I have a cold at the moment, so if this doesn't make sense let's just blame it on that. I was kind of hesitant to write this review because I think some of the issues that I have with this book are just me, and what I personally like/dislike. I love Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing and I was excited when she announced that she was writing a sewing book. I was excited when she showed some of the clothes she'd made from patterns in the book. I pre-ordered it and got my copy a couple of weeks ago. I was really excited (sensing a theme yet?) when I got it and had a quick glance at it, but the more I look at it the more disappointed I am. There are definitely some great things about the book, but I'm just not sure that I will get much use out of it.
The Good:
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| I like this. The fabric is lovely. It reminds me of a quilting cotton I have in my stash ;) |
I love that she acknowledged the complications of being a feminist and loving vintage clothing. I don't really talk about it here, but, as a femme and a feminist, I have a pretty complicated relationship with the way I dress and the way that I'm perceived by people because of that.
There are tons of techniques for those who are just out of the beginner stage. There are instructions about finishing techniques, hand stitches, bound buttonholes, covered buttons etc.
The book includes the patterns so it's a pretty good deal considering how expensive a single pattern can be. I know they have 99c sales in the US, but here in NZ new patterns are around $20-25 and around $10-15 on sale.
The illustrations by Sun Young Park are gorgeous.
I like the tone of the book. It is really friendly and conversational. Some sewing books can be intimidating because they use all sorts of terms without explaining what they mean and assume you already have a lot of knowledge.
The Problems I have
Sizing
The book says, "most women are a size bigger in the hips than in the waist". I'm not sure if this is a fact or just Gertie's experience but, in any case, it's definitely not true for me. The patterns are based on the idea that most women have a 12 inch difference between their hips and waist. I don't doubt that there are lots of women out there that are that shape but I think it's a stretch to say that "most" women are that shape. On the sizing chart my bust and waist measurements match up with a size 4 (my waist is actually slightly larger than a size 4 but smaller than a size 6) but my hips are smaller than the smallest size. I am small, but my figure is not particularly boyish. There is a discernable difference between my hips and my waist but, according to this, my hips are more than two sizes smaller than my waist. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great there are patterns out there that cater to different shapes. Sewaholic Patterns, for example, makes patterns to suit "pear shapes" (her words, not mine). They are cute patterns, but I've never bought any because I know they wouldn't suit me. I just wish that it had been made clear that the patterns in the book were drafted for a really hourglass-y figure because I probably wouldn't have bought it if I had realised that I would need to change the patterns a lot to make them fit me. I know I'm very lucky that my measurements (apart from my height) are usually pretty close to the vintage patterns I sew, but that's why I use them, because modern patterns don't usually fit me well either.
Quilting Cottons
I guess I'm a bit sensitive about this because I use quilting cottons a lot (because they have the best novelty prints ever), but in the book it says that they are "all wrong for garments". I dispute this. Sure, they are wrong for some garments, in the same way that all fabrics are wrong for some garments. I mean, I wouldn't use wool to make a sundress but that doesn't mean that there aren't things that wool is good for. I find that quilting fabrics are the perfect mid weight cottons for shirtdresses, blouses and skirts. One of my favourite dress, the map print one, is made of from quilting cotton and I love it.
Photos
I was disappointed with some of the garments in the book because Gertie had posted on her blog some of the clothes she had made with the patterns in the book and I loved them. I would never comment on the fit of something sewn by an amateur sewer because I am not great at fitting either, but in a published book about sewing it does irk me a bit to see some garments that don't fit very well.
Before the release of the book, Gertie posted this dress on her blog. Above is the version in the book. I really love the version she posted on her blog but I don't really care for the one in the book. The satin puckers rather unflatteringly (which satin does) and the fit doesn't seem to be that great. Maybe it's just the fabric because the one I linked to above seems to fit her well. Similarly, I love this version of the wiggle dress posted on the blog, but I don't really like the one in the book. If I hadn't seen the other versions on her blog that I like better I probably wouldn't have been so disappointed in the ones in the book.
I'm not sure what's wrong with this hem, but it does seem a bit sloppy in a book about couture-style sewing.
I don't mean to be harsh in my criticisms but I had really high hopes for this book and I am disappointed. Obviously, writing a book takes lots of work and I doubt I would be able to do it. I love Gertie's blog and the things she makes, I think I just expected to like the book more. I'm sure it's a great book for people that want to learn more intermediate and vintage sewing techniques. A lot of the patterns aren't really my style even though most of the time I 'sew retro' so I guess some of it is down to personal taste.
I bought this book too! I love pattern books and I love Gertie so I had to have this one, but I agree with a lot of what you say here! I'm also a bit annoyed that the photo of the dropped waisted cocktail dress is taken with Gertie sitting down - I like the dress but its really had to imagine what it would really look like when its modeled by someone sitting down. As you know, I'm pretty new to sewing, but I thought that hem on that skirt looked a bit weird - but I thought perhaps it was just me! I am hoping to make some of the blouses in the book and also the sweetheart sundress sometime soon. Also thanks for your comments about Butterick 4919 - I am really hoping that I have a chance to make it for new years this year.
ReplyDeleteI love Gertie too, that's why I felt bad about posting a not great review. Yeah, I thought that about the drop waisted dress too. I thought some of the other things looked a bit weird too. Yeah, the blouses are nice. That's okay. It takes tons of fabric but would be a great new years dress.
DeleteI don't think it is too harsh - obviously there are different standards for items that are published in a book about couture sewing and ones that are posted on a blog. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
DeleteThis red dress is so beautiful!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.frenchinlosangeles.com/
Awesome review. I have heard a lot about this book and was vaguely considering getting it for myself because although I can sew a garment that looks fine from the outside, my sewing techniques are basically made up so not very neat or refined. I have the same problem with my hips - although I am a size 6 on that chart, my hips are a size 2 measurement. I wish I could wear 'wiggle' dresses but they look so wrong on me, which is maybe why I cling to my full-skirted dresses so much, as they give the illusion of an hourglass figure.
ReplyDeleteI will probably get this book out from the library if they get it in, because I'm sure I could learn a lot from it. Also, I LOVE that red roses-y dress in the second photo.
Honestly, you can get most of the info in the book from the internet or other sewing books. There's a Vogue on that they have in my local library that's really good or Singer Sewing Books from the 50s and 60s are good too. Yeah, I find it hard to believe that 'most' women have a figure that is that hourglass-y. I still wear wiggle dresses but, like you, I wear full skirts a lot because they look better.
DeleteYeah, I love that dress too, but I probably won't make the pattern because I already have a shirtdress pattern.
You've made a lot of very pertinent points in this post and I'd like to address them separately in purely academic sense (please take this as an entirely subjective overview and not any sort of critical debate on any of your points).
ReplyDelete1. My immediate first response to this post was Oh thank f*ck someone finally mentioned that the fit of the garments in this book is rubbish because all of the yay it's awesome fist-bumps by people who've yet to sew anything from it has really turned me off the whole thing. The fit of almost every 'fitted' garment in this book is hideous. Not by professional standards but by any standard at all. I would not buy ready to wear items with such a sloppy fit, so why on earth should I spend time, money and effort sewing up clothes that look like that? I don't read her blog-I found some of the earlier posts on vintage sewing useful and informative but but some of the later stuff to be pap (re: a post comparing fashion industry types who'd criticised the costumes in the Hunger Games movie as reflective of the clueless and myopic ruling class in the same movie. I find this sort of reactionary tabloid writing irresponsible and simplified to the point of lacking any meaning at all).
2. Re critique: I feel that there is a serious dearth of the sort of critique you say you avoid in the sewing blogosphere. Too often I come across sloppy half-assed makes that rational people leave awesomely positive comments on when all they really needed to say was, " Nice fabric and I like the ... but the bust portion might lie flatter if you lowered the dart tip to 2 cm below your bust point".
To me the whole point of critique is to encourage improvement and foster discussion so there's really no point in asking for critique if people are too scared to add anything new/ useful.
3. I have used quilting cottons for garment sewing (I didn't know back when I started sewing that there were local sources of garment-specific fabric) and can say from unfortunate experience that the quality and drape of quilting fabric does not fulfil even the most basic requirements of garment-fabric. Most quilting fabrics are also really rough which causes them to snag on innerwear including fine hosiery and slips (which is unfortunate because I, like yourself, do like the range of colours and patterns available in quilting fabric).
4. Yes the sizing in that book does sound off the wall. I too, avoid both Collette and Sewaholic patterns because their basic blocks are based on silhouettes which are completely different from mine. It seems to me a telling fact that most of the pattern reviews for these brands include sh*tloads of alterations and modifications for even the most basic patterns (which to me, signifies either bad drafting (by the designer), bad silhouette choice (by the customer) or some hideous combination of the two.
5. I'm not into vintage silhouettes. They don't fit into my design aesthetic and I find the froufrou/ frippery aspect excessive. I also feel, on some level, that a lot of women (I see this often with the younger 'indie' set in Melbourne) romanticise the past (especially the 50s) as some sort of age of innocence to harken back to; that attitude grates because to me it seems an age of absolute ignorance and misogyny-women were little more than chattel, had no control over their own lives and destinies and coloured people lacked the basic freedoms that most people take for granted today. I realise that there are individuals like yourself that choose to dress in the manner of a particular era because they find those silhouettes most flattering for their figures and feel that this is a different issue entirely as it is based on aesthetics not 'values'.
6. That fabric you like is a past season Liberty tana lawn. If you head to ebay.co.uk and search for Liberty fabric you should find it pretty quickly.
Thanks for the forthright post-I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for your comment. On point 2, I think you're right. The atmosphere of the sewing community makes it quite hard to constructively criticise things but it could be really helpful. It's a very supportive community but maybe too much so sometimes.
Delete3. That hasn't been my experience with them so I guess we'll just have to disagree :)
5. Yes, that sort of idealising of the past is part of the reason I am uneasy with the way I am perceived while wearing vintage styles because people often assume I'm some sort of 'old fashioned ladylike woman', which I'm not. As someone who's queer my relationship with vintage is further complicated by the fact that I wouldn't want to live in the past because I would have had to live secretly or risk being ostracised. While I love vintage styles, I am under no illusions that it was a better time.
6. Thanks for the info. I probably won't be able to afford it, but I'll look it up.
Thanks for posting such an honest review. Yes, I've read on another blog (in German however) the disappointment with fit in the pictures in the book. But I guess that these issues with fit don't necessarily translate into the patterns but are Gertie's fit choices, and I've always noticed on her blog that she likes to wear a lot of the clothes she sews very tightly, which can then lead to puckering and folds, etc. So this shouldn't be a problem when working with the patterns. I still really like some of the patterns in the book, and am probably going to buy it, but only for X-mas (no money at the moment :) have to curb my sewing spending. The thing I'm not looking forward to in the book is the basic sewing instructions. Somehow, in order to be able to address a larger readership, all sewing books seem to have a basic sewing section included (like, The Colette Sewing Handbook), which for me is a bit of a waste. The Colette book is really intended for beginners, and as I could see in Gertie's book, she also has sections on fitting, basic skills, etc., when I already own a ton of books on precisely these topics. Somehow every sewing book has to be a full compendium to be used without any other previous knowledge. But I guess the books are cheap considering patterns cost so much and they include so many patterns, so I really shouldn't be moaning :) ahh yes, and the quilting cotton issue, I have a whole post in the works about how I hate it when people put out rules that quilting cotton should not be used for making clothes :) that's for another day :)
ReplyDeleteI did wonder if it was just me being too picky about the fitting but I'm glad other people noticed it too. I hope you're right about the patterns but I have read other people have had to make quite a lot of alterations to the bow tie blouse patterns. Yes, it is a pain that most of the new sewing books seem to cover much of the same material. I look forward to reading your post about quilting cottons. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteI wrote a comment earlier but it didn't show?? Anyway I wanted to say not many people would post an honest review but I'm glad you have as there is too much 'oh that's so great' out in blog world even if it's not. And I think there are different standards when you read a blog that is just out there and something that you have to pay for. Anyway I will reserve judgement until I borrow it from the library in about 2000 years when they get it!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why that was. I checked my spam but it wasn't in there. Yes, that's why I wrote the review. If it was something free or on someone's blog I wouldn't have said anything but since it's something you pay for there is a certain expectation of quality. I imagine that many people will find it to be a great book, it just isn't for me.
DeleteGlad you posted this review. I haven't bought the book and hadn't seen many photos from inside it, so I'm really shocked to see some of the problems you pointed out, such as that hem. It really doesn't look good at all! As for the "quilting cotton" issue, I think you know where I stand on that. :) I love the prints and have used them for many of my favorite garments, and those are the clothes I get the most compliments on, by far.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was pretty shocked when I got my copy of the book and saw some of the fitting and other issues. Ha, yeah, we both have a similar taste for brightly coloured quilting prints.
DeleteThank you for such an honest review. It's kind of hard to point out rather obvious drawbacks when most everyone is really championing for it. I agree, this is a professionally published book, the fit and finishing on all of the sample garments should look good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes, I wasn't sure if I should write the review just because all the other ones I had read were glowing, but it's good to know that people appreciate the honesty.
DeleteI think you are to be commended for posting an honest review. The issues with the garments in the photos really surprised me as I follow the blog too, and thought the garments in the photos in the book you posted are clearly not the same standard. I agree with Summer Flies, there is a lot of flattery out there - which is annoying and fake. I will also get the book from the library, its unlikely I would buy it though. Love your blog!!
ReplyDeleteYes, maybe it's a combination of poor fabric choice and the professional lighting/photography but they don't seem to be up to the normal standard of the things she posts on her blog. Yes, I think the flattery may be because some sewing bloggers feel like they know Gertie and don't want to hurt her feelings. Thank you!
DeleteYou areright about that hem! I thought I was seeing things! I would have pulled that pic if it was my book!
ReplyDeleteI haven't as yet sat down and had a proper look,typically! You've written a really good, honest and well mannered review! I hope I don't regret buying the book;it was really a bit of inspiration...and I also have loads of sewing books...I probably really didn't need it....!
X
I wondered if it was just me seeing it too but other people have noticed it. I still think the book will be really useful for some people, just not for me, so don't regret buying it just yet. You might find it great and if it inspires you to sew that's all that matters really.
DeleteI'm not aware of the blogger so I'll have to investigate. That hem is a shocker! x
ReplyDeleteShe's a popular blogger in the sewing blogosphere whose blog I read and like but, yes, the hem is pretty bad.
DeleteI think your review is really balanced and honest. I have the book and I noticed some of the issues you mention too - the hem definitely jumped out at me.
ReplyDeleteBut also the issue of sizing just seemed wrong - in fact I thought it was the case that women today tend to have larger waists in relation to their hips because of the predominantly sedentary lifestyle that a lot of us lead and the higher level of fat and sugar in our diets.
Re: quilting cotton - I've heard it said that the way quilting cottons are dyed means they tend to fade quicker, especially with repeated washing, and that is why they are not recommended for clothing.I personally don't agree. I've used quilting cotton in garment sewing with great results. Also I often knit with hand-dyed yarns which would fade quickly if I washed them too harshly - so I'm just more careful and I'm sure the same could apply to quilting cotton.
Thanks. Yes, the hem is rather noticeable.
DeleteI was confused by the sizing too. I thought our waists these days were bigger also because people don't wear shapewear as much any more.
I've never heard about the fading so it's good to know. I tend to handwash most of my handmade clothing so I haven't noticed any problems with things I've made from quilting cottons.
hmm, not sure about that hem, that's the sort of thing a complete sewing novice like me would do and think I'd done ok! The first dress is magic though. Not happy with the sizing as I'd just fit the 16 with a squeeze on the waist. I'm overweight but definitely not a "vintage" shape, I'm an apple or something. Anyway, forget the feminist talk, surely wearing what makes you happy is the most important and liberating thing. I think you always look great too!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't point out something like the hem or even really notice it on something a novice sewer had made, but I think there are different standards if you're publishing a book/calling yourself a professional. Yeah, I don't think many people are a "vintage" shape. Wearing what makes you happy is the most important thing, which is why I do wear what I want, but it does make me uncomfortable when people assume certain things about me based on the way I dress. Thanks!
DeleteWell, I don't know Gertie, and I am no seamstress, but it sounds to me that your review is fair and honest, and even I can see the red dress isn't fitting well and that hem isn't good! xxxx
ReplyDeleteThanks, I was aiming for that. It's good to know I'm not being too nitpicky about the fitting.
DeleteSweet Pea, I agree with your assessment. I just bought a book (cheap!) Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer. It was about 20 dollars US. Wonderful techniques, pics, high quality all around. Claire even has photos of the inner construction of YSL and Dior garments. I LOVED this book because I do most of my construction by hand. It turns out this is how most couture garments are made. Yay! I have been doing it all along and didn't even know it. I also use my old tried and true Singer sewing book from 1951.
ReplyDeleteListen, you just keep on sewing with your quilting cottons, and as for 20 dollar patterns....!!!! Piffle! You pay the postage and I'll scavenge the vintage patterns for you. Out here in the hinterlands, they are called "That old junk." and go for 50 cents. I have sent them around the world to my sewing blog aquaintances for 10 dollars or less. The joy is spread, and a friend is made!
Oh yes, I've got Couture Sewing Techniques out from the library before. It is good, isn't it? I have a Singer book from the 50s too. They're great. That sounds fabulous.
DeleteThank you very much for your review! I love Gertie's blog and some of my favourite garments were made following sew alongs led by her. I have the book on a x-mas wish list but not sure now as the sizing does put me off. I completely understand that designers will design to a specific figure but the hour glass is very far off mine and knowing how to draft patterns for my body I don't have much patience to very complicated alterations. But, I do love the vintage styles and if my body figured matched it I would certainly buy it.
ReplyDeleteYes, the sizing is an an issue. I was surprised by it because all the stuff I read about the book gave no indication that it was designed specifically for an hourglass shape.
DeleteEvery now and then I publicly review different things and every now and then I get hammered so hats off to an honest reviewer especially when it can go against popular opinion. It absolutely helps being critical and while in New Zealand that can be viewed as being unpatriotic. Respect. It's helpful, you've provided sound reasons and like you many a time I have been disappointed by a book based on a blog that doesn't deliver. Tauke e hoa
ReplyDeleteYeah, it can be hard to honestly review something when everyone is singing its praises. NZ is definitely weird about criticising some things and then other things the whole country decides they hate and everyone criticised them for no reason. I think the blog to book thing is probably quite hard. Just because someone's a good blogger doesn't necessarily mean that they can write a good book.
DeleteI liked your review too - and also noticed that hem.
ReplyDeleteI bought the book because I think it's good to support members of the sewing community and she's doing really well for having only blogged for the last three years or so.
Absolutely agree on your criticisms too - I'm also not sure I'll use the patterns as I've got a lot of great vintage patterns that are already very similar and I'm not that super interested in making alterations. Maybe it's cos I'm one of those lucky people that doesn't need to alter vintage patterns much so repro really doesn't have any appeal for me.
What I have found useful in the book is the small section on tailoring. It's no different to what I can find on the net (and from Gertie's Craftsy classes either) but I have actually used that section. It's handy to have the book open right there while I'm working on pad stitching and I can refer to the diagrams.
As for other useful resources - I'm not sure if you have Instagram, but I posted some pics recently of some 1940's needlecraft and mending books I'd found in a secondhand bookstore. They are SO FULL of the BEST information - incredibly detailed diagrams of how to mend pretty much everything, and ways to fix clothes that have worn out and change them into something new. The needlecraft book has hundreds of different stitch types including French hems which I'd never heard of before and lots of embroidery info. These are the kinds of publications that are missing in the modern day - they don't feel the need to teach you what a seam is and how to straighten your fabric.
Anyways - enough rambling. I'm glad you wrote this post and it's good to see people being constructive in criticism and responses. It really would be more welcome in the internet sewing community - I know I have no ego when it comes to sewing - tell me my things don't fit right and my seams are dodgy! I can take it! Haha! As long as you help me do the right thing next time ;-P
Yes, I think it's great to support members of the sewing community too, but I do have certain standards for things which cost money.
DeleteYou're right, it does have some useful information but it is mostly stuff I could get for free from the net.
Yes! I have a couple of old sewing books from the 50s and they are great.
Thank you. I'm the same. I hope that if someone notices a fitting problem on something I've sewn and knows how to fix it, they'll tell me.
Yes! My favorite books on tailoring and sewing are all from the 40s and 50s. They smell like old books, haha, but they're chock FULL of the best sort of information that is nonexistent these days in commercial books and patterns. (Vintage patterns have a wealth of info too).
DeleteAs for supporting those in the sewing community, I'm all for support when it's warranted. I personally don't feel this book warrants my support (i.e. cash). That's OK though, there will be plenty who DO enjoy it and buy it. Everyone gets to make up their own mind! :)
I love those old musty books too. I feel redeemed for my bookshelf now. ;)
DeleteI quit reading her in 2009 or so when she got onto the feminist wave. And by no means am I anti-feminist, I just don't need to have a bunch of other women tell me how to be one.
ReplyDeleteSo, I didn't have any expectations from the book when I was given a copy, except that I knew she was supposed to be the second coming of the home sewing movement according to everyone on the blog-o-sphere. As a disclaimer: I am no expert in my own sewing, but then I don't get paid to do it.
The perfect nose summed up my feelings on the book very well.
I read this post a while back but have being tied up with work so haven't had a chance to comment until now - but AMEN!!!
ReplyDeleteI wont ramble on as you really have summarised it so well and very politely. My congratulations to Gertie on her success, but, someone who taught herself to sew two years ago, now declaring them self an expert (especially in couture techniques) really makes me mad. It is an insult to those seamstresses (or whatever your term of choice) who have spent year perfecting their trade/passion.
For now I'm off to learn rocket science, should have a book out declaring my expertise in about a month, I'll keep you posted!
Your comments and criticisms are interesting and valid. I read Gertie's blog and wanted the book when it came out, too. I only recently got around to buying it and read all the reviews on Amazon before doing so - the good and the bad. I decided to buy it anyway.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have it, I'm not disappointed. I wish that there were better pictures that would show the fit better and some of it looks like it needs better pressing, too. I want to believe that in real life the garments are better made than they are showing up as in the book. And I didn't look at the sizing beforehand, but those items you brought up would be an issue for me, as well. But...
The thing is, I'm inspired by it. I wouldn't wear all the styles, but the possibility of options and the permission to take some and toss some ideas is empowering to me. Looking at all of it and reading the techniques makes me want to sew more, too. I like that what Gertie presents is approachable and I feel like I can make anything I like these days because if I break it down, take my time and go for it.
That said, I have come to collect sewing books as if just having them will make me better. I will not sew a fraction of what is inside of any of them, but I'm okay with that. If I use one pattern in this book, it will be a success. Short of that, I'm good with inspiration and entertainment.
Thanks for your honest review! I was shocked when I saw the photos inside the book. Honestly, it makes me think the photos on her blog may have been doctored a bit to appear "better". Otherwise..why put such sloppy work into the book?
ReplyDeleteI no longer read her blog, btw, for a variety of reasons. And I think several other criticisms I've read of the book (both here and elsewhere) such as the sizing statement (waist v hips, size chart in general) and the quilting cotton comment, AND the poor fit and execution of the patterns, can all be traced back to her lack of experience. She is, after all, still a relative beginner to sewing and tailoring.
I appreciate your having pointed out some of the weaker points of this particular book. I'm not one to put people down, but as a professional seamstress, I know darn well that no client would ever walk out my door with a hem like that. I do love the style, but am certain I will not be purchasing that book. (p.s. in no way am I trying to be holier-than-thou. It's just that I realize the value of honing your skill with repetition repetition repetition).
ReplyDeletep.s. I adore your blog and all your stunning frocks!
--Margaret
I very much enjoyed your thoughtful, constructive review! I have been on the fence about getting the book (almost a year after it was released, ha!)...but it really all comes down to the fact that my sewing style is not vintage, and I doubt I would make any of the patterns.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite "catch all" sewing book is the Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing; I have an older copy. A little dated, maybe, and I wish it had more color pictures, but I love it. I agree 100% with the other commenter who said their most-used books are the specific subject matter titles: fitting, patternmaking, fabric guides, etc.
Also, re: quilting cottons...it seems like sewists either love them or despise them. I have used them and some of the more expensive ones are really lovely! They definitely have a place in my fabric stash. :)
The tattoos make everything hideous. They are disgusting.
ReplyDelete