A Modern Guide to Couture-Style Sewing Using Basic Vintage Techniques (Gertie's Sewing)

This book has so much information for the advanced beginner seamstress! I am past the point of learning how to find grainlines, etc. but not ready to tackle more advanced dresses without a little backup. The pattern to make the dresses shown is included, very helpful! Tracing off patterns isn't a big deal anymore, and I really appreciate not needing to go find a pattern that looks like the one pictured, it is right there. The sizes included cover a wide range, along with some basic advice on pattern alteration. I won't repeat everything previous reviewers have said.

The only change I would have liked would be to see the clothes on a variety of models rather than only Gertie. I found myself wondering how someone with a different body shape would look in various designs. But, having an actual garment shown (not just drawn) is so helpful!

Like the other reviewers, I received my preordered copy much sooner than expected, thank you the store. I've been flipping through it non-stop the last few days. I've been anxiously awaiting the release since Gretchen first mentioned it months ago on her blog and it doesn't disappoint! I own a huge library of sewing books with patterns and it's worth mentioning that these patterns are a superior value because a) there are so many and b) they are printed on thick paper instead of flimsy tissue, making tracing and preserving of the original patterns infinitely easier. This book is perfect for someone who is past the beginner stage, and ready to take their skills to the next level. Gertie is a gifted teacher and it shows in every page of this book. I also recommend her video class on Craftsy.com, the Bombshell Dress!

Like some of the other reviewers, it looks like the store's shipping is so fast that I got the book even before it was meant to be released!

This book is AWESOME! I was really hoping for a book to present more advanced skills in an easy-to-follow manner, and this book delivered. I love the section on ways to alter patters, since that is not only very useful in general (and often not covered in many sewing books) but will be directly useful when I use the patterns contained in the book. I am especially excited to create a peter-pan collar blouse (with buttons up the back!)...my brain is buzzing with the possibilities!

In short, I recommend this book to any seamstress who knows the basics of sewing and would like to learn more detailed techniques to add that little extra bit of care to a garment.

First off I wish to congratulate Gertie for starting as a blog.... then progressing as far as she has today. To go from a seamstress who had a passion then sharing that passion to others, then finally being able to create a published work of art... Amazing!

So to start off, I pre-ordered this book- wasn't supposed to get it until September 6th.... well I got word I would get it by the 26th of August. To my astonishment, waiting by the door on the 22nd was the book! the store, you are wonderful.

Now about the book, great information: detailed technique for someone who has made more than curtains but never made a formal gown. The section on zipper insertion was heavenly ( I am scared on zipper insertion- messed up something very expensive and many hours all because of a simple zipper) Gerties vintage techniques are much simpler then the conventional way of sewing. Now some of the patterns are wonderful, others I hope turn out better that the picture ( I think its just due to the fabric used for that "vintage look" ) the only down side is the patterns only come up to a size 16-ish, however if you follow the directions in the book on pattern fitting and manipulation it should be no problem to make them a tad larger( I'm a size 20, so there will be a tad of work until that party dress will be ready for my wedding)

Overall, this was a great investment, a great book, and Gertie is a great individual to support. And to think i found out about her from a simple google search one day to find a free skirt pattern.....

sincerely- Jen

First of all, kudos to the store's excellent shipping. This book is supposed to come out on September 1st and I got it today on August 23rd. Brilliant.

Second of all, this book is everything I've ever wanted as an eager seamstress eager to learn and aching for a vintage wardrobe. The book comes with ten patterns and several different instructions for variations on the patterns resulting in 23 different garments you can make from this book. You really can make yourself a pretty complete wardrobe from this book if these clothes are your cup of tea, and since this book matches my personal style so accurately, I plan on making a ton of professional clothes for myself using Gertie's excellent patterns.

The instruction in this book is top notch. I don't know how informative it will be to an advanced seamstress, but to me, an advanced beginner, I'm learning tons from it. Gertie's instructions are clear, well-written, and well-photographed. In addition to the sewing techniques in the book, Gertie also shows you how to make garments based off of vintage patterns (which can be tricky to fit) and how to modify both vintage and modern patterns to better fit yourself. She also shows you how to start drafting your own patterns. It's nothing too advanced, but to someone like me, an aspiring fashion designer just starting to dip my toes into pattern making, I feel like Gertie provides a good starting point.

Anyway, regardless of your sewing ability, I feel like the book is well worth the buy for the patterns it contains. The designs are gorgeous classics based off of the garments in the 1952 book, Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing (the book Gertie started her blog for), and will never go out of style. They range from easy (starting with a pencil skirt) to hard (ending with a coat dress) and there are little tidbits in the instructions that tell you what you could do to make the design more of the challenge (like adding boning to the pencil skirt waistband instead of using interfacing).

Overall, this book is fabulosity in print form. I know for a fact that I am going to be oodles better as a seamstress once I finish reading and sewing my way through this book. Bravo, Gertie!

I, like others, received my book way ahead of schedule....so ...serendipitous event number one ! Excitedly open said book and discover a wonderful world of excellent instruction,generous sharing of wisdom, ten,yes ten fabulous patterns ,and a witty and humorous narrative. Now,granted, I'm biased, I've been an ardent fan of Gerties since I took her online 'bombshell dress' class and I was so excited to see she was writing a book. I'm delighted to see that the book has exceeded my expectations and will become my go to instruction manual for vintage pattern adjustments and vintage/couture sewing techniques. Congratulations to Gertie for a fabulous book ....buy it,you won't be sorry!!

I was not expecting a book that used old patterns for styling couture wear. Couture wear is determined by the construction and this book was lacking a lot of techniques that I have learned from other books and instructors. I wish I hadn't bought the book or at least looked the pages/index a little closer before wasting my money. It might work for someone making a first attempt but there are pattern in the stores that feature better instructions on couture techniques and the patterns are for more modern styles.

Received this book for the holidays, doing a muslin of the Pencil Skirt first, will update with further information after finishing that project.

My impressions of the book as someone who has read through it and traced off one of the patterns: first, the book itself is lovely. The spiral binding was an excellent choice and the whole thing is substantial and looks like it would last through years of being paged through and referenced. The master patterns are on sturdy paper. The photos are crisp and pretty although not without their issues (more on that in a minute). I like the layout of the section that handles the patterns, with colored boxes for specific information about each garment and fabric suggestions. I *love* that the book walks through several variations on each pattern. In theory these variations would be simple without photos or step by step instructions, but for beginning garment sewers/pattern drafters like me, it can be intimidating and it's encouraging to have our hands held just a bit at the beginning. The book doesn't do all the work by including the variations ready-made, but it does show very clearly exactly how to change the master patterns and how it should turn out, and I think that's a perfect balance to strike.

I also like the chatty tone. A technical tone can be offputting for novices to a skill. Chattiness is reassuring and friendly, and the information is still clear and concise.

I would have liked to see some fabric variation for each pattern piece, even if only in a color sketch. The garments are made up to Gertie's taste, and there's nothing wrong with that but it is highly individual and probably will not resonate with all readers. It's easy to look at the draped tiki dress, for example, and decide "I don't like that" because I don't want to wear a bright tiki-themed dress, but made in severe gray linen (for instance) I would adore it, and it would have improved the book to demonstrate something of that kind and show what a huge difference fabric choice can make in a garment.

I have to address the elephant in the room, which is the sample garments in the photos. I honestly don't understand how someone can get one big chance to show off the garments she can produce and end up with such poorly fitted examples. This is not *as* big of a deal to me because I've read a lot about fit and can identify the problems, but for someone less familiar with fitting issues it would be very easy to simply decide the clothes look frumpy or unflattering. If Duchesse silk satin doesn't look good in photos, for heavensake, why choose it for a photo shoot? And with the detailed advice on fit in the book, why not fit the sample clothes well? It almost looks to me as if the garments were constructed for a different model and Gertie stepped in at the last minute. It seems to me that if a sewer follows what the text of the book says they'll probably do fine, but they have to be able to overlook the poor examples of fit in the photos.

I sincerely wish that the individual pattern pieces did not overlap on the pattern sheets. I understand that it saves paper and cuts down on bulk. I understand that master patterns for experienced sewers are probably printed like this quite often. But this is not a book for experienced sewers, and for those new to paper patterns the whole thing can be daunting already -- which cutting line is mine? what are all these marks? am I supposed to mark this? did I miss anything? -- and overlapping pattern pieces, all of which have exactly the same kind of lines, multiplies the confusion exponentially. I knew exactly what sort of shape I was looking for with the pencil skirt pattern and it was still difficult for me to make sure I had the correct outline. At the very least, each pattern piece should be printed in a different color, or pieces that overlap should be differentiated by making one black one one gray, for instance. I also wish there were technical drawings of each piece, front and back. I don't think this would have been too complicated to provide and could have been done in the lovely style of the other sketches.

Bottom line for me: I gave the book 4 stars instead of 3 because it got me excited about sewing again. It's colorful, easy to follow, well-organized, and it maintains an awareness of the fun in sewing your own clothes and having no limitations on your creativity. I will be using it and it will be helpful. I look forward to Gertie's future books; I think the flaws this one has are very much first-book flaws, and as a sewing instructor I think she will only get better.

I have been waiting eagerly for this book for months! And it was worth the wait.

This book is a bunch of techniques and tips for a mid-level sewist who is looking to start working on vintage and vintage-style patterns. It is not for a novice sewist, one still getting used to the idea of assembling patterns.

I really enjoyed reading about all the little things I could be doing to get a more tailored and fitted and classy and stable piece of clothing. Like there's a tip on how to make dress shields, so you have to launder less often. And there are five different ways to finish seams, and a discussion of when each is the most appropriate.

There is a lot of hand-sewing, and to be honest, I am not that excited about hand-sewing, but when Gertie explains it, I can understand why it might be the best option for some things. I'm actually kind of nerdily hoping that I get around to making a frock coat complete with pad stitching and shoulder pads and padded peplum by next winter. It would be so classy.

The garment selection is reasonably broad -- no pants, but pants are a mysterious beast all on their own. The mix and match of tops and skirts and dresses gives one a feeling of bravery about being able to do it oneself. The one missing item that I regret she didn't put in instructions about is a petticoat/crinoline. There is a brief note about how to attach some crinoline to a skirt lining, but many of the dresses and full skirts are modeled with a crinoline, and it would be helpful if we had some tips on making our own.

I was strangely delighted when she said the same thing that I've been thinking since I made the Walk-Away Dress. Without some serious undergarmentage, you end up looking like you are wearing a hospital gown. 'Tis true! But with the help of this book, I am thinking about cutting off the bodice and making the skirt of my Walk-Away dress into a high-waisted skirt. I also agree with the commenter who said it would be useful if there was a section showing the dresses on different body types, but happily Flickr has you covered in that department. I never make anything without looking it up on Flickr first.

Overall, I was delighted with this book. It is exactly in my comfort-to-aspirational range. I wouldn't have been ready for it three years ago before I got the hang of garment sewing, so give it to new sewists with care. One of my favorite features is that you get to see the insides of all the garments, so you can really see the construction details she is talking about. That makes it so much easier for me to understand what's going one. Also, the included patterns are printed on real paper.

Read if: You have some garment-sewing experience and would like to branch out into either the vintage-y or couture direction. You love a breezy conversational style of writing.

Skip if: You are still working out exactly how plackets attach and regard anything harder than "Easy" as currently out of your range. Also skip if you are super experienced at couture sewing. I imagine this will not be the book for you.

Also read: Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book

Also watch: Gertie has a really awesome dressmaking class on Craftsy which covers many of these topics as a video tutorial. Recommended!

I already own several reference books and so bought this for the patterns rather than any of the technique material. So far I've made the pencil skirt and a muslin of the wiggle dress and my experience has been mixed. As someone with a fairly exaggerated hourglass figure, I love Gertie's sizing - so that's a plus. Tracing the patterns I found quite difficult (compared to tracing, say, a Burda magazine pattern). In some places you'll find a dense mess of seam, dart etc. lines and symbols and it is hard to identify the correct line - a minus. I've made the pencil skirt and while I had to make some fitting changes, it was a great base pattern. I also spent quite a few hours tracing and making a muslin of the wiggle dress, only to find that the back and front of the dress don't align (there's about a 1.5-2" difference in the shoulder and side seams between front and back). I had seen a few versions of the dress online and no reports of this problem, so I quadruple checked - that my fabric hadn't stretched out, that I had traced the pattern pieces correctly, that the pattern used a traditional 5/8" seam allowance, etc. I also got out the original pattern sheets and my measuring tape - an exercise which confirmed the issue was a drafting one. This may be a problem specifically with the size 2 pattern line. In any case, it was hugely irritating to have spent several hours tracing, cutting and sewing (gussets, for god's sakes), only to find the pattern was incorrectly drafted.
I'm still pro-Gertie - I like her style, her writing and her personality - I just might stick to her Butterick patterns because I feel confident they'll have been through more rigorous drafting and grading processes.

I received this book as a gift for Christmas, and basically haven't stopped reading and re-reading it since. I'd never heard of Gertie's blog before getting the book (I'm now an avid follower of it), so I came to it completely unsure what to expect.

I was what I guess you'd call an intermediate sewist. I learned basic sewing - how to operate a machine, how to stitch by hand, how to follow a pattern - in high school, but hadn't done any sewing in quite a while. But as a plus-sized lady who has a strong individual style, I wanted to be able to make my own clothes rather than rely on the not-so-attractive stuff most stores sell for my body shape (DDD-cup hourglass with a small waist for my off-the-rack size). I wanted to learn, basically, how to adapt patterns without ruining them.

I can honestly say that this book way surpassed ALL my expectations.

The easiest way to categorize it is as a sewing class in a book. The patterns are all beautiful, and come with enough variations to completely fill your closet. There's a whole section on fabric shopping which is enormously helpful. The instructions on various couture sewing techniques are extremely clear, beautifully illustrated for us visual learners, and overall quite easy to follow. Essentially every aspect of sewing you could want is covered here in one way or another, and it's written in such a way that it benefits a wide range of sewing levels. I was able to learn how to do things I'd never done before, such as sewing in boning and pad stitching, with relative ease, but I also derived new benefit and insight from sections covering things I already knew how to do, like setting zippers.

She also has some charming meditations throughout on subjects like vintage undergarments, drawing inspiration from designers, and the feminist implications of wearing vintage-style clothing. I've read the book from cover to cover a few times - a rarity for me when it comes to these kinds of instructional guides - and find it incredibly entertaining as well as educational.

All in all, this is one of my favorite books, and would make an incredible addition to the library of any aspiring home sewist.

This book is wonderful! Gertie did such a great job explaining vintage to home sewers that might otherwise avoid vintage patterns. I have been using vintage patterns for 7 years, it takes a a while to "translate the time warp" as I like to call it. Many sewing terms and techniques used in the 40's and 50's, are no longer used in modern sewing. Gertie explains EVERYTHING and makes vintage alot more accessible to home sewers. I have taken many couture sewing technique classes, so most of my sewing skills are rooted in couture and from using vintage patterns. But even if you do not wish to sew like a couturier, Gertie's book will show you how to add special touches to your sewing at your leisure.

I haven't tried any of the patterns that come with the book. But Gertie gives you so much useful information and guidance that i have faith one could figure it out through the book. Though it is great that she is available and happy to answer questions at her blog: Blog for Better Sewing.
I can't say enough great things about this book!

Is it a friendly book packed with helpful hints and modern illustrations? Sure.
Is it a good overview of techniques or a good intro to couture sewing? Not really.
I'm not sure who would be happy about this book, but I think it's basically someone who loves Gertie's style of writing and working. If you like to fake it til you make it and learn as you go, this might be on the spot. I have a few books on the shelf with much clearer illustrations and better overview than this (you might want to try Dressmaker's Technique Bible for instance).
It is also slightly depressing to note as some people have pointed out, that a lot of the creations shows sign of very... lighthearted fitting.
I keep my hopes up for the patterns though, they seem to be a good basic vintage wardrobe. I haven't tried them yet.

I really wanted to make the shirtwaist dress, so I traced the pattern pieces, cut them out, bought my fabric, and got ready to lay everything out. When I went to lay out the dress back piece on the fold, the skirt juts out beyond the edge of the fabric! This isn't just a centimeter or two, this is about two inches over the edge. I don't know if I'm just going to scrap the idea or try to cut out some of the width of the skirt, but this is not okay.

Excellent all around sewing reference, even if you are not into vintage sewing. Beautiful patterns if you are. I think this is one of the best references on fit and technique to be published in a long time. Worth every penny.

Who can say enough good things about her? This book is amazing and comprehensive. I was ecstatic over the patterns she supplied. I can not wait to start sewing. For beginning and experienced, this book is a must have dictionary!

I recently discovered the whole (misinformed) notion that a pattern maker can issue guidelines on how garments made with the copyrighted pattern are used...

I quote, with spelling mistakes from the print edition in front of me included:
"The patterns in this book are for personal home use. Patterns and projects are not to be produced for commercial puposes, nor are they to be made into items for sale."

I'm just your average netizen who did some reading about copyright law and how it pertains to patterns, but from everything I read (see following links), that is completely bogus.

[...]
I really find this kind of spread of misinformation appalling...even more so as the patterns copyrighted along with the book are apparently quite close copies of patterns from a book by Vogue, as other reviewers have pointed out. Shame on whoever made the decision to include that statement.

Edit: It looks like the links were automatically redacted... Search for the Design Piracy Prohibition Act on Wikipedia and check out the copyright.gov Protection For Fashion Design document on H.R. 5055.

This book has wonderful pictures and illustrations, but also has many flaws. Ms. Hirsch strongly recommends using dress shields and considering only handwashing or drycleaning of all garments created from her patterns, which is both tedious and expensive. She suggests all one need allow for preshrinkage is 1/4 extra yard, if one insists on washing garments. She claims "rayon doesn't do well in the washing machine"' so it should be hand prewashed. Many rayons machine wash well; it is only necessary to check the info printed on the end of the fabric bolt. All yardages and pattern layouts are given as without nap and with the same amount of material recommended for 32"-46" bust. However, she recommends fabrics such as satin that must be cut with nap layout for proper results. Ms. Hirsch gives instructions on how to draft a Peter Pan collar, but does not recommend interfacing it. An uninterfaced collar will not look right nor lie correctly when worn. Ms. Hirsch recommends the standard 1-1.5" sleeve cap ease found in Big 4 patterns, but true couture garments have no sleeve cap ease. Page 101 contains a box emphasizing how bodice and skirts should line up at the waist line, but her Sultry Sheath dress does not have these darts lining up. No sizes for buttons are given, which can lead to fit and appearance problems in the finished garments.
Ms. Hirsh recommends buying fabric by phone from New York designer stores. These stores do not provide accurate cleaning instructions or fiber contents as required by Federal law, have highly variable inventories, and often no set prices on bolts within their store. It is very easy to be literally sold an expensive bill of goods, even from the "reputable" New York City stores she praises so well. Gorgeous Fabric and Emma One Sock offer much more information when buying yard goods. The instructions for creating alternate style variations are skimpy and without accurate measurements.
In short, this book did not receive careful editing and fact checking before publication. I would strongly recommend that Ms. Hirsch not publish again until she is willing and able to provide more accurate information. A blog is a very informal document, unlike a book.

As a somewhat experienced sewer (not a seamstress by far!), this was possibly the most underwhelming book I've seek. The fitting was atrocious! The finishing was sub par and all in all it made me want to return the book to the person who wrote it thinking such amateurish efforts were acceptable to a public that knows what a FITTED garment looks like.

The visuals, if they had been put together with attention to excellence and fit, would have been inspiring. Due to the utter absence thereof it was almost as lackluster as Kristin Stewarts performance was in Snow White and the Huntsman.

I can't quite bring myself to call it an abortion of a good book, but rather one where the author didn't spend quite enough time perfecting her art before telling folks she was an expert.