A Japanese Pattern Book for Beginners - Sewing For Your Girls

 

Sewing For Your Girls by Yoshiko Tsukiori is much more suitable for beginners than most other Japanese books that I've sewn from. It was originally published in 2011 and is one of the recent English translations by Tuttle Books.

 

 

 

It provides 8 basic patterns for dresses, tops and shorts with 7 variations. All patterns, except one (which is easily drafted) are included as full-sized pattern pieces in a pocket inside the back cover. The patterns are for girls, though the shorts and overalls could be sewn for boys, and the sizing is based on height - approximately equivalent to age 2 to 8 years.

 

 

 

 

This Japanese pattern book would be perfect for a beginner at sewing. As well as pictures of the clothes and instructions for all of the patterns, most of the book is devoted to photo tutorials on how to sew.

 

Many Japanese Pattern books are not generally suitable for beginners. They rely on detailed diagrams to illustrate sewing instructions, so include much shorter descriptions of sewing steps. The other book of adult-sized patterns by this author that I sewed from, would not be as useful for anyone beginning sewing.

 

 

 

The three photo-tutorial sections are

1. Basics of Dressmaking,
2. A detailed Step-by-Step to make one of the dress patterns and
3. Basic Sewing Techniques.

 

1. The Basics of Dressmaking is very well-presented. It includes descriptions of the fabrics used in the book and emphasises the importance of prewashing. Basic equipment is described and detailed pictures on Tracing a Pattern, Cutting out Fabric, Marking Symbols and Using a Sewing Machine are also shown.

2. There is a fully illustrated, complete photo-tutorial on how to sew the first pattern in the book and it includes techniques like creating bias tape, reinforcing pocket edges, and neatly finishing the armhole and shoulder frill. Every one of the numbered steps is pictured in detail.

 

3. There are 33 pages of tutorials on Basic Techniques which thoroughly illustrate all the steps needed for sewing techniques to sew the patterns in the book. Everything from facings, collars, hand sewing, plackets, invisible zip, pockets and shirring are covered.

 

 

I sewed two dresses from this book. The first was a sailor dress from Applied pattern 7 where I repurposed an old shirt for the fabric.

 

 

The second dress I sewed was Basic Pattern 5. This is the only dress where a pattern has to be drafted. But it is very straightforward as it utilises 2 rectangles which are based on the child's measurement.

It is a number of years since I've used shirring and it's as easy as I remember. There is a photo tutorial on how to shirr fabric which a beginner would find very helpful.

 

 

 

I used ribbon for the straps as I had a perfectly matching vintage stitched janemeans ribbon, but the steps needed to create straps are also given in the book and are easy to follow.

 

 

 

 

This dress was a very easy and quick make and would be a very convenient way of using a half-metre of fabric from your stash. Before I shirred the dress, my daughter thought the fabric looked like a curtain, but that didn't bother her too much once she tried it on!

 

 

(Tuttle Publishing sent me this pattern book free. All opinions are my own. I have been happily sewing from Japanese language pattern books since 2009)

 

 

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She Wears The Pants - A Sewing Pattern Book Review

A more unusual Japanese pattern book has just been translated into English and published by Tuttle Books. 'She Wears the Pants' is a take on what has been called boyfriend style clothes.

 

It was originally published in 2010 with the Japanese title which translated as 'She Has a Mannish Style'. Despite being published 5 years ago, the patterns have a very current look, with a few classics also included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are 20 varied patterns in this pattern book, including 7 blouses/tops, 4 jackets/coats/cardigan, 4 trousers/culottes, 2 dresses, one skirt and 2 accessories stole/long collar.

 

 

 

Some of the patterns, like the draped mini dress and the square top, follow the typical loose-fitting style of Japanese patterns. However, more fitted styles such as the tapered trousers and culottes above are also included.

 

The sizing is in the range from XS to L. XS corresponds approximately to US size 6, and size L corresponds to US size 14. Because the sizes are nested on the pattern sheets, it would be easy to size up one or two sizes while tracing a pattern.

This book also has an excellent centre section with pictures and tips on sewing with different types of fabrics and how to finish seams on different fabrics

As with many Japanese Pattern books, all the patterns are included on pull-out sheets in a pocket inside the back cover and patterns must be traced from these sheets.

Instructions for sewing up each pattern are listed in numbered steps, with numbers linked to those on the corresponding diagrams. Sometimes a particular step is described and illustrated only for an earlier pattern, but usually the page number is given if a step from a different pattern needs to be used.

Seam allowances are not included, but the fabric layout diagrams show the exact allowance that is needed for each pattern piece.

 

 

Some of the styles in the book would not suit my shape as I need my clothes to be a little fitted above my waist. Other styles are a little too 'edgy' for my taste. However what I found most impressive about this book was the inclusion of classic shirt and jacket patterns.

The fleece and striped long jackets as well as the dotted blouse are classic styles and include details like welt pockets, bound buttonholes, sleeve plackets and collar and under collar, which are thoroughly illustrated with clear detailed diagrams.

 

 

What make me love this book is the diagram on 'bagging a jacket'. This sewing technique is generally difficult to describe in words, and also difficult to demonstrate and photograph with an actual jacket, but this book provides a detailed, numbered line-drawing. I have quite a collection of Japanese language pattern books and English translations, and this is the first I noticed with this type of jacket diagram.

 

 

 

The pattern I had planned on sewing from this book is this draped mini dress, but life got in the way a little, so instead I chose to use part of another pattern.

 

 

 

My son wanted a costume for Cork Comic Expo which was held a few weeks ago in a local shopping centre, Mahon Point. The costume was a black cape and hat for 'V for Vendetta'. I had to draft the hat myself, but used a vintage pattern for the cape. However, the Cape pattern didn't include a collar, so I needed a well-designed curved collar pattern which would stand up well. I found No.18 Dotted Blouse had exactly what I needed and traced the collar and collar stand. The only change I needed to make was to increase the size of the lapels to provide the look that my son wanted.

(Pic source: Facebook Mahon Point)

 

I think he got the look!

 

 

 

(Tuttle Publishing sent me this pattern book free. All opinions are my own. I have been successfully sewing from Japanese language pattern books since 2009)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Handmade Clothes for Girls: A Sewing Pattern Book Review

One of my favourite Japanese Sewing Book authors/pattern designers is Yuki Araki. I have 3 of her books in Japanese (one which was translated into French) and previously sewed from 2 of her pattern books here and here.

 

Recently one of her books 'Sew Sweet: Handmade Clothes for Girls' (that I happened not to have in Japanese) has been translated into English. Tuttle Books sent me a copy to review.

 

 

 

 

Though I always love the pictures In Japanese pattern books, I usually have to skip straight to the pattern instructions as it is these diagrams and line drawings that I understand, despite the language barrier.

 

 

 

 

With this book it was a treat to finally be able to read Yuki Araki's words and understand her designing and sewing process. The patterns in the book are interspersed with little personal notes about sewing or her daughters, and being able to read and understand these added immensely to my enjoyment of the book.

 

 

 

 

 

Sew Sweet is a sewing pattern book with 22 patterns (as well as extra variations) for dresses, camisoles, blouses, bags, a hat, a jacket, shorts/leggings, skirts, and even two tops for women.

 

 

 

 

 

The layout of the book follows that of most Japanese pattern books. The pictures of the designs are at the front and the pattern instructions with clear, detailed diagrams are towards the back. The centre of the book includes general information or 'Sewing Notes' on sizing, tracing patterns, fabric layouts, marking and cutting, as well as sewing tips. There is also a picture tutorial for one of the patterns which includes details on how to construct a strip placket and stand-up collar.

 

 

The sizes in this pattern book are approximately from 18months to 6 years. (There's a very useful size chart on the finishedgarment blog which compares sizes across children's patterns, though Japanese patterns are not specifically included)

 

 

 

As part of my review of Sew Sweet, I sewed one of the patterns from the book, pattern 'C' which is a double-layered skirt with a waist casing and a ribbon casing. It is one of two patterns in the book that are not on the pattern sheets, and I was able to cut it out easily by marking the included measurements on the fabric. All the other patterns are easily identifiable on the pattern sheets and need to be traced.

 

 

To coordinate with the white/pink spotty fabric, I chose a chocolate and pink ribbon from janemeans. The ribbon casing is not sewn into the waistband on the inside which means the ribbon colour can be easily changed whenever the wearer wishes!

My daughter can't wait for warmer weather so that she can wear this, though it looks like she'll have to wait a few more months.

 

 

 

(Tuttle Publishing sent me this pattern book free. All opinions are my own. I have been happily sewing from Japanese language pattern books since 2009)

 

 

 

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