There are some lovely styles from the French system sold singly on Etsy by Mrs.Depew Vintage which could be an inexpensive way to experiment if you are so inclined.

So, basically, if you don’t know how to work out all of that or really don’t relish the challenge of learning and experimenting I wouldn’t recommend rushing off to try it out. Also there are absolutely no sewing instructions or finishing suggestions, no hints of what to interface, line or even where to put openings to get the garment on and off. But…and this is a big, HUGE ‘but’ : there are no seam allowances included on the patterns, no real indication of grain placement, and no facings or lining pieces. So how did my try at Lutterloh go? Well, drawing the pattern out was dead easy like the advertising says. This is a YouTube video of the Man From Lutterloh demonstrating with a simple waistcoat how it all works (14 minutes long if you have the patience). It’s similar-ish contemporaries were a French system called Eclair Coupe Paris and The Haslam system which I think was American. Lutterloh was started in Germany, 1935, and is still going strong today. So without more ado here is my Lutterloh 1949 make: I resisted the impulse to edit my pics to make my waist look as small as the illustration… or to make the illustration look as realistic as me.

That fine cotton hummingbird fabric I posted about back in April was used for it – and going by my self-imposed ”one out-one in” stash rule I can now buy a new fabric 😉 So completely and utterly spoiled for choice and unable to decide which design to start with I photocopied a number of my favourites and randomly drew this one to be my first Lutterloh make. That very same week on eBay I bid on a Summer 1949 supplement being sold from France. A few months ago I was very generously gifted not one but two Lutterloh pattern books from 19.

Free lutterloh pattern supplement