Need a beautifully tied obi to give the perfect finishing touch to your authentic Japanese Kimono costume? Feel like you're all thumbs? Here are some detailed directions to help you look and feel like the real deal!

1. Hold the end of the obi in your right hand and extend your right arm out straight to the side. With your left hand hold the fabric tight right in front of your chest. Fold this length of the obi in half from top to bottom, so the fold is on the top. Lay this folded length over your right shoulder, with the point where you were holding it with your left hand placed at the middle of your waist.

2. Wrap the unfolded portion of the obi around your waist towards the right. Make two complete wraps, with the remaining length of the obi coming back to the front from your left side.

3. Fold this remaining length of the obi in half, this time from the bottom up, so the fold is towards the floor. Tie a knot with the two ends, using the length that has been laying over your shoulder to wrap over and around the length coming from behind your left side. Lay the end over your left shoulder this time.

4. Open out the end of the other length and fold it in half the other way, bringing the end up to the underneath side so that it can be tucked into the knot you just tied. Adjust this fold so that the center of the length is centered over your waist.

5. Pinch the center of the length to form a bow loop on either side. Wrap the length that is lying over your shoulder around the center of the bow loops where you have it pinched. Wrap it around twice, going over and under, coming up and going over and under again Pull it tightly as you wrap so the bow will sit on the top edge of the obi.

6. Roll the remaining length towards the top so that a roll is formed on top of the bow. Tuck this roll into the underside of the bow as a support for the bow.

7. Hold the bow firmly with one hand, and grasp the lower edge of the obi in the back, and twist the entire belt around so that the bow is in the back. Make sure there are no wrinkles in the obi anywhere.


Ta-da!! You have a beautifully tied obi