Tomoko Nakamichi

Pattern Magic Stretch Fabrics is the third in the series of cult Japanese pattern making books, now translated into English. The new volume looks at working with stretch and jersey fabric. Material that stretches lengthways or sideways can be magical in itself. This book takes the special qualities of jersey and stretch fabrics and uses them to create stunning, sculptural designs. In two parts, the book shows how to work with stretch fabrics and how to cut patterns that exploit their show more properties with truly original results. The book is accompanied by a basic paper pattern block. show less

I purchased both this book and the sequel several years ago when they were only available in Japanese, so I can't read them, but the photos and diagrams are very clear and make excellent inspiration. Tomoko Nakamichi is obviously a very skilled patternmaker and draper and the clothes (shown on quarter-scale forms) are beyond creative. I haven't yet tried to scale any of the patterns up and make them myself, but this book is great to get ideas from for making your own unconventional patterns.