Trumpeter Books has been releasing a series of amazing Japanese craft books translated into English. I enjoyed working with
Linen, Wool, Cotton by Akiko Mano so I thought I'd give
Carefree Clothes for Girls by Junko Okawa a try. The patterns are printed in the usual Japanese style, all piled in top of each other on one big sheet folded up in the back of the book. They are printed in two colors so it is a tad bit easier than you would expect. You either need to photocopy the patterns you want or tape the sheet to a window and trace onto other paper. I have not had any success using a tracing wheel and transfer paper as these big sheets always seem to shift around on me.
The photographs are fun and gorgeous and the illustrations in the directions leave nothing to the imagination. I found a wide range of skill levels to the projects as well. If you can't do the more complicated or time-consuming bits of construction, there are still a few cute pieces to make. I do have to add that some of these garments are a bit odd -- so coming from me, you should probably take a look at this in a bookstore before you buy it unless you want to take a risk. You know my style is a bit out there. Some of these outfits have the kids looking like ruffians from a Charles Dickens novel. You just need to use your imagination if you like a more polished look. That's what's awesome about sewing your own stuff -- you can do whatever you want with a pattern -- or just use it for inspiration. There is certainly a lot of that to be found.
Do remember that these clothes are for girls -- not toddlers. The patterns are for sizes 4 - 7. I'd also recommend that you look at the measurements before cutting. Inches are provided for all of the patterns where fit may be an issue (you really should do that for any pattern). Luckily, my child is massive so when this deep freeze passes, I'm going to be making my little one a couple of pieces from this book.
This morning I had the finished elephant pants out on the chair for Zadie to wear. As soon as she saw them she started demanding, "I want my effin pants! I want my effin pants!" It was pretty hilarious (to me). I used the Sailor Pants pattern from Dans La Lune on Etsy. I didn't have any problems printing out the pattern or putting it together. It was very straightforward. In fact, all of the directions were easy to understand and follow. The pictures showed what they needed to show. Well done.
It took me forever to get started on them because I was overwhelmed by all the buttonholes. But after having learned how to make them on my machine I'm all about them now. It's really not that bad. The only thing that I had problems with is the opening at the back for the buttonhole elastic. There was a marking on the pattern so I used that (it is probably a grain line). I didn't look at the photograph. So it's in the wrong place and there is a weird gap and I'm really not sure how I'm going to fix it. I could cut another hole or move the buttons.
Either way, the pants are adorable and a great fit. I didn't have enough fabric to make them as long as the pattern but they are perfect. When she gets taller, they'll be even cuter as capris. Lovely.
