Bestselling sewing author Gretchen Hirsch returns to her roots with a fresh look at fashion classics — how they were made then, and how modern day sewists can re-create them now — in Gertie’s Charmed Sewing Studio.

Gretchen Hirsch, aka “Gertie,” returns to her roots with a dive into beloved fashion classics, including the mermaid gown, the structured sheath (think Elizabeth Taylor), the Rose Marie Reid swimsuit, and more—plus a little fashion history, to inspire modern-day style mavens.

Sewists, thrift shoppers, and fashion collectors will love making the book's three downloadable patterns, and learning how to reproduce favorite vintage looks that fit modern figures.

The first half of the book is a journey through pattern and couture sewing techniques and iconic designs. Gretchen combines a bounty of sketches, historic images, process photos, and clear instructions to create an irresistible sewing guide and lookbook for the vintage fashion enthusiast.

In the second half, Gretchen deconstructs three intricate garments, the Madeleine dress, the Camille sheath, and the Lillian princess coat: Focusing on just three designs offers a sewing and design foundation in a full range of sizes—from 2–20 and 18 to 34, with separate A-H cup sizes. This wide range is not easy to find in other sewing books, and more important than ever for body inclusivity. Each garment (two dresses and a jacket) is shown with detailed instructions and links to download and print full-size patterns.

Featured garments:
• The Structured Tropical Dress
• The Rita Blouse
• The Night and Day Dress
• The Lilli Ann-Style Princess Coat
• The Rose Dressing Gown
• The Tropical Mermaid Gown
• The Marilyn Jeans
• The Rose Marie Reid Swimsuit
• The Cummerbund Bubble Dress
• Plus full-size patterns (to download and print) for:
• The Madeleine Dress, the Camille Sheath Dress, and the Lillian Jacket

From Gretchen Hirsch:
• Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing
• Gertie Sews Vintage Casual
• Gertie’s New Fashion Sketchbook
• Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book
• Gertie’s Charmed Sewing Studio

About the Author:

Gretchen Hirsch is an author, pattern designer, and sewing expert. She has collaborated with Butterick, Joann Fabrics, Spotlight Stores, and Michael Miller. She is the founder of Charm Patterns, the Charm Patterns YouTube channel, and Charm Patterns subscription service. Her 100,000+ fans are sewing enthusiasts from around the world.

Gretchen "Gertie" Hirsch is a passionate home seamstress, an in demand sewing teacher and creator/writer of one of the web's most popular sewing blogs: Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing.

The blog began as a way for readers to follow Hirsch’s progress as she stitched all 14 fashions from the iconic 1950s sewing book Vogue’s New Book for Better Sewing (a Julie & Julia–esque experiment for the modern sewist). It quickly became a place for Hirsch to share tutorials and lively posts about sewing as it relates to fashion history, pop culture, body image, and gender. An extension of the blog, Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing is a hardworking reference title packed with lessons on couture techniques and customization, as well as an inimitable pattern collection featuring 25 wardrobe essentials and variations inspired by vintage fashion and Gertie’s spirited, modern style.

About the Author:

Gretchen Hirsch is the sewing mastermind behind Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing (blogforbettersewing.blogspot.com). She teaches sewing classes and contributesto many sewing publications. She has 15,000 blog subscribers and averages 45,000 unique monthly visitors and 350,000 monthly page views.

The mid-20th century was an amazing time for American women's fashion!

Following the war, women started looking to American designers rather than French couture houses for inspiration and to demand clothing they could move in, even play in. In this follow-up to Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, Gretchen "Gertie" Hirsch celebrates the classic casual styles that icons like Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Rosie the Riveter made famous - think wide-legged trousers, fitted capri pants, beach rompers, shorts, knit tops, jeans, and day dresses. In Part I, Hirsch introduces key techniques for sportswear construction - from working with knit fabrics to the intricacies of pant-making - and in Part II, she showcases a 30-plus-piece vintage-inspired casual wardrobe.

About the Author:

Gretchen Hirsch is the author of Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing and creator of Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing. She has a pattern line with Butterick and a fabric line with Fabric Traditions, and teaches sewing around the country and on PBS’s It’s Sew Easy, Craftsy.com, and Creativebug.com. Her work has been featured in Sew Stylish, Vogue Patterns, Threads, and Stitch, and on jezebel.com.

Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses is Gretchen Hirsch’s modern reinvention of a simple idea, focusing on easily mastered sewing skills, minimal pattern pieces, and fabulous designs.

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 to stylish women who are continuously looking for ways to fit their love of sewing into busy lives packed with family, work, school, and countless other obligations.

With the lessons offered here, you can make a Popover Dress, Chemise Dress, Swirl Dress, Boatneck Dress, and Patio Dress. Everything you need is included: pattern maps, finished garment measurements, and more. 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. Chapters include:

• Supplies and Tools
• Fabrics
• Getting Ready to Sew
• Dress Construction: The Basics
• Dress Construction: Essential Skills
• Trims and Flourishes
• Fitting

Hirsch writes in her introduction, “So why did I 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!”

The vintage aesthetic of these projects will appeal to beginner and expert crafters alike. They stand on their own as great examples of retro fashion. They aren’t just simple sewing projects. So, don’t wait. Start sewing

Includes color photographs and illustrations.

About the Author:

Gretchen Hirsch is a sought-after teacher and designer with two highly successful sewing pattern lines and a fabric line with Fabric Traditions. She lives in Beacon, New York.