Editing Kimono (section)

===Reuse===
Kimono can readily be resized, or unpicked back into {{transliteration|ja|[[tanmono]]}} (bolt) lengths.{{r|Valk|p=131, 147}}

Outside of being re-woven into new fabrics, worn-out kimono have historically been recycled in a variety of ways, depending on the type of kimono and its original use.{{r|Valk|p=131}} When the cloth is worn out, it may be used as fabric for smaller items or to create {{transliteration|ja|[[boroboro]]}} (patchwork) kimono (which were also sometimes made for the sake of fashion<ref name="simple">{{cite web |last1=Joseph |first1=Lisa A. |title=Kosode: a Japanese garment for the SCA period |url=http://www.wodefordhall.com/page4.html |website=www.wodefordhall.com |access-date=10 June 2021}}</ref>). The fact that the pattern pieces of a kimono consist of rectangles, and not complex shapes, make reuse in garments or other items easier.<ref name=boronobi>{{cite conference |last1=Wada |first1=Yoshiko |title=Boro no Bi : Beauty in Humility—Repaired Cotton Rags of Old Japan |journal=Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings |date=2004-01-01 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/458/}}</ref> {{transliteration|ja|[[Sashiko]]}} are used to hold cloth together and decorate it. The cloth used for patchwork clothing must all be of similar [[fabric weight|weight]], [[Drapery#Drape|drape]], and [[handle (textiles)|handle]].

Formal kimono, made of expensive and thin silk fabrics, would have been re-sewn into children's kimono when they became unusable for adults, as they were typically unsuitable for practical clothing; kimono were shortened, with the {{transliteration|ja|okumi}} taken off and the collar re-sewn to create {{transliteration|ja|haori}}, or were simply cut at the waist to create a side-tying jacket. After marriage or a certain age, young women would shorten the sleeves of their kimono; the excess fabric would be used as a {{transliteration|ja|furoshiki}} (wrapping cloth), could be used to lengthen the kimono at the waist, or could be used to create a patchwork undergarment known as a {{transliteration|ja|dōnuki}}. Kimono that were in better condition could be re-used as an under-kimono, or to create a false underlayer known as a {{transliteration|ja|hiyoku}}.

Children also traditionally wore {{transliteration|ja|kataire}}, kimono made of a fancier material in the {{transliteration|ja|okumi}} and upper back.<ref name=V&A>{{Cite book|last1=Victoria and Albert Museum. Department of Textiles|url=http://archive.org/details/guidetojapaneset02vict|title=Guide to the Japanese textiles: Costume|volume=2|last2=Smith|first2=A. D. Howell|last3=Koop|first3=Albert J. (Albert James)|translator-first1=Hogitaro|translator-last1=Inada|date=1919–1920|publisher=London : Printed under the authority of H. M. Stationery Office|others=Harold B. Lee Library}} (translator did not translate the full book text, but from the acknowledgements of vol 1 it sounds as if some of his translations might be incorporated into the work. Volume 1 came out in 1919, volume 2 in 1920. Note the work is in the public domain, therefore [[:File:Guide to Japanese Textiles, Part II.pdf|the fulltext]] is not copyright)</ref>{{rp|16}}