Monday, November 5, 2007

Sewing in a Foreign Language :: Part II

I *heart* craft bloggers. Just have a peek at some of the English language Japanese sewing instructions they have put together. Jennifer at moving hands has blessed us with a simple list of sewing terms, while also pointing us to the wonderful guide at Japan Couture. Now, Japan Couture is written in French, but don't worry. Scroll down a bit to the Aide Technique section of the right sidebar. Then follow the Lexique couture Japonaise-Anglais link to the English language sewing guide, but do remember to go back to the main page and spend some time with the inspiring photos of finished projects and delicious craft books.

While we're on the subject of Japanese sewing, remember these slippers I made the Wonderbug? Well, I did finish the Truffle's about a month ago. She promptly put them over her little sweet toes and ran off. I recaptured them during her nap today, so you could see how they turned out. I skipped the button embellishment on the toes this time, and did a better job on the ankle loops. Much less wonky than on the pink room shoes. Also, I crocheted the straps on both pairs instead of making the fabric ones in the pattern. These were fun to do, and I may attempt a pair for myself someday. My size 8 foot is only a little longer than the largest adult size given in the pattern book, approximately at US size 7.5. I'm thinking of trying them in recycled wool for extra winter warmth. Mmmm...

6 comments:

Shana said...

I'm just trying to figure these out, since I got the pattern book today (finally!). What kinds of fabrics did you use where, and how did you layer them? I know you said you used 2 layers of batting in the soles, did you use any in the top part of the slipper? Or is that just the flannel and twill layers?

Thanks :)

Kara said...

I used
**Twill for the outer, including the sole.
**Two layers of cotton batting on the sole, and one for the side/top piece.
**Flannel for the inner and bias binding.

Don't let yourself get too overwhelmed or frustrated at first. Take one step at a time and reward yourself with chocolate often. You'll do fine.

Shana said...

Mmm.. chocolate :)

Thanks, I thought that's what you'd done, but I wanted to make sure. I'm going to try to make some before too long. I'm working on one of the dresses right now, and it's not turning out perfect, but it's pretty darn close for not having any idea what I'm reading!

How did you scale the patterns, by the way? I have enormous feet and would like to make some of these for myself, as well as for my mil who is just a little larger than the size that's printed. Would it be easiest to just take it to a copier and enlarge it until the measurements are the same as the person I'm making it for?

Do I have to add seam allowances btw? Is that what those little lines around the patterns with numbers are?

Sorry for all the questions, this is a whole new realm for me. The ladies at church thought it was pretty funny that I had the book though :)

Kara said...

I haven't tried scaling to a larger size yet. I would trace the foot you want to match, then enlarge the pattern, I think. Let me know how it works out.

You do need to add the seam allowances indicated on the 'making' page cutting layout in the back of the book. The standard is 1 cm, but you'll notice 2.5 to 4 cm on hems and self-facing.

So far so good!

Shana said...

Did you have trouble with the loops on the shoes? I made a pair and the ribbon keeps ripping out.

Kara said...

The heel loops? I haven't, but I used bias tape instead of ribbon. They are also double stitched. First sandwiched between the outer twill and bias binding during construction, then tacked through all layers near the edge with a tight stitch.

I have had trouble with cheap satiny ribbon shredding when I've used it as ties on baby kimonos. Definitely try another kind if that is what you used.

I'm going over to your blog to see if there are pics!