Customer Reviews

One Hour Dress -- 21 Vintage 1925 Dress Designs with Detailed Instructions for Sewing

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am so glad I purchased this book. While the instructions are written, rather than visual, the book is incredibly easy to follow and the designs are fabulous. I have already sewn four of the designs. The format is fantastic, starting with simple instructions that get progressively harder but never too hard. Perfect for even the novice sewer looking for vintage designs.

(The publication house/seller is also incredibly helpful.)

It's more of a pamphlet, but it really is super informational about how to make the 20 dresses. It's just not what I was expecting. But, overall it was a neat book.

As others have said, this is a slim little book at just 20 pages, and it's certainly not the most heavily illustrated thing I've ever seen. That said, it's a clear and legible copy of an original work from the 1920's, and if you read some of my more recent reviews you'll understand why I gave an extra star just for that.

However, if you're hoping to jump right in and actually make a one-hour dress, there are only two things that are missing. One, is context about the types of fabrics suggested for this style of dress. I can't imagine making this up in anything stiff like taffeta, but the preferred fabrics are a bit of a mystery without a glossary of 1920's terms. Second, you need a "length" of fabric, and nowhere is it specified how you determine what a "length" is. A standard measurement? Your shoulder-to-floor measurement? I'm going with the latter, and I'll tell you how it goes.

This is a clever way to quickly make a dress. However, ladies in 1924 are more accomplished seamstresses than I. I sat for hours with a towel trying to figure out directions for folding fabric, the cutting was not too bad. I never did figure out some of the darts. They show a lot of cute variations, but with only hints of how to make them. The dress I made is passable but it took many hours, mostly to decipher the directions.