There seems to be a bit of a proliferation of pattern books coming out of Japan of late. They look great – always beautifully styled, with an emphasis on simplicity.
Yoshiko Tsukiori has written several of these pattern books, and when I saw this volume in the library recently, I decided it was worthy of further investigation. But on closer inspection, there were a few things that bothered me.
For the most part, the clothing is loose, easy-fit styles, which is always a bonus. Who doesn’t love comfortable clothes? But these styles rely on very soft, floaty, and/or well-draping fabrics, such as voiles, jerseys or linens. There goes my idea of just grabbing some random fabrics out of my stash (I know, that’s MY problem).
And further, these styles look completely fab on a petite Japanese woman, but many perhaps do not translate well onto the more voluptuously shaped woman, such as myself. They make me look like a fat and dowdy washer-woman. I kept on trying to think of more flattering variations – “I could shorten the sleeves a little”, “I could cut that dress down to a top”, “I could include a tie to pull that in at the waist a bit….” and so it went.
And my last beef is that the patterns, which need to be traced off the master pattern sheet do NOT include seam allowances. Why in heaven’s name not? Is there a shortage of paper in Japan? I have seen many patterns with no seam allowances before, and I could never understand why. What is the logic behind it? If you DO know the reason why, I would love it if you could tell me! I just find it incredibly inconvenient, adding in yet another step for the maker, who probably just wants to get on and wear their new, beautiful dress.
On the plus side, the instructions are clear and easy to follow, with excellent illustrations to accompany and explain each step.
So. Nothing straightforward, except for the instructions.
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Published in Australia by Penguin; ISBN 9780143203964
thank you for pointing out that the patterns don’t translate well to curves. That’s a good thing to know before starting.
The lack of seam allowances is quite common in vintage patterns and even with magazines such as Burda. Some people sew with different seam allowances and often these need adjusting to compensate for your finishing technique i.e over-locking, zig zag, french seams etc. Further to this when you start reading about some couture techniques, different seam allowances are recommended for different parts of a garment i.e. collars – 5mm allowance compared with sleeves 15mm.
While there is a place for not including seam allowances, the important thing is to make it quite clear if any allowances have been included and what they are.
Hi Amy, Thanks for that! I knew it had been a common practice in vintage patterns, but could never understand why. Good to learn there is some logic behind the practice. Maybe I’m just too used to having everything provided for me… 😉
Looks like a beautifully styled book; shame about those lack of seam allowances/ varied styles. Sounds like you know exactly what a pattern book should have…by any chance have you time to write one?? ;-). I would buy it!
LOL Rachael! I don’t have enough time for the projects I DO have in mind, let alone another…
Thank you. And I STILL am going to make something from it. Will keep you posted as to how it turns out 🙂