What Kind of Vintage Pattern Should I Buy?

You love Vintage Sewing patterns! The fashions appeal to you, the era is "yours".  You don't like the designs are in the store, or they don't work for your body size.  If you have been shopping for vintage patterns for a while, you will notice there are many different types of patterns out there.   Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Misses pattern and a Half size pattern? Do you choose a Teen pattern or a Junior Miss? You have see there are patterns for: Girls, Teens, Juniors, Misses, Chubby, Half Size and Fuller Figure. What are these different types of patterns?  How do I pick the one that is right for me?

Some Vintage Sewing Patterns Websites tell you to buy the pattern you like/love and offer you some advice on how to alter it. Altering pattern sizes is hard to do if you are a beginner sewer or haven't worked with vintage patterns.  It is much easier to work with the correct style of pattern in the right measurements.    Maybe you won't find a pattern that is exactly what you want when you start working with them, but once you know how to work with vintage patterns, then you can get the one you love, and make it work for you.

Here is a helpful guide to sewing pattern shopping for a 1950's sewing pattern from the Advance Pattern Company.  Please also look at the handy dandy measurement chart below the pattern descriptions!

Vera Maxwell's Four Way Pattern

In my business you never know what you are going to find when you acquire a new lot of patterns.  I always wonder who the person was who had the patterns before me.  Did she sew for herself or for her family?  Where some of these patterns her moms or her friends? You often get an idea of the size of the person over time as the eras change - so do the styles and sizes of the patterns.

Inside a very plain envelope came a really cool surprise for me.

Not only was there a really great sewing pattern in it.

The envelope also included a magazine article about the sewing pattern from This Week Magazine from March 2, 1947.  Notice on the last image from the article there is a section torn out, I'm sure that was the coupon that was mailed in for the sewing pattern. It is great to see models wearing the pattern rather then just illustrations!   Here is another version of the same article with the coupon included 

British Sewing Patterns During WW2

Time: the late 1940's early 50's.  The world is at war.  How did it effect sewing patterns in England?

I had the opportunity to obtain several British WW2 era sewing patterns.  They reminded me of Pevensie kids in the recent Narnia Movies.

What did the pattern companies do to support the war effort?  They dropped color printing.

Vogue 2456

I have patterns that are printed in the US at the same time.  They are using color.

Butterick 4140

Vogue 2445

Vogue dropped diagrams, pattern sizing, and descriptions from the back for the pattern envelope.

Vogue children's pattern late 1940s early 1950s

McCall's, who had a patent on printing on their pattern tissue paper  used pre-cut pattern paper.  The printed tissue sewing pattern was fairly new at the time.  In the US - McCall's still printed on their tissue paper patterns, and so did Simplicity.  TheUS Butterick patterns I have from those years are still using pre-cut tissue paper patterns.

The patterns were taxed.

Vogue 2163

Butterick reminded people of the civilian clothing restriction orders.

Butterick 4630

The designed used limited fabric.  These patterns were present in both the US and British market.  Everyone was conserving fabric. 

The paper that the patterns are printed on (at least the patterns I have) are of good quality for the pattern tissue and the instruction paper, perhaps this is a difference between British paper and US paper. I have quite a few instructions sheets from that era printed in the US, who have seen better days.

I enjoy the images, history and stories that come to me with each package of patterns that come my way.  I  enjoyed going through the  wardrobe to see this different world.

Simplicity Designer's Patterns

Between 1949 and 1950 Simplicity produced a line of patterns. They started the same time as Vogue's Paris Originals Line. The patterns have an oversized envelope (8" X 11"). They where nice styles, but they are not VPO's.

Simplicity 8002 c. 1949


Simplicity 8104 c. 1949

This one is the closer to a Vogue style. Notice the pleating on the front of the skirt.

Vogue Paris Original Model - 1189 c. 1952 Dessès - Suit - pleats on the side of the skirt. Didn't someone try that on the Project Runway Post Office challenge with BAD results?

Simplicity 8293 c. 1950

After 1950, this line of patterns was discontinued. I have not seen these patterns in the vintage re-issues.