This fabulous, well-illustrated and easy to understand book will teach you all you need to know to develop the essentials of dressmaking and dress design.  Follow their extensive instructions and useful illustrations and you will learn, step-by-step, how to design your own patterns, restyle and remake vintage clothing, and develop the skills  to make your own wardrobe.

What a fantastic vintage sewing resource!

A comprehensive, hardcover book which spans 632 pages. Profusely illustrated and well written. Valuable reference on clothing construction and fashion ideas from the 1940s and 1950s era. A must-have for anyone interested in recreating these vintage designs and style.  A fascinating read for anyone interested in fashion, design, beauty and personal appearance.

Grace Kelly, who was presented in 1955 fashion award by Stanley Marcus, president of Neiman-Marcus, Dallas and Houston, as a movie-actress typifying the American style of dress, casual for any daytime occasion in contrast to the glamorous for formal wear. In 1956, she headed the list of the ten best-dressed women in America. "The title of best-dressed women is in no sense a synonym for wealth or extravagance in dress, but a symbol of contemporary good taste and a bow of recognition to each woman's personal application of the art of fashion to her won way of life."  Miss Kelly's influence on lady-like styles is recognized both in America and abroad.

Dorothy McGuire demonstrated the effect of neat make-up, clean hair, changed hair style, lift of the head, and appropriate clothes on personality and ultimate happiness.

Before and After 3-week Paris Beauty Course

CLOTHING FOR MODERNS
by
MABEL D. ERWIN

Mabel D. Erwin, Professor Emeritus of Clothing and Textiles,
Texas Technological College
Copyright 1949, 1957
Published by The Macmillan Company

Purpose of book...This book was written for  freshman and sophomore college students.  This book is intended to be used as a text for classes in costume design, clothing section and general home economics. The author recognizes the three phases of clothing commonly considered in freshman college course today - taste or act in the selection of dress; buying problems of the consumer; construction and care of clothes.

The questions section,  which opens each chapter , serves as a basis for discussion in introducing the unit of study or as a general assignment.  The questions are written to help the individual with present and future clothing problems, and more especially to provide the subject matter basic to the teacher-training program in home and family life education.

TOPICS COVERED

Exploring the Clothing Field

Attractive as Can Be

Any girl will be more attractive and have more self-confidence if she has: poise, good habits, good posture and health, fastidious grooming, and clothes well groomed.

Poise and personality ~ Speech ~ Charm in Manner ~ Posture ~ Health ~ Habits ~ Hair ~ Art in Make-Up

Is it ever right to cross one's knees, or lean one's elbows on the table? What is the fashionable posture today? What law of art is violated if the seams of one's hose are crooked? Isn't it dangerous to use deodorants? Will shaving make hair coarser? What is the sense of going to a tea when you know you'll be bored? How do my measurements compare with the Hollywood ideal? the Greek ideal?

Wardrobe Building

Planning a wardrobe has the broad objectives of making you happy in your clothes and self-confident or poised because you know you are appropriately dressed-all for the same amount of money or less than you would spend buying clothes haphazardly.

Color ~ Suits ~ Dress ~ Sportswear ~ Correct Attire ~ Style, Fashion or Fad? ~ Proportion, Balance and Rhythm ~  Fitting Problems ~ Texture ~ Prints ~ Wardrobe Coordination ~ Gloves ~ Shoes ~ Wardrobe Failures ~ Etc...

Is a hat necessary in a costume for church? Is it correct to wear a suit without gloves? Should gloves match the hat or the shoes? About how much should a college girl spend on clothes? Is it right to wear a sport coat with an evening dress? Should I select colors to accent my eyes or my complexion? Isn't a basic color too monotonous? How can I manage to wear a plaid coat on a limited budget? How can I plan a dress that will  be "right" almost any time, anywhere? Why is sloppy sewing a violation of art?

Buying Fabrics

Whether we buy our clothes ready-made or make some, it is imperative that we be able to judge quality and values in fabrics. By values we refer to the usefulness or service a fabric can give. A fine quality or grade of gingham would have a different use than a coarse grade of gingham: one is valued for its dainty, sheer coolness; the other is preferred for its sturdy, protective qualities. Because of the labor and machinery, and perhaps the raw material, the first sells for three times as much, but the coarse one may wear six times as long in a pair of child's overalls. It isn't all a matter of price. The finer grades usually sell for more.

Can I tell by feeling or looking how cloth will wear? What is the difference between a print and a gingham? What fabrics would make a good summer travel suit and blouses for the Southwest? What kind of linen is "Butcher's linen"? What are "spuns"? Must all crepes be dry-cleaned? Can a chlorine bleach be used to whiten grayed white rayon slips? What are reliable "over-the-counter" tests? What qualities in a net designed for window curtains might be absent in a net for an evening dress which still is satisfactory? What effect will 50% shrinkage have on a dress? Why is a flannel shirt recommended in desert climates?

Buying Ready-Made and Accessories

How can I get shoes that really fit? Can I get good shoes on a budget? What kind of hose is best for general wear? How can I avoid slips and dresses that sag? Don't many $5.95 raincoats look just as well as some that cost three times more? Is it possible for a college girl to find a "decent" fur coat on a budget? What is the current price of a good basic suit?

Coats ~ Suits ~ Rainwear ~ Blouses ~ Gloves ~ Handbags ~ Handkerchiefs ~ Shoes ~ Hose ~ Undergarments ~ Etc...

College girls sometimes have plenty of cash and plenty of time for shopping, but usually it is the other way around. Too often they not only are short of time and money, but fear to assume responsibility for making purchases. Home and high school training should have made you a little independent in buying for yourself. But now the time has come to learn in earnest. You must train yourself to buy to the best advantage so that you will get the most for your money.

Buying and Preparing patterns

Before buying a pattern you should have made most of these decisions: The purpose of the garment, the fabric that fits that purpose, the range of colors to harmonize with your wardrobe. Study ready-to-wear garments and fashion magazines for recent style trends and details. Tentatively decide on the fabric. Can you afford it? Will it "do something for you"? Will you be able to handle it?

Testing Patterns by Measurements ~ Testing Patterns by Trial Fittings ~ Alterations to a Pattern

Should I buy dresses by hip measure or bust measure?-the patterns are always too tight around my, hips. Why doesn't the pattern company indicate crosswise grain lines? Do ready-made dress sizes correspond to pattern sizes? Why are the front and back shoulder seams unequal in length? Why should we be so particular as to label the pattern pieces right side up? In making a pattern larger isn't it all right to add a seam all around the edges?

Preparing and Handling Fabric

How do you decide which is the right side of a fabric? Should you pull a thread to straighten the end of checked gingham? If the end of the cloth is parallel with the end of the table, isn't it straight enough to place the patterns on and cut? Is it possible to have the lengthwise perforations on the lengthwise grain, yet have the crosswise grain not straight? Why does dampening help to straighten cloth? What fabrics require a layout designed for cloth "with a nap?" If the selvage has been removed, how can I identify the warp?

Using a Pattern

By this section, your pattern has been fitted and corrected. You have studied it so that you are familiar with the parts. The grain line has been extended full length, or the edge to be placed on a fold has been so marked on each piece. Your material has been prepared-straightened and pressed.

Pattern Placement and Layout ~ When the Pattern Won't Fit The Cloth ~ Using Marking Tools ~ Tailors Tacks ~ Piecing ~ Etc...

Why not cut each pattern piece as it is laid on the cloth? Why would a round dining table be a poor cutting surface? What difference does it make if the material is folded right side out or wrong side out? What differences in pinning are made between the temporary and the permanent layouts? Why isn't it good technique to pick up the fabric in your hands to cut around the pattern? When is it safe to cut out a dress with pinking shears? Why bother to learn the basic principles of pattern placement when every pattern contains so many layouts?

Organization of ·Work

After the cut-out pieces of a dress have been marked to aid in construction, think through the steps necessary to make the garment. The pattern guide sheet illustrates the details. Study it carefully before starting work. Knowing how each part is to be completed gives you a better idea of when a given detail must be stitched in relation to other details. Looking ahead is part of judgment.

It is certainly important to save time, but not at the sacrifice of the good-looking results we expect in a professionally finished garment. The steps in making a dress are not just rules; they are common sense reasons why a certain job should come before or after another one-what causes each effect or result.

Putting a Dress Together ~ Definition of Terms  in Dressmaking ~ Construction Techniques ~ Simplifying Work ~ Organizing ~ Pin Fitting ~ Continuous Circumference Designs ~ General Origination and Steps in Making Clothing

How many fittings are necessary? How much is safe to have stitched for the first fitting? What is a preliminary pin-fitting? Why shouldn't I baste facings in place for the first fitting? How to place pin for a pin fitting, during a fitting, for basting, for stitching without basting? How improve speed? What procedures seem to waste time? Wouldn't it be better to finish the blouse of a dress entirely before starting the skirt? Can I successfully stitch a shoulder dart and the shoulder seam at the same trip to the machine, then press both at the same time? Why isn't it good dressmaking to hem the sleeve before making the seam?

Using the Sewing Machine

Does it make any difference which way the thread winds around the bobbin? What do I do if the thread knots in stitching? How can I learn to adjust tension? What can I do if the machine gets stuck and refuses to budge? Is it important to learn the names of parts? Must I always use three rows of stitching to gather on the machine?

Construction Details

Basting ~ Perfect Seams ~ Types of Seams: Lapped, Enclosed, Plain, French, Stitched ~ Pressed Pleats ~ Darts ~ Tucks ~ Gathers ~ Yokes ~ Summary of Pinning ~ Etc...

Should all seams be pressed open or all toward the front? Is selvage safe in a seam? Is it wrong to pin parallel with the seam line? Always? Are concave curves in seams always slashed? How large should the wedges be cut in a convex seam? How many on a round collar?  Should dons be basted and stitched from the point to the wide end?  Why? If so, why are two lines of basting required on pleats and lap seams?

 Fitting

A well-fitted garment feels comfortable, is becoming, is consistent with present fashions, and adjusts naturally to the activities of the wearer-in general, it hangs or sets without wrinkles, sagging, or poking out.

Five Clues to a Good Fit: Ease, Line, Grain, Set and Balance ~ Causes of Poor Fitting ~ Solving a Fitting Problem ~ Techniques ~ Details in First Fitting ~  Details pf Second Fitting - Circumferences ~ Etc...

How can I tell whether my dress is too tight or too loose? How can I fit myself? Why is it better to fit a dress right side out? What makes a pleat in a skirt spread or sag? How can wrinkles be removed? How long should the shoulder seam be? Why isn't it right to fit just one sleeve?

Collars and Neck Finishes

A neckline should be a becoming shape to the wearer, and be fitted and finished so that it is flawlessly smooth in line. Stay-stitching prevents the neck edge from stretching.

Interfacings ~ Facing Techniques ~ Collarless Finishes ~ Shaped Neck Facing ~ Decorative Shaped Facing ~ Bias Neck Facing and Binding ~ Making Collars ~ Attaching Collar with Front And Back Shaped Facing ~ The Notched Collar ~ Nonconvertible Collars ~ Standing Shirt Collar

What preparation is required before basting the neck finish to the neckline? How can a collar be made so that the underfacing will not show at the outer edge? What advantages has a shaped facing over a bias facing? Why should the shoulder seam of the front facing not be stitched in with the shoulder seam of the garment? How does a bound neckline compare with a faced neckline in finished appearance? in method of sewing on the bias strip? Where should bias binding and facings be eased and where stretched? Why?

Sleeves

Some people never have any trouble getting sleeves set into the armholes, while others say they "never have any luck." Satisfaction is more likely to result if we know how a good-looking sleeve should appear, what must be done before sewing the sleeve in, how to set it, and how to press and finish it.

Setting a Plain Sleeve ~ Basting ~ Armscye ~ Gathered Sleeves ~ Kimono Sleeves ~ Raglan Sleeves ~ Epaulet Sleeves ~ Dolman Sleeves ~ Shirt Sleeves ~ Short Sleeves ~ Sleeveless Armholes ~ Cuff Bands

How can a sleeve larger than the armhole be sewed in to make a perfectly smooth line without puckers? Is it absolutely necessary to baste a sleeve in the armscye or could one just pin and stitch? Should the sleeves be put in before or after the neckline is finished?

The Waistline

Isn't a plain seam the simplest type of waistline finish? Is a skirt band attached just like a cuff band? How can I keep the waistline from getting out of shape during cleaning? Where is the waistline located to look up-to-date? If the finished waistline is too tight or too loose, is it necessary to rip out the placket to alter? How can one make a self fabric belt more distinctive than usual?

Waistline Seams ~ Lapped Seam ~ Plain Seam ~ Skirt Band ~ Separate Belts

The location of the waistline should be corrected at the second fitting. It should be determined in relation to the belt to be worn with it and placed where it looks best on the body consistent with the style of today.

Hems

Procedure in Hemming a Skirt or Dress ~ Disposing of Fullness ~ Hemming Stitches ~ Principles in Hemming ~ Wide, Straight Hems ~ Hems at Corners ~Rolled Hems ~ Shell Hems ~ Damask Hems ~ Faced Hems

Would you ever machine stitch the hem of a dress? Is it possible to get hand stitches too close together? How can I prevent my circular skirt from sagging? How wide should a hem be in a very circular skirt? Should the dress be spread flat on the table while being hemmed? How do the steps in making a narrow 1/8" hem differ from the procedure for a 3" hem?

Plackets

Should the placket opening be left exactly the length of the metal part of a zipper? Can a zipper be set in a placket in one continuous stitching? Should the placket always be on the left hip?

Concealed Zipper Shirt Placket ~ Zipper Shirt Placket ~ Concealed Dress Zipper in Left Hip Seam ~ Zipper in Slot Seam ~ Piped-Buttonhole Placket ~ Continuous-Bound Placket  ~ Taped Wrist Finish and Placket, Etc...

Plackets are avoided entirely in such styles as wrap-around, skirts attached to loose under-bodies, garments with elastic waists and loose wristband, and loose-fitting slip over garments. But wherever snug- or semi-fitting styles are in vogue plackets become necessary.

Fastenings

Are machine-made buttonholes ever used on the so-called "better dresses?" What makes the spaces between buttonholes sometimes pucker or puff out? What can be done if the buttonhole is too long for the button? What can be done if the scissors slip and cut a corner too far in a piped buttonhole? How far form the edge of the opening should the button be placed?  Is fifteen minutes a short or a long time for making one buttonhole?  Is it ever good taste to have buttons tacked on for decoration without buttonholes?

Pockets

Since pockets are not only for use but for decoration, considerable attention should be give to their size, shape, and location.. Because they attract the eye, do not place them on bust or hip line unless you wish to accent these areas....

Which is the best style of tailed pockets for slacks? How can patch pockets be reinforced?  How can one make two pockets to match exactly?  Is a stand pocket too hard for a novice? How could one make the upper lip red and the lower lip blue in a set-in pocket?  How should one mend a torn-out pocket in a decorative manner?

Pressing

Pressing is as important as stitching in the sewing room.  Do not leave the finishing of seams for a final pressing; press them before beginning to stitch another line across them.

Should shoulder darts be pressed to the front? How can I avoid shiny marks in my pressing? Can shiny spots be removed? How? Is a press cloth needed in pressing cottons?  If a bias skirt has been pressed out of shape, can I repress it into shape? How can I press slacks?

Launder Your Own

What design features in a dressy blouse would be easy to iron? How can I tell whether to risk washing a garment? Which do I iron first, the collar or the sleeves? How do I iron a collar to keep it smooth? Should rayons be dried and sprinkled like cottons? Should rayons ever be bleached or starched? Why is it incorrect to say, '" laundried my dress"? How should I wash an Orion sweater? How should I wash a pleated skirt? How should we complain in a nice manner about textile dissatisfactions?

Repairs

Get in the habit of reinforcing before holes appear.  Your work will be easier if mending is done before laundering or dry-cleaning.

Aren't' the new iron-on patches better than darning? Where can I learn how to turn the collar on a man's shirt?  How can I learn to enjoy a mending job? Is it "sissy" for a boy to mend his own clothes?

Restyling and Remaking

Both new and old garments need retouching and neatening to give that well-tailored look we value in good-looking clothes.

Altering a Garment ~ Correcting Common Faults in Garments (wrinkles, unbecoming necklines, bagginess, spreading pleats, tight in bust...) ~ Remaking Dresses ~ Restyling Old Sweaters ~ Dyeing

What is the difference between restyling and remaking? What features in dresses, suits, and coats today are different from the styles of last year? What differences in sleeve silhouette and skirt length exist between the dresses of three years ago and now? Three years is the difference between a freshman and a senior-isn't it? Do you have a dress that is a skeleton in your closet? What is the matter with it? How do you generally have to alter a ready-made dress? What are the charges for alterations in the leading stores of your town?

Modified Home Tailoring

Anyone who can sew a little and who is willing to take pains can turn out a coat that doesn't look homemade.

Should a coat pattern be a size larger than a dress pattern? What is the difference between interfacing and interlining? What changes are made in the coat pattern before using it to cut the lining? Why is a pleat found in the CB of linings? When should the lining be hemmed separately from the bottom of the coat and when should it be slip-stitched in place? What are the differences between a tailor-made coat and a dressmaker type? How do I keep lapels from curling? What is the average yardage for a coat? a jacket suit? What are differences in styling between this year's jacket suit and one two years old in such details as length, silhouette, sleeve cap, lapels, waistline, and fit?

Designing Your Own Patterns

Patterns are made in one of three ways: by drafting, by draping fabric on a dress form, or by modifying a foundation pattern.

Draping on a Form ~ Draping a Plain Blouse ~ Draping a Two-Corded Skirt ~ Flat Pattern Designing ~ Making a Foundation Pattern ~ Adding and Changing Darts ~ Making a Yoke Pattern ~ Gathered Sections ~ Tucked Sections ~ Adding Pleats ~ Providing Circularity ~ Cutting Shaped Facing Patterns ~ Collar Patterns

What method of making patterns is favored by professional designers? Are tailored designs ever developed by modeling on the dress form? Since it is difficult to pull a dress over the shoulders of a dress form. what practical procedures should one consider? What effect does the lower edge circularity of a skirt have on the circular shape of the waistline? How would I obtain a French dart foundation pattern? Why is a five years' old foundation pattern of little value? How would you make a collar roll in the back and ripple in the front? What is the theory of "designing based on the fundamental dart"?

Decoration in Dress

It is important to recognize the fact that there are two kinds of decoration in dress - the structural and the applied.

Embroidery ~ Lace ~ Stitches ~ Fagoting ~ Hemstitching ~ Punto Quadro ~ Cross Stitch ~ Arrowheads ~ Smocking ~ Machine Decoration ~ Scallops ~ Quilting ~ Appliqué ~ Covered Cord ~ Braided Belt

What are the differences between decoration and trimming? What is meant by functional decoration? How can I identify good lace and embroidery? When should good quality of lace or embroidery not be used? Should the decoration be planned to the very last detail before cutting out the dress? When is a garment artistically artistically decorated and when may it be termed "arty"? Why are naturalistic designs to be avoided?

Spending

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The 1957 revision of Clothing for Moderns is submitted as a contribution in teaching the elements of good dressing. The challenge to the student-reader is to think creatively using cause-and-effect knowledge to solve new problems. In this edition, the content of each chapter has been revised. New illustrations of costumes are included to reflect changing fashions, but many of the old ones remain since fundamental principles are permanent. Applications are directed to those recurring problems that most of us continually meet.  The reader's attention is often directed to the similarities and differences in traditional and modem methods.