A thousand 100-year-old line drawings passed through my hands as I extracted them from scans of the original books, removed the sepia background, the dust, the fly spots. As far as the text, I worked from OCR scans, so the manuscript started out full of out-of-place running headers and page numbers, “tne” instead of “the” errors in infinite variety, and, just to keep me on my toes, the occasional missing paragraph. Also, apparently it’s entertaining for OCR scanners to occasionally substitute “Line AD” for “Line AB” when telling people where to cut their pattern pieces.
So it’s a lovely little rescue mission I’ve run from the year 1921. The book series was written by Isabel DeNyse Conover, a contemporary writer for ladies’ magazines, and it mixes fashion advice and ideas for nicening things up with detailed DIY how-to’s for the person who wants to take the world of clothing into their own hands.
Modern clothing manufacturers are happy to put a strip of plastic into the shoulders of the “comfortable, natural” pajama shirts they sell you, rather than do a bit of stay-stitching. They prefer to assault your skin with open seams stitched and serged with polyester thread than take the extra time and fabric to make French seams or other comfortable finishes. It’s all about profit; it’s not about you.
One wonderful and empowering thing about doing your own sewing is that you can make healthy, exquisite clothing you love and tell those other guys to go to hell. You can use all-natural fabric and make exactly what you want in a high-quality, self-tailored way. You can be you, not them.
The books are somewhat haphazardly organized and named, but I get it — it’s a hard subject to organize. The volume on making men’s clothes (12) is also home to a section on types of fabric and how to clean them, plus a section about easy make-overs (“upcycling” nowadays) for women’s clothing. The upshot is that you can find delightful content in each volume that you were not expecting….
And overall they did a great job. Going through these 12 volumes word by word and image by image, I became intimately aware of the tremendous amount of good work the original writers, illustrators, and page layout artists poured into this classic guide to great sewing. I’m pleased to have been able to bring it back to life.
I’ll put the TOC from all the volumes at the end of this post so you can get an idea of the kind of topics these lessons deal with, from different types of stitches to how to make something you probably don’t even know what it is.
Ideally, you would start with Lesson 1 and work your way through in order. That way, when they say in Lesson 6, “Make a kimono sleeve as in Lesson 2,” you won’t lose your mind. But it’s perfectly possible to start anywhere in the series and have a good, productive time, and whatever level of sewing expertise you have will have been enriched by deep knowledge and fortified with a liberal dose of “Of course you can make smoking jackets, boys’ hats, Russian blouses, party frocks, lined coats, whatever you like. Just follow along with us.”
The volumes are:
Lesson 1
Introduction/Preliminary Information
Lesson 2
How to Make Aprons and House Dresses
Lesson 3
How to Make Underwear
Lesson 4
How to Make Blouses
Lesson 5
Making Skirts That Have Style
Lesson 6
How to Make Dresses
Lesson 7
How to Make Coats
Lesson 8
Draping and Pattern Making
Lesson 9
Making Infants’ Clothes
Lesson 10
How to Make Children’s Clothes (Toddlers, Little Girls and Big Girls)
Lesson 11
How to Make Boys’ Clothes
Lesson 12
How to Make Men’s Shirts and Underwear, plus Materials and How to Test Them, plus Easy Make-Overs
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 1 PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
WHAT DOES STYLE MEAN TO YOU?
CLOTHES ETIQUETTE: CLOTHES THAT SUIT THE PLACE AND THE SEASON
Sport’s Clothes
Clothes for Afternoon
Clothes for Evening
Street Clothes
The Business Woman
CORRECT MOURNING
The Periods of Mourning
First Mourning
Second Mourning
HOW TO USE YOUR FASHION MAGAZINES
WHAT IS YOUR TYPE?
If You Are a Slim Young Girl
Perhaps You Are One of the Stout Young Girls
Or Are You a Young Woman of Medium Build?
Would You Be Classed as a Stout Younger Woman?
If You Are Short
If You Are Tall
If You Are Thin
Are You an Older Woman?
BECOMING COLORS
For the Blonde
For the Brunette
For the Blue Eyed Girl with Brown Hair
If Your Hair is Auburn
If You Have Gray Hair
If Your Complexion is Sallow
If Your Complexion is Florid
If You Are Stout
COMBINING COLORS
The Color Wheel
Complementary Colors
YOUR SEWING MACHINE
REGULATING THE TENSIONS
PROPER THREAD AND NEEDLES
SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS
Narrow Hemmer
Wide Hemmer
Binder
Tucker
Ruffler
Edge Stitcher
Cording Foot
Quilter or Foot with Gage
HAND SEWING
Back Stitch
Basting
Overcasting
Felling
Blind Stitching
SEAMS AND THEIR USES
Open Seams
French Seams
Double Stitched Seams
Lap Felled Seams
A Slot Seam
HOW TO TAKE MEASUREMENTS
Remove the Dress to Take all Measurements
Taking the Bust Measure
The Neck Measure
The Width of Chest
The Width of Back
Length of Arm
The Waist Measure
The Hip Measure
Length of Front from Neck to Waistline
Length of Back from Neck to Waistline
Length from Waistline to Floor
SEWING EQUIPMENT
HOW TO STUDY
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 2 HOW TO MAKE APRONS AND HOUSE DRESSES
APRONS AND HOUSE DRESSES
SIMPLE FINISHES FOR EDGES
Narrow Hem
Cutting True Bias
Binding
Pipings
Facings
Finishing the Edge with Tape
Finishing the Edge with Woven Bandings
Finishing the Edge with Rickrack Braid
General Directions for Cutting
Making a Waistline Apron Pattern
Cutting a Plain Waistline Apron
To Make a Plain Waistline Apron
Making a Pattern for a Slip-on Apron
Cutting a Slip-on Apron
To Make the Slip-on Apron
Using a Block Pattern to Make a Bungalow Apron
Giving the Kimono Sleeve a Better Fit
How to Make a Narrower Kimono Sleeve
How to Make a Bungalow Apron
Using a Commercial Pattern
HOW TO STUDY
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 3 HOW TO MAKE UNDERWEAR
TRIMMING FOR UNDERWEAR
Sewing on Lace
To Put on Lace without Fullness
A Medallion
Embroidered Edging
Rose Trimming
Chain Stitch
Appliqued Flowers
Making a Brassiere Pattern
Cutting a Brassiere
Making the Brassiere
Garter Supports for Your Brassiere
Making a Pattern for an Envelope Chemise
Cutting a Chemise
Making the Chemise
Making a Pattern for a Step-in Chemise
Making a Step-in Chemise
Making a Pattern for a Chemise with Circular Flounces
Making the Chemise with Circular Flounces
A Ribbon Camisole
Making a Pattern for Circular Drawers
Cutting Circular Drawers
Making the Circular Drawers
Making Step-in Drawers Pattern
Making a Pattern for Envelope Drawers
To Make a Bloomer Pattern
Cutting the Bloomers
To Make the Bloomers
Making a Nightgown Pattern
Cutting the Nightgown
Making the Nightgown
Making a Pattern for a Yoke Nightgown
Making a Petticoat Pattern
Cutting the Petticoat
Making the Petticoat
Making the Most of Lesson 3
TEST QUESTIONS
APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 4 HOW TO MAKE BLOUSES
BLOUSE TRIMMINGS
Pointed Edges
Gathered Scallops
Honeycomb Smocking
Stroked Smocking
Wool Embroidery
Drawn Work Insertion
Running Stitch Embroidery
Cross-Stitching An Edge
Frilled Edges
Hand Worked Loops Instead of Buttonholes
PATTERN MAKING
Making a Pattern for a Tailored Waist
To Make the Collar Pattern
Making the Tailored Blouse
Making a Pattern for a Blouse with a Box-Pleat Closing
To Make a Pattern for Blouse with Revers
To Make a Pattern for a Blouse with a Flat Round Collar
Making a Pattern for a Collar that has a Band
Making a Pattern for a Fancy Collar
Making a Pattern for a Sailor Collar
Making a Pattern for a Deep Cuff
Making a Pattern for a Narrow Turn-Back for a Cuff
Making a Pattern for a Turn-Back Cuff
Finishing Cuffs
Making Sleeve Patterns
Sewing in Sleeves
Making a Sleeve Smaller at the Top
Making a Sleeve Smaller at the Bottom
To Widen a Sleeve at the Top
To Widen a Sleeve at the Bottom
Making a Sleeve Wider at all Points
Shortening a Sleeve Pattern
Lengthening a Sleeve Pattern
Making a Pattern for a Blouse with a Raglan Sleeve
Making a Pattern for a Costume Blouse
Making a Pattern for a Sports Blouse
Lingerie Blouses
Stitching Sheer Materials
When Sewing Buttons to Sheer Material
When a person’s shoulders are sloping,
When a person’s shoulders are unusually square,
When a woman’s chest is unusually broad in proportion to the width of her back,
Copying Any Style
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 5 MAKING SKIRTS THAT HAVE STYLE
A Block Pattern for a Separate Skirt
Making a Pattern for a Circular Skirt
Cutting a One-Piece Circular Skirt
Making a Circular Skirt
Making a Pattern For a Gored Skirt
Cutting a Gored Skirt
Making a Gored Skirt
Making a Pattern for a Two-Piece Skirt
Cutting a Two-Piece Skirt
Making a Two-Piece Skirt
Making a Pattern for a Skirt with a Hip Yoke
Making a Skirt with Yoke
Making a Pattern for a “Wrapped” Skirt
Making a “Wrapped” Skirt
MAKING POCKETS
A Square Patch Pocket
A Patch Pocket with Pointed Lower Edge
A Patch Pocket with Double Points
A Patch Pocket with Tabs at the Lower Edge
A Patch Pocket with Tabs at Sides
A Patch Pocket with Scalloped Top
An Oval Patch Pocket
A Patch Pocket in Pointed Outline
Where Trimming Tabs and Pocket Are In One
A Slashed Pocket
A Welt Pocket
Regulating the Hang of Your Skirt
Making a Pleated Skirt
Hanging Your Own Skirt
Adding a Single Pleat to a Gore
Work Out Different Problems Yourself
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 6 HOW TO MAKE DRESSES
TRIMMINGS YOU CAN MAKE
Tucked Insets
Shirred Insets
Pleated Insets
Lattice Work Trimming
Fagotting
Braiding
Machine Stitching with Heavy Floss
Organ Pleated Ribbon
Shirring
Quilling
Button Embroidery
Applied Shirrings
Cording
Sewing on Button Crow Foot Fashion
Tailors’ Tacks
Fur Trimming
Braid and Tassel Trimming
Girdles
PATTERN MAKING
Making a Pattern for a Straight Hanging Dress
Cutting a Straight Hanging Dress
Making a Straight Hanging Dress
Making a Pattern for a Straight Hanging Dress with Back Closing
Cutting the Dress, Fig. 41
Making the Straight Hanging Dress with Back Closing
Making a Pattern for a Long-Waisted Dress
Cutting a Long Waisted Dress
Making a Long Waisted Dress
Making a Pattern for a Waistline Dress
Cutting a Waistline Dress
Making a Waistline Dress
Making a Pattern for a Russian Blouse Dress
Cutting a Russian Blouse Dress
Making a Russian Blouse Dress
Making a Pattern for a Bloused Dress
Cutting a Bloused Dress
Making a Bloused Dress
Making a Pattern for a Basque Dress
Cutting a Basque Dress
Making a Basque Dress
Making a Pattern for a Surplice Dress
Cutting a Surplice Dress
Making a Surplice Dress
Making a Pattern for a Dance Frock
Cutting a Dance Frock
Making a Dance Frock
Copying Other Styles
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 7 HOW TO MAKE COATS
TRIMMINGS YOU CAN MAKE
Tailors’ Tacks
Fur Trimming
Braid Tassels
Ribbon Trimming
Shirred Insets
Simple Embroidery Stitches
Knotted Braid
Pin Tucks
Bias Folds
Patch Pockets
Slash Pockets
Welt Pocket
MAKING COATS
Lined Coats
Unlined Coats
Semi-fitting Coat
Coat With Peplum
Norfolk Coat
A Peak Lapel
An Eton Jacket
Box-Coat
A Flaring Coat
Top Coat
Wrap
Raglan Top Coat
Short Cape
Long Cape
Boy’s Coat with Raglan Sleeve
A Little Girl’s Top Coat
If a coat is to be finished without a lining
A Word of Caution about Finishing Velvet Coats
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 8 DRAPING AND PATTERN MAKING
How to Drape a Fitted Lining
Making a Fitting Lining Pattern
Making a Pattern for a One-Piece Back
Making a Blouse Pattern
Neck Outlines in Patterns
Making Collar Patterns
Allowing for Different Closing on Your Pattern
Adding a Yoke to a Waist Pattern
Allowing for Tucks
Making a Pattern for a Blouse with Bosom Front
Making a Pattern for an Over blouse
Making a Pattern for a Straight Hanging Dress
Making Sleeve Patterns
Changing the Size of a Pattern
Making a Coat Pattern
Draping a Coat
Making a Pattern for a Top Coat
Draping a Two-piece Skirt
Draping a Gored Skirt
Making a Pattern for a Gored Skirt
Making a Draped Skirt Pattern
Testing the Size of a Pattern
Practice Pattern Making
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 9 MAKING INFANTS’ CLOTHES
A COMPLETE LAYETTE
About Materials
Trimmings Suitable For Infants’ Clothes
STITCHERY FOR INFANTS’ CLOTHES
The Blanket Stitch
Whipping the Edges
The Outline Stitch
The Lazy Daisy Stitch
French Knots
Cross Stitching
Fagoting
Cat Stitch
Feather Stitching
Scalloped Banding
How to Make a Diaper
How to Make a Pattern of an Infant’s Dress
Making the Pattern for the Sleeve
Cutting an Infant’s Dress
Making an Infant’s Dress
Making the Pattern for a Gertrude Petticoat
Cutting a Gertrude Petticoat
Making a Gertrude Petticoat
Making a Kimono Pattern
Cutting a Kimono
Making a Kimono
Making a Coat Pattern
Making a Cape Pattern for the Coat
Cutting an Infant’s Coat
Making an Infant’s Coat
Making the Pattern for a Long Cape
Making a Pattern for the Hood of the Long Cape
Making the Long Cape
Making the Hood for the Cape
Making a Pattern of the Cozywrap
To Make a Pattern for the Pointed Hood of the Cozywrap
Making the Cozywrap
Making the Cozywrap Hood
Making a Pattern for a Cap
Cutting the Cap
Making an Infant’s Cap
Apply What You Have Learned to Other Garments
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 10 HOW TO MAKE CHILDREN’S CLOTHES (TODDLERS, LITTLE GIRLS AND BIG GIRLS)
FABRIC FRUIT AND FLOWERS
A Double Rose
A Single Rose
A Rose Bud
A Wrapped Rose
A Daisy
A Small Flower Rosette
Fabric Fruit
Circular Appliques
ROMPERS [ETC.]
Romper with Under Leg Opening
Making a Pattern for a Romper with Underleg Opening
Cutting a Romper
Making a Romper
Making a Pattern for a Drop Seat Romper
Making a Drop Seat Romper
Making a Pattern for Peg Top Rompers
Making the Peg Top Rompers
Making a Pattern for a Straight Hanging Dress
Making a Little Girl’s Straight Hanging Dress
Making a Pattern for an Apron
Making an Apron
Little Girl’s Yoke Dress
Making a Yoke Dress
Smock and Bloomers
Making the Smock and Bloomers
Making a Pattern for a Raised Waistline Dress
Making a Straight Hanging Dress
Making a Pattern for a Guimpe Dress
Making the Guimpe
Making the Dress
Making a Bloomer Play Suit
Making the Play Suit
Blouse with Buttoned-on Skirt
Making the Pattern for the Blouse
Making the Blouse
Making a Pleated Skirt
Middy with Pleated Skirt
Making the Pattern for the Middy
Cutting the Sailor Dress
Making Underwaist
Making Skirt
Making Middy
Regulation Gymnasium Suit
An Overblouse with Box-Pleated Skirt
Making the Overblouse
Making the Skirt
A Fancy Pleated Skirt
A Shirred Overblouse
Making the Overblouse
To Give a Bloused-over Look without an Elastic at the Waistline
Where Sash, Yoke and Panel Are Cut in One
Making a Party Dress
Making the Party Dress
Capes
UNDERWEAR
The Gertrude Petticoat
Drawers
Small Girl’s Set of Underwaist, Drawers and Petticoat
Underwaist
Sleeping Drawers
Nightgown
Cutting
Making
CHECK YOUR WORK
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 11 HOW TO MAKE BOYS’ CLOTHES
BLOUSES
Cutting a Buster Brown Blouse
Making the Buster Brown Blouse
Outing Shirt
Making the Outing Shirt
A Little Boy’s Smock
Making the Smock
A Middy Blouse
Making a Middy Blouse
Sailor Overblouse
Making the Sailor Overblouse
Sailor Blouse in Tuck-in Style
Making the Sailor Blouse in Tuck-in Style
A Russian Blouse
Making the Russian Blouse
TROUSERS
Knickerbockers
Cutting the Knickerbockers
Making Knickerbockers
Straight Trousers
Cutting the Straight Trousers
Making the Straight Trousers
Button-on Trousers
Making the Button-on Trousers
COATS
Making an Unlined Suit Coat
HATS
Hat with Rolling Brim and Sectional Crown
Making Hat
Hat with Four-Section Crown
A Sailor Cap
Making a Sailor Cap
UNDERWEAR
Summer Union Suit
Cutting the Union Suit
Making the Union Suit
Drawers Waist
OVERALLS
Making Overalls
TEST QUESTIONS
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS
LESSON 12 PART I HOW TO MAKE MEN’S SHIRTS AND UNDERWEAR
MEN’S SHIRTS
A Coat Shirt with Collarband
Cutting the Coat Shirt
Making a Coat Shirt
Making Collarband
Finishing the Sleeves
To Make a French Cuff
An Outing or Work Shirt
Making an Outing Shirt
Finishing the Sleeve
A Tucked Bosom Shirt
Making a Bosom-front Shirt
A Nightshirt
Making a Nightshirt
PAJAMAS
Cutting the Pajamas
Making Pajamas
Coat and Trousers Set
Making the Coat Part
Making the Trousers
Union Suit
Making a Union Suit
BATH ROBES
A Blanket Bathrobe
Cutting the Bathrobe
Making the Bathrobe
SMOKING JACKETS
A Smoking Jacket
Making a Smoking Jacket
OVERALLS
Making the Overalls
CAPS
Making a Sectional Cap
NECKTIES
Making a Pattern for a Necktie
PART II MATERIALS AND HOW TO TEST THEM
Nature of the Fibers
To Determine the Kinds of Fibers in Cloth
Animal and Vegetable Fibers
Burning Test
Boiling-Out Test
To Identify Silk when Associated with Cotton or Wool
To Tell the Difference Between Silk and Artificial Silk
To Distinguish Linen from Cotton
Judging the Quality of Fabrics
Firmness of Weave
Quality of Yarns
Finish and Weighting
Detecting Yarn Dyed and Piece Dyed Fabrics
Color Tests
RENOVATING NOTES
Dry Cleaning
To Clean and Freshen Velvet
To Clean Lace and Chiffon Veils
REMOVAL OF STAINS
Reagents Used for Removing Spots and Stains
Solvents
Acids
Bleaching Agents
Methods of Applying Reagents
Laundering
Sponging
Spotting
Specific Spots and Stains
Acid Substances
Alkalies
Blood
Candle Wax
Coffee
Chocolate or Cocoa
Fruit Stains
Grass or Foliage Stains
Grease
Ink
Iodine
Iron Rust
Meat Juices and Gravies
Mildew
Milk and Cream
Mud
Paint and Varnish
Perspiration
Tar, Road Oil, Etc.
Tea
Water
DYEING MATERIALS
Be Sure the Dye Suits the Goods
Wash the Garment Before Dyeing
The Container
Dissolve the Dye Before Putting in the Material
Goods Looks Lighter After it is Dried
Pressing Before the Goods is Dry
To Lighten the Shade
Matching Shades
If Goods Is Streaked
Cold Water Dyeing
Choosing the Color
Overdyeing
Bleaching
PART III EASY MAKE-OVERS
Giving the Tuck-in Blouse an Over-the-Skirt Style
Gingham for Collar and Cuffs
The Blouse that Is Tight
Making a V-neck Round
The Too-Tight Skirt
If a Skirt Is Tight at the Waistline
To Make a Skirt Narrower
To Lengthen a Skirt
Overpanels Offer Possibilities
Waistlines Are Important
Making a Waistline Dress Straight Hanging
Dresses Are Collarless
Sleeves are Fancy
If Your Dress Is Worn Under the Arms
For the Dress with Tight Waist
Making a Suit into a Dress
Making Your Old Suit Three-piece
Lengthening a Little Girl’s Dress
A Child’s Frock from a Man’s Shirt
LESSONS AVAILABLE OR COMING SOON
TOCS FOR ALL LESSONS