ONE HOUR DRESS

Click Image To Visit Site When announcement was first made in 1923 that Mary Brooks Picken of the Woman’s Institute had developed a new plan by which an attractive dress could be made in an hour, it aroused tremendous interest among women everywhere.

Some doubted that such an achievement was possible, until the dress was made in a public demonstration in the Grand Central Palace, New York, in 34 minutes, a fact recorded in the New York newspapers and attested to by officials of the National Merchandise Fair…



"A smart, up-to-the-minute dress cut out, completely made, all ready to put on within an hour! You may receive a "phone call at one o’clock inviting you to a little impromptu gathering of friends at three, and you can go, if you wish, wearing a dainty new frock make in the time you would ordinarily spend wondering what to wear. Such is the delight you can find in making your own clothes now that it is easily possible to make an attractive, becoming dress in an hour.

And you can have as many "One Hour Dresses" as your heart desires — in infinite variety, for the "One Hour Dress" is not a style of dress, it is a method of making. It is a new and simple plan by which the dress you select from the many designs in this book can actually be cut out, put together, finished all complete in sixty minutes. And you can create other "One Hour Dresses" for yourself, because different combinations of colors and materials, different finishes and touches of decoration will enable you to have just the dress that appeals to your taste and have it quickly and at little cost."

The simple dressmaking system developed by Mary Picken is just as relevant today as it was in 1924. Whether you are trying to create a 1920′s dress, sew a flapper dress costume, learn dressmaking, looking for inspiration, or a fashion student – you will get something from this book. NOTE: This System bypasses the pattern stage, but you can still use it to make patterns.

By LENORE McCORMACK, Department of Dressmaking. The World Dressmaking Record Holder shares her secrets on fast dressmaking

The One-Width, Slender-Line Dress for Fall By MARY BROOKS PICKEN, Director of Instruction Especially Suited to the 54-inch (137cm) Flannels in Plain, Striped, Checked, or Plaid Design. One Length of Material Plus a Scant Two Hours Time Makes This Modish Frock.

20 beautiful and inspiring examples. These are not “One Hour Dresses” but they do illustrate the types of dresses, materials and colors that were in fashion in 1924. See example on left.

We suggest you print the pages and put them into a folder with plastic sleeves for protection and easy access.

"THE ONE HOUR DRESS" is a downloadable book in PDF format. The cost is only $17. You can read it on your computer or print it out. Being a PDF means it can be read by both PC’s and Mac’s… Read more…