You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve been inspired by yet another Instagram sewing challenge! January in Oregon can be pretty dull and gray, so I’m often tempted to turn to Instagram for a bit of stimulation. Last month, the #sewjapaneseinjanuary challenge caught my eye. So, I dove into my pile of long neglected Japanese pattern books. Here’s one of my favorites.
Although some japanese pattern books are translated into English, wouldn’t you know, this favorite by Asuka Hamada is not!! No matter….we’re up the challenge, eh? Asuka Hamada’s designs are well worth the effort….chic without being too complicated.
Of course, when you sew from a Japanese pattern book, you have to trace the pattern…sigh. Well, here’s the good news. Now that I’ve done this a few times, I can honestly say, I actually enjoy the process. It’s sort of….meditative. For me, the concentration required to pattern trace is a lovely distraction! It’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together…you have to be completely absorbed in the process or it just doesn’t happen. Here is the pattern I chose, a simple shirt with really great sleeves.
Since I don’t understand Japanese, the illustrations guided me.
Sewing from line drawings was simpler than it looks. It was freeing in a way and the process went faster too. Honestly, I may never read the pattern instructions again…LOL.
The shirt is slightly oversized which makes it great tucked into a pencil skirt or worn loose with jeans. My fabric is a lovely linen purchased at Bolt fabric. I enjoyed sewing this shirt so much, I had to make another version (minus the collar) from a linen cotton blend.
This Spring and summer, this shirt will be in heavy rotation with the striped linen skirt I made last summer.
Well, now that I know language isn’t really a barrier to trying new pattern books, who knows what will happen!? Maybe I’ll have to add another shelf in my sewing room for some new Japanese pattern books, eh? If you have any favorite pattern books…please share. I’m in the mood for a shopping spree.
Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!
