Announcing the Fall Beacon Sewing Retreats!

I'm so excited to announce that my Hudson Valley Sewing Retreat is back! Join me in lovely Beacon, New York, for a fabulous weekend of dressmaking. I’m opening up my spacious studio for two sessions this fall, with space for four students in each. These small retreats will allow participants to get away from it all, and focus entirely on sewing for a full weekend. Using the pattern of your choice from my book Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book, you’ll arrive with a bodice muslin ready for a personal fitting and leave with a killer new frock. (Whether your personal style is modern or retro, there’s something for everyone.)

We’ll begin Friday night with a festive included welcome dinner and then spend the rest of that evening having your bodice muslins custom-fit. That leaves all day Saturday and Sunday for pattern tweaks and dressmaking, with one-on-one guidance along the way. Students will leave with a custom-fit dress pattern that you can use again and again, tons of new sewing knowledge, and a stunning new dress.

I will give demos throughout the weekend on skills like lapped zipper insertion, working with steel boning, lining and underlining, My ginormous entire “archive” of dresses (handmade and vintage) will serve as inspiration and education.

My hometown of Beacon, NY is the perfect place for a weekend of sewing! This charming Hudson Valley town is just over an hour by train from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, but it has a lovely small town feel. It’s full of amazing restaurants, galleries, vintage shopping, boutiques, live music, natural beauty, and more. Fall is the perfect time to visit, too. (Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we take a few sewing breaks so you can see the town!)

Click here for more information and for registration! And don't forget to sign up for the retreat mailing list to hear about future events. Hope to see you here in Beacon! 

New Butterick Patterns by Gertie for Fall!

It's that time again--time to feel incredulous that fall patterns are being released because it's definitely, totally still summer, right? Don't worry, it absolutely still is. But how about thinking about some patterns for a couple "transitional pieces" that will take you through the changing seasons? (That's a little easier to swallow, right?)

I have two new patterns out in my "Patterns by Gertie" line with Butterick. In a little change of pace for me, they're both very '40s-inspired rather than my usual '50s designs. The first is B6380, a sweetheart neckline dress with a gathered bust and swing skirt.

With this design, I wanted to create a dress that's timeless and easy to wear, but still really rooted in the glamorous '40s.

You can really see the details on the line drawing.

One of my favorite details is the "tiebacks" above the bust that create the sweetheart shape of the neckline. There's also a midriff, flared skirt, and short sleeves with gathers.

This dress is great for drapey wovens, like the rayon challis it's pictured in. (This is one of my Gertie fabrics from last fall, but I still have a bunch for sale in my Etsy shop.)

Here are a couple of my inspiration images from when I was planning the dress pattern. I love the subtle silhouette of this era, coupled with the soft gathers at the bustline.

The second pattern is B6390, and it's a cute yet casual jacket directly inspired by Rosie the Riveter and '40s work wear.

It has all sorts of topstitching to define the style lines.

I lined it in the same challis as the dress is made in! (Dorkiest photo ever?)

Here's the line drawing for this one.

I love the pattern envelope for this one. I look like I'm hanging with my tiny, much cooler friend. She's dubious about my styling choices.

And a couple of my inspiration images, so you can get an idea of where I was coming from.

The jacket in the photos above is made up in a denim-colored wool, but I also made this design in another fabric. Here it is in a polka dot linen-cotton blend, complete with Rosie the Riveter-inspired pose and Carmen Miranda earrings.

And the back, paired with a totally different dress.

A detail shot. This one is also lined in one of my rayon challis fabrics.

Hope you like the new patterns! Can't wait to see your versions of these!

New York Times Article on Home Sewing and the McCall Pattern Company!

Well, this is amazing. The New York Times has done an entire piece on the McCall Pattern Company and the home sewing industry! As you may know, my pattern line "Patterns by Gertie" is released by Butterick (one of McCall's pattern labels) and I was thrilled that the writer interviewed me for the piece. It's a really in-depth, detailed article on the past and future of the company, as well as home sewing in general. So, if you sew, you'll want to read this!

I've always been really proud to be a pattern designer with Butterick, partly because I have a strong nostalgia for the process of pattern shopping. So I was pretty excited to see this quote:

Gretchen Hirsch, a blogger, author and pattern designer who began sewing seriously 10 years ago when she was in her 20s, said the process of picking out a McCall pattern has not changed from when she visited fabric stores with her mother as a girl in the 1980s. 

“Going to a Jo-Ann’s and seeing those same old metal filing cabinets with the McCall’s and Butterick patterns inside — you know, the tissue, the instructions and the little envelope — I found it enormously comforting,” Ms. Hirsch said.

Another favorite quote?

“I’ve done this long enough to know that people have it in their hearts,” said Carolyne Cafaro, the creative director. “There could be one pattern company left in the world, but I do think people will always sew.”

I love that the piece conveys so much of the emotion surrounding home sewing, but it also tackles lots of other topics including the future of the industry in a digital age, the company's relationship with social media, and the DIY revolution. Not to mention a really fantastic slide show about the company archive, complete with pictures of a young Isaac Mizrahi and Charlize Theron.

In any case, it's pretty thrilling to see home sewing get such prominent media coverage. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the article!