my little mochi

Happy Saint Patricks Day!

Yah! It's Friday. Just a quick post to say that I revised the Japanese pattern help PDF file so you might want to give it another look because its now a much more comprehensive list. I subdivided the terms into categories for body parts, sewing terms. accessories, etc.  Crafting Japanese has a great list of helpful links for beading, crocheting, and knitting that you should really check out too.

Hope everyone has a Happy St. Patricks Day! I've already eaten 3 shamrock cookies and 2 green malasadas, I wonder what other green food awaits me today. And here's a short story by Haruki Murakami that has nothing to do with St. Patricks Day, but it's so lovely that I had to share it. Click on the text to turn the page.

Japanese Pattern Help

A couple of months back, Makewrite posted a Japanese craft word search table for help with finding Japanese craft and zakka sites. So, I thought it might be helpful to post some commonly found words on the pattern pieces found inside the books. Japanese craft books usually have enough photographs and illustrations that even if you don't read a word of Japanese you can often figure it out, but knowing which pattern piece is a head versus a body, etc., before you start might save some precious time and fabric.

This is off the top of my head and mostly applies to stuffed animals, but I did include common sewing terms and other words used in crafting. If people find it helpful, I'll post another list for commonly found words in bag making or sewing.

Download japanese_pattern_help_2007.pdf (revised)