May Manton 6599 - Boy's Base Ball Suit

About 1910.

Note the padded pants, a feature that seems to have originated in the 1880s and disappeared around the first World War, as far as I can tell from looking at high school team photos of the period. (1)

The pull-over shirt is a pretty standard outing shirt design, with three sleeve options:  long, short, and convertible. (We've seen these convertible sleeves before, with Pictorial Review 5969)

Consider the amount of work involved in making this uniform:  colored facings are sewn to the shirt; button holes must be worked (by hand) for the convertible sleeves, the shirt, and the fly front of the pants; the pants must have padding sewn into them; the cap is lined.

And because I know you'll ask, here is what the cap pieces look like.

 The three perforated crosses in the brim indicate where it's placed on the fold of the material.  It's interesting to see that the cap sections are shorter toward the fronts, which will give the cap a jaunty set.

"B C", I assume, very cleverly stands for "Ball Club,"  but wouldn't it have been fun if the illustrator had had the imagination to use "M M?"

(1) See the history of baseball uniform pants on the web site for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Simplicity 4683 - Men's, Boys' and Women's Apron

Mid 1940s.

This unprinted pattern dates to before 1946, as this is apparently when Simplicity started printing their patterns.

A nice, straightforward apron for the Gentleman and his Missus, who has also made Buddy a spiffy apron for his first Industrial Arts class.  Why the illustrator chose to show the Gentleman wearing a shop apron but gearing up for kitchen duty is a bit of mystery.  And that tiny little cookbook he's holding seems to be awfully entertaining.

Your fifteen cents really bought you a good, thoughtful design.  Note that the Men's and Boys apron is darted at the sides.  This will make the apron set close through the hips, which will probably make it safer by making it less likely to snag, and should also make it more efficient at keeping the wearer clean.

The handling of the shoulder straps and ties is clever.  The straps will adjust to almost any size or shape and don't require any hardware to fasten:

Note that the topstitching around the pockets and the edges make this a very sturdy garment.

No fabric recommendations are given, but the aprons in the illustration surely look like chambray.  Denim would also have been popular, and frequently came in the 35" width called out in the yardage requirements.

Here is the men's apron made up in denim:

Here are the side darts from the inside:

And here they are from the outside:

The instructions call for a small patch of fabric to be sewn in as a backing for the button holes on the sides.  You can see that I've sewn down the patch and stitched a rectangle to outline the buttonhole.  The button holes were worked by hand.

And in the event this apron ever wanders away, I've "branded" it.

In the future, I'd probably use a good-quality twill tape for the straps, rather than making them myself, since folding those narrow strips of denim resulted in a certain amount of questionable language as I repeatedly steamed my fingers.

This denim is wonderful to work with.  Made under the SAFEDenim brand, it's made entirely in the United States by farmers who are trying to produce a sustainable product.  Cotton is demanding of the soil and can require enormous amounts of pesticides, so producing this denim requires a lot of commitment from the farmers.  I don't know where you can buy yard goods, but if you're willing to commit to a 30 yard bolt, you can buy it from the web site.

You can get a free pattern for a very similar apron from the James Thompson web site, makers of my preferred pillow ticking.  (This apron would also look great made up in ticking.)

Originally posted on June 8, 2011.  Additional material added to show the men's apron made up.

Pictorial Review 3701 - Boys' Overalls

After 1907, but probably before the first World War.

Pictorial Review offered this pattern in sizes from 4 through 16 years.   This one is a size 8 years.  Boys older than 16 would be able to wear smaller men's sizes.

These overalls are the right thing to wear when helping to put in the vegetable garden.  It would seem that transplanting flowers, as this young gentleman appears to be doing, is perhaps a more formal activity, requiring a beautiful spotted blouse and a tie.

Pictorial Review patterns were advertised through the Pictorial Review magazine, and like all fashion magazines, the publishers advertised the fashionableness of their offerings.  But clearly somebody felt that a highly functional overalls pattern would find an audience.

A separate layout sheet is included.  The patent date of 1907 is for the layout, not the style.

But the instructions are still given on the front of the envelope.

This pattern was closed with a pin, something I find now and again, most commonly with patterns before the 1920s.

Although the back of the envelope is unprinted, the back of the layout sheet offers some advertising.

McCall 2062 - Family Aprons and Bib - with Gingerbread Appliques

1952.

If two points describe a line, then two aprons featuring dogs describe a trend, and McCall seems to be blazing the trail.  You'll recall their his-and-hers "in the dog house" aprons from 1942.

Ten years later, that happy couple have produced the lovely family you see here.  The menfolk wear straightforward butcher's aprons while Mother and Sissy sport bouffant numbers.  Notice that even their gingerbread gals wear skirts.  And I just don't know what to make of the pooch's bib.  They can't be serious.  But the bib does have a gingerbread dog on it.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Butterick 7031 - Boys' Windbreaker

After 1923.

I bought this pattern because I was interested in the use of the term"windbreaker" at this early date.  The earliest use of the term found on Google Books is a February 1919 review in the wonderful Outing magazine, while Boy's Life magazine for May 1928 recommends a windbreaker as part of a bicyclist's kit of gear.

The Youngstown Vindicator for November 10, 1925 contains an advertisement for "the new wind-breaker  The newest thing for boys and girls." The Montreal Gazette for September 30, 1926, shows an advertisement for suede windbreakers designed to appeal to young women.  Some more sleuthing might find a parent of the windbreaker in the leather jackets worn by aviators, who probably knew more about wind than anybody.

We've seen the banded bottom used a little earlier on Excella 1111, Men's Jumper, as well as the much earlier Working Blouse pattern put out by the Universal Fashion Company.

Recommended fabrics for the Butterick windbreaker include:

Plain or Plaid Flannel, Camel Hair, Fleece Coatings, Corduroy, Duvetyn, and Suede Coatings

Fleece in this sense means a heavily fulled wool fabric with a somewhat soft, fleecy finish (as opposed to a smooth, sheared finish.)   Duvetyn is a "soft, filling-faced fabric made in a satin or twill weave with a fine downy nap...Its appearance is similar to velvet.  Originally made of soft wool in France." (1)  The soft quality of the fabrics accords with the view expressed by the reviewer in Outing that this firm, fleecy quality is what cuts the wind.

But possibly the most intriguing aspect of this pattern is the "instructions for knitting collar, cuffs, and band for View D."

Commercially knit banding was certainly available for the 1930's, when it's called for in the DuBarry Children's Snow Suit, but a substantial wool banding may have been harder to find, so Butterick enhanced the value of their pattern by providing instructions for knitting the straight bands for the collar and cuffs as well as a slightly shaped collar.  I must admit that I find knitting 1x1 ribbing just about the most boring knitting task possible.  However, a thrifty, thoughtful maker might buy extra yarn so that frayed or badly stained ribbing could be replaced to extend the life of the windbreaker.  My recollection is that Shetland Floss is about like our fingering weight yarn.

This unprinted pattern appears to have been used and is in reasonably good condition.

(1) See Sources Consulted

McCall 5327 - Child's Jumpsuit and Hat

1976

Children's clothing is a little tricky to talk about because its purposes are different from clothing for adults.  Most important with regard to the time and effort involved in home sewing, children's clothes are more or less disposable because children grow out of them.  It's unlikely that a child will wear out an article of clothing before they outgrow it, so while a home-made garment may have been intended for one particular child, its lifespan will probably extend to that child's siblings, extended family, or even to the larger community as part of a clothing exchange.

How children's clothing is used is also a little different.  There is the clothing children are required to wear for what are essentially adult functions; little suits for boys and dresses for girls that are worn to church, to Christmas parties, and weddings and the like, and which almost always itch or pinch in one way or another.   Pajamas and bathrobes, sometimes sewn annually at Christmas time combine a labor of love with deep practicality, though the recipients may not appreciate this.  Clothing that is appropriate for school (at least during the elementary grades when parents still have some control!) is essentially occupational clothing that conforms to current styles.

And then there are play clothes.  Play, I think, is the truest occupation of children, particularly young children, so it makes sense to provide them with appropriate occupational clothing.

What makes this pattern so attractive is the matching hat - an occupational necessity for all railroaders, regardless of the size of their rail operations.

This pattern does not appear to have been used.

This one is for Jim and Olen.

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 4267 - Boy's Baseball Suit, Shirt, Shorts, and Cap

1953.

Recommended fabrics for the baseball uniform include cotton, denim, flannelette, and wool.  About four yards of military braid is required for the baseball uniform.

The little guy on the lower left is really nicely turned out, in his cool summer seersucker outfit with matching blue socks and saddle shoes.

Only the pattern pieces for the shorts appear to have been used.

Updated to add instructions for cap.

Du Barry 2350B - Child's Two-Piece Snow Suit and Cap

Latter 1930s.

I remember my snow suits being blue quilted nylon and horribly ugly.

Du Barry patterns were sold exclusively at Woolworth's and were produced by Simplicity.

The description on the back of the envelope provides some cheerful, if somewhat ungrammatical advertising copy:

This is a nice, thoughtful design with the reinforced knees and two patch pockets (for two hankies for runny noses.)  As long as the new slide fasteners didn't jam (mine sometime did, thirty years later) they would have been an improvement over trying to cope with buttons with cold or mittened hands.

Making up a snow suit in a size two is a labor of love.  The center back length of the jacket is only fifteen inches.  The outer side length of the trousers will be 24 inches.

Unknown 4692 - Rabbit Doll with Overalls and Jacket

The December 4, 1927 Decatur (Illinois) Review shows this pattern along with others to make up for Christmas giving:

This is a very simple pattern, with the front and back of the rabbit, in this case the small version, only 12 inches tall, cut the same.

This pattern was well-loved. There are several cellophane tape repairs to the rabbit, and the envelope has been pinned closed repeatedly. It's interesting to speculate how many children were given this bunny, nattily turned out in his overalls and jacket.

At first I thought the pocket piece was missing (in people-sized garment patterns the pocket pieces often go missing.) But when I checked the envelope again, I found the maker had carefully pinned the tiny pocket piece to a scrap of blue fabric, possibly left over from the bunny's jacket.

The maker worked out the embroidery for the face on a discarded mimeograph sheet (remember mimeographs?) for some sort of event.

Superior 1210 - Children's One-Piece Creeper or Rompers

I'll guess the first half of the 1920's.

Note that the "kimono" construction of these rompers is identical to that of house dresses of the period. I imagine that lots of these rompers were made from feed sack prints, particularly during the Great Depression.

However, by 1937, Farmer's Bulletin 1778, Fabrics and Designs for Children's Clothes, a USDA publication, recommends solids in light blue, pink, green and yellow, but admits that small all-over designs can be used. This publication also recommends keeping the garment plain so that it can be ironed easily.

Butterick 1700 - Official Brownie Scout Uniform

I'm going to date this one to the 1940s.

View A is the Official Brownie Scout Uniform, for which the Official Fabric is Brownie Chambray. You'll also need five Official Brownie Buttons and Buckle.

Here's the transfer for the embroidery for the pocket:

View B is a (pretty boring) Girl's Frock with Attached Four-Piece Skirt.

McCall 2827 - Girl's Fancy Dress

1920's.

Surely, these are flower fairies. One imagines their costumes made up in apple blossom or sweet pea colors.

Pictorial Review 2619 - Raggedy Andy Costume

Mid 1920s.

Description from the back of the envelope:

RAGGEDY ANDY COSTUME.  A clever costume for a masquerade party is this one, consisting of a front-closing blouse, side-closing trousers and a hat.  A collar finishes the neck of the blouse.  The wide trousers button high on the blouse.

No instructions are given for the floppy bow tie, the mitten hands or yarn hair.

My pattern is a size 14 for a 32" breast measurement.  The side length of the trousers in this size is 40," making this a costume for the demographic now known as "tweens."   More research is needed into costume parties of this period.

According the Wikipedia article, the first Raggedy Ann book was published in 1918, with a book of Raggedy Andy stories appearing in 1920.

Hollywood 1101 - Overalls

Mid 1930s.

Suggested fabrics include novelty cotton, seersucker, gingham, corduroy, pique, broadcloth, flannel linen, and denim.

The pattern pieces have been very carefully pinned up to make up at least one size smaller.

Pictorial Review 4458 - Boy's Masquerade Costume

The latest patent date on the envelope is 1925. Remember that patent dates on patterns frequently refer to the pattern layout illustrations or construction guides, not the styles themselves.  There is a wonderful article about this topic here.

Costume, masquerade, and fancy dress are all terms used to describe this type of pattern.  The description for this one reads:

BOYS' MASQUERADE COSTUME.  This Brownie costume consists of a suit, short open-in-front jacket, and pointed hat.  The suit is sleeveless and closes at back.  Bands finish the edges of the jacket which has long one-piece sleeves.

Palmer Cox is the father of the Brownie figure as we now know it.  The first book of Brownies stories, The Brownies, Their Book, was published in 1887.  Cox followed this up with 15 more books about the Brownies.   Cox died in July 1924 and in an obituary in the Carbondale (Illinois) Daily Free Press, among his works is listed The Brownies in Fairyland, a "cantata for children."  Cox was a Mason and the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon provides some very nice information on Cox, and where the publication date of The Brownies in Fairy Land (with music and Lyrics by Malcolm Douglas) is listed as 1925.

One can imagine The Brownies in Fairyland being performed at school and summer camp pageants, so it's quite possible that Pictorial Review saw this pattern as an opportunity to cash in on the need to dress dozens of squirmy children in Brownie suits.

This is another one of Pictorial Review's wonderful printed patterns.  The tissue instruction sheet recommends stuffing a pillow in the front of the suit and tissue paper into the toes of the boots.  Now and again a sewing pattern presents a little archaeological evidence.  In this case, an extra or unused facing was tucked in among the pattern pieces.

The price for this pattern is 50 cents, which strikes me as a bit stiff for the period.