I’ve been going through my shelf of pattern books for project ideas and came across The Stylish Dress Book that was mailed to me all the way from Japan.  It came with beautiful photos, instructions and full scaled pattern pieces.  One thing is true — the Japanese sure do have a handle on great fabrics, designs, and styles.  I love almost every piece of clothing in this book and can’t wait to begin sewing a dress — I’ll probably start with the one on the cover.

The only downside of purchasing a Japanese pattern book is that all of them are written in Japanese!  However, there is plenty of help online (tutorials, blogs, etc.) to help you get started.  Plus, the patterns are numbered and pretty clear cut.