Finally! Some dance programs uploaded!

Yesterday I forced myself to sit down and upload some dance programs.
 I did have a couple scanned, edited and ready to upload I just don't have the enthusiasm for it anymore.
But now that the end is in sight (  by that I "only" have about 20 to do...) I have renewed energy!
Also with a long weekend coming up I'll hopefully knock a few more off the to-do list.
Yesterday's uploads included:
Asakasa odori
Gion Maiko Book
1960 Kitano odori
1961 Kitano odori

In the Gion Maiko Book is a photo of a maiko-san wearing the first maiko hikizuri I bought!!!:

I need to do some more digging but will post all about this hikizuri and its owners/wearers in a week or so I hope, once I found one maiko wearing it I found heaps more!!!!!!

We have arrived in Bendigo!!!

The Bf, our two doggies and I arrived in Bendigo this week!
It was a long trip from Queenstown in Tassie, we drove up to Devonport, caught the Spirit of Tasmania to Melbourne then drove up to Bendigo.... Fun stuff...
But we've been here for a week or so now and still not really settled.
I started a new job today which was really good to have work basically when I got here, will probably be only part time work again but its better than nothing.

Kimono-wise nothing has happened because they've been packed away for a few weeks, and I haven't even unpacked them yet.

I have been a bit naughty, I really shouldn't be buying anything but...

I've wanted a white/cream obi with bamboo painted on it for a while now, and I thought this one was really sweet with the flowers so I had a bid and won!

I'm trying to build up a decent collection of obiage/obijime and I have trouble going past anything in a summer weave....

I think these are some early Kyo odori programs, not 100% sure. The seller who was selling these also had up two other lots of recent Kyo odoris.... but I missed them! I was so pissed off too! For a long time now I've won a lot of dance programmes unopposed on YJA and I only put a low bid on them because no one else had been challenging me for programmes!!! GAH!

But there was a lot of doubles in the two lots I missed so I hope some will be relisted by the new buyer, I really do hope...

I did buy a couple of Miyako odori programs lately, 1926 and 1960's something, I don't know really, it'll be a surprise.

Feelin' good.

Since July last year (when I moved in with my bf) I've been gaining a bit of weight and it didn't really bother me till November when all my summer stuff from the previous summer didn't fit!
So I started to cut back on the junk food and exercise a bit more, but didn't see any differences for 2 months, then when I stop trying I make progress!
In the month of January I lost 3 kg ( not heaps I know but its a start) and a couple of cms off my hips!
The bf and I are doing this together so hopefully we'll both get some results that we want.
Which is partially why I haven't been doing kitsuke as much as I should be ( only a part time job so I've got lots of spare time) I store most of my body fat on the thighs so it just looks yucky in kimono.

In other news we're moving again! To the Bendigo region of Victoria, I have no idea what its like because I've never been there but the bf went to check it out and said I'd like it... So here's hoping.

I've also slowly been editing some odori programmes. I've lost my passion for it so that's why I've been dragging my feet. I'm just kinda glad that I've got so many scanned and uploaded already so there's less out there for me to do. That being said I bought my first odori programme of the year last night: Kamogawa 1929!
I'm trying to not buy things from YJA because I don't have that much extra cash to spend and a purchase can easily end up costing way more than what I originally thought.

I actually also haven't made any progress on the kimono projects I spoke of last time...
I tried painting a sparrow rather than embroidering it, with the plan to have a small amount of embroidery as a feature on the tail. I got concerned about it being all embroidered in case the threads got pulled, if its only a small amount then it wouldn't matter so much....
so here's the birdy again, please excuse the silver tail and the gold body, I started with silver but changed to the copper/gold because I thought it looked better and imagine there's embroidery on the tail lol:

If I'm painting it I'll probably change the design a little, fill the wings in with more detail or something, I dunno, I did this on a whim one day and it turned out ok.

Happy 2012 everyone!

Yeah I know, bit late, we've already been in the new year for a week now but hey, it happens.

I really should aim to blog more this year... I did four or so posts last year? Bit shameful really.
I do have a lot to say today though, if that makes up for the long, long absences of last year...

Today I am sewing a chikara nuno/tsukeeri, instructions from Kimono de Cheap.
Yes they are different things, although closely related. I'm aiming to make it as a tsukeeri but because I'm sewing by hand today (yay *-*) its at the stage where its a chikara nuno. Not that that matters because I want to make enough chikara nuno for all my juban but that could take a while.

Continuing on with the sewing theme...
A while ago I bought a cheap ro tsukesage from Shinei on ebay with a big hole on the front panel, but me thinking I'm amazing decided to get it and just embroider something over the hole to cover it up.
Firstly I was thinking a dragonfly but suggestions came in from the IG forums of a sparrow/insects.
So I did a mock up of a sparrow! Personally I think its really cute, maybe not appropriate for the kimono but let me know what you think:

And here is how it sits on the kimono. Opinions?

Other kimono projects include trying to repair a sha kimono:

Another one from Shinei. along the sleeve/shoulder seams the fabric is tearing, on both sides. On one side next to the collar on the fabric is tearing vertically as well. Its very sad, but I did get a full refund on it so its not like a I'll be out of pocket for it.

Suggestions have been to use excess fabric in the sleeves to repair the tears. Rotate sleeve fabric so the tears become the bottom of the sleeve. Use interfacing on the fabric to stabilize it or lining it.

I'm leaning towards lining it, but how to fix the tears without it showing through?

How do I fix the big vertical tear near the collar?

Should I even bother with it? *sigh* I am wondering why I bought it. Yes I know I wrote about it before but really I already have one that is very similar...

Besides that little headache, the rest of my project list contains:

* sewing a ro kimono. I've only been putting it off for 18months now....

* painting up a mock pre-tied darari obi.

* dyeing and embroidering mock maiko han'eri

* putting chikara nuno on my juban.

* altering what kimono I can to fit me better.

I wonder if you see my problem, I start another project before I've finished the other ones I've started.

Plus keeping up with uploading my odori programmes and etc.

I also want to post some kitsuke photos of me but I want to explain something first.

I have been interested in kimono now for about four years (how it flies!) but really only wore kimono for the first year-ish so I'm terribly out of practice. (just too busy with work and other stuff)

So I am starting again when I feel like I should be better than what I am.

When I moved in July I didn't bring my kimono with me. I went home in October and brought back with me some yukata and summer related kimono. Mostly what I have here with me now I've bought in the past few months.

I've never worn yukata before this year. I mean I bought one years ago but never liked it so its very strange for me to go from formal-ish kimono with juban and padding and all that jazz to yukata and hanhaba obi... I feel like a total n00b.

So please excuse everything that is wrong, I'm still getting used to yukata plus I don't have any accessories/komono with me so it has been challenging...

So from the top: 

Black yukata with sakura with bright yellow pre-tied obi. The yukata is so starchy, is that normal for yukata? My other ones aren't like it?

Then my wisteria yukata with butterflies! I like this one a lot more :) the obi is some summer weave obi that I bought off YJA a couple of months ago, I think its supposed to be a nagoya but isn't sewn down. I really like this obi, I think it will be alright to wear with a number of things, plus it was very easy to use. I tried to do a fan like thing with the tare(?) I forget what its called, the little tail of the obi that is supposed to go back through the taiko, but it got lost when I turned the obi around.

And lastly this is Hendrix, he wanted to wear a yukata too ;)

Odori programmes

I've been working busily lately trying to get the bulk of my (very) large pile of odori programs scanned and uploaded and I feel I'm making a bit of a dent!
Here is my Flickr page if you want to check out the latest offerings.
Lately I've added some Kitano odori and Miyako odori and some other magazines/book with lovely photos. I do have many Kamogawa, Miyako and some other bits and pieces to share with you when they are ready.
However I've broken my scanner, again! They don't seem to last me very long  *grrr*

In other news I've bought a summer kimono...
Wisteria I cannot resist it.
Summer fabrics are a weakness too...
Put them together with purple?
Sold!

I will need to alter it as well so I'm looking forward to experimenting with it a bit.

As I didn't bring my kimono collection when I moved, only yukata I've been practicing in those but the two new ones are so stiff with starch that I feel so funny wearing them!

Also I suck with using a hanhaba obi, or at least the pink one I bought.

I don't know if they are all that floppy but it does make things a bit difficult...

Back to basics

For some reason when I first got into kimono I didn't start with (or even like) yukata.

Which seems silly looking back on it cuz that would be the best place to start in this hobby.
So I'm going back to basics :)

I bought a couple of yukata for the upcoming summer season and a kimono bra to help smooth things out ;)

So I got a pretty wisteria yukata because wisteria is my all time favourite flower and a bright and colourful yukata with sakura motif.

A pink hanhaba obi that hopefully matches both yukata. I can't wait to get them and try them on! I'd better start researching what musubi I can tie with a hanhaba obi as I've never used one; although I do have one that I bought with a kurotomesode in a lovely anitque fabric.
If you've got a favourite musubi for yukata I'd love to hear them :)

I usually don't use any binding for kimono, a boob tube usually does the trick for flattening everything out nicely, but I've put on a little weight lately so I think I may need a kimono bra now to help smooth it all out, really hoping it will help, no matter how unattractive it looks.
So they should get here in a few weeks from Noppin, can't wait to dig in and try out my new goodies :)

Hi all!

I am alive.

Because I don't post here a lot following me on Flickr will show the most recent activity... Most of the time that is...

So far this year I...

Moved out of home.

Changed job (and therefore how much moola I make so I cut back a bit on spending)

Found a lovely man, subsequently moved in with him :)

Kimono wise I haven't been doing much. Truthfully I've only done kitsuke once this year and I hadn't done it in so long that I basically forgot what I was doing!

I forgot my erishin, korin belt and how to tie an otaiko!

I'm now seriously considering going thru my collection and just making a few ensembles for occasions and keeping a few lovely pieces and selling/trading/giving away the rest.

If/when I decide what I'm doing I'll post it up here as well as my other haunts :Flickr, Immortal Geisha and Tsuruko Maiko.

So i haven't bought many kimono this year, I did buy a ro maiko hikizuri with grass motif and a beautiful darari obi tho, most notably.

I also bought a biyosugata but I haven't used it yet. I've been meaning to get one for ages tho.

I also bought some kanzashi:

Firstly a lovely uchiwa set for a maiko:

And a large spider kiku:

I'd like to collect all the different maiko kanzashi but that will probably take a while.

Of course I have still been collecting odori programmes and postcards and other things I thought would be of interest to viewers, which are on my Flickr so check them out if you want.

I still have many, many odori to scan in but as I moved state about a month ago I haven't had a chance to go home and get them all.

Hopefully I can do that soon when I go back in a month or so and possibly even a spring kitsuke!

Well... best not expect too much on that subject tho...

I don't think I have much more to say just now, but my love for kimono has been rekindled :)