I made my very first sewing project from a Japanese sewing book back in August from the book a sunny spot 女の子のまいにちの服 (Every day clothes for girls).

When I was in Japan over the summer, I picked up a couple of pattern books including this one.  It has a lot of simple but cute, very feminine outfits for little girls.  If you’d like to see more pictures from the book, Japanese Sewing Books has a thorough book review here.

When I decided to sew up my first project, I picked the cute “A-line tunic” because it is adorable but also a super simple sew.  Even though I couldn’t understand the Japanese directions, I could easily tell how it was constructed by looking at the diagrams.

It is just two pieces (front and back) plus bias for the neck and arm holes.  Add some gathers and lace or piping along the neckline and you’ve got a sweet and twirly little tunic.  I highly recommend this as a starting project for newbies to Japanese patterns!

Of course, I didn’t realize at the time that the book’s smallest pattern size was still too big for Yuki.  Oops.

I used this double gauze Nani Iro Melody Sketch that I picked up in Japan and it is probably one of my favorite fabrics ever!!  I think it’s so puuuurty.  It’s from an older line, so it’s harder to find, but it looks like there is still some available here.  Double gauze is really lightweight, so it hangs really nicely and it’s a perfect top for warm weather.

Well it’s finally starting to fit her and I think it’s one of our favorite tops now.

Again, it was definitely a manageable project for a first timer.  The hardest part for me was finding the pattern pieces I needed on the pattern sheet.  If you’re interested in purchasing this book, you can find it on Amazon, Etsy, or Kinokuniya.

I have one more top that I’ve made from this book to share with you later this week.  But until then, I wanted to make sure you all knew about this great resource for sewing from Japanese sewing books.  It’s called Japanese Sewing Books!  You really should check out her site for a dictionary of sewing terms, help with understanding patterns, plus translations, book reviews, free patterns and sew alongs.  It really is a fantastic starting point if you’re a beginner to Japanese patterns and between that site and the Japanese Sewing Book Series here next week, you’ll hopefully be ready to tackle those patterns with confidence!

I’ve loved seeing all the projects that you guys have sewn up from Japanese sewing books.  Please keep sharing your links with me – they are very inspirational!  Until next time!

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