Frances Grimble is the author of nine books on historic costume and needlework (one of which, After a Fashion, is in its second edition). Over 60 of her articles on sewing and vintage clothes have appeared in national magazines, such as Threads, Sew News, and Antique Trader Weekly. Ms. Grimble has been a how-to writer and editor since 1983. She has worked for book publishers, magazine publishers, and software companies; she has written a number of user manuals and coauthored a computer book. More, and detailed, information on her books is available on www.lavoltapress.com.
Ms. Grimble has substantial formal education in researching social history and in clothing design. In 1974 she began making historical reproductions for periods from the Renaissance into the 1920s; she tries to schedule regular sewing time in addition to that required by her writing projects. Since 1972, she has collected vintage clothing and accessories from the late 18th century into the mid 20th.
Ms. Grimble lives in San Francisco, California. She is married to a researcher/developer of artificial intelligence software. Her favorite pastime is reading, and her favorite fiction genres are fantasy and science fiction. She is also fond of historic costume dramas on DVD.
Ms. Grimble has no intention of posting a blog anywhere, because it deducts too much time from writing her books.
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79 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-have Edwardian reference,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Voice of Fashion: 79 Turn-of-the-Century Patterns with Instructions and Fashion Plates (Paperback)
I make custom reproduction clothing and I have found The Voice of Fashion to be extremely helpful. The pattern selection is very impressive and attractive. I have the Janet Arnold book and the Norah Waugh book, but this book has many more patterns for this era. I can find one for any style the customer wants, rather than having to take some basic pattern and alter it. I just let them leaf through the book and pick one out. By using the special rulers I can enlarge the pattern to fit any customer with no (or hardly any) alterations-these patterns fit better than most commercial sized patterns. The rulers are easy to use, you just follow the instructions. The book also has instructions for early 20th century sewing methods, and lots of fashion columns on fabrics and trims. I consider it indispensable to my business. If you wanted to make even one period outfit, this book would still probably save you money, because otherwise you'd have to buy separate patterns for the dress, the underclothes, the outer wear etc.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A treasure for living history, but not for the faint of heart,
By Ales Amodei "raging polytheist" (BFE, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Voice of Fashion: 79 Turn-of-the-Century Patterns with Instructions and Fashion Plates (Paperback)
Between this book and Grimble's "Edwardian Modiste", I'll never have to buy another antique "Gibson girl" pattern again. The illustrations in my opinion don't do the dresses justice; the garments themselves are just stunning when you actually make them. Having said that, these patterns are not beginner-friendly. If you want a quick-and-easy Edwardian ensemble you'll be very disappointed because these patterns require a lot of forethought, a lot of time, and a lot of work. They are not the modern "here's-how-to-sew-a-seam" kind of patterns you see commercially available today. Most of the tucks, for example, are not marked, nor are they allowed for in the pattern; you'll have to draft those yourself from scratch. The same thing goes for trimmings, lace insertion, and shirring. Also, very few patterns mark locations for fastenings, and many lack patterns for things like cuffs and collars, which can't always be made from a straight strip of fabric and still look right on the garment. You can substitute collars from other patterns in the book but there's no guarantee that they will fit properly. Plus, the patterns in this book must be scaled according to your measurements, which still involves a good deal of tedious arithmetic even with the "rulers" included with the book. Overall, I love this book to the point that it's starting to fall apart from use. However, the buyer should be aware that the patterns in this book are not for the faint-of-heart or the impatient.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
much like the other Frances Grimble books,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: The Voice of Fashion: 79 Turn-of-the-Century Patterns with Instructions and Fashion Plates (Paperback)
This book features patterns for dresses, skirts, shirts, jackets, underclothing (etc.) for the years 1900-1906
25 (patterns) from 1900 18 from 1901 5 from 1902 16 from 1903 7 from 1904 5 from 1905 3 from 1906 This is a good book, well up to Frances Grimble's high standards. It contains many patterns but can also double as a sourcebook, as it contains many pictures of clothes from fashion plates. I would recommend buying it, but make sure to research these years to find out if you really want it.
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