How to Make a Kid's Kimono From a Thrifted Ladies Shirt In 3 Days Or Less

UPDATE 06/2012 ::  since this has become such a popular post here, that i wanted to link everything for easy access to you, the viewer.  Here are the links to the tutorial and the finished product.

Or at least that is what i hope someone out there can help me with. :o)

Mom?? Your thoughts?? Hello, can anyone hear me? Bueller?

Oh, if only i had any confidence in my sewing ability this would all be sooooo much easier!

Here is the shirt.

Here is our cat on the shirt...

seriously tho, when the shirt is laid out, it already looks like a kimono...

alas, it is *extremely* too big!however, if you fold it just so...

KIMONO!

See?!

ah, "so what's the trouble," you ask?

1. the sleeves are way too long, and their are no shoulder seams. so i don't know how i am going to keep the lines of the sleeves (the way they hang) perfect...just like they are now!!

2. once the front is folded "just so", there is no way Ri is going to be able to use the bathroom if she needs to, because she is bound up like a Geisha girl with the straps on the sides of the dress to keep the front folded.

Fixes?:

Sleeves: slice off the black band on the edge, slice off what is extremely too much, and sew the black band back on.

Or....?

Front, thus making it easier on my child to wear this get up the whole class Friday:

slice into the front of the garment, seam sides, and reposition one of the ties to the seam. Make a buttonhole in side of garment to slip tie through?

Or......?

Ambitious dream: purchase a small amount of brocade to make a sash to tie as an obi by Thursday night.

Whew!!

In the whimpering words of the little chicken on Foghorn Leghorn...."Mother"