Pattern Challenge : Japanese Beginner Dress and Tunic Book #18

I’ve officially finished my first Pattern Challenge goal! Remember how I said I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t fit? Well, it fits! It might even be a little too big!
I had a few things going against me so this first bit here will be me rambling on about my own personal experience…

First of all, I was a little confused about the seam allowances. Most patterns include the seam allowance so I just assumed. After I traced the patterns onto freezer paper and then cut out my fabric, I realized this probably wasn’t the case. The photo above shows how you are supposed to add the seam allowances when cutting the fabric.
Next I used a vintage cotton/poly fabric that I have an entire bolt of. I love the pattern and color but there is a fade line down the center where it’s folded. So I had to work around that by cutting the front and back piece weft-wise, thereby making it shorter (not smart for a gal who is 6’ with a long torso.) So I added a band of the same fabric at the hem.
I was worried it wouldn’t fit *around* me. When I cut the pieces (sans the seam allowances, as I mentioned earlier) they looked awfully small. So when I was sewing, I adjusted my seam allowances to be as small as I could make them. Of course, all of this could have been solved if I took the time to read the measurements and convert them to inches. (Oh, Lazy Liesl!)

Next I decided, last minute to make it sleeveless. I figured this should help somewhat with the shoulder fit (along with length, this is the biggest fit problem I have.)
After I sewed it all up and slipped it on, it turns out the large will fit me fine, I actually took it in a little on the sides. I’m planning on making another and following the instructions! (Something I have a very hard time doing!)

The Pattern Review Itself…

Even though the whole book is in Japanese, the directions are super concise, more so than most US patterns. That’s because there are photos for every step. And for visual learners like me that’s pretty awesome! I can’t recommend it enough for beginners and pros alike. Just remember to add the seam allowance when tracing the pattern or cutting your fabric. And take the time to figure out the cm measurements.
The ISBN for this book is 978-4-8347-2836-1 in case the translation is different or you want to track it down yourself. I got mine from Pomadour24.