#51 Gretchen Hirsh, Gertie Sews

Gretchen Hirsch, Gertie Sews

This week on the show is vintage dress pattern and fabric designer and author of several books including Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses: A Modern Guide to Stitch and Wear Vintage Patterns You Can Make in a Day.

Host Vickie Howell has followed Gretchen since she first started her original Gertie’s Blog for Better sewing, but have since become an even larger fan since delving into making one of her vintage party dresses for herself. During their conversation, they talked about the evolution of her personal style and how that affected the look of her brand, how important historical accuracy is to her when designing vintage-style pieces, and how she continues to build her business. Enjoy!

This episode is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio. They’ve curated a great list of audiobook titles just for us makers. Check them out here. While you’re there, download a FREE copy of Ivy and Inky the Butterfly, by Johanna Basford.

Show Notes

BIO:

A passionate home seamstress, a sought-after sewing teacher, and the creator of one of the web’s most popular sewing blogs: Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing. The blog began as a way for readers to follow Hirsch’s progress as she stitched all 14 fashions from the iconic 1950s sewing book Vogue’s New Book for Better Sewing (a Julie & Julia–esque experiment for the modern sewist). It quickly became a place for Hirsch to share tutorials and lively posts about sewing as it relates to fashion history, pop culture, body image, and gender. Gretchen teaches sewing in New York City and around the country, is the creator of a new line of sewing patterns from Butterick, and the author of Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing, Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book, and Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses.

What I’m Crafting(ish) To … this week!

Special new segment brought to you by Penguin Random House Audio

TV: Outlander Seasons 1&2 (Starz)
AUDIOBOOKs: The Beastie Boys Book, written by the two surviving members of the Beastie Boys, Michael Diamond and Adam Horowitz (the third member, Adam Yauch, died from Cancer in 2012).
Sadness Love Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy, by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Narrated by Richard Gere.