Yoshiko Tsukiori's Stylish Dress Book: Unlock Your Personal Fashion Freedom

TERRY AND GORDON: It's a great workbook

Canada on Aug 17, 2023

Mia: The book had a tear on the back cover but apart from that the book was in excellent condition and I'm very pleased I nanaged to find it! Delivery time was OK considering it came from overseas.

United Kingdom on Mar 21, 2023

ANGEL C.: Aunque no sepas japones merece la pena, esta en ingles, buenas descripciones, buenas ilustraciones buenas explicaciones , excelente calidad y prendas preciosas muy casual japonesas o algo mas elegantes, lo recomiendo enormemente

Spain on Jan 02, 2023

growgirl: Loved the book and patterns..hated the mailman left it on the porch in the rain and it got thoroughly soaked and had to dry it out

United States on Oct 18, 2022

L. AcharyaL. Acharya: Some lovely patterns in this book, BUT......there are SO many items on each pattern page that you have to be incredibly careful drawing them out as the lines for different pattern pieces are so close together and the colours not very strong. For some unfathomable reason, no seam allowances are made so you also have to remember with every single pattern piece to add your own seam allowance and draw the pattern lines yourself before cutting it out! Surely the point of buying a pattern is that you just trace it out and go?! If I had not read the small section on the front page before starting I would not have realised this! I have memory issues and forgot to add the seam allowance on the back. Panic! Fortunately the dress was so big it didn't matter!
I made dress E and although the front neckline was straight, it was SO wide that I had to take all the pin tucks out and redo them much bigger so it would lie flat and be the correct size.
I am currently making the pattern to do dress V and am already so annoyed at the time taken, (totally unnecessarIly), to draw my pattern an inch bigger than the lines on the paper, that I have stopped for a coffee and to write this review.
I...

United Kingdom on Oct 21, 2020

Vicky V: This book is great. I was a bit scared off by other reviews, thinking that adding the seam allowances would be a huge production and worried the instructions would be inadequate. I'm no expert. I believe I'm a rank amateur when it comes to garment sewing. I've been sewing for my children for about 10 years (everyday clothes, pajamas, plenty of mistakes). And 15 years sewing simple things like curtains, pillow cases, etc. I expected to be confused. But the instructions are actually quite clear. I'm confident that if I take my time, working slowly I can sew a lovely wardrobe for myself. I would say that if you are willing to slow down, read slowly, take your time, and research (youtube, google) this would be doable.

United States on Feb 15, 2018

MishMish: I've been sucked into the Japanese sewing book craze. This is just one of the books that I have purchased. It's easy to follow and contains cute loose fitting dress patterns. If you've never worn this style of clothing before, I would suggest going to a store to try before committing to purchase this book. I've had coworkers "complain" about how I like to wear baggy clothes. But who cares, I'm digging the potato sack look :). Let's just say this style is an "acquired taste" for lack of better term.

Here are some things one should know about Japanese pattern books in general before deciding to purchase them:

1. The patterns are printed out overlapping each other. This means that you cannot cut the pattern out from the print they provide you because multiple patterns might be overlaid on top of each other. You must trace it out on paper. Use your choice of paper. This is what I use:
Bienfang 50-Yard by 36-Inch wide Sketching and Tracing Paper Roll

2. The patterns do not include seam allowance. The book will show you a diagram telling you how much seam allowance to add. So don't forget to add it after tracing out your pattern!

Pictured is the dress I...

United States on Jun 24, 2017

Blue eyed stranger: This book is just what I was looking for. I wanted patterns to make tunics similar in style to Monsoon and Seasalt but couldn’t find anything that really fit the bill from the main pattern publishers. My aim is to design my own fabric and get it printed at one of the digital textile printers like Woven Monkey or L&S Prints (up to 150cm wide fabric and 1m minimum order quantity). Now I am just paralysed by choice!
I gave this book four stars instead of five because you have to trace your own pattern pieces off the crowded overlapping pages supplied and add seam allowance. I do understand this keeps the cost of the book down.
Also the fabric requirements given are only for one fabric width (mostly 110cm) and because I hate wasting fabric I will have to trace off the pattern pieces and work out the length required for wider fabric.
The instructions are not as detailled as you would get with a pattern from the likes of Simplicity or Burda but if you have made up a couple of garments before I think they are quite doable.
I will add that I haven’t yet made up any of the designs from this book but I am really looking forward to making several of them! I am not in the...

United Kingdom on Apr 25, 2014

carrledlane: I love these patterns. My problem is deciding what to make first! I recommend searching online for images of what others have made to get a good idea of just how amazing some of the patterns are, for further inspiration, and ideas on alterations to the patterns. After doing so, it opened my mind up to so many more possibilities. There is a great blog/shop that will come up in your search. The blogger makes several of the dresses and tops in this book and she makes suggestions on alterations, other books and patterns, and uses such wonderful fabric choices. (I'd include the link but it would just get blocked, it might have something to do with MakeSomething. And no I'm not affiliated with the website, just a fan.)
I should say that perhaps I didn't read closely enough, but I thought this book was in Japanese and was happily surprised to find that it is in English. Also, many people comment on the sizing being really small, but the patterns are cut large, so I think if you want a more fitted style, you size down from the size that is equivalent to your actual measurements.

United States on Jan 13, 2013

IreneDAdler: If you are at all acquainted with the current market of Japanese sewing books, you probably have heard of the name Yoshiko Tsukiori. She's one of the most popular and prolific authors in her field, with a multitude of fans around the world. This book is the first in a series of 3 volumes named Stylish Dress Book, and very often seen discussed in sewing blogs and community sites. For example, the French sewing community Japan Couture Addicts [...] has literally hundreds of member posts of projects from this book (both the original Japanese and the French editions). I highly recommend visiting this site to see what sorts of styles are included in this book, and to inspire your creativity with ideas of how the styles can be executed.

The designs in this book have a distinctly quaint, countryside aesthetic, best suited for printed woven cottons, such as those produced by Liberty of London (prominently featured in this book). If your tastes range more toward the current RTW trends or more modern deconstructed styles, you might not find the dresses very appealing. The sizes in this book covers bust measurements 78cm (30.75 inches) to 102cm (40.25 inches), which is broader than...

United States on Aug 16, 2012