Learn how to make your own clothes in simple steps. A compact and comprehensive dressmaking resource for anyone who wants to learn how to make clothes at home. Learn how to make a dress, trousers, tops, and jackets--18 garments in all--by following clear and simple step-by-step sequences. Everything you need to learn to sew a wardrobe of clothes is included, from information on tools and materials, to key sewing techniques, to garment projects complete with sewing patterns.

"A tribute to a time when style -- and maybe even life -- felt more straightforward, and however arbitrary, there were definitive answers." -- Sadie Stein, Paris Review As a glance down any street in America quickly reveals, American women have forgotten how to dress. We lack the fashion know-how we need to dress professionally and beautifully. In The Lost Art of Dress, historian and dressmaker Linda Przybyszewski reveals that this wasn't always true. In the first half of the twentieth century, a remarkable group of women -- the so-called Dress Doctors -- taught American women that knowledge, not money, was key to a beautiful wardrobe. They empowered women to design, make, and choose clothing for both the workplace and the home. Armed with the Dress Doctors' simple design principles -- harmony, proportion, balance, rhythm, emphasis -- modern American women from all classes learned to dress for all occasions in ways that made them confident, engaged members of society. A captivating and beautifully illustrated look at the world of the Dress Doctors, The Lost Art of Dress introduces a new audience to their timeless rules of fashion and beauty -- rules which, with a little help, we can certainly learn again.

An invaluable resource, Dressmaking will guide you through all the stages of making, altering, and customizing clothes. Starting with the Tools and Materials, you will learn what you need to buy and how to use it. The Fabrics chapter demonstrates the drape and weave of fabrics and explains the best uses of each. The Patterns chapter covers everything from understanding a pattern to altering one. In General Techniques, close-up photography and guiding annotation to explain key techniques step by step. A section on Basic Patterns and Variations then guides you through creating six garments. Patterns and detailed step-by-step instructions are provided for a skirt, dress, shirt, tee, jacket, and pair of trousers. Instructions are also given for possible variations of each garment. Finally, chapters on Alterations and repairs and Customizing offer practical tips for repairing worn items and inspiration for modernizing tired pieces. Packed with essential advice and inspiration, this is the dressmaking bible that no budding seamstress should be without.

"This comprehensive guide will walk you through how to make and wear your 18th century dream gown. [The authors] have endeavored to ... [bring] historically accurate dressmaking techniques into your sewing room. Learn how to make four of the most iconic 18th century silhouettes--the English Gown, Sacque Gown, Italian Gown and Round Gown--using the same hand sewing techniques done by historic dressmakers. From large hoops to full bums, wool petticoats to grand silk gowns, ruffled aprons to big feathered hats, this manual has project patterns and instructions for every level of 18th century sewing enthusiast"--Amazon.com.

Vintage guide offered turn-of-the-century seamstresses clear instructions for altering patterns and creating shirt-blouses, skirts, wedding gowns, coats, maternity wear, children's clothing, and other apparel.