Kimonos are built from of a single piece of fabric of unvarying width. The width is determined by the weaving frame used to make the fabric. The fabric is sold in rolls called tanmono. Each roll is of the exact length needed to make a kimono. The fabric is altered to the absolute minimum. When you pull out the threads, for instance when you want to wash the kimono, you find a strip of fabric virtually intact. The very simplicity of the kimono, with its straight sleeves and stiff bearing emphasized by the very flat band of the obi, gives the impression that it is never quite three-dimensional when worn, seemingly halfway between surface and volume.