I Think I'm Sewing Japanese

If you are a sewist, like me, and you live near an amazing Japanese bookshop, like me, you will have bought many Japanese craft books.  The simple patterns and beautiful styling are just so inspiring.

The books come with pattern pieces in the back for all garments , but you have to "extract" the pattern you want, add seam allowance, and then have enough garment sewing expertise to know how to put the pieces together. Unless of course, you read Japanese. I've been terrified of the whole process...until now!

I started off with the most simplistic garment I could find and went for it, using the rest of the bed sheet I had left over from a previous shirt. 

I really like the result!

The only change I would make next time is the elastic on the sleeves. It's a tad too tight.

I love the ties at the shoulder, and the fact that it's only 3 pattern pieces for a comfy, simple, go-to shirt.

I can see one being made from a cotton lawn or voile. A liberty print would be gorgeous! And now that my fear of Japanese sewing is temporarily abated, I can move onto more complicated garments in these beautiful books. Stay tuned!

PS. If you're here in Portland, you can get help with these patterns by taking a "Sewing Japanese" class or going to a help session at Modern Domestic. I'm gonna keep it in mind, in case I get stuck on the next one!