Cover Reveal! Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book

I've been so excited to blog this one because I am IN LOVE with this cover! My next book, Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book, is now up on Amazon for pre-order. It's releasing in March 2016.

Here's a little info on the book:

Every vintage-obsessed sewist dreams of having a closet full of gorgeous dresses. The follow-up to the popular Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing and Gertie Sews Vintage Casual, Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book is packed with all the information and patterns you could ever need to create a wardrobe filled with stunning vintage frocks. The book begins with all the essential techniques for dressmaking and includes instructions and patterns for 23 dresses for a variety of occasions. Elements of each pattern can be mixed and matched, allowing readers to customize the bodice, skirt, sleeves, pockets, and details of each dress for a truly unique creation.

The dress on the cover is called the Emerald Faille Party Dress and it's made from an amazing silk faille. It has a super structured boned bodice and very full skirt: it's a circle skirt with box pleats all around. The skirt and bodice are basic patterns included with the book, and then I show you how to make your own special details for each dress, like the halter strap (it closes with little rhinestone buttons in the back) and the bias band that goes across the bodice. There are tons of construction techniques like lining, underlining, using horsehair on hems and necklines, working with lace and beaded fabrics, and lots more.

I can't wait to show you more from the book!

P.S. Did you spot Henry on the cover?

Would You Pay $348 for this Dress?

Because I almost did. Seriously, I was SO close to buying this little Nanette Lepore number. I think I about lost my mind, readers. You see, I went on a lunchtime expedition to Lord & Taylor with a coworker who needed to return some shoes there. Of course, I had to take a swing by the designer dresses and try a couple on "for research."

I get that this black ponte knit sheath probably doesn't look like anything to get too crazy about. I do get that. But I put it on, and it was like THE MAGIC DRESS. I was quite sure that I looked absolutely sensational in it—it framed my tattoos perfectly, my figure looked smashing. Don't even get me started on how great my butt looked.

I can't remember the last time I bought a dress, but I really talked myself into this one, even at the steep price. It's the kind of thing I'd wear to work all the time.

The only problem was that it had a tiny little flaw: the twist tie that goes around the waist had become un-tacked on one side and was flopping around. The easiest thing in the world to fix, right? But for $348, I wanted a flawless one.

I told my issue to the sales person. She didn't have another size 10, sorry. At that point my friend cheekily piped up that I might be offered a discount on the flawed one, which the sales girl declined to do. My only option was to pay full price for the one they had, apparently. Readers, I was NOT going to be making any repairs to a $348 dress before I even wore it. It was the principle of the thing. I'm sure you understand.

Well, I left it, thinking I would find it elsewhere online. But by the time I got back to the office, the magic of the MAGIC DRESS had worn off. Was I really about to pay that kind of money for a doubleknit sheath dress? Granted, it had incredible butt-flattering properties and a few special design features (pleated cap sleaves, a wide waistband, a surplice pleated sweetheart neckline, and the aforementioned waist wrap) . . . but nothing I absolutely couldn't try to replicate, I suppose. So instead of ordering the dress, I ordered three yards of black doubleknit. When I'm going to find time to sew with it, I'm not sure.

Damn, it's hard being principled sometimes.

Please tell me you understand, readers. That a certain magical item of clothing has you so entranced that $348 seems like an absolutely reasonable price for a simple work dress. Anyone?

Lemon Tree Dress

I suppose you think I've just been dutifully working on my background dress. Well, I had to sneak in another little project just for fun. A lemony, summery treat of a dress!

Must. Have. This. Dress.

Did you guys see the Selfish Seamstress's post on Ceil Chapman? It is, in a word, awesome. The fabulous Ms. Selfish herself commented on my Spring Fabric Fever post to say that my Liberty rose print was just begging to be given the Ceil Chapman treatment, as in the mouth-wateringly perfect draped floral sheath above. I am now obsessed and must figure out a way to make this dress. Thank you, Selfish Seamstress! (God, talk about selfish - posting helpful and inspirational tips on others' blogs? Does she ever think about anyone other than herself?!)

And now, dear friends, I need your help making this dress happen.

So here's my fabric:


The first option is to attempt some advanced patternmaking. I could be brave and use my Jenny skirt pattern in conjunction with a self-drafted bodice. I did a quick sketch, and this is what I think the lines should look like. Don't laugh at my drawing!

I think I could modify a v-neck bodice, making it very plunging and then adding some tucks at the center bust. And then the sweetheart neckline behind it looks kind of like a modesty panel or dickey that could be tacked in. Of course, this would require lots of muslins and potential aggravation.

The other option is to take a contemporary pattern and make something more inspired by (rather than directly knocking off) the Chapman.

Some possibilities? I think my top pick is Vogue 8555.



There's always the fab new Michael Kors (Vogue 1167) which has some cool draping at the bodice.

Or last season's Michael Kors (Vogue 1117), with some very Chapman-esque pleating.

(I have all these patterns on order, thanks to the current $3.99 sale!)

So what say you, dear readers? Which direction should I turn? I need lots of guidance here!

All Zipped Up

Exposed zippers have been everywhere lately, haven't they? I'm not usually one to go for super trendy styles, but this is one that intrigued me, so I added one to my latest dress project. I like how the utilitarian zipper adds a bit of toughness to an otherwise sweet and pretty dress.

Last spring's issue of Sew Stylish magazine had a tutorial for inserting an exposed zipper, and the instructions were excellent. Seriously, I was very impressed. (Thanks, Sew Stylish!) If you'd like to order a copy of that issue, look here.

Here's the front of the dress!


This is McCall's 5971, and it is also excellent. I never really knew what people meant when they say a pattern is well-drafted, but now I do. This is a well-drafted pattern. The various pleats and darts all lined up easily and it just went together like a dream.

I made it in a bright blue wool crepe from New York Elegant Fabrics, which has an excellent selection of wool crepes and gabardines in fabulous jewel tones, mostly for $18.95 a yard. The bodice is lined in a black silk habutai.

I usually make a size 14 in McCall's patterns, but I sized down to a 12 for this dress, and I'm so glad I did. I just had to add a little more ease to the hips, and it fits like a glove.

Here's what it looks like with black tights and ankle boots.

And here's what it looks like when I'm doing the robot!

Anyway, I highly recommend this pattern. Has anyone else tried it? Also, what do you think of the exposed zipper trend?

The Mystique of the Long-Sleeved Dress

What is it about the October issue of Vogue and long-sleeved dresses? The beginning of fall seems to send fashion writers into a tizzy of "OMG, dresses with sleeeeevz!" You might remember that last October was the issue that Plum Sykes wrote her supremely annoying essay on her quest to find the perfect dress with long sleeves.

Here is a taste of the annoyingness:

There are three things a woman really needs at 38: a husband, at least one child, and a dress with long sleeves, which, I have discovered over the years,may be harder to come by than the husband. I found two potential husbands in the space of four years—and married one of them. But in all that time, I found only one really good dress with long sleeves, despite looking for such a frock just as diligently as I looked for the husband.

Ah yes, the eternal quest to acquire husbands, children, and long-sleeved dresses. WTF, Plum Sykes? I think, as sublimely irritating as her first statement is, Sykes has an eye for a good silhouette with long sleeves: high, tight armholes and a sleeve that extends past the wrist.

Now this year's October issue loudly states on its cover: "WHY YOUR DRESS NEEDS LONG SLEEVES." Uh, okay. The evidence for this bold statement is a spread of loudly printed, long-sleeve dresses.

I think I've come to a conclusion on this frenzy: well-tailored, long-sleeved dresses are expensive. (Setting a sleeve in perfectly, as we sewists all know, can be a challenge.) Sure, you can get a long-sleeved poly/spandex jersey dress at any Macy's, but what about one in a lovely wool or crepe? Try a Roland Mouret:

These will only set you back a couple grand.

I confess that, with the weather turning a bit chilly, I've been feeling the pull toward long-sleeved dresses myself. Thank god I can make my own. Here are some of my pattern picks:

Vintage McCall's 6523. I adore the bell skirt here. It has a tulle petticoat to keep its structure!

McCall's 5927, with its high neck and slouchy sleeves:

This fab number from the August 2009 issue of Burda World of Fashion:

And lastly, Vogue 8615.

I think the key to these dresses is making sure you have the right bodice fit, as well as fabric choice. To get a slimming silhouette, one might need to raise the armhole a bit. And, of course, in order to maintain mobility, you'll want a fabric with a hint of stretch in it. It does help, in life, to be able to move one's arms.

So, what do you think? Are you feeling the long-sleeved dress this season?

Julie & Julia: a Sewing Blogger's Impressions

When I tell people about the concept of my blog, I've often gotten the response: "It's just like Julie & Julia!" At first, I was reluctant to agree. I wanted my project to seem unique. But, let's face it: this blog is really just like Julie & Julia. But with sewing.

I've come to terms with that. Working in book publishing, I know that it's very common to hear new projects explained by what they have in common with successful ventures. A manuscript will often be pitched by an agent as "Twilight meets Harry Potter - but with zombies!" or something ridiculous like that. But, however absurd, this kind of pitch does actually accomplish the goal at hand: to make the reader understand the new project by adding context of an already established project.

And anyway, the similarities really are inescapable. In Julie & Julia (the book), an underemployed 30-year-old New Yorker with a sweet husband and a passion for cooking decides to start a blog project in which she cooks every recipe in an old cookbook and writes about it. In my humble story, an unemployed 30-year-old New Yorker with a sweet husband and a passion for sewing decides to start a blog project in which she sews every pattern in an old sewing book and writes about it. (Not that I'm saying Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing has the following of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Let's not be silly!)

So fine. I am the Julie & Julia of sewing blogs.

So, since the film version of Julie & Julia released today and both Jeff (the sweet husband) and I had the afternoon off, we decided to go on a little date. I put on my full, gathered skirt and first we went to the little French restaurant across the street for croque monsieurs and Oranginas. (Is there anything more festive than an Orangina? I don't think so.) Then we walked over to the neighborhood cinema to see the film.

So, as you might know, the movie is based in equal parts on two books: Julia Child's My Life in France and Julie Powell's Julie & Julia. I was very struck by how both women's stories were about having a passion for something, and sharing it with the world in some medium. It was also about how that singleness of purpose plays out within the confines of a marriage.

In the Julia Child story (in which Meryl Streep is completely delightful), Julia's obsession with her art seemed to bring her closer with her husband, and the relationship story was one of utter adoration and support. In Julie Powell's story, her obsession veers into narcissism and causes her to alienate her husband.

My husband tirelessly listens to me talk about my sewing and my blog, and I hope that each of us having creative pursuits is something that unites us rather than divides us. In any case, the movie was a good reminder to me that the point of having a creative outlet is to connect us with the world, not disconnect us from it.

I was struck again by the many moments in which Julie Powell's story mirrored mine. The thrilling moment when she published her first post. The day she turned 30, an age which suddenly didn't seem so scary now that she had a bigger project in mind for her life. The meltdowns when projects went awry. The triumphs when they didn't.

In any case, the movie gave me a lot of food for thought (ha ha). Oh, and the clothes! Julia Child's story takes place, in part, in 50's Paris, and there was a party scene in which she was wearing a divine silk shirtwaist - with pockets!- and I thought how all you vintage pattern fanatics would die over it. Fabulous.

Do any of you plan on seeing this? I'd love to hear your thoughts, as creative types and as bloggers.

P.S. For the record, I want Zooey Deschanel to play me in the movie version of my blog.

Just Call Me Slenderette

After our discussion this week about the Simplicity "slenderette" patterns, I thought I should give one a go.

This is Simplicity #3446, which I bought from a great Etsy shop. I made it up in a cotton polka dot print, which I had originally bought to make the chemise dress from VoNBBS. I decided that the drape wasn't quite right for the chemise dress, so a new plan was hatched. I don't have many cotton work dresses and they're so nice in the summer, aren't they?

This was a fun little pattern to make up. I used a lot of the skills I've been picking up from VoNBBS--tailor's tacks, seam binding on the hem, etc. So I really have been learning things!

Here's a close up of the bodice:

This pattern is from 1960, so it's a printed pattern, as opposed to the patterns I've been using from VoNBBS. This really got me thinking about the evolution of the sewing pattern. That must have been one of the single most mind-blowing changes in the business. Can you imagine how that would have changed the home sewing experience? You've been plodding along for years, using blank patterns, and then bam! Suddenly you have a crystal clear road map in bold black ink.

So what do you think? Do I look "slenderette"?

Oh, speaking of which, I wrote to Simplicity's consumer service department to see if they had any info on the slenderette pattern line. I can't say that I really expected a response, but someone got right back to me, saying that she would look into it. I'll let you know what I hear!

Now, for real this time, I'm going to start the chemise dress. I bought a lovely boysenberry-colored silk to make it in. More to come!

Channeling Joan Holloway

I am a huge Mad Men fan. When I first saw this emerald green wool crepe at Paron Fabrics, I thought "Joan would look fantastic in that color!" Alas, Joan is a fictional character, so I had to buy it for myself instead. I think she'd approve though.

I made this little sheath dress from a vintage reissue pattern from Simplicity.

This was my first time using a reissued vintage pattern, and I have to say it was a little disappointing. I made my usual size (14), and when I put it on, it looked like a sack. Perhaps I should have gone down a size, but then the fit probably would have been off in the hips. I really had to do a lot of finessing to get the hourglass look of the original pattern illustration. I took it in about three inches at the waist, and reduced the hem circumference by four inches (to get that nipped in look at the knee).

It seems like one of the major things pattern companies do to modernize a vintage pattern is to give it much more ease for a "contemporary" look. This seems kind of counterproductive to me. If I wanted a contemporary fit, I'd just buy a contemporary pattern design. The envelope photographs probably should have clued me in. Look how baggy the gray version is in the skirt!

But anyway, once I got the fit I wanted, I was pretty happy with this pattern. I especially like how the bodice is lined to the edges rather than using facings. I like the full-skirted view as well, so I might give that a go at some point.

What have your experiences been with reissued patterns? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

Career Girls

I've been making an interview dress from the reissue of this Simplicity jumper pattern. Don't those girls on the envelope look smart? Do you think they're resentfully commuting to their jobs in the typing pool, just waiting for a marriage proposal so they can quit? Or are they young whippersnappers with CEO dreams?


As I'm honing my career girl image, I keep thinking of the book The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe. It is the ultimate in scandalous office tales of the 50's. It's like Mad Men, but set in the world of book publishing. And the clothing descriptions are fabulous. Just check out the first paragraph:

You see them every morning at a quarter to nine, rushing out of the maw of the subway tunnel, filing out of Grand Central Stations, crossing Lexington and Park and Madison and Fifth avenues, the hundreds and hundreds of girls . . . They carry the morning newspapers and overstuffed handbags. Some of them are wearing pink or chartreuse fuzzy overcoats and five-year-old ankle-strap shoes and have their hair up in pin curls underneath kercheifs. Some of them are wearing chic black suits (maybe last year's but who can tell?) and kid gloves and are carrying their lunches in violet-sprigged Bonwit Teller paper bags. None of them has enough money.

Oh, the kid gloves and chartreuse overcoats and chic black suits! Doesn't it all seem so glamorous?

The Best of Everything is an awesome and (unintentionally) hilarious book. Caroline Bender, the 20-year-old heroine, gets a job in the typing pool at a book publishing house. Soon she's climbing her way up the corporate ladder. She goes out for multiple double scotches with the sexy office men every evening, yet still manages to read an entire manuscript before the next morning. And all the manuscripts are fabulous and brilliant.

Why couldn't I have worked in publishing in the 50s? Sigh. But then again, the moral of the story is that if you pursue a career as a single gal, you'll get pregnant and fall down a flight of stairs and die. So tragic!

I Can't Resist a Sewing Contest

I just can't. If I see a new contest, I have to enter. I love how contests get me outside of my comfort zone, and I end up making things I wouldn't have otherwise.

There's a new one going on right now, sponsored by Craft Magazine and Singer. It's a swimsuit cover-up contest--there's one I haven't seen before! So here's what I'm brainstorming:

The Sarong Dress. Just look at this magnificent vintage Butterick pattern! Rawr!



These dresses were popularized in World War II, after soldiers would bring them home to their wives. The sarong actually seems to be more of a "mock sarong," with the tie being non-functioning.

So here's where I have to use my (not so) trusty patternmaking skills! I took a course at FIT last semester, and I think I'm up to the challenge. I got a B+, after all! I want to use this image as inspiration and make a few changes: wider straps, and a shirred, elasticized back so it's easy to get on and off.

Oh! And look at this nice print I found at A.K. fabrics in the Garment District yesterday! Five dollars, darlings!


I don't really love Hawaiian prints (unless they're vintage), but this is retro and abstract enough for me. I think it will look awesome gathered and draped!


In other news, I found the pattern for "the feminine, portrait neckline blouse" from Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing (that's VNBFBS for those in the know!) on a vintage pattern site and it's on its way!

Isn't it just fab? Well, honestly, the illustration is fab, the blouse we'll have to see about. I looked over the instructions in VNBFBS, and they want me to do all sorts of crazy things like tailor's tacks and a basted fitting. Let's see how long my patience lasts. They tell me all I need is a "pioneering spirit and my sewing equipment." Thanks for the encouragement, VNBFBS!

I have a 60" wide yard of the coolest black linen eyelet, and I hope it will be enough to make this baby up. Stay tuned!