The Vintage Pattern Selector is a practical sewing book that arms the reader with all the techniques and information they need in order to mix and match clothing styles from the 20th century. Accompanied by a CD with printable patterns for a range of dress sizes, this book is a comprehensive guide to creating contemporary outfits from vintage styles. For home sewers and fashion enthusiasts, vintage clothing isn't merely a device to replicate specific looks from a specific era, but instead, an opportunity for limitless style options that draw on decades of experimentation with hemlines, colour, styles, and silhouettes. Wear a 1960s style shift dress with a classic 80s blazer. Match a 40s' cowl neck blouse with 70s' style tapered trousers. The Vintage Pattern Selector is the ultimate handbook to show the reader how to choose the right fabric, colour palettes, styles, and patterns in order to create contemporary pieces that reference these timeless styles and designs.

The Vintage Pattern Selector is a great resource for anyone who wants to make their own retro inspired clothes. It explores key styles and garments from the 1920s to 1970s and combines them with modern styling ideas, offering advice on choosing the right fabrics, colour palettes and styles ... Each chapter looks at the key styles from various decades, such as 1920s flapper dresses or 1950s circle skirts, and compares the traditional fabric, length, style and colours with those used today. It is educational, practical and clearly yet beautifully presented. What makes it stand out from other similar books is the inclusion of less obvious items like the pillbox hat and French knickers. -- Jennifer Schembri * My Creative Diva *

Jo Barnfield is a Designer/Maker operating under the nom de plume of 'House of Jo'. After graduating in 2008 with a BA Hons in Fashion and Textiles, she cut her teeth in the Fashion Industry working as a Pattern Cutter and Technical Illustrator for Jasmine Di Milo. She is currently juggling freelance work alongside the role of Part Time Lecturer and Industry Practitioner at Bath Spa University, Bath, Uk and City of Bath College, teaching design, pattern cutting and construction.