Hello! I'm wearing a new blouse.It is the Tao, by Tamanegi-Kobo. I've seen lots of lovely Tamanegi-Kobo designs made by Yoshimi, and then during me-made May saw even more worn by Japanese ladies, including the adorable and very talented designer Miho. And since I loooove Japanese designs I just had to try one out!
On a crazy spontaneous whim I added a funny little swoosh-shaped welt pocket. I had finished sewing the blouse, tried it on and just thought; hmmm, pocket... I had some scraps left over, the bobbin still had some of the pale grey thread wound on. I had recently pinned this dinky little welt pocket. Snap decision. I just decided to go for it. I think it turned out quite cute!
Top; Tamanegi-Kobo Tao, white linen/silk mix dyed with a teeny amount of Brown iDye
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen, details and my review of this pattern here
My review for this blouse pattern is below....
The Tao is a loose-fitting, button-front blouse; with two collar variations, wrist cuffs and a continuous sleeve vent, cut-on sleeves and a long wrist-to-wrist yoke.
Pattern Sizing:
Size 36-42. I made a straight size 38.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
I could not follow the Japanese written instructions, but the illustrations are quite clear and helpful. The seam allowances are clearly marked.
The notches that you need for piecing and pleating points can be seen clearly and easily, but I did think the Japanese character markings looked a little chaotic, repeated for each of the sizes and heaped on top of each other. There are two collar pieces: one the under- and the other the upper collar; if you’ve made a collared shirt before and so know that the under-collar is supposed to be a touch smaller then you should have no trouble working out which piece is which.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It looks so pretty in the photographs on the website, and I like the loose artistic shape. The style is really pretty and a very nice feminine alternative to the traditional style of button-front shirt; and easier too, in fact, since you don’t have to insert the sleeves! The prim little collar looks sweet, both unbuttoned and also when buttoned up all the way to the top.
It is a pdf pattern, which I am slooowly getting used to, old-fashioned thing that I am ;)
Fabric Used:
Silk/linen mix
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I added a little asymmetrical swoosh-shaped welt pocket ;)
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Definitely! andyes :)
Conclusion:
Oh, I love it! I’ve used Japanese pattern books before and this is the first time I’ve made a “regular” Japanese pattern. I’ve made it in a summer-weight linen/silk mix but I think it would be equally appropriate and just as cute in a soft comfy flannelette for winter.
Oh, I love it! I’ve used Japanese pattern books before and this is the first time I’ve made a “regular” Japanese pattern. I’ve made it in a summer-weight linen/silk mix but I think it would be equally appropriate and just as cute in a soft comfy flannelette for winter.
