Book Review and Flip Through Video – Kana Standard

September 16, 2017

The 3rd book in line for book review was this – Kana’s Standard by Kana Sato. This book was first published in 2015 February. That was when I was preoccupied with my new baby and was too exhausted to think about any sewing, much less buying new books 🙂 But this book kept popping up on Instagram, and the clothes look so comfortable and stylish that I knew I had to get a copy of my own. Since then the author has published a second book Kana’s Standard II plus 2 kids books (I have reviewed one here before), and I’m only getting acquainted with her first! No worries, second book has been ordered and on the way!

Let’s take a look at the contents of this book. There are 24 different projects for co-ordinates that you can mix and match, actual styling examples for your reference. The number “70” on the cover refers to the number of styles example shown in the book.

This book is for ladies sizes 7,9,11,13. These are Japanese sizes of course. The most confusing thing about this book was the lack of a real size chart. I think those of you who have bought this book may have wondered about it. I will be translating the size info page further down the review, so I hope that will help! But first things first, lets look at the pretty clothes!

The projects are grouped by

A- Tops and one-piece
B – Pants
C – Skirt
D – Camisole
E – Gown

The first top is the one on the front cover. It’s really quite a standard pullover top design, but the frills detail on the sleeve elevated the simple top into a whole new level doesn’t it?

An extension of the same top into a dress length, minus the frills and added hidden pockets.

A different take on the sleeves.

A different fabric, with an added sash and sleeve variation.

At the end of each section, there is a styling guide that gives you inspiration for how to co-ordinate these pieces for everyday life.

Section B is all about Pants.

These were simply called “White Pants” in the book. Baggy casual style with no fasteners/zips.

Wool pants in 3/4 length.

Cute suspender pants!

Part C is for Skirts

Taffeta Mini Skirt.

Reversible Skirt – 1 skirt, 2 ways, there are

Part D – Camisole

There are two camisole patterns. A longer dress version and a short top version – both are great for layering.

The last section is for outerwear, or Gowns.

This is a gown made using double gauze. I don’t think it will really keep you warm but it’s great for layering on cooler days. I love the casual unstructured look of double gauze too, plus it is so soft and cozy to be in.

For even cooler days, make one out of wool.

Now for some important information. I was looking high and low for the size chart and couldn’t find it. Then I realized that the information was written out on the intro page of the how-to-make section. There are different points to note for each different section which I suppose is the reason why there is no standard size chart. However, the book follows the standard Japanese sizes 7,9,11 and 13.

To help you in deciding the correct size to make, I will roughly translate the above information. Note that the translation is not word for word but also includes my own explanations in italics which hopefully will make it clearer.

A – Tops and Dresses –
The patterns are free size in a relaxed style. The necklines are larger than head measurements so they can be worn as it is. You can adjust the length of the dresses to your liking. Take note to adjust the belt and ribbon lengths as well.

B – Pants
The patterns are available in 4 standard sizes 7,9,11 and 13. Refer to the finished dimensions on each project, there are two dimensions listed for finished dimension 出来上り寸法 . The first is waist ウエスト. The second is ウエスト(最大） which means the waist measurement at its largest/ when the pants are stretched (since these pants have no zips and are elasticized). If your own hip measurement is larger this stretched waist measurement, then you won’t be able to pull the pants over your hip. So it is recommended to choose the size based on the hip size rather than waist size.

C – Skirt
Only the front belt comes in 4 sizes (7,9,11,13) (this is only for skirts with a flat front waistband and elastic waistband only for the back). For the rest of the skirts that have full elastic waistband, the patterns to be cut are the same, but the length of elastic to use is different. Similar to the pants, remember to select the size based on hip size rather than waist size.

D – Camisole
This is a free size pattern. The finished bust circumference is about 97cm. If your actual bust is larger than that, you can widen it from the centre fold line for both front and back patterns. If it is smaller, you can narrow the pattern by cutting the pattern from the centre fold line as well.

E – Gown
There is only one size for the front and back pieces. But there are 2 sizes for the sleeves – 9 and 13.

My (not me! but the pattern designer who is also the model in the book) height is 165cm, and usually wear a size 9. The shown pieces are made using size 9 patterns.

Also take note that the cutting diagrams are based on size 9 patterns. If you are making larger sizes or prints that need to be matched, you may need to use more fabric than recommended. So please double check before buying your fabric.