Hands On Workshop (HOW) is releasing a Japanese sewing pattern by Roll patterns from Japan translated to English.
This is a first for Hands On Workshop, online seller of contemporary Japanese craft kits, tools and accessories and the start of a new product category, Japanese sewing patterns.
“We noticed amongst our customers there is a very strong interest in the sewing patterns from Japan, but very few are translated,” explains HOW owner, Nicole McCarthy.
“We discovered these small sewing projects from Roll which have a real style about them. So we approached them to see if we could create an English version, and fortunately they weren’t locked into any publishing deals and agreed.”
The new pattern in English from HOW is the Melone bag by Roll, a small cloth handbag which will be sold as a digital download.
“We thought we’d try with digital first and see what people think. It’s easier for us to distribute, plus if we need to make any changes, we can.”
Roll patterns is the brand created by designer and pattern maker, Takami-san (Naoko Takami). Roll specialises in fabric bags, pouches and accessories and has collaborated with Quarter Report fabrics and sells patterns in both digital format and paper. It has released their first pattern book with Nippon Vogue (in Japanese).
“It has been a slow process getting a version of English which is easy for an English-speaking sewist to follow. We’ve had to do several iterations. But the HOW community has been really helpful testing out the pattern and making suggestions for changing the text and terminology. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
HOW has more accessories in the pipeline from Roll. “It’s an exciting addition for us, being able to introduce new products which have previously been difficult for customers to find and use. I just love seeing the results when the pattern comes to life as a finished fabric bag,” adds McCarthy.
The HOW/Roll patterns will be available in late November.
