Upcycling a Yukata to make a Wrap Dress

This yukata (cotton kimono) was sleeping in my closet because it was too large and difficult to put on.

So I thought I’d try tinkering with it to make it easier to wear:

The first attempt (failed)

I initially didn’t want to cut this yukata dress, so I sewed it short so I could either use it as a long cardigan or still wear it like a quick-on yukata.

But I didn’t quite like it; simply putting it on like a gown didn’t look anywhere as nice as wearing it properly the long way, and I couldn’t quite use it as a cardigan gown.

As a quick-on yukata… walkies at night 😟

Kei 😟

Ok, I’m ready to cut it up and start again!

Refashioning to a wrap dress / cardigan

No going back now 😀 I cut the yukata in half, at about 65cm from the top and shortened the sleeve depth. Then cut up the bottom half to make a gathered skirt tier.

The gathered skirt section was reattached, a pocket was added (the pattern matches exactly where it was placed), and the hem was rolled edged for a nice finish.