Book Review: The Nani Iro Sewing Studio
18 Timeless Patterns to Sew, Wear & Love
by Naomi Ito

I have been an admirer of Nani Iro fabrics for years, so I was delighted to have a chance to look into this book. It includes style ideas, explanations of how to cut the fabric and sew the garments, and the pattern pieces themselves. You have to trace these out of a physical book, so if you prefer not to trace patterns, the book might not be for you. But the designs are simple, comfortable, and easy to sew, and would show off pretty fabric designs very well.

Publisher’s Description:
Fresh from Japan, the much-anticipated collection of Nani Iro sewing patterns is finally available in English! Beloved by art fans and textile enthusiasts around the world, Nani Iro fabric has developed a cult following since the brand’s inception by artist Naomi Ito in 2002. With their simple, yet artful design, the 18 garment patterns in this book showcase fluid movement and beautiful drape for signature Nani Iro style. You’ll find instructions for stitching up a wardrobe of comfortable, flowy pieces that you’ll look forward to wearing again and again, including The Basic Blouse, The Cocoon Dress, and The Everyday Jumpsuit. Inside, you’ll find outfit inspiration for mixing and matching me-made pieces to create artistically layered outfits. Plus, take a behind-the-scenes look at the brand’s studio in Osaka for glimpse at the studio team’s favorite ways to style their Nani Iro pieces.
Available Editions
EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781940552392
PRICE $24.99 (USD)
PAGES 128

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Japanese clothing patterns are amazing. They are quite simple, but they fit perfectly. That's why I always get as many books and magazines with patterns as I can. This book shows almost 20 patterns, basic, easy, simple, timeless, to keep sewing over and over. I'm totally in love with The work shirt and The wide leg pants. I'll be sewing them soon, and then looking for ways to change them a little so I have an excuse to sew them again.

Great book with simple, but stylish designs. Instructions are easy to follow. Definitely recommend it for beginner or advanced sewists.

Nani Iro sewing patterns have been a LONG favorite of mine. I'm not exactly the body type intended to be most flattering in this style, but that is of no fault of this book! Amazing detail and of course the same simple elegance you'd expect from Nani Iro. lots of room to play with gorgeous fabrics in these simple garments! I think some sewing experience is necessary to be successful, particularly in finishing, but the patterns are easy enough for a beginniner.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC to review!

If you are a fan of this loose dress style you won't find a better book. Clear, well laid out instructions make these patterns accessible and straightforward for a beginner with no prior knowledge assumed. And these designs can be made on a basic sewing machine, no need for the fanciest high-end machine to get beautiful results.

Excellent for any sewing artist. From beginner to advanced, this book and the patterns are very easy to follow and to execute with nice photography to complement.

The simple and comfy-looking patterns from the cover of the book is what got my attention. Nani Iro is the name of Naomi Ito’s very well-known fabric brand. As a watercolor artist and textile designer, she creates beautiful fabric designs in a painterly style.

This book contains 18 patterns that can create a basic wardrobe: blouse, skirt, pants, jumpsuit, shirt, hat, two coats and several types of dresses. There’s advice and examples for mix and matching them as well as fabric specifications and suggestions for each pattern. There’s also a sneak peak into Nani Iro’s studio, showing fabric types, colors, and even the team of women working there, showcasing their favorite outfits using patterns from the book.

Really loved these minimalist and clean designs. These patterns look natural, romantic and breezy. Perfect for indoor use and, while I wouldn’t probably venture outside wearing the cocoon dress, most patterns would look lovely for informal occasions and weekend getaways. With the right fabric choice, their elegance can make them perfect for an evening out.

If it wasn’t clear by now, these patterns are not tight-fitted garments, they are very loose fit. Consider if this is a style you would like to wear. Another thing to keep in mind is that their biggest size (XL) is for someone up to 67 in. tall, 29.5 in. bust, 33.5 in. waist and about 41 in. hips. Their over-sized nature can help to stretch that limit but if not, you’ll need to make adaptations. Other than that, I think this book is wonderful. I specially enjoyed that it is more than a pattern book, it gives you tips on how to combine them, what fabrics suit them and for what occasions and weather. Really lovely pictures and enough inspiration to get you sewing.

This book is so timely! With simple instructions you can make your own inspired wardrobe. The photos are simple and showcase the pieces nicely, while the instructions assist the reader in techniques needed to create Japanese inspired clothing.

this is a great book for those people who like to dress individually and want to make their own clothes. the designs are simple and the explanations will help those wanting to have a go for the first time. this will make a good addition to the public library, or in an academic setting for those interested in design.

The Nani Iro Sewing Studio is a great book to get new project ideas. There is something for all skill levels. The instructions are easy to follow.

*** I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ***

As someone getting into sewing, I've seen Nani Iro pop up quite a bit. There are some basic clothes to make, but a lot of the clothes are of what's popular in Japan right now: big and baggy shirts, dresses and pants. There's nothing wrong with that trend (esp as someone who does follow some parts of that fashion), but not everyone may be interested in these styles.

Thankfully, I was happy to see that they had smaller sizes, which has been a struggle when looking for patterns for some reason.

Each project is laid out in detail. You get finished sizes, the materials needed, and how to lay the patterns on the fabric to cut the pieces. The construction steps are very detailed but easy to understand for even a newer sewer, especially given that they include illustrations on what needs to be done. There's not a lot of guesswork that needs to happen when putting the clothing together.

Translated in 2019 with easy to read step by step instructions this book will suit sewers who like Japanese sewing but find it time consuming/complicated to work out the measurements and sizing. A full set of patterns is included although I wasn’t able to access them from my device.
The relatively simple styles look comfortable to wear and in the right fabric would become suitable for almost any occasion. Although the styles aren’t to my taste I am sure they will appeal to plenty of other sewers. Perhaps best suited to the adventurous beginner or more advanced.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I loved the minimalist designs in this Japanese pattern book. The patterns are designed to highlight exceptional fabrics. Being a petite person myself, it didn’t bother me that they run to the small side. I reviewed a digital review copy of the book, which made using the patterns harder than I was willing to venture. I would definitely buy a copy of the hardcover or paperback version to try out the T-shirt dress and the pants.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked this book. The instructions were clear and easy to use though the sizes were a little small, use a size bigger when you make these clothes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book.

Very small sizes! So not a lot of use I'm afraid except to look at some of the styles and consider how they might be adapted, but not for me.

I am sure however that those smallenough to wear these clothes will find the book very useful!

The patterns and instructions in this book are easy to follow. They're perfect for beginning sewers and those that like simple clothing styles. It will be a good addition to any collection of Japanese craft books, a trend that is still staying strong among crafters.

Less is more:
I love the simple style of the patterns in this book. The finished garments are beautiful and ideal for showcasing the Nani Iro fabric prints. The models look very airy, ideal for summer and lot of them can be combined with each other. The sewing instructions are easy to follow. The easiest models can be sewn in two to three hours. The more complicated models take about a day from start to finish. I personally like the oversized look of the garments which I am planning to counterbalance with simple, but more tailored accessories, for example the J pants with a tailored shirt or the G dress with slim leggings. My favorites are the B,D, and G dresses, the J pants, the L skirt, and the M overall. I do not believe I can go wrong with them, especially when I use the Nano Iro fabrics.

This is a good example of the currently fashionable sewing styles that are taken directly from Japanese designers and that most of us had to locate via Amazon or the Japanese magazine market. So it's nice to find a book in English with easy to understand directions. A lot of the styles are functionally formless, and the sizes tend to run smaller, so if you're a larger woman or you prefer a wide variety, this book probably isn't for you, but as an example of modern Japanese sewing style, it's worth a look.

I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher, which makes it a bit difficult to review, since I didn't actually have the patterns to work from to try making anything. First, the negatives. The patterns are all crammed onto just a few pages, which would make them very difficult to work with in terms of tracing the correct lines to create your own pattern pieces. Also, the size range here is not very inclusive -- everything is quite small. The positives - the book is simple and there are some very interesting patterns here. They have a modern, oversize aesthetic, which you will either love or hate. The pleated tunic dress is stunning, and I would consider buying the book to get the patterns just to make that dress.

Full disclosure: I cannot imagine a world where with my body type I could wear most of these garments. But I adore Nani Iro fabric, and this book of patterns takes the aesthetic of the fabric and turns it into wearable art. The patterns are described in clear directions that any but a novice sewist could handle, and frankly the pieces are simple enough that most of them would even be suitable for a beginner. The translations from the Japanese are seamless and surprisingly well done. I'd recommend this for anyone interested in sewing Japanese style.