Hi! My name is yifarn and I love to sew, especially for my two girls. The satisfaction from seeing my little girls wear my creations is just indescribable. Friends often remark at how I can save money for my husband by making my girls their own dresses. That is not really true 
Anyone who has seen my fabric stash and pattern books will know that I’ve probably spent alot more on this hobby than it has saved me money.
And this is what this site is all about. Pattern books. Japanese pattern books to be exact. They are completely irresistable. Beautifully minimalistic pictures, the sweetest little girls, dreamy settings. I live in Singapore and I’m lucky enough to have a huge Kinokuniya which stocks lots of Japanese sewing books and magazines. I’ve seen the prices of the same books that are available online and think that I’m really lucky to be able to browse through these books before deciding, because some books are written for advanced sewers, which make it really difficult to understand even if you can read Japanese! On the other hand, there are books that have clear step by step pictures that makes the language barrier non existent.
With a combination of kanji knowledge (which is similar to chinese), internet-taught hiragana and katakana, I’ve managed to figure out most of the terms and steps involved. I hope to share this knowledge with everyone out there who is interested in Japanese sewing books but have never been able to figure out how to use them. Once you’ve got the basics covered, you can start your own book collection!
Together with articles on how to start and how to use these books, I will provide a glossary of regularly used terms in Japanese sewing books. I will also write reviews on the books I have as well as the new books I have acquired, I will also feature magazines I purchase which are usually a fraction of the price of a pattern book but also contain alot of great patterns and resources.
Do note that I mainly buy books for girls, some for zakka and bags, and a few for adult clothing. But the general methods and terms used are the same for all books.
Sometimes, you might see a particular book you are interested in but can’t find in your own country, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to help 
Or, if you need help with the steps or translating particular terms, do let me know as well so that I can help.
My blog schedule
because writing it down forces me to stick to it 
Mondays- Free Japanese sewing patterns or exciting finds online
Wednesdays – Japanese Fabrics – either about designer fabrics, or new collections
Thursdays – Translation requests from readers or if there are none, additional translation of terms that I’ve found.
Fridays - Book reviews
On Facebook (JapaneseSewingBooks) & Twitter (jpsewingbooks) only
As and when I stumble upon something new like a new book published or a new fabric collection, I will post on FB and twitter.
PLUS! Random updates of my sewing projects/book shopping/fabric shopping….
Affiliate Links
You might notice that I have some links on “where to buy” the books on the navigation bar, as well as part of the blog posts. These are affiliate links, meaning that they will go to an online store called cdjapan where you can buy the books. I earn a small commission from each sale that is made if you clicked on the link from my site and end up purchasing the book. I’m personally a customer of cdjapan and I must say that they are reliable and responsive and ship internationally. I can’t tell if they are the cheapest source around but being based in Japan they do have a lot of books in their list especially the more current titles. I only post books that I have owned and reviewed on the sidebar, so you can always refer to the contents from the book review to see what the book is about.
There are other options out there of course, so it is really up to you, that is why I always list down the ISBN numbers which make it easier to search for the book if you do not know how to input the Japanese title.
Hi! I love Japanese sewing books too! So glad I found your blog! I have a small fabric store in Alabama. I would love to carry some of these books. Do you have a source? Thank you. Happy sewing
Alyson
Hi Alyson, Thanks for dropping by! I’ve sent you an email regarding the books. See you around!
hi! Happy to meet you!
Hi Valentina,
Hope you like my site!
Nice to meet you too
Hello Yifarn! I am so happy to have found this wonderful resource, as I love Japanese patterns books and Japanese fabrics too. Your site is also easy to read and navigate, everything is so easy to find, well done! Blogging can be hard work for busy people, I hope you will keep it up because I think it will soon be very rewarding for you. Japanese patterns and style is growing in popularity and once people find your blog you will have lots and lots of followers!
I have put Pochee 2010 spring on my site too because I love those shirts! My favorite is that violet one you might make next, would love to see how it turns out! I don’t have the book yet, but how I crave it….
All the free site links and how to use are so great too!
Thanks so much for this =0)
- Alice
Hi Alice! Thanks for the compliments. Yup it is hard work but I enjoy it because I still have lots of books to review as I seem to be buying faster than I can read/sew/review!
I just bought some purple linen from fabric.com. It’s still a little stiff now so I’m letting it go through the washer n dryer for a few runs. Apparently that’s supposed to help. My patterns for the purple shirt has all been cut out and standing by. Just waiting for the linen to soften up. Will post when I’m done with it!
Hi Yifarn! I just found your blog via HowAboutOrange and thought I MUST come and say hello to a fellow Singaporean! I live in the US now, but I grew up there. I don’t use patterns in my sewing, so I don’t read Japanese pattern books but I do own and love Japanese soft toy books, particularly those by Terumi Otaka. The ones I have are in English, but if I ever pick up a Japanese one, I’ll come back to your site for help. Thank you for the work you do!
Hi Li Er (did I guess your name right?) I hope I did
Great to meet a fellow Singaporean! Do you miss the food? 
I’m glad you like my site. If you do pick up a book and need any help with the patterns, let me know! I’ll try my best to help.
Hi!
Just as LiEr I’ve just found your blog through HAO, and Im thrilled! I’ve bought some Japanese pattern books, and I love the style.
Subscibing to your blog right away!
Hi Yifarn,
So happy to find you blog yesterday. Your posting of the language translation from Japanese to English was a great help, especially for the fabrics. I have printed them out and paste it on my sewing notebook for reference. Thank you
I have liked your facebook too.
- Cindy
Hi Cindy, glad it was useful to you
I do update it once in a while so do check back once in a while for updated list of translated terms.
Hi,
I already own some Japanese sewing books, but am still missing nice fabric. We recently moved here and apart from “spotlight” at plaza singapura I haven’t found a nice fabric store. (specially with Japanese fabric?)
Any hints?
Thank you!!!
Hi Dacarrot
You can go to Chinatown. It’s a little confusing the first time you go, because there are a few buildings there and everybody refers to the place in general as People’s Park. But the fabric stores are mainly on the second floor, right above the food/hawker centre. There are a few shops here selling Japanese fabrics, and one in particular that I’ve discovered is Malin Textiles. They have a few shops scattered within the second floor. And the fabrics they have include linen, cotton linen, double gauze, character prints (more of Sanrio ones as they are more popular). Quite a large selection. There are also a few shops across the road in the shopping mall (People’s Park Centre) with more Japanese fabrics. They are rather expensive though. A metre of normal cotton print can range from SGD18 to about $25 for special prints (like Puti de pome) and I think about $30 or more for the Sanrio ones. You should check it out!
Thank You!!!
I’ll check it out next week (before my daughter is on summer break and would want me to buy way more fabric than we need).
Wow, it’s great to know there’s a fellow Singaporean who loves to sew from Japanese books too and wat a valuable resource you are providing! Great stuff
Yifarn hi,
I am so happy to have found your blog. I love sewing too, i am a big fan of the Japanese pattern books. I like the simple designs so I am really glad to find you because u can read Japanese! I dun know how many times I get stuck because I dun know what the instructions say! I usually just make a guess.
Hi! It’s funny because I can kind of read Japanese but not everything makes sense to me if you know what I mean? It’s like knowing the alphabet but not knowing enough words to understand the language completely. But at least I can input it and look it up in a dictionary which is sometimes slow going but still good enough to figure things out
Partly because I was spending so much time figuring it out that I was afraid I would forget what I’ve learnt, and so I decided to jot it down in a blog, so everybody learns at the same time.
Well, let me know if you get stuck again, we can figure it out together
Hi Yifarn, I found out your website while searching for SOEN magazine online. How glad I am to find your site instead. Not only it explains things, you do things so brilliantly sometimes it’s just nice to browse through your finished work!
Thank you for sharing and keep on going, please
Thanks Anna! I will keep going!
Hi, I’m from Johor Bahru. I like your site so much & it’s so useful. I get interested in sewing recently. I wonder where you can get nice cotton fabric in Singapore? Thank you for your information.
Hi Regina, There are a few places you can go such as Chinatown (People’s Park centre as well as the second floor of People’s Park Food Centre which is just across the road), Arab street, Spotlight (in Plaza Singapura). Are there any specific brands or designer fabrics you are looking for?
Hi!
Loving your blog! I joined in with your bag stitch along and loved it. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to try the balloon dress
I’m in the UK but we’re visiting Singapore next month to see some friends… Can’t wait!!! I saw your other comments about fabric shops in Chinatown. Just wondering if there are any other places you would recommend for general crafts, books etc
Cheers xx
Hi Leigh,
The best place for books is at Kinokuniya, it’s a huge Japanese bookshop with lots of Japanese (and English) craft books. It’s located at Ngee Ann City on Orchard Road which is the main shopping belt. If you need more directions let me know and I’ll email you!
For fabrics, you can go to both Chinatown and Arab Street. But note that most places open pretty late. I have been meaning to write up a post with pictures on the places to shop since I get quite a number of emails and people asking me. So I hope I can get that out soon before your trip!
Hi Yifarn! Great blog and so useful! I just opened an online fabric store in Toronto, Canada called Fabric Spot (www.myfabricspot.com). I’d like to carry Japanese pattern books/magazines. Do you have any idea as to have I can get them at wholesale prices? Thanks for your time!
Hi Karen, I wish I knew too! If I find out I will be sure to let you know
Hi Yifarn! I found your blog via HowAboutOrange. I’m also a Singaporean but I am living now in Belgium. I also love the simplicity and elegance of japanese patterns. I would also like to sew for my girls. Have you come across any books for boys? Hopefully I can meet up with you when I’m back in Singapore. Thanks for all your reviews!
Hi! I’m sorry I took so long to reply, this was stuck in the spam queue! I don’t know how, but sometimes these spam filters are not very reliable. Anyway, I have reviewed a number of kids books and magazines that have both boys and girls sewing patterns. But I don’t have any specifically for boys, although I have seen them in the store. (I don’t know what I can do with them if I bought them because I have no boys!
) but you can try the magazines like Cucito and Cotton friend because they usually have patterns for both boys and girls, plus they are cheaper than the books so it’s great to start with them.
I’m so glad I have found your blog!! I love sewing from Japanese craft books and even though I don’t understand anything but the pictures, I still manage to make the sweetest clothes for my daughter. I’m looking forward to popping by every week to see what is new and I can’t wait to join in your next sew-along
Thanks Monica! And you know what? A Sew-along is coming soon!
Hi, I just found out about this blog not too long ago. I love Japanese sewing books. Please keep up the good work.
I would like to know how you created/purchased those cute “Handmade” labels on your creations. I would like to put my signature stamp on my creations also.
Hi Mable, I bought them from a sewing supplies shop called Sing Mui Heng in Singapore. If I’m not wrong it’s from Japan. There are various designs within one roll and it’s sold by the meter.
hi.. so happy that i found your blog.
currently staying in singapore, hope will be able to stay here longer.. thanks for the information for the places that sell fabrics. will make a plan for fabric hunting soon. lol
Hi,
I’m from Spain and I found this spot by chance. I was just looking for some japanese patters so I discovered your blog. It’s awesome !!
I only have a problem, It’s a little expensive for me to get some japanese books or magazines because we are far away each other but any way the blog is pretty useful and I’ll try to settle for some free patterns you upload.
Thank you so much.
I have been looking for patterns for Japanese aprons and work clothes. I find them beautiful in their simplicity and functional. Can you point me in the right direction to find them? Preferably some free downloads. I also have twin grandsons, who live with us. I would love to sew some clothes for them, but find that available patterns are not very attractive and fit poorly. I’ll be following your blog now that I found it. I find your pieces beautiful. LOVE IT!
Judy
Judy, you are in luck because some free apron patterns are coming soon. Unfortunately as I have no boys I don’t usually make boys clothes
but down the road there will be some pants patterns for both boys and girls.
Hi Yifarn. I intend to purchase some books from cdjapan, shipping by SAL (non-registered) since it’s the cheapest. But this is the first time I buy something from them so I’d like to ask if SAL is a safe choice. Which shipping option do you usually choose and any recommendation for this? Was any of your order not delivered so far? Your advise will be very helpful for me since I stay in S’pore as well
Thank you in advance. Nice day!
Hi Norah, If you are staying in Singapore, why don’t you order from Kinokuniya bookweb? Even if the titles are not in stock they will order it from you from their Japanese suppliers. As for cdjapan shipping, I can’t remember which option I chose but as a rule I never choose non-registered mail because it is always better to have a reference in case it goes missing, which may or may not be the fault of the merchant. My orders have always come through so they are reliable but seriously for Japanese books in Singapore it should be cheaper to get them from Kinokuniya. What book are you getting?
Hi Yifarn, thanks for the fast reply. I intend to get Tsukiori Yoshiko’s wedding dress book (sounds fun, right?
) plus Kurai Muki’s Lalala2. I can’t find the first book at Kino, that’s why I intend to order from cdjapan. Thanks to your advice, I’ll contact Kino to ask if they can order for me. Have a nice day! Looking forward for your next project!
Hi Yifarn,
I wish to participate in the Nani Iro giveaway and have done all the 5 things + leave a comment. But my comment doesn’t appear in the list and it’s not the first time I leave a comment. So could I write the comment again? Thank you.
Hi Norah,
Don’t worry, the comment was found in the spam folder. The spam filter is not 100% accurate so it happens. I do check through once every few days to make sure there are no legitimate comments in there. Good luck!
So I bought this pattern:
Simple Dress Pattern from Japanese Craft Book, PDF format
…and I’m looking for the translation to english. Do you think you’d have time to help? I appreciate it! Thank you!
Jenn
https://www.etsy.com/transaction/127776788
Here’s a pic of the exact dress
Hi there,i so love your blog.I adore the japanese sewing books and the fabrics. i would so love to know how to order them…//or how to find a good place to order from.I live in New zealand.annette
Hi there,I so love your site and would really love to purchase some of the books,magazines and fabrics.Can you please email me (i know you are very busy) and tell me where i can order from.Thankyou,Annette
Howdy would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start
my own blog in the near future but I’m having a difficult time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking
for something unique. P.S Apologies for being off-topic but I had
to ask!
Hi, I’m using wordpress.