25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!, September 19, 2008
This review is from: Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household (Stc Craft) (Paperback)
If you are addicted to those adorable Japanese Craft Magazines, but find yourself frustrated by their lack of instructions in English, then you should check out this book. There are 25 projects here - from the very simple such as potholders and book covers to the more complicated such as comfy room shoes.
The book is beginner friendly with a section on simple sewing techniques, and descriptions of tools & materials needed. A person with more advanced skills may find some of the projects too simple. And some may wonder about the necessity of projects like covered tape measures or corsage pincushions. Still, other projects hit home. For me, the slippers are a must-do. These are nearly impossible to make if you have to rely solely on Japanese instructions. Other favorites of mine are the sashiko projects and the bird pillow. There is a list of helpful resources in the back.
Cute! I hope this is the first of many more English language zakka books to come.
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61 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nice to have something in English, but..., December 2, 2008
This review is from: Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household (Stc Craft) (Paperback)
For my birthday, my friend gave me Zakka Sewing. The book is a delight to look at, but in my opinion, not accessible for a beginner.
First off, you get this book, and unless you improvise, you really can't make anything from it right away. Why? Every pattern that I am interested in making requires that it be enlarged 200-250% (depends on the pattern). Furthermore, there are no tips on enlarging the patterns. If you photocopy them, you need paper larger than 8.5x14. I was eager to make the squirrel teapot cozy on the cover, and I had to free hand most of the pattern using my french curve in order to get immediate gratification.
Next, the materials list for the teapot cozy says, "thick wool felt." Well, I used thick wool felt and after completing the pattern as the book instructs, my cozy is floppy and won't stand up, never mind that it doesn't fit on my teapot. I will need to improvise, use interfacing, and I think I will even add batting to insulate. That's all okay, but c'mon, for the hard earned $24.95 that my friend spent, I expect a little more! If the purpose of this book is to make Japanese style patterns more accessible to those who do not read Japanese, why do I feel like I get so much more from the Japanese craft mooks that give me full size patterns and excellent drawn instructions (though, admittedly I can read enough Japanese to help me along) for the same price?
Follow up to other reviewer who commented on what I wrote:
Please note, that the directions in the book say to reproduce the patterns on a photocopier, there are no directions or notes anywhere in the book that suggest tiling pages. Furthermore, the materials list for the tea cozy states, "Thick grey wool felt, 15"x24"". If I am to purchase 1/4" thick grey wool felt, then the directions should state that.
The point of my review was that this book aims to be easily accessible for the English speaking audience; it falls short.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but borrow from Library, November 19, 2009
This review is from: Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household (Stc Craft) (Paperback)
This book is fun and pretty accessible. I agree with other reviewers that the enlarging is a bit of a pain but its doable. I am now borrowing books from Lib prior to committing byng them and this is one of those books that is perfect for that. I was attracted to the cover and possible contents but upon having it, really only 2 things have great interest for me and others are patterns easily found on many sewing blogs.
If you find yourself wanting to make many crafts from this then buy it (after your library time is up) . Directions are actually pretty clear in most projects - if you have a bit (I mean tiny) bit of experience with sewing you should be fine (otherwise go see your local fabric store they can always help out.)
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