vladimyr · (#8)

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner!! I lost this thread in my tracked threads.

I'll try to explain what I meant when I said to flip it over and do the back.

Once you sew the two large pieces together along the cut you made to form the seams that go up your legs to your crotch, step in to that beast. Pull it up so that you can really see what's what. You'll have a long stretch of fabric in front of you, a long stretch behind you and it will be open on the outsides of your legs. The front is the long stretch to your front and the back is the long stretch to your back. Each one will be treated exactly the same as far as pleating goes. So you'll pleat the front then flip it over and pleat the back. Is that a little more clear?

Once you've pleated the front you're done with that side. Flip that whole mess over and do the unpleated side. Then step back in to that and pull it up again. That should help you to visualize what you're doing.

Uncertainty and a Parasol · (#9)

I've been trying to go to chiideki.com, but i think its gone. every link i try is dead. help!!