There are several ways to construct a tsukeobi with taiko musubi. I have tried to provide basic drawings for some, and the instructions that follow are only one option of many. Feel free to experiment and do whatever adjustments are necessary for achieving the right look.
Parts, their names and measures
| Tesaki is the narrow part that in a tsukeobi (taiko) goes through the taiko drum (cylinder, tube).The width of my tesaki: 14,5cm or 5,14in, but often it is referred to as 6 inches. I am short, so in proporsion a narrower obi is ok. For me that means my doo (see below for explanation) is 5,14 inches and this results in the tesaki also being 5,14. For a tall person, I’d use 6 in.The length of the tesaki is 36 cm or 14,3 in. It needs to show (3 cm) on both sides of the taiko cylinder, so if you are using other than mine, please check first. (Make the finished tesaki a good 6 cm or 2,7 in. longer than the finished taiko will be wide + allow for seam. If you are planning to fasten the tesaki not next to the edge (allow 1,5 cm) remember to add the corresponding wider seam allowance! |  |
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Tare is the wide part that forms the taiko and the taresaki, that is, the bow (cylinder) and the narrow backflap, respectively.The width is usually 12 inches, the yellow one in the picture is 28cm or 11in. I’m very slim, so it looks better with a taiko not-so-wide. The length of the tare part depends on how you want your taiko to look like. For formal occasions it is customary to make it larger, and for informal use a xx-small one is preferred. Because a tsukeobi is informal by definition, a not-so-puffy, that is xx-smaller taiko cylinder is a good choice, I think. This means you will measure the wide part a little shorter than you would for a big taiko – so if you are taking the measures while dressed in a formal obi, measure the taiko following the fabric from the point where it meets with the doo all the way through to the end of the backflap, taresaki. Add a little extra for sewing and judge whether you need to compensate for the size. |
| Do (or doo, or dou depending on the translitteration, pronounced as the British English “door”, without the final “r”), is the narrow part that is separately wrapped around the waist.The length of the doo depends on three things:a) You need to choose whether you want the fabric to be wrapped around your waist once or twice.b) You need to know how long the piece needs to be in order to achieve the previous.c) The existing material or an old obi can pose restrictions. The length of my doo: 1m 48cm or 58,7 in. Because my doo is not rectangular, but sloped in the other short end, I will include the the difference: 4cm or 1,11in. The doo described wraps twice around me. Note! The doo needs to wrap around you almost exactly once or twice. You cannot have the doo wrap almost once around you leaving a “bald spot” or one and a half times, making the fastening hard. To wrap only once, measure with full kimono, undergarments, and accessories, and make the ends overlap around 10 cm or 4 in. The doo described wraps twice around me. Note! The doo needs to wrap around you almost exactly once or twice. You cannot have the doo wrap almost once around you leaving a “bald spot” or one and a half times, making the fastening hard. To wrap only once, measure with full kimono, undergarments, and accessories, and make the ends overlap around 10 cm or 4 in. |
- Ties:30 cm, 12 in
- Plastic covered or other suitable metal wire to make a “hook” or “hanger”.
No panic! Just clock on the image to get a better quality one.
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1) The waist part For the waist part, measure the obi fabric wider than the lining (just around 0,5 cm or under 1/5 of and inch. You don’t want the lining to show on the right side, so you want some of the obi fabric to be folded on the reverse, too, or at least NONE of the lining showing, maybe not even when looked upon from the side (seam).You can use the same fabric for both sides, if it is applicable, or choose a solid, matching color for the lining. However, do not use anything too slippery, such as acetate!2) The other end of the waist part is straight, but you can make the other end run at an angle. However you choose to do, sew the lining and obi fabric together to form a long narrow tube. (When flattened, the lining should not show, but the obi fabric continues to the reverse side just a bit.) Click the picture to the left for a larger pattern found on the site:  |
3) Attach the ties to the ends by sewing the ends between the lining and fabric. Sew the ends just by first turning the ends in, and then by machine. Because this part will go under the bow, you don’t need to worry about the seam showing. Here the tesaki is already attached to the tare (see below) but you can see the seam (white thread) sewn from the right side, and sewn over again when attaching the tesaki to the tare. |
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4) The tare part of your taiko bow The short end that will show, that is the one sticking out of the drum, needs to be sewn elegantly: (see image on the right)
First sew the short end of the lining and short end of the obi fabric reverse sides outwards, face sides facing eachother. (If it matters which is “up” and which is “down” (head up or upside down, look at the black figures on the images) on your obi fabric, be sure to work on the short end on the RIGHT when you look at the obi fabric head up.5)
Lay the project on the floor, right sides in, just as you sewed it. Pull the lining towards the unsewn short end 0,5 – 1 cm or 1/4 of an inch. This will make sure the lining will not show.6)
Then sew it like the waist part (into a tube, this time one short end already closed, lining narrower than obi fabric). The other short end (left, if there is an orientation) will be just turned right side out, edges in and sewn by machine, since it will never show.
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| 7) The taiko part If your obi has an orientation, e.g. a crane, don’t make it fly upside down!Remember, the graphics show several different methods, so the orientation is different for each of them.Sew the lining to the obi fabric again starting with the short end that will show, that is the tare. Then shift the lining towards the unsewn short end (just a little) to prevent the lining from showing. Finish the tube long sides, turn right side out, and tuck in edges of last short end, sew by machine from the right side (it will not show). | ||
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 Attach the tesaki 9 cm (precisely) from the tare short edge. In my opinion, one should use a wider tesaki only if extremely tall. The not-so-neat short edge is simply sewn to the finished tare part by machine (if you don’t want to sew through the obi material, you will need to find a way to sew the tesaki between the lining and obi fabric. Remember to attach the tesaki a) viewed from the lining side of the tare and neat end close to you, on the RIGHT side and b) viewed again from the lining side of the tare, right side up, that is, you will see the lining of the tare, but the obi material of the tesaki. Also, sew the not-so-neat end of the tesaki to the tare, not the neat one! |
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9) Sew the taiko into shape by adding desired tucks (see graphic “Tucks” at the bottom of the page) to enhance form, fold the tare in three to make a taiko, and mark the places to be sewn, and also the place for the hook. To fold, use your judgement, measure a taiko of a donned normal obi, or apply these measurements: (for codes used, see the “Tucks” graphic at the bottom of the page.)total legth of taiko part tare: 25cm or 9,15in + backflap tare: from the fold 20cm,7,8in Total 45 cm, 16,95in | |
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10) See graphic “Hook” at the bottom of the page to see how to place the hook.)The hook doesn’t pierce the fabric, because it secures under the upper short edge of the tare, and between the upper edge and the tare fold. Use a few heavy duty hand stiches to secure taiko in shape, and finally, stich the upper part of the tesaki to the tare on the level of the hook to prevent it from dropping. Finally, pull the tesaki throughthe taiko, and try out your new obi! |
