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ABRAMS BOOKS - Hirsch Gretchen

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190 pages

English

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In the '50s and '60s, Simplicity released their popular line of Jiffy sewing patterns, which had minimal pattern pieces and simple constructions, yet were chic enough for fashion-conscious customers. This approach appeals now more than ever as stylish women are continuously looking for ways to fit their love of sewing into busy lives filled with family, work, school, and countless other obligations.Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses is Gretchen Hirsch's modern reinvention of this simple idea, focusing on easily mastered sewing skills, minimal pattern pieces, and fabulous designs. And the best part? Readers will end up with a sparkling wardrobe of easy-to-wear, fun-to-style dresses that will fill busy modern lives with retro charm.

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Publié par	ABRAMS BOOKS
Date de parution	09 avril 2019
Nombre de lectures	6
EAN13	9781683353225
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	5 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1221€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Contents
Introduction
PART ONE: THE BASICS
CHAPTER ONE: SUPPLIES AND TOOLS
CHAPTER TWO: FABRICS
CHAPTER THREE: GETTING READY TO SEW
CHAPTER FOUR: DRESS CONSTRUCTION: THE BASICS
CHAPTER FIVE: DRESS CONSTRUCTION: ESSENTIAL SKILLS
CHAPTER SIX: TRIMS AND FLOURISHES
CHAPTER SEVEN: FITTING
PART TWO: WARDROBE
The Popover Dress
The Chemise Dress
The Swirl Dress
The Boatneck Dress
The Patio Dress
Pattern Maps
Finished Garment Measurements
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
Introduction
Over the years, I ve become known for my obsession with advanced sewing techniques, taking my cues from the vintage dressmaking books I adore so much. I ve espoused a love of complicated tailoring and spent hours pad-stitching lapels. I ve become so acquainted with finely engineered strapless bodices that I could probably steel-bone a princess seam in my sleep. But as I started traveling and teaching more (with less time at home for sewing), I also became a devotee of a sort of guilty pleasure: the quick and easy dress. The kind of dress that you can cut out in the morning and wear on a date in the evening. Made of cheerful floral cottons, these dresses are quick and satisfying to sew, and even more fun to wear. Some of my easiest projects to sew have become staples in my wardrobe because of their low maintenance for everyday life. Everyone loves a sew-and-wear dress!
This sort of project is certainly not at odds with a vintage aesthetic. Women have always struggled to fit their love of sewing into their busy lifestyles, and the commercially available patterns of the 1950s and early 60s reflect this. Arguably the most famous home sewing pattern of all time is Butterick s 1952 Walkaway Dress, a frock so simple that you could sew it up in the morning and walk away wearing it to a luncheon. In the 50s and 60s, Simplicity published its popular line of Jiffy sewing patterns, which had minimal pattern pieces and simple construction yet were still chic enough to appeal to a fashion-conscious customer. These ideas appeal now more than ever to novice and experienced seamstresses alike.
But while I love a project that comes together almost effortlessly, I also feel conflicted about how the DIY movement has become overtaken with fast and easy projects. Fabric stores advertise no sew projects, and real skill has been eschewed for speed. Ultimately, I think the obsession with quick and easy has made us lose touch with why we wanted to start sewing in the first place: to slow down, to have tactile experiences, to take pride in a learned skill.
So why write this book? Because I want to show that it s possible to cultivate real sewing skills without spending days or even weeks on a project. Sewing more projects means more practice! I always like to tell my students how I didn t become truly skilled at lapped zippers until I sewed twenty-five of them in a row for my last book, Gertie s Ultimate Dress Book. Making lots of easy dresses will certainly make you a better sewer, especially if you repeat fundamental skills (like bindings, setting in sleeves, and zippers) to the point that you build muscle memory. If you re just learning, practice the dresses in this book and then challenge yourself with something more complicated (my previous books and my Charm Patterns line, for instance!).
If you are already a confident seamstress, then I hope the vintage aesthetic of the projects in this book will still appeal to you. It was important to me to design these patterns so that they could stand on their own as great examples of retro fashion, without necessarily advertising the fact that they weren t that difficult to make. I was endlessly inspired by 50s-era designer Claire McCardell while designing the patterns. Her work was living proof that complicated doesn t necessarily equal chic, and that the simplest of garments can be a revelation.
Another question you may be asking is, why all dresses? Most vintage-loving ladies say dresses are their favorite thing to sew and to wear, and I enthusiastically agree. Even after devoting an entire book to the subject of dresses and several years to teaching dressmaking workshops based on that material, I don t feel done with dresses. Quite the opposite! I m endlessly fascinated by frocks, and I became enamored of the challenge of creating a library of easy dress designs that were also quite stylish.

The Patio Dress ( this page )
INSIDE THE BOOK
In part one, you will discover the skills you need to make lovely dresses: from choosing and cutting fabric to functional and decorative finishing touches. You ll also learn fitting techniques and some simple patternmaking to customize your dress wardrobe. Part two is a collection of dresses made from five patterns (they can be downloaded at http://www.abramsbooks.com/gertie-sews-jifffy-dresses/ ). I show variations on each pattern as well, to illustrate that with a little ingenuity you can make one pattern multiple times with a dazzling array of results!
No matter your prior experience, I hope this book will help you discover (or rediscover!) a love of dressmaking. And I especially hope that it will remind you that sewing doesn t have to be laborious or painstaking to be satisfying and beautiful.

The Patio Dress with Short Sleeves ( this page )
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
Supplies and Tools
SEWING MACHINES
Machine Supplies and Accessories
BASIC PRESSER FEET
Optional Special Presser Feet
IRONING EQUIPMENT
YOUR BASIC SEWING KIT
OTHER SUPPLIES
This chapter is your bible for setting the scene to sew. Start with befriending your sewing machine! It s your faithful sidekick on the road to a beautiful wardrobe of dresses. Next, we ll take a look at the rest of the cast of characters: all the supplies and tools you ll need to have handy in order to sew skillfully.
Sewing Machines
All you really need in a sewing machine is a good straight stitch, a zigzag, and a buttonhole. That s why I sew on a basic, all-metal mechanical machine with very few features; I just don t like a lot of extras. You probably have a relative with an old machine like this that just needs a good servicing! The old 70s Singer that I learned to sew on as a little girl is a fantastic machine, but I see people get rid of that style all the time, thinking they re outdated and better replaced with a new computerized machine. The truth is these old metal mechanical machines are great starter setups: easy to understand and with just the right amount of features.
The best thing you can do for your dressmaking is to really get to know your sewing machine. Read through the manual, and then spend a little time threading and rethreading it and then sewing long pieces of fabric. Practice sewing with a (1.5 cm) seam allowance by aligning the edge of the fabric with the correct line on the metal needle plate-that s the seam allowance that most garment patterns use (including the patterns in this book). Being able to keep a consistent seam allowance is one of the most important machine-sewing skills. If you re even (3 mm) off on each side seam of a dress, that adds up to your garment being (1.3 cm) smaller or bigger than you planned. And that can make a huge difference in a fitted bodice! I always remind my beginner students to look at the seam allowance guide as they sew, not the needle.

Correct hand position
Hand position is also very important. Don t push or pull the fabric through the machine-that s what the feed dogs are for (feed dogs are the ridged bars attached to gears under the presser foot that pull the fabric through). Sometimes you may need to hold the fabric taut from front and back to avoid puckers in your sewing, but the machine will do the rest of the work. Your left hand gently rests on top of the fabric to guide it (remember to watch that [1.5 cm] seam allowance guide on the needle plate) and your right hand loosely holds the fabric in front of the machine. You can angle your hand slightly upward to keep the fabric taut.
If you re a newbie, spend a little time mastering accurate seam allowances and your machine sewing technique, and the rest will be much easier!
MACHINE SUPPLIES AND ACCESSORIES
Here are the basic supplies to go with your machine.
NEEDLES : Machine needles come in different sizes and types, and you need to use the right kind for your fabric. I use three sizes of needles: size 70/10 for thin fabrics, size 80/12 for medium-weight fabrics, and size 90/14 for thick fabrics. (Note that the higher the number is, the thicker the needle.) As for needle type, I like microtex for their sharp point. Other types you should know about are ballpoint (for jersey and stretch fabrics) and universal (which work on a variety of fabrics). For the projects in this book, use either microtex or universal needles. And don t forget to change the needle every few projects; they get dull with wear, compromising your stitch quality and leading to breakage.

MACHINE AND ACCESSORIES (clockwise from left): bobbins in case, basic sewing machine, thread, sewing machine feet, sewing machine oil, sewing machine needles
BOBBINS : Have plenty of empty bobbins around, and make sure they re the same class that came with your machine. You don t have to use brand-name bobbins (those are often more expensive without actually being a better product), but bring a bobbin from your machine to the store to compare size and shape. Use metal bobbins if your machine came with metal, and plastic bobbins if it came with plastic.
OIL : Check your machine s manual to see if it needs to be oiled regularly (some are self-lubricating). If it does, make sure to oil it every few projects to keep it running smoothly. Take out the bobbin case and squeeze two drops of oil into the shuttle (that s what the bobbin case fits into). With no needle in the machine, press the foot pedal to run the machine for a few seconds. Finally, put some scrap fabric into the machine and feed