The front and back covers of “Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses,” showing the beautiful, wearable 1950s silhouettes featured inside the book.
Introduction
In this post, I review “Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses” by Gretchen Hirsch. Of all her books, this is my all-time favorite. Let’s look at why I rate this book so highly. I’m sure fellow vintage style lovers will agree with me.
Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses: A review
These are vintage styles you can wear today. They are smart, attractive, feminine, and classic, with no camp or costume involved. There is enough ease to feel comfortable without sacrificing ease of movement. Gertie achieves a 1950s hourglass look through waist cinch belts, sashes, or shirring rather than restrictive boning. She does discuss vintage foundation garments, though I see this as more educational than essential for these specific styles.
The Popover Dress, shown on the cover, perfectly exemplifies the accessibility and wearability of Gertie’s designs. It is basically a tent shape, but the cute shoulder bows draw the eye upward, and the roomy cut is flattering and comfortable. Gertie gives it shape with a wide, black elastic waist cincher.
Gertie also stays true to one of her core guiding principles by offering variations on the basic styles. For example, the Popover Dress pattern can be cut on the bias for a more supple, body-skimming fit. By using elastic shirring at the waist, Gertie achieves the dual goals of a shapely, vintage look. The result is a classic silhouette any woman will feel comfortable and beautiful wearing.
Other features make this a valuable addition to any dressmaker’s library. Gertie covers the basic and advanced sewing techniques needed for each dress, detailing notions, fitting, and suitable fabrics. A big plus is that each pattern comes on its own sheet with clearly defined lines for easy tracing.
In the next section, I include photos of key parts of the book, like the index, size chart, and pages that showcase the layout and presentation.
I highly recommend this book because it offers vintage style grounded in real wearability. Plus, the classic foundation of each dress allows you to easily add your own personal style with accessories.
Photos from “Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses”
Each pattern comes on its own high-quality sheet with clear, easy-to-read lines.
The pattern lines for each size are clearly defined and very easy to differentiate.
The easy-to-understand size chart gives the basic body measurements for sizes 2 through 16.
The table of contents accurately lists each chapter, dress pattern, and page number for quick reference.
Each chapter features its own detailed index with subheadings and page numbers, making it easy to jump straight to a specific topic like the fitting strategies shown here for Chapter 7.
Transparency disclosure: This blog post was created, drafted, and structured by me. The photos were taken with my LG Cricket Wireless Android phone and edited with AI enhancements. The review itself was edited by Gemini for clarity and conciseness. Gemini is an AI assistant available through Google.
Pour Moi 