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Rating: 
Summary: Reader Comments Sent Directly to the Publisher
Review: "Using the original measuring devices, the garments for the production not only cut correctly, but looked absolutely marvelous after construction in silks and cotton lawns." "I was seriously surprised and delighted to find that everything I have made has fit on the first pass through." "It was actually easy--far easier than using many of the commercially available patterns. Since the pattern was drafted for my particular body, using my measurements, it was almost fully custom as drafted."
Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional Book! Get your money's worth and more!!!
Review: I had this book for a while, and I found it was an exceptional book! Not are only are the fashion plates to the dress pretty accurate (except they edit the sketches of the famous Gibson girl face and replace it with real faces from antique photography, which is disappointing if you enjoy fashion plates) and they give you pages of patterns as well. The patterns are not to scale, and while I was buying it, I thought I would get plastic cutouts from the back. Actually the tools are in the book, on regular paper, the suggest you cut them out and put them on ruler or inexpensive cardboard, but I found that to be strange since you could not cut one ruler without cutting onto another one on the next page. Therefore, what I suggest is photocopy it and then make the rules with the copies, that way you can pass the book onto your granddaughters for them to use a mint condition book as well.
However, I found the instructions to the drafting system highly confusing. I never drafted patterns by hand before and I thought this book would help me to learn. Even my mother, who has been sewing for a lifetime, could not understand the concept. For those who have only been home sewing, and do not have a dressmakers education, it will be an extreme challenge to learn it. Other reviews say it is a synch, so it cannot hurt to try. Unfortunately, I disregard the pattern drafting system and do it the old-fashion way (or new-fashion way :-D) and made transparencies to be put on an overhead to be drawn to scale on drafting paper.
Another drawback is the instructions for the patterns, (while it says in the book that in the Edwardian era, patterns came without many sentences of instructions and sewers were expected to refer to a sewers manual, which is included. One thing I have to say is that I wish all books came with a sewers manual! In the back, they discuss not only how to create a right fit, cutting biases, gathering petticoats under a seam, but rainy-day costumes, mourning dress, maternity, bridal, choosing a design, and good taste and economy in dressing! Amazing!) while it tells what the dress was made out of and the color! Sometimes on some of the patterns, they do not list how many yards of fabric are required. That is probably on ten of the patterns in the book, but if you know how to sew, just draw the patterns up to scale and lay them out on the fabric at the yard store before you cut.
I show also say what sort of styles are in the book for those who are starting out (if you are, I recommend Joanne Olian for fashion plates, inexpensive and exceptional books!). Of course, there a few petticoats, different styles of corset covers (too bad, no corsets), they have reception gowns, one empire waist which was sort of popular in the late era, many street and traveling costumes, many coats! (I am talking one in every chapter) and a many of suits! (which I like since I dress rather conservable.) I should also tell you the sort of styles, of course the years go from April, July, October of 1907, January, April, July, October of 1908, and January, April, July, October of 1909. Therefore, you get winter clothing as well as spring, fall, and summer as well. At the beginning, you see many frills and lace insertions as you do at the beginning of the Edwardian era (Like the motion picture "Gigi" with Leslie Caron) There are many tailor waists and many lacy collars! In the middle, you see more suits and dresses without the frills and the pigeon look (Stay fronted corset, also known as the S-Bend) in full effect! If you liked "House of Mirth" with Gillian Anderson, with her beautiful suits and dresses, the patterns in the middle of the book are for you, even if House of Mirth is Victorian with leg-o-mutton sleeves, this would be a good substitute. At the end of the book, the skirts begin to get narrow, you see many jackets begin to get longer than the hip, you begin to see many buttons (there is a dress that is in need of 175 buttons as decoration!) While there are no hobble-skirts, which is in the great-war era (teens), the still have beautiful lines where you could alter it to be teens without the restriction of the hobble-skirts (which costumers know it restricts leg strides into little ones, in which you are actually hobbling around)
I would have given it 5 stars only if the pattern drafting was also aiming for the those who never hand-drafted before, and of course for the few patterns that do not list the recommend yardage. But I also give it four-stars because the patterns are rare, you can never find a collection such as this! The dressmaking manual in the back, which I am head over heels for! And, lastly, 85 patterns for forty dollars! That is $2.12 a pattern! If you were to buy 85 patterns at the sewing store at the regular amount at $7.00 the total would come out to hundreds of dollars!
Buy it! Or you will be missing out on beautiful dresses!
Rating:
Summary: Not for the faint-hearted.
Review: I've been sewing off-and-on all my adult life, but I'm going to have to get my husband the engineer to help me draw up these patterns. Her method, copied from the original ones, is a multi-step project that appears to require some drafting skill in addition to sewing skill. Nevertheless, the original patterns of the era are scarce and painfully expensive and not user-friendly, so this is surely worth trying. Do not expect to whip these little numbers up quickly, however. On the other hand, who would ever want to make or wear most of the shapeless dreck in today's pattern books?
Rating:
Summary: Not for the faint-hearted.
Review: I've been sewing off-and-on all my adult life, but I'm going to have to get my husband the engineer to help me draw up these patterns. Her method, copied from the original ones, is a multi-step project that appears to require some drafting skill in addition to sewing skill. Nevertheless, the original patterns of the era are scarce and painfully expensive and not user-friendly, so this is surely worth trying. Do not expect to whip these little numbers up quickly, however. On the other hand, who would ever want to make or wear most of the shapeless dreck in today's pattern books?
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilled to find this book
Review: Thanks Fran, this book is great. A good selection of pattern which should keep me going for a while. I like the style and layout of the book. Plenty of additional information. I also bought After a fashion, which is a great companion to getting the correct look for the period.
Rating:
Summary: Back Cover Copy for The Edwardian Modiste
Review: The 85 patterns and 91 fashion plates in this book were reproduced from rare originals of the 1905 American Garment Cutter Instruction and Diagram Book and 1907-1909 issues of the quarterly American Modiste. These publications were used by both professional dressmakers and amateurs. They offered sophisticated fashions, artistic illustrations, fashion columns describing the latest styles, and pattern instructions. They also provided the ability to create patterns for the wearer's individual measurements with the American System of Cutting. Using special rulers that eliminated arithmetic, even untrained designers could enlarge pattern diagrams to the correct size. The Edwardian Modiste provides a full set of rulers and detailed instructions for readers who wish to use the American System. It also explains how to enlarge the patterns by projection. The years from 1905 to 1909 saw a transition from the turn-of-the-century S-curve figure to the straighter line of the 1910s. Throughout, women wore outfits appropriate to the season, occasion, and time of day. Formal dresses were made of luxurious fabric richly trimmed; street suits were elegantly styled and finely tailored; and lingerie was made of sheer fabric decorated with hand embroidery and lace. All the major styles and most garments are represented in this book. The patterns include lingerie, home robes, day dresses, street suits, blouses, afternoon and evening gowns, winter coats and jackets, sports outfits, and motor coats. The Edwardian Modiste also includes carefully selected sections from a 1907 sewing manual, The Complete Dressmaker. These give fabric suggestions and sewing techniques for most garments, including wedding gowns, maternity wear, and mourning. Especially noteworthy are the hard-to-find instructions for ladies' tailoring. A substantial glossary explains fabric names and dressmakers' terms.
Rating:
Summary: An Essential for the Edwardian Wardrobe
Review: This book is remarkable! It has everything you could possibly need for a complete Edwardian wardrobe, including undergarments (except corsets). I was a little intimidated when looking through it, but when you draft up the patterns it is actually remarkably easy. The jacket I made fit on the first try. A little knowledge on linings is needed (if you want them) because they are not included in the patterns. A fabulous book and I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: An Essential for the Edwardian Wardrobe
Review: This book is remarkable! It has everything you could possibly need for a complete Edwardian wardrobe, including undergarments (except corsets). I was a little intimidated when looking through it, but when you draft up the patterns it is actually remarkably easy. The jacket I made fit on the first try. A little knowledge on linings is needed (if you want them) because they are not included in the patterns. A fabulous book and I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A great source for women's Edwardian clothing.
Review: _The Edwardian Modiste_ is a great source for those looking for a typical wardrobe of a lady during the Edwardian period. Not only are day dress patterns included there are also several evening gowns, undergarments and outer garments. I found the historical sewing instructions extremely insightful. Because these patterns are reprinted from a professional dressmaker's manual some sewing experience is required. The author, Frances Grimble, clearly presents instructions on how to enlarge these wonderful, to-scale patterns. Now all I need is a straight-fronted corset and I will be set!
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