Lucky Lantern stocks Japanese sewing pattern books because I absolutely love them. They just ooze inspiration and style. And what you get for the price is fantastic. Unlike your traditional paper envelope sewing patterns where you get one or two styles of garments or accessories, they have multiple styles and some books can have up to twenty or more different ones!

A lot of people are scared to use Japanese sewing pattern books because they are all in Japanese. But you need not be intimated by them as they have great diagrams and photos. If you’ve made a few garments and accessories before, then you shouldn’t have a problem working through them. If you are new to sewing, I would recommend trying one that has been translated into English first. Hopefully Penguin who publish the English translated ones will continue to translate more titles.

Some have photographs of sewing techniques.

An English version.

A Japanese version.

The books come with full size patterns in the back. You need to trace the patterns and add the required seam allowance. Adding a seam allowance to the pattern is quite easy, especially if you have one of these nifty rulers, which comes with imperial and metric measurements. Once I’ve traced a pattern, I pop it in an envelope and label it so that all the work is done for me if I want to make another one.

If you need some help in deciphering some of the terms used in the books, check out Japanese Sewing Books and label-free. There are also loads of flickr groups showcasing items made from Japanese sewing books.

Once you’ve discovered them, you will be totally addicted! Check out Lucky Lantern’s range of books in the shop here.