Ok so I’ve showed you the two quilting books I bought at my little trip to Kinokuniya here and now it’s time for the cute sewing books. I am a huge fan of the kids sewing books. As in you sew the clothes for kids. If only I spent less time reading and buying the books and more time at the machine. I do find it hard to buy simple little dresses for my girls because they are so easy to make. Ok here are the two that came home with me. Ive put the ISBN in because I have no idea what the titles are but you can google the books using the ISBN.
The cover on the left (ISBN978-4-7778-1004-8) just had me with the bright colours and cute clothes. It is beautifully styled and that’s one of the reasons I love my japanese craft books so much. The styling and simple clothes.
And dresses. You can never have too many dress patterns for little girls
and if you haven’t used a japanese craft book then you might be wondering how you follow the instructions. Here is a sample page from this book, it’s all about the photos and diagrams. Seam allowances are put in cm’s on the diagram and seam allowances are not generally included in the sewing patterns so I just got up a size rather than adding an allowance. It works well for me.
Now the other book on the right is a simpler book for quick sewing projects for your girls. ISBN978-4-8347-3227-6. I love these books because if I have a bit of time on the weekend then I love to just get stuck into a quick project. These books aren’t styled as fancy as some of the other books but come in around $20 (aussie dollars) and are great value for the number of patterns you get in one book.
And tomorrow I’ll be back with the bento box books I bought……………..retro daddy didn’t get too excited about them and said he’d wait to see if I used them before he got too excited. I’ve bought them before and never used them. Oh well, plenty of kids lunchboxes to make in my future so its never too late to start.
Hi Corrie. What sizes do these patterns go up to. Often thought about purchasing them online, but wasn’t sure if they went big enough for my 8 yr old.
Oh these are great! I’ve always dismissed them in the past without even looking at them because I figured it would be too much trouble to understand them (we have a Japanese origami book!). The diagrams look brilliant – clear and easy to follow. My question is the same as Filomena’s – what size do the books go to? I have a tall 9 year old! Do they have adult sized clothing too?
These books look like so much fun! Are they good for boys clothing patterns too? I have a 15mth old boy and love sewing for him but I have terrible trouble finding good patterns. I’ve had some luck with Ottobre, Anna Maria Horner’s quick change pants and a few others but have found most don’t have boys patterns or if they do, the patterns are not particularly inspiring. I would be curious to know if these books could be a good source of boys clothing patterns? Or if you’ve found other sources that I should look at?
lovely! I love japanese style!
The book on the left is titled My First Kids Clothes, by Ruriko Yamada. The second is Summer Clothes for Girls Who Want To Dress Now 1 Day Sewing (loosely translated).
I also have a collection of Japanese Pattern books, that I am disproportionately fond of… Some from Kinokuniya, most sourced from overseas sellers via Etsy.com. Nadine, they do have books with patterns for boys, too, and lots of books with themes, such as stripes, polkadots, Liberty print, etc, etc. There are also books that feature designs that are ‘Mummy-and-Me’ – a set of clothes that are designed to co-ordinate closely, as only the Japanese can do with such consummate style. And of course the books of accessories to make for school – pencil cases, lunchbags, animal-shaped face masks, chair bags (did I mention that my youngest is going to school next week, and along with dropping a couple of days work, I am very much looking forward to having the chance to get sewing some of these gorgeous goodies!)
Corrie, re- the seam allowance, depending on the garment, you will get a vastly different result if you draft a larger size to cut, rather than cutting the seam allowance for the size you want. Things like armhole shaping (if you have ever graded patterns up or down sizes, you will see this for yourself), end up completely differently shaped. Yokes etc are wider and the armholes deeper as you go up sizes, so you will end up with very deep armholes if you cut along the already lowered armhole line for the bigger size.
Off topic – loving the renovation series. Proud of you for powering on through it. BIG celebrations when the work is all done and cleaned up! See you in Kinokuniya some time:-).
After reading your post yesterday, and as I was in the city, I popped into Kinokuniya. Oh, my, I was in heaven. I bought a Japanese kids sewing book – ‘A Sunny Spot’ – and now I have to work out if I’m ready to take it on. Love the pics, though. Thanks for the recommendation.
I love that book on the left! what pretty simple dresses.
I’m going to get banned from reading your blog soon!!! Always inspiring my love of sewing/quilting books in English, now I’m wanting these gorgeous Japanese ones too! Thanks for sharing & tempting me again!!!
I love, love, love Japanese sewing books and completely agree in that they are great value for all the patterns you get. I have bought many online from Lucky Lantern and Tessuti as no one stocks them near me. The pictures alone are inspiring.
I love those books too, I have one or two. Not that my girls fit in them anymore. I’d love a couple of the dresses for myself!