Kitsune
This is an original design; we were doing a Spirited Away group but I wasn't drawn to of any of the designs from the movie, so I decided to create something that MIGHT have been at the bathhouse...after all there were all sorts of spirits there, so why not a fox spirit? ^_^ In Japanese folklore, fox spirits often appear as women in lovely robes, so that's what I went for. The mask was based off a picture in the Spirited Away artbook (seen at left), and I designed the robes to be Heian-era style.
I bought 25 yards of white silk and then dyed the uchigi (robes) myself. The colour scheme (researched from Liza Dalby's "Kimono" book) is a favoured one in Heian times , "shades of scarlet-pink" (the first layer, or hitoe, is supposed to be blue-green with this scheme), and I found the gorgeous golden fabric at Designer Fabrics and couldn't resist using it for the ko-uchigi ('little robe' or jacket). Then came days and days and DAYS of sewing. It bothered me that I didn't have time to hand-hem the robes, as it looks much nicer than topstitching, but there turned out to be no workmanship judging that year so it wasn't a huge deal after all.
The hakama is cotton twill and the kosode (white first layer) is plain white cotton, chosen for comfort.
I sculpted the shape out of Plasticene, then carefully covered it in strips of papier-maché, then lots and lots of gesso and sanding. The ears are insulation foam covered in papier-mache and gesso.
I'd like to do a proper Heian ensemble someday, as this habotai silk turned out far too shiny and supple; the robes should have some stiffness to them. I'd also like to have them all lined properly; this was sort of last-minute Heian.
I bought 25 yards of white silk and then dyed the uchigi (robes) myself. The colour scheme (researched from Liza Dalby's "Kimono" book) is a favoured one in Heian times , "shades of scarlet-pink" (the first layer, or hitoe, is supposed to be blue-green with this scheme), and I found the gorgeous golden fabric at Designer Fabrics and couldn't resist using it for the ko-uchigi ('little robe' or jacket). Then came days and days and DAYS of sewing. It bothered me that I didn't have time to hand-hem the robes, as it looks much nicer than topstitching, but there turned out to be no workmanship judging that year so it wasn't a huge deal after all.
The hakama is cotton twill and the kosode (white first layer) is plain white cotton, chosen for comfort.
I sculpted the shape out of Plasticene, then carefully covered it in strips of papier-maché, then lots and lots of gesso and sanding. The ears are insulation foam covered in papier-mache and gesso.
I'd like to do a proper Heian ensemble someday, as this habotai silk turned out far too shiny and supple; the robes should have some stiffness to them. I'd also like to have them all lined properly; this was sort of last-minute Heian.
