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Guides Translations and Help with Patterns

How to Make – Introduction

January 14, 2012

A typical Japanese sewing or pattern book usually starts with gorgeous pictures of cute models in the finished projects, sometimes followed by a summary of all the projects available in the book.

At the end of the pretty pictures, before you dive into the patterns+instructions per se, there is usually a page indicating size information and other general guidelines on how to use the patterns. The page is usually titled ” 作り方”, sometimes in English “How to Make”

 

The rest of the text above the size chart are general pointers that are relevant to all the projects in the book. In this particular book it is giving information about the sizes that are provided for in the pattern sheet, and special notes for making the individual garments such as blouses/skirts/hats.

Because this content differs from book to book, I will not delve into the actual details of this particular passage. It is more important to know the terms for the body parts mentioned in the size chart so that you can at least know what measurements to take and what size to make. Also, from the size chart you can see that this book covers patterns for heights from 100-140, in 10 cm increments which means for each pattern there are 5 different sizes.

Important point to note, that the Japanese books use centimetres and meters instead of inches.

The pattern books are usually published for a range of sizes, usually  in cm for children based on their height, and S,M,L for adults. For children, they sometimes give an estimate of the ages of the child and the corresponding size to make, but do take note that these are Japanese averages, so it is probably better to measure your child’s height/chest measurements and use the corresponding size on the table rather than depending on the age value.

For a list of frequently used terms in Japanese sewing books, refer to this page – Dictionary of Japanese Sewing Terms

Guides Translations and Help with Patterns

How to Make – 作り方

December 28, 2011

A typical Japanese sewing or pattern book usually starts with gorgeous pictures of cute models in the finished projects, sometimes followed by a summary of all the projects available in the book.

At the end of the pretty pictures, before you dive into the patterns+instructions per se, there is usually a page indicating size information and other general guidelines on how to use the patterns. The page is usually titled ” 作り方”, sometimes in English “How to Make”

 

The rest of the text above the size chart are general pointers that are relevant to all the projects in the book. In this particular book it is giving information about the sizes that are provided for in the pattern sheet, and special notes for making the individual garments such as blouses/skirts/hats.

Because this content differs from book to book, I will not delve into the actual details of this particular passage. It is more important to know the terms for the body parts mentioned in the size chart so that you can at least know what measurements to take and what size to make. Also, from the size chart you can see that this book covers patterns for heights from 100-140, in 10 cm increments which means for each pattern there are 5 different sizes.

Important point to note, that the Japanese books use centimetres and meters (i.e. the metric system).

The pattern books are usually published for a range of sizes, usually  in cm for children based on their height, and S,M,L for adults. For children, they sometimes give an estimate of the ages of the child and the corresponding size to make, but do take note that these are Japanese averages, so it is probably better to measure your child’s height/chest measurements and use the corresponding size on the table rather than depending on the age value.

I will be posting a list of frequently used terms in Japanese sewing + pattern books, check back soon!

Guides Translations and Help with Patterns

Getting started with Japanese sewing books + patterns – choose the right one!

December 13, 2011

It goes without saying that even if you are shopping for a sewing book in your own preferred language, you should get one that is suited for your proficiency level. Similarly, for Japanese sewing books, there are books suited for different levels. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell by the cover, and it doesn’t help that all the covers look so interesting, you want to BUY every single one of them!

If you are lucky enough to be able to browse through the books before buying, look for one with lots of photographs. One of my personal favourites is this book

japanese sewing book

I love the list of projects page, where you can see all the finished products and even variations of each item of clothing.

japanese sewing book

Clear and concise step  by step photographs

Step by step photos showing how the dress is constructed. When I first started, the first pattern I bought was from  Spotlight, one of those brands that come in a little envelope and a few illustrated pictures of the few variations of the completed garment. The pattern was very thin tissue like, and it was hard to use, and the instructions were mind boggling! It was not till I got this book that I actually finally got the hang of making a basic dress bodice (with lining), and learned how to make a proper (and neat) facing with buttons.

This book is excellent for beginners because most of the dresses are simple, and are variations of a few basic styles, so by referring to the corresponding style but changing the sleeves/skirt, you can make quite a few garments out of this book.

I’ve also found a few other books that provide excellent step by step pictures. I will be posting reviews of the books I have, so do check back at my site regularly for new recommendations!

On the other hand, there are books that just show a diagram like this

The diagrams on the right have arrows pointing to them and are labelled with numbers. The numbers represent the order of sewing. Which is simple enough if you are experienced at sewing, and the steps are simple. Sometimes for a complicated garment like a jacket or a coat, it can get very confusing.

I will be listing various books in my blog with photos of the inside of the book, to give you an idea of the difficulty level of the book. Hope that will help you in choosing the right book to start with.