More on Zukin
Well, I sewed together prototype #1 and the result is as you see below.
It looks close but not quite there yet. The opening is still too near the face and there aren't enough folds. Still, not bad for a first attempt.
I found that the forehead part stays flatter (and in place) if the top is folded over in and pinned underneath (also the pins don't show that way. However, I'm going to need to put some interfacing in the headband to make it a bit more stiff so it'll keep its shape.
The next thing I thought I'd try is a rectangle shape, to see if that would give me the folds that I wanted. I took a piece of scrap cloth 17 inches wide and 28 inches long and pinned the sides together. Here is the result:
It gets it away from my face, and there are the folds I wanted, but it bunches up and is too narrow. I really think I'm looking for more of a cone shape. Not sure if I'll even bother sewing this one up--I can use the material as part of a belt I'm working on. I have another scrap of the same color that is bigger, so later this week, I'll cut it out in a larger cone shape and see if that works.
I have given some thought to yardage--Japanese looms make cloth about 14 inches wide and they wouldn't have wanted to waste any. However, until I can figure out the shape, I'm not going to focus on that aspect and just use the remnants of cloth I have on hand. Also, I need to take into account that I'm a lot bigger than period Japanese women were. My kosode is wider and uses more cloth, so it stands to reason that the zukin would as well.
