Pattern Magic: Stretch Fabrics (Part of the best-selling Japanese inspired Pattern Magic series)

I purchased the first two Pattern Magic books in English last year to help inspire me for unique ideas, and also to understand pattern construction better. When I found out there was a third, I could hardly contain myself. However it was only in Japanese at the time. Though I am striving to learn Japanese, I am only familiar with the Hiragana alphabet. Much like the first two books, the third has a lovely step by step instructions with images to follow along. I also love the fact that these books come with patterns so you can start from where they started to create your own look. I do suggest that American beginners should take classes or start with simple American instructions first, so that they have the basic understanding of pattern making in their foundations. I am striving to be the best fashion designer, and the Japanese culture is a huge influence in my life along side the music industry, so these books are the perfect find for me.

I'm a fan of Japanese sewing books. They are always beautifully photographed and directions (while sparse) are well illustrated. This book is no exception. If you are fan of the intricately twisted and draped tops sold by retailers like Anthropologie this book will give you a few "aha!" moments. Yes, some of the designs are outrageous but many more are wearable as is. Also, even the outrageous ones are quite fun to read about, and with basic sewing knowledge can be restrained a bit to add some exciting design elements to knits. I really appreciate the focus on knits since they are very forgiving. These patterns are mainly for knit tops (the "hood top" is wacky and yet oddly adorable). There's also one variation of the "Apple Peel" for leggings.

I'm a fashion designer and I have training in classic pattern making. This is NOT a book to make standard clothes. This is a book to explore pattern making beyond traditional limits. However, some clothes in this book can be done for wear (see a pair of draped pants) and some could be done with a little adjustment. It's perfect for fashion design students, fashion professionals and costume designers. If you want to explore your creativity, go far beyond your own imagination and learn some new forms to approach pattern making, this book if for you. If you just want to make a classic dress for a party, better buy another book. I recommend this one and the other two previous books (Pattern magic I and II, also in english).

This is an amazing pattern book with unique and original projects. There are a couple of designs I like as is and would make to wear. The remainder of the garments are not something I would find figure flattering but I would make them to learn techniques and inspire my own designs.

The book is split into two parts, the first is about seeing garments in a different perspective and creative cuts and the second part is on how to use the properties of stretch fabrics through drape and manipulation. A few of the styles would slot seamlessly into the previous books. The book is all about manipulating fabric. It's not about flattering the body rather it's about what can be done with the constraints you have in garment design. The aesthetics is in appreciating this. It's a fantastic reference book and I've seen some of these styles (from all 3 books) being used in actual collections (Levi's, Sara Philips and Gail Sorronda). The apple peel shape is something I've already seen from Levi's with their jeans for example. In regards to the designers and author, I couldn't say who did it 'first'. The instructions, line drawings and photos go into great detail and having a few patterns in the book really is a added bonus which gets you excited about trying some of these ideas. I'm glad that it has been translated as I bought the first two books in Japanese before the English translation ones came out as the concepts, photos and line drawings were worth buying the book alone (I did buy the first two again in English). Two books I also recommend as 'companions' to these are the Drape Drape books by Hisako Sato.

I've been sewing for 10 yrs on and off. This is not exactly a beginner manual but neither is it professional. It helped me analyze pattern and dart manipulation. Which, being plus-sized (14/16 and 5'3.5), is necessary when altering patterns (meant for smaller sizes) to fit correctly, or if you want that couture fit regardless. This book helped me with fitting my breasts darts, comprehending how to change them so I used them better. Even though I haven't sewn any full sized patterns, I've learnt alot! I tested a few of the theories on my Barbie, (I use her to test full sized patterns since the fabric amount is less so way cheaper. :D.) So, my advice is to try the half-size patterns, it's a good way to get the concepts of fabric/dart manipulation for those who are visual and mechanical more than readers. Another good book which explores these ideas is the Art of Fabric Manipulation by Colette Wolf, but that is about how to do the manipulations than how to apply them to forms. Hope this helps :)

The pattern magic series is a really good addition to your pattern making reference materials. I'm a design student and personally, I like the instructional methods of these books more than the Armstrong textbook, because these book teach more pattern making theory over vague step by step instructions. They force you to not rely on numbers and exact measurements and instead how to develop the proper shape. They have a heavy dose of visual aides as well, which I love.

Ms. Nakamichi continues to blow me away with her innovative pattern books. Her pattern concepts get get e thinking not just out of the box but around the corner and up some stairs and through a little hole that leads to an other universe where people aren't constrained by the same ideas the typical consumer has; she leaves me finding inspiration in the mundane, in the random organic object, in the past, in the future. I'm also thrilled that this edition was available in English. its much easier to follow the directions using both the text and the images...and much easier to obtain the book. I would love to see how she handles repeat patterns and textures since she is so proficient at making otherwise mundane, plain muslin and jersey knit leap into artful arcs and stick the landing.