I applaud you for taking on such a difficult project without any experience using a sewing machine before! I know I’m refusing to do anything even vaguely difficult until I’ve practiced a lot first. In this case, I’m going to work on a matching gi jacket for his birthday. (Shh, don’t tell him.) Also: the ability to sew, even as a male, is a wonderful thing. Think how much money you’ll save in the long run, being able to mend things and make your own clothing instead of purchasing expensive, poorly made, brand-name products!

That said, gi are much easier than hakama, so go ahead and make one. The fabric might be more difficult to work with at first, because it’s generally thicker (depending on what sort of gi you’re making), but the pattern and sewing is far, far easier. Note: gi don’t have pleats. (Making pleats straight scares me. I’m making my friend do that part because she’s the better seamstress… >.>) One thing on that, though: don’t use spandex. 1. It breaks down much more quickly, especially if you sweat a lot. 2. You have to make it much shorter because it’s stretchy, otherwise you’ll be catching your feet in it even more than the macho guys who wear their hakamas down to the floor…. (Even in 1% spandex denim jeans this happens) 3. It’s also more difficult to work with, because the stretchy material tends to bunch and stretch oddly so that no matter how careful you are you get funky ripples coming out of your seams. 4. Also, when one is thrown in a stretchy gi, it stretches (Cptn. Obvious!), and everything goes sideways.

So yeah, don’t use spandex, especially not in the jacket, nor until you know what you’re doing with stretchy fabrics on the sewing machine.

If you do, Martial Arts Mom, go ahead, but just a word to the wise.

(Seamstress Friend talking…) As for gi patterns, first make sure that you have your measurements right for where your gi sits, where you want it to hang to on your leg, and the circumference of your thigh, for pants, and then chest, across the shoulders, and around your biceps on the jacket… I have nothing worse than a gi jacket with too tight sleeves… You might want to then go so far as to elasticize the waist on the pants, or put in a portion of elastic on the back (My current gi is elasticized, and while I preferred to be able to tie it to where I wanted it, it does reduce the worry that the knot will come undone in the middle of a throw…). Also, make sure you have the gusset sized correctly. Generally, to get a gi that fits perfectly and works properly, make the pattern pieces so that the finished garment measures about three inches larger around than where you were measuring. However, generally on the waist it should be the same measurement as the hip area. So if you have 45 inch hips (on your body), the waistline on your gi will be 48, and so forth. At least, that’s the way that I’ve done it on all the gi I have made.

Eric: Flame wars? Bah! The two groups should band together! Such an force would be unstoppable!

And yes, please join us when you’re in town! Is it just you visiting? Email me and we can work out the details!

If those street use hakama become even half as popular as utilikilts, hakama vs. kilt flame-wars are inevitable. Since this is along the same lines as ninja vs. pirates, I will have yet another reason to give up the wired life.

That you are willing to take on that sort of project is impressive. Please, do share pics when your project is complete.

BTW, I’ll be in Seattle in mid-August. May I train with you for an evening?

Take care,
e.

Berry-sensei: Your compliment means a lot. Is Don going to be at Summer Camp? It would be interesting to talk with someone who’s made their own hakama before.

Joe: I can empathize with your aikido teacher! I have often heard said that the reason, in Kokikai, for not wearing a hakama until shodan is to ensure that the instructor can correct your footwork. Of course, the instructor is wearing a hakama, so seeing their footwork can be quite a challenge! I’ve often joked that I want a venetian-blinds hakama–a hakama on which I can pull a string to get the legs up so I can show where my feet are.