Book Club Monday :: Pochee Special

This is a relatively new book (March '08) so I haven't seen much in the way of title translations. I call it Pochee Special, as that's what it says in the top left of the cover and how I tracked it down on Amazon.JP. ISBN#978-4-529-04550-6 / ISBN 4529045501. Another children's sewing book for sizes 90 to 130 cm though not all styles are found in the smallest size, so you may find yourself needing to wait until your model grows up a bit. I have already cut out this shortall pattern for Miss LoodyLoo, which scares me -- buttonholes, you see...
If the Charlie Chaplin look isn't to your liking, then this apron style dress could be just the thing. I'm really intrigued with the idea of sewing up scraps and fat quarters to make up the skirt yardage. There are pockets on the skirt too though they're hard to see, and I can just imagine what a pack rat like my daughter would fill them with and how that might alter the fit.

Tunic and petticoat pants with pigtails... I love pigtails...
Pochee styles tend to be more on the trendy side, but there are a number of boys patterns in here which is a nice change. I want a pair of those ruffled linen pants for me, though I could do without the attached gingham skirt.
These blue cropped flares are the reason I got the book. Silly since there isn't much to them, but they are exactly the shape and style I wanted for the Loo's basic summer pant. I've got a pair of these cut out already too, and thankfully, no buttonholes on these.
There aren't as many patterns in this book as there are in most -- a mixed blessing really since that also means the tracing is much less complicated with fewer lines. The instructions are printed on a kraft colored paper which I like but it's vital to remember that they run right to left over multiple pages, except in the cases of the arrows. I also found that the numbers change mysteriously from page to page -- project #11 on the instruction page, for example, is actually #9 on the pattern tracing page, and I have no idea why.
You really have to pay attention to your sewing with Pochee Special. It's a bit wordy, though diagrams still make up the bulk of the how-to, and I wouldn't recommend this as a first foray into japanese sewing. Then again, if you really need a pair of Chaplin shorts, I'd say this book is your best bet.