Japanese Sewing Books

While walking around San Francisco's Japan Town we came across a japanese bookstore and sure enough they had japanese sewing books inside! I've seen many gorgeous garments made from these books and had been wanting to flip through them for a while. This was my chance!

They had quite an extensive selection, including Pattern Magic volume 1,2 and 3.

I came out of the store with this one, which I hadn't actually seen anywhere until then. I think the English Title is "Sweet Wardrobe".

I like the casual style of the clothes. Unlike many of the other books, the garments in this one are a bit more structured, not as loose, and not as "girly". They are simple but could easily be chic with the right fabric and details.

Here's a selection of my favorite patterns:

Simple jacket with braided neckline edges

loose fitting pants and cute bateau-neck shirt

rain jacket and little cape

But the one that definitely urged me to purchase this book was this coat, that I find so simple yet gorgeous.

For an extensive list of all japan sewing books, and to see finished projects, check out the Japan couture addict blog and makesomething...