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Sunday, 3 September 2023

Vogue’s Book of Practical Dressmaking - part 2, advice

After looking at the advertisements last week, it's now time to look at the actual sewing information in the 1926 edition of Vogue's Book of Practical Dressmaking. It starts with - an advertisement of sorts for Vogue patterns.

This emphasises the exclusive nature of Vogue patterns

This is followed by a table of contents with a difference.

Showing where to find information on different parts of dressmaking

The reasons for learning to sew include cost savings, but there are also several other factors as well.

Sewing is fun! Sewing is easy! Discuss

After all this, we get down to the nitty gritty, starting with how to cut out.

Beginning at the beginning

As with the 1930s edition, there are several spreads on the order of work for various garments.

Making a dress, step by step

Many of the sections relating to specific areas of construction are two-page spreads, with the first page covering the basics and the second giving more complex examples.

Sleeves, part one - setting in

Sleeves, part two - related techniques

In this way, the book does a good job of providing something for both beginners and more experienced dressmakers alike. I'm not sure if complete beginners would start off with a Vogue pattern but if they did, the book offers some suggestions.

From ultra-simple to slightly more complex

The pattern instructions may have been "drawn from life", but the section on how to take measurements certainly wasn't - even by 1930s figure-drawing standards it's absurd.

No-one is that shape

If your measurements didn't match up to the ideal, there are several pages on how to alter patterns while keeping the Vogue lines.

This is followed by six pages of diagrams and examples

There's sound (if probably largely ignored) advice on sewing machines and getting to know the attachments - even now I haven't tried out all of the attachments which came with my vintage machines. I was surprised by the suggestion that in 1926 most new machines came with a light attached.

Several useful tips in here

Finally, another advertisement, this time for Vogue itself.

Buy Vogue!

I don’t know about anyone else, but now I really want to read the "Guide to Chic" for the "Small, Fluffy Woman"!

3 comments:

  1. How fascinating that they show the image of a maid holding up the clothes in one image! I don't think you would see that in an American journal.

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    1. That's a really interesting distinction, thanks Lynn. For all the suggestions that a shilling a fortnight was a widely affordable sum, I think that British Vogue readership in the 1920s would definitely have been women who had at least some 'help' at home.

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  2. Yes, I also noted the cuff smocking as a possible technique to try. Although not on a 1920s dress - I have never been able to make that era work for me.

    Small and fluffy just makes me think of Pomeranian dogs!

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