Butterick 2209 - The American Red Cross Volunteer Special Service Outdoor Uniform

"1/14/43" is written on the flap of the envelope of this one.

Women's Red Cross uniforms had been re-designed around 1941 by Elizabeth Hawes to be more contemporary looking.  "Red Cross Lassies Get Snappy New Uniforms,"  burbled the St. Petersburg Times on May 4, 1941.  Indeed, without the epaulettes (and the cap) this is a pretty standard women's suit of the time.

Wool gabardine in blue-gray would have been used for View A, the winter uniform.  View B, the summer uniform, would have been made up in a rayon-mohair mix for summer weight or seersucker for tropical weight.

By April 1942, about 20,000 women wore some type of Red Cross uniform.  The Red Cross had to walk a fine line between complying with the overall need to economize in every possible way and to assure that its workers were properly recognized.  The New York Times reported on April 3, 1942 that the bellows pocket with flap that had previously been used on jackets was being dropped in favor of pockets using less material.  In the same article, Mrs. Dwight Davis, the Red Cross's national director of  volunteer special services stated that uniforms should be reserved for women who spent the bulk of their time performing Red Cross-related activities - particularly if this work took them out in public:  women working in chapter work rooms were not to wear uniforms.

Even though uniforms could be purchased at department stores, making or having a uniform made might have been a good option for a woman who required special care in fitting.  This uniform pattern was available in bust sizes from 30" to 46" - a much wider range than that of patterns for civilian clothes.

While the envelope for this pattern is rough around the edges, this unprinted pattern does not appear to have been used, possibly because there was less demand for the generous size 46.

The American Red Cross was founded on May 21st, 1881.

McCall - Clothes to Fit the Little Lady Doll

1942

During World War II, even dolls could help the war effort, either by nursing with the Red Cross or by working for the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense as an Air Raid Warden.

It's interesting that the two occupational garments are given top billing in the illustration, while the party dress and school clothes provide hope for the future.

The Office of Civilian Defense was established on May 20th, 1941, a little less than six months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The designers were careful to be accurate in rendering the insignia for the armband, though they had to simplify it a little due to the very small size.

Simplicity 4626 - American Red Cross Uniform

No earlier than 1942, as this is when the older style veil was replaced by the trimmer coif illustrated here.(1)

The description reads:

American Red Cross Volunteer Special Service Corps, Washable Uniforms for Administration, Staff Assistant, Production, Braille, Canteen, Home Service, Hospital and Recreation and Paid Staff Workers (Except Hospital Workers).

The uniform on the right would appear to be that of a Gray Lady (part of the Hospital and Recreation service.)

Even though commercially produced uniforms seem to have been readily available, the Simplicity company must have thought there was enough of a demand for a pattern to make this one available, as well as number 4694, home nursing pinafore and canteen apron.

Here's an example of a commercially produced uniform in the collection of the University of North Carolina.

No fabric recommendations are given, presumably because the ARC would have issued their own specific instructions on this.

(1) Shirley Powers's web site, http://www.collectarc.com/ was very helpful here.

Official American Red Cross Pattern No. 102 - Child's Nightgown (French and Belgian)

World War I

I don't know why the "French and Belgian" designation was thought to be necessary.

Garments designed for the Red Cross to use in relief work are generally very simply designed.  At a time when most button holes were still hand worked, the single button in the middle of the placket illustrates a need to get as many of these garments made, bundled, and delivered as quickly as humanly possible.

The New York Times for Sunday, September 9, 1917 devoted a full page to reporting on the donations that various groups had made to support war victims.  Groups listed included:

• American Poets' Ambulances in Italy
• Armenian and Syrian Relief
• Belgian Relief fund for the "Sou du Moutile"[Maimed Soldier]
• Serbian Relief Committee
• French Tuberculosis War Victims Fund
• War Babies Cradle
• American Girls Aid
• American Huguenot Committee
• National Allied Relief Committee
• NewYork Committee of the Fatherless Children of France
• American Jewish Relief
• Le Bien Etre du Blesse
• French Heroes Fund
• Cardinal Mercier Fund
• Belgian Relief Fund
• American Committee for Training in Suitable Trades [for] the Maimed Soldiers of France
• New York Branch of the Woman's Section of the Navy League
• American Students Fund of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
• Guaranty Club [Employees of Guaranty Trust Company of New York]
• Polish Victims Relief Fund
• Secours National Fund for the Relief of Women and Children of France
• Serbian Hospitals Fund
• University Grants Committee of the Polish Victims Relief Fund
• Federal Council of Allied War Charities
• Stage Women's War Relief

Here's a wonderful description of the Stage Women's War Relief.  I would imagine that many of these women worked in the theaters' costume shops and were able to turn out quantities of well-made garments without turning a hair.

Simplicity 4694 - Official Red Cross Home Nursing Pinafore and Canteen Apron

World War II (probably after 1941)

LIFE photograph by George Strock, 1941

Interestingly, no fabric recommendations are made, and yardages are given only for 35" wide material, so I'm assuming the Red Cross made recommendations or supplied the fabric.

The Red Cross museum site has a nice overview of WW II canteens here. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom for a link to a PDF that will tell you how to recreate a WWII canteen.

The Red Cross also offered home nursing courses during the war, in part to mitigate the shortage of doctors.

Official American Red Cross Pattern No. 60 - Men's Pajamas

September 1, 1917.  This one was produced by Pictorial Review.

The Red Cross seems to have allowed all the pattern companies to produce patterns for them.  Thus far we've seen the Matinee Blouse published by Home Pattern Company, the comfort kit by May Manton (though this may not be an Official ARC pattern), a taped hospital shirt by McCalls, and drawers by Butterick.

All the patterns sold for ten cents.

According to Priscilla War Work Book, Comforts for Soldiers and Sailors (available in facsimile from IvaRose):

Patterns and materials may be procured from most retail dry-goods stores, or through the nearest Red Cross Chapter.  Simply ask for "Red Cross Pattern" for the garments you desire to make.

On the same page, recommended fabrics for the pajamas are:

 ...cotton oxford (cheviot) or equivalent. Seersucker "Bates" or equivalent. Outing flannel: "Amoskeag 1921"...or equivalent.  Gray recommended.

The pattern envelope recommends outing flannel in light or dark stripes.  Grey hospital pajamas is such a depressing thought.

Official American Red Cross Pattern No. 80 - Underdrawers

About 1917-1918.  The Red Cross supplied refugees as well as prisoners of war.

Different pattern companies produced patterns for the American Red Cross.   Butterick produced their usual separate instruction sheet.  I love the notation "SEAMS!!!"

I need somebody to tell me what the narrow straps are used for; surely one doesn't attach one's braces to these?

Official American Red Cross Pattern No. 35 - Taped Hospital Bed Shirt

World War I.  The statement that this pattern supersedes all others previously issued means I'm going to try to find one of these previously issued patterns.

The instructions on the back of the envelope are more detailed than is usual for this period, and detail how to make flat fell seams.  They also instruct that the hems are to be folded to and sewn on the outside.  I wonder why this is.

I'm curious to know how the process of home sewing for the Red Cross worked during WWI.  Did one purchase the pattern from the Red Cross, or did stores carry them?  Were there special prices on the fabric?  Did the maker sew on the Red Cross Emblem, or did Red Cross volunteers do this?  Were the shirts quality checked and bundled by the local Red Cross chapters?

May Manton 9510 - Comfort Kit

Comfort kits are not all that complicated to make and instructions for them with measured line drawings were published in magazines during WWI, so it's a little unusual to see manufactured pattern for one. Why the Newark (N.J.) chapter of the Red Cross was favored is a mystery.

This pattern appears never to have been used. The insert of suggested items for filling the comfort kit was still enclosed.

Home Pattern Company 157 - Ladies' Matinee or Morning Blouse

Authorized by the American Red Cross, this pattern was produced during World War I.
The description "morning blouse" indicates to me that this was considered at home wear.

The instructions on the back of the envelope explain how to make a flat felled seam, advising the maker to observe how the sleeves of a man's shirt are sewed into the armhole.  This tells us that such seams were common in men's shirts but not in ladies' clothing.

Here is a front view of the blouse made up, both without and with the belt:

From Unsung Sewing Patterns

I also thought the collar was interesting (and very nearly fashionable in its day)