Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style: Key Pieces to Sew + Accessories, Styling, and Inspiration

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Photographed by Jenny Hallengren over the course of a year in her life in New York, Tennessee, India, and Sweden and organized by season, Jansdotter shares her sources of inspiration and how she and her friends mix and match her key pieces while working, playing, resting, and traveling. Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style brings Jansdotter’s infectious and sought-after sense of style to new followers and longtime devotees alike. Waitressing part time in a middle eastern restaurant in San Francisco didn’t simply help pay my rent, it fueled me.It was here I learned more about customer service and the everyday running of a small business. And I also met my accountant, many dear friends, andmy benefactor, a property manager who let me have a small studio space in his building. And when it comes to fabric measurements--each pattern states one yardage needed, which again furthers my guess the patterns were made for one specific model. Even some of the yardages given for what must be a small or extra small seem like they might not be quite enough. I ended up buying much more fabric than each piece called for, with amounts based on educated guessing.

I can see myself making most of the projects in this book. I made the pants this afternoon and I love them. The patterns are printed on both sides and on top of one another, so you have to trace them out, which is a bit challenging. But most books with patterns do it this way now. By 2001, my production expanded to Lithuania, where traditional artisans hand screened and sewed my linen products. Today, I still work with small, independent makers, putting ethics and sustainability first.It’s vital to me that my products both reward makers financially and teach them. This intimacy with a sustainable handcrafting process will guide future decisions on materials and collaborations. Armed with my screens, inks and a sewing machine I launched my company, Lotta Jansdotter in 1996.The name pays homage to my father, Jan Jansson, paired with the Swedish word for daughter, dotter. My first items were a collection of cushions which were sold in local design stores and at trunk shows. Table linen, tote bags, aprons and many more products followed.

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Over the years, I have written and published many more books about printing, decorating and sewing. I love creating the world inside these books, aiming to inspire readers and help them imagine new projects through my visual language of photographs, styling and patterns. Were the instructions easy to follow? There are no finished measurements provided and required fabric amount is only given for narrow width fabric ~ 115 cm, for the different versions. You need to jump around in the book to find the size table, sewing instructions, pattern layout diagrams and the guide to find the pattern pieces on the pattern sheets.

If I find a heavier weight fabric appropriate for spring/fall and suitable for all the gathering at the yoke I can imagine making it again, with the 3/4 length sleeves and slightly shorter than this version. I borrowed this book from the library twice, tracing out the pattern in late 2022 and started the sewing in May 2023 as I thought I had but actually hadn't copied the instructions. I thought I would make a scarf (there are a few easy projects through out the book as well as the patterns) but I didn’t have the right fabric for a scarf and I can’t buy any fabric until November. The tunic in the book, (it’s also made into a dress and a top) was calling my name but summer just started and I live in the south which means it’s just going to get hotter. I traced off the sleeveless Kiomi top pattern instead. Simpler anyway; let’s start there.I traced the size M yoke and made up a sample in scrap fabric and was happy with the fit. A new yoke was cut out and sewing could start again. I used the size S armhole facing. I'm very happy with the finished dress. It involved a lot of frustration. Past sewing has taught me to just go ahead and do a full bust adjustment as I’m a C cup and most patterns aren’t. I like a little swing in a swing top, not tight across the chest so I did the FBA (full bust adjustment) before making the muslin. (However, Colette Patterns does draft for a C cup and that’s nice.) I requested this book from the library months ago when I learned it was being published and they didn't have any copies yet and got it this week, so I may be the first patron with my hands on it! I'm very surprised to be giving such a bad review for a Lotta Jansdotter book. I have two of her previous sewing books and I love them. This book, not so much. The styles are mostly shapeless, which is not to my taste but does work for many people so that's not a reason to give a bad review. When Jansdotter wears one of her signature clothing looks, fans frequently ask, “Did you make that?” Lotta’s answer is, “Yes, and so can you!” With that in mind, she has created her second book of easy-to-sew pieces that can be layered to create a variety of looks.

As I build towards marking 25 years since founding Lotta Jansdotter, I have reflected where this journey has taken me. Since I first saw an article about her in Sunset Magazine (in the mid 1990s) I have admired Lotta Jansdotter’s work. So no surprise that I really like her new book, Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style; Key Pieces to Sew. Yes, it has patterns, and yes that’s the first thing I noticed and yes, those nine patterns, for basic tops, dresses, a skirt, a pair of pants, and bags, were what I based buying the book on – at first anyway. The book is a must-have for those who are a bit fed up with the demanding fashion trends. The motto of this book is mainly: wear or make whatever you want and choose your own unique and sustainable style. Opening a studio shop in downtown San Francisco allowed me to spend time with customers, a much-loved interaction that would eventually blossom into workshops.When Yumiko, founder of a Japanese lifestyle brand, approached me at a trunk show, she saw a shared aesthetic and licensed my designs for a postcard collection in Tokyo. These cards launched a career-long relationship with Japan. The thing is, for all my misgivings about actually trying out the patterns, I still really enjoy paging through the book, imagining what different pieces would look like in different fabrics. Whether or not I ever get around to making the clothes, I feel like the book has informed me in developing my own personal style, and reading it and looking at the pictures has been a real treat. The projects are simple but unique--like the patchwork scarf, which I've already made, and the fabric bracelets. Those are particularly nice because every sewist has bits and pieces of lovely fabric they don't know what to do with. Sure, you could probably figure out how to make those yourself, but you might not think of them and Lotta provides useful details and directions. I have followed Lotta Jansdotter's fabric lines and like her look, but had never bought anything. A couple of years ago, a picture of her wearing a flowy sleeveless maxi dress in one of her fabric prints surfaced. I looked everywhere for the pattern, only to come across it in this book long after I had given up.

After the muslin try on I had to widen the shoulders, take in the sides a little at the bottom (too swingy there for my apple shape), add some more length below the waist, and move the shoulder seam forward by 3/8″. And thanks to a Craftsy class still fresh in my head I knew all that, and it was easy. The instructions for the Kiomi top. Not for the visual learning types, like me. The line art of the garments look hand drawn rather than the perfectly smooth line art when computer drawn. I would have really liked to have a not hand drawn line art illustration of each of the garments. They are accompanied by fabric swatch photos and brief comments about the design. Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style is the first sewing book that didn’t sit on my shelf for months before I made something from it. It not only gave me patterns to use, it gave me inspiration to use the patterns. If you like Lotta Jansdotter’s style then this book may have the same effect on you too. I’m going to make the pants from the book this week. We’ll see how I do. An inspiring guide to creating a flexible, seven-piece wardrobe with modern Scandinavian elegance from style icon Lotta Jansdotter.

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This style is mainly sober in shape, comfortable and casual. In addition, the style is as cheerful, colorful or sober as you want due to your choice of colors and designs of the fabrics. Lotta shows the same clothes in cheerful prints, for example, but also in solid gray colors. This gives the garment a completely different look.