Boxtops for McCall's Sewing Patterns c. 1970s

What kind of cereal would have a mail in form for a sewing pattern?  Would it be aimed at an adult, like Raisin Bran or maybe Alpha-Bits?

How many boxtops did you have to save to get these patterns?  Some are "Pounds Thinner Patterns" which are designed to make you look taller or thinner.

McCall' Post Patterns

They also included standard dress and pants patterns.

McCall's Post Pattern H

If you didn't want to eat cereal to get free sewing patterns you could use Baggies plastic bags and Punch laundry detergent to get some different sewing patterns.

McCall's B-4

Did you order any of these patterns?  What cereal eat to get them?  Have you made these patterns? Are they groovy enough to wear today?  I think they are a better prize then what you get in the cereal now!

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 

As Seen on TV!

Over the summer I was contacted by the costume department from the TV show: American Horror Story.

Simplicity 3316

I waited with baited breath to see if the pattern would show up in the first show.  Sure enough it did.  It was for Sarah Paulson's character Lana Winters.  The only thing they changed on the pattern was the back of the collar on the coat!  

The dress is very simple (only 4 pieces). The coat is only 2 main pieces, using a kimono sleeves. A kimono sleeve pattern doesn't use a set in sleeve and jacket and the sleeve are one large pattern piece.  I love square neckline with the cut out on the front of the dress.  It is wonderful that they kept the bow detail.

It is wonderful when the costume department uses vintage sewing patterns to get the correct era clothing.

Please check out my website (Patterns from the Past) for some more fun fashions from the 1960's and other eras!

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.

Vintage Sewing Pattern Contest!

Simplicity Designer's Pattern 8283

Patternreview.com is hosting a Vintage Sewing Pattern Contest.  First prize is a $100 gift certificate to my store, Patterns from the Past. 2nd prize is a $50 gift certificate to my store.  If you were planning to work on a vintage sewing project between between April 1 - 31, you should consider entering it in the contest!  You must use a vintage sewing pattern printed between 1920  - 1976,  not one of the new reproduction patterns.

I will offer a 15% discount at Patterns the Past during the contest.  The discount coupon code is contest.

Good luck with your projects!

Anyone for Tea?

I will be hosting a 1950's tea party at Costume Con 26 in San Jose, CA and giving a talk about the history of sewing patterns.

This brings up the question - what do you wear to tea? I can't wear gloves, because I'm serving. I need an apron of course. You need nifty music and good cookies.

Vogue 9156 c. 1957

Hat, or no hat?

Anne Adams 4834



Vogue 9260c. 1957



Vogue Special Design 4565 c. 1955

Vogue 4004 c. 1959

70s easy to wear clothing

I was checking out Kara Janx's (from Project Runway Season 2) designs. I think her clothing is great, but it looked very familiar. Check out her convertible skirt. She able to convert a 70's fashion into something new. I'm thinking if you took this skirt pattern and widened the belt - you would have something pretty close to what she designed.

Butterick 4843

Here is another fashion from 1976 that is making a comeback- Lydia Silvesty's Infinite dress. I think it is a great concept - but my body is just not built to wear something like this, at least not in a stretch knit, and I can't see it working in anything other then a knit.

McCall's 5360

I recently went to Montreal and poked around at the American Apparel store. I never saw one of these stores before! Much to my surprise, they have them in my own state. They have a Bandeau dress that is the same concept as the Infinite dress. They shortened the hem - but you can you the directions for both of them. The one thing you can do with this dress that you can't do with the Infinite dress is wear it as a halter. The Bandeau dress is a little more flared at the hem.

Here is another 70s fashion that might work like the infinite dress.

Simplicity 8086

If you don't want infinite choices - you could choose only 7 ways with the Seven Way Wonder Dress! This dress completely wraps around - where the other three are tube dresses - or flared tube dresses.

Butterick 5230

In 2000 another version of the 7 Way Wonder - or Infinite dress shows up as a pattern. Debra Moises wrap dress for McCall's.

McCall's 2781

You can probably combine all the instructions from all of them and end up with lots of ways to wrap the patterns. This pattern has more gathers then the original 70s one and the American Apparel Bandeau dress.

I'm going to have to play around with my Bandeau dress to see if I can make it work for me. I may not be built for such garments.

Jumpsuits and Rompers

I have been getting a bunch of requests for jumpsuit patterns. I talked to some of my customers to find out why they wanted these patterns. They are performers, people traveling, some who see it as an upcoming fashion. I looked at the big 4 sewing pattern companies online - sure enough, they have a few jumpsuit sewing patterns - but mostly for kids.

Butterick 6231, Butterick 6618

What are people seeing out there? With a quick search I found a few jumpsuits for sale at Nordstroms and Spiegel.

So.. if you want to sew a jumpsuit for spring or summer - you will probably have to use a vintage patterns, unless the big 4 can produce a few more options soon. I know that Butterick, Vogue, Simplicity and McCall's all have produced a variety of jumpsuit and romper patterns for adults. If they get enough requests for them, maybe they will start producing patterns for them again...

What is Three Armhole Dress?

I have found several of these pattern from the 1960s. They are jiffy dresses all dating from 1966-69. They look like they could be good beach dresses to me. I've have found several designs of them for women and girls. I found references to people making them as their first Home Ec. project. They are sometimes called a three armhole dress or a wrap-arounder dress. If you want to find one on ebay - you will have to search for a wrap arounder.

 

You see above: McCall's 9181, McCall's 9109, Simplicity 8080, Simplicity 7484 B or Simplicity 7484 A, Butterick 4699, Simplicity 7572

If you want your daughter to match you try Simplicity 7617, Simplicity 7518 and Butterick 4698.

I have a few for sale on my website Patterns from the Past Simplicity 60's dresses or Patterns from the Past McCall's 60's dresses. Maybe you can alter one into quick high fashion, or as a new beach dress!
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Additional information: according to the McCall's 9181 pattern. The term "wrap-arounder" is a trademark of the McCall corporation. I keep searching and finding more variations on this pattern, all from the late 1960s.

UPDATE:

The Simplicity pattern company has reprinted the Three Armhole pattern!  Simplicity 8049 get it while it is in print again!