Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book: A Modern Guide to Sewing Fabulous Vintage Styles (Gertie's Sewing)

This is a perfect manual on sewing. The dresses are a wonderful assortment. No detail is left out and the instructions are detailed. All of Gertie’s book are A+

I will just be honest and say I bought this book for the patterns with are about 23 in the book. I figured it couldn't hurt.so here are the ones that caught my attention. Even though I must say I was not wowed by any of the dresses in this book.The blue wool work dress although the skirt makes it more appropriate for the 40' that is an easy fix.The dress looks a bit odd on gertie as the bodice screams 50's but the skirt screams 40's.The Emerald Faille party dressThe faux sarong dress has potental, if you remove the sarong and use a different fabricThe faux tulle party dress is 50''s winner.The plaid secretary dressThe Hot pink Crepe dressThe rest I was rather disappointed. My thoughts are 6 patterns for 17.00$ is not that bad. So overall I think what I got from the book versus the price is good. I weighed the pattern sizing errors against the construction information in the book and think that for someone jumping into retro sewing the construction information is not that bad-Granted you already have a solid base in fitting and the style eras. I do not think this book is for beginners, for the patterns you will more than likely need extensive fitting knowledge and to get the patterns, era appropriate, knowledge of the fashion time frame, that only comes with study. As I always say Gertie is not a true historical sewer she interprets the time era and produces what she likes, which is fine but does not always look accurate if you are bent on the historical fashion of an era.However, the sizing is definitely off when making up the patterns. I am used to doing a billion muslins for garments anyway so that didn't bother me as much. But for people who usually only have to tweak a few things here and there, that can be concerning especially with the facing pieces. So word of advice make sure your are making muslins and checking your piece to make sure they line up correctly.Other than the patterns there is nothing glaringly good or bad about the book. I was disappointed as I thought I would get to see some amazing dresses to replicate but only got "okay ones". If you are diving into retro fashion this book can't hurt but if you have her first book, you won't find anything too special about this one. Is it a must have..Not for me.

I ordered this book because I love vintage-style clothes and wanted to branch out to start sewing my own. I am a strong intermediate home sewer, and found this book easy to follow and understand. Gertie is excellent at showing you what you need to know - there is written direction as well as visual directions. As someone who is a visual learner (I need pictures, video, or to see it done to learn) I really appreciate this detail. She also shows the garment on a mannequin turned inside out, showing you what the construction details look like when finished, which I found exceptionally helpful. She also discusses foundation garments, which you are going to want to learn about if you want the finished dress to look correct - silhouette is soooo important with these styles!! I strongly recomment Gertie's books, her pattern line, Charm patterns, and joining her Patreon account. All of these have proven VERY helpful to me as I learn more about vintage clothing and style, and how to translate that knowledge into creating my own closet of beautiful, perfect-to-me fitting clothing.

I like the way it seems simple to follow and easy to read I’m looking forward to really digging in and using it

I just got this book today. I want to start by saying I HAVE NOT YET SEWN ANY of the patterns included. I will update my review once I do. There is a lot of good info in this book. What fabric is what, seam finishes, dress construction, zipper, installing linings, facings, some hand sewing, fit issues and how to resolve them. Gertie says her sizing is better for curvy women as she has a bigger hip to waist ratio. I'm hoping this will help me as I have a 26in waist and 41in hip. There are 23 completed dresses with pics and instructions, and supplies needed. The 23 dresses are to get your creative juices flowing but Gertie says you can easily mix and match a bodice from one with the skirt of another. I like most of the patterns. I love the vintage look (there is a Peter Pan collar!) patterns for several different bodices, a few different skirts, and a couple sleeves and collars. If you are already a well experienced dressmaker and tailor than you probably know everything already, this is great for beginners and intermediate sewists (is that a word?)Sure most or all of the info you could find for free online, but having a book and seeing the pics is something I like. I can't wait to start...off to the fabric store!

WOW - I have Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing and I didn't know it could get better!! Even though this is an older book (I think) but this one is SO SO SO GIRLY GIRL that I want to carry it with me 24/7. Also, when I purchased the "New Book" I had not yet started tracing off my patterns and I was intimidated by the added work. Having now enjoyed the extra control I have when tracing patterns and the added advantage of saving your original patterns - well -- I'm no longer intimated and want to make EVERYTHING in this book - yay! Fast delivery. The binder is a bit broken but I have a new mail girl and she throws stuff around - so I am not going to blame the binding rip on the delivery. More likely my mail-woman who stays on the phone 24/7 and delivers half of my packages to my neighbor - LOVE THIS BOOK!!

I am teaching myself to sew and have an interest in vintage dresses so decided to buy this.Overall it's a good book with lots of patterns and instructions for making the dresses but as a beginner I found some parts tricky. I wish it had gone into more depth for some parts as I have to look up YouTube tutorials as I go through sometimes not being able to find an explanation to what I'm meant to be doing.It would have also been nice if it told you which dress parts could be found on which pattern sheets, there's so many lines it's not simple to spot the parts you want.Hopefully as I use it more it will become less frustrating.

This book is fantastic! Gertie's style is phenomenal, and her collection of dresses will suit many different body types. I love the fact that you can mix and match the different elements to each dress, ensuring they compliment your own shape. The patterns are easy to follow and have plenty of instruction to guide you. Lovely photos and illustrations throughout.

Love the patterns and dress detailed and easy to understand

OMG I live this book! It has all the designs for my favourite 50s dress and more! Really impressed with the quality.

Love this book. I've been seeing for getting on for 50yrs now and she has included information I didn't know before. Can wait to make some of the patterns. Would definitely recommend this book to beginners and experienced sewers