21 January 2008

I don't speak Japanese

I spent the better part of my three day weekend (which is not quite over yet, I'll have you all know) looking at this:

Well, actually, I was mostly looking at the next page. The one with all the diagrams and instructions in Japanese, but I figured that this would be more interesting for you all. In any case...I think I did a pretty good job considering my lack of comprehension of the Japanese language. But let's backup just a bit. Despite my ever increasing fabric stash, I decided that I needed to venture out on Saturday (despite the -20 temperature) to JoAnns, a different one than I normally go to, in the hopes that they would have a better fabric selection. Oh did they. And huge sales (seriously- on the order of $2/yard fabrics). So I stocked up on some fabric for clothing and some other supplies for a commission piece I'm working on. I came home and immediately set to work on this dress. I was so impressed with myself for getting it done in three hours, only to quickly realize that I had made it way too big (I'm seeing a pattern here). This was not my fault though- it seems that the sizing guide from the ebay listing of this book was just wrong. So, I got over myself and redid it. I'm pretty happy with it.

Day 2 of weekend (aka Sunday): Decided to make another version of this dress- the shirt. Ready to make it in the correct size, chose fabric, cut out. Hmm, not quite right. I added some darts in the back and I'm still feeling like it puffs out a little to much in the front, but I'm hoping that some wear and a few washings will take care of this. I think the fabric I chose for this one was maybe a bit too heavy (it's some kind of heavyweight linen? this is the problem with acquiring fabric from random sources).

I was originally thinking of doing some kind of simple embroidery along the bottom of the front of this one, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe just a running stitch with a simple pattern. Maybe in a dark blue. Any thoughts?

Anyways, I'm pretty proud of myself. A few more shots of these two pieces here. There's a number of other patterns in this book that I'd like to try out soon. The patterns are so far pretty easy to follow, despite being in Japanese. I'm sure there's some details that I'm missing out on (while making the shirt I realized that I was supposed to use bias binding around the armholes and neckline- oops, I missed that on the dress), but I feel like I have enough experience now to make it work. Wow. That's a thought. I'm really into this "jumper" style with the long sleeved shirt underneath. Although I think I may need to expand my collection of long sleeved shirts. Needless to say, a solo weekend with freaking freezing temps has done wonders for my productivity (read: I haven't left the house since returning from errands Saturday afternoon). I'm hoping to work on some Valentine's Day cards before I go pick Jared up from the airport this afternoon. And then maybe, a date night?

12 comments:

  1. They both turned out super cute!! I especially LOVE the dress. It's so simple and that fabric looks just perfect.

    I need to learn to sew clothing!!

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  2. *grin* I'm having a solo weekend in the cold too and it does wonders for productivity. If you embroider the red blouse, I would keep it really simple- or maybe not embroider it- so it doesn't take away from the style. Congrats on your sewing prowness! :)

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  3. wow, these turned out great. i would really like to try one of my japanese sewing books a try...i am very impressed-kb

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  4. Hey, that turned out fabulous! I love that you struggled through the Japanese to create it :)

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  5. oh you have inspired me to give it a go.I was worried about not being able to read the patterns but I love your dress and top.I think embroidery would be a nice touch but it looks great as is too:0)

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  6. thanks everyone! yeah, these both turned out pretty great and i would definitely recommend trying a simple book like this one. the japanese was a bit intimidating, but i just kind of accepted that things might not turn out exactly how they're supposed to according to the pattern, and that i would have to do a bit of adapting.

    so happy to have inspired some of you, and be sure to let me know how your efforts turn out.

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  7. Very cool dress! And better too big than too small probably. :) Now that you are an accomplished dressmaker you can make the next one even faster right? :)

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  8. Great job - they turned out really well!

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  9. OMG Julia that mini dress and blouse are amazing!!! I totally want that blouse. Would look gorgeous with monochromatic gray embroidery in diff shades, or maybe a spring green.

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  10. I think that these turned out terrific, I am always scared to attempt the Japanese patterns. Random question? What kind of boots are those? I have been searching high and low for simple boots and can't find anything I like.

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  11. thanks again everyone. i can't wait to tackle another project from this book. maybe this weekend...

    jessica: the boots are actually fake leather and are by a company called "no vacas". i bought them from a vegan shoe store in new york- mooshoes (they have an online store as well). i love them because they're super simple and comfortable, but they are not quite as durable as leather. just fyi. thanks!

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  12. The dress and top looks super cute! :) Great finishing there!

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