May Manton 6599 - Boy's Base Ball Suit

1910. This patterns seems to have been advertised in the newspapers only in 1910, but appeared in newspapers across the country, from St. Albans, Vermont to Butte, Montana.

The ad from Butte provides some nice details in the ad copy.

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 advertisement notes that "padded trousers mean smartness and correct costume quite as well as protection, and they are sure to be in demand."

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) According to the advertisement, the lower sleeves are removed when the game is in progress. 

The advertisement recommends serge, flannel, and khaki as appropriate materials.

Although the uniform could be made for team play, a baseball suit could simply be made for a baseball-mad boy, in his favorite team's colors.

Despite the ad copy's assertion that "There is really very little labor involved in the making of such a costume..." 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 team insignia patches or appliques would be sewn on.

Could you buy boys' baseball uniforms? Indeed you could. In Wichita Kansas, F. G. Orr Book and Stationery Co. could set you up for as little as 98 cents.

The D. B. Loveman Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee put their boys' baseball suits on sale in August, with both the $1.00 and $1.25 suits going for only 69¢

Chattanooga (Tennessee) Daily Times, Friday, August 5, 1910, p. 10.

A few years later in 1912, Sears Roebuck offered stock uniforms for boys for $1.50 on p. 923 of their catalog.

Using the same 1912 catalog, the cost of the materials for making a uniform looks like this:

Item                                        Cost

May Manton Pattern 6599                     10¢

White wool flannel 27" wide @ 18¢/yd        95¢

Buttons from the 2¢ sale page                2¢

Spool of Clark's sewing thread*              4¢

TOTAL                                    $1.11  

* Sears sold thread by boxes of a dozen spools. Assume a single spool could be bought locally for about 4¢.

This excludes the padding for the pants, which could probably be made from odds and ends of quilt batting, and of course, the value of the time to sew the uniform.

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. I've been told this is a "Boston" style cap, but it looks like it could also be a "New York" style. May Manton were based in New York City.

This pattern was available in sizes for 8 to 14 years. I wonder if an adult pattern was available that would fit older boys in high school as well as men playing in their local leagues.

"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.

Originally posted on May 5, 2012. Updated on March 16, 2025.

Vogue 3578 - Cat Costume

Late 1920s.

These early Vogue patterns are scarce, but they do show up now and again.  According to Butterick's corporate history, by the 1920s, each Vogue Pattern Book (published six times per year,) featured over 350 patterns.   Although we tend to think of Vogue as a high-end pattern brand, from the beginning they offered a full range of patterns, including underclothes, utilitarian patterns for garments like smocks, and costume patterns for both adults and children.

Pencil marks on the layout diagram show that the maker was carefully keeping track of the pattern pieces.  No fabric recommendations are given, but the illustration hints at a fuzzy fabric - inexpensive cotton flannel would no doubt do for the budget-conscious.

I particularly like the mitts that finish the look.

Of course this would be a fine Halloween costume, but also consider that Wanda Gag's Millions of Cats was published in 1928. Imagine if you will, an entire second grade class dressed as cats for a school pageant adaptation!  (What could possibly go wrong?)

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.)

I'm delighted to report that Simplicity has re-issued this pattern as Simplicity 8151.  Get yours now before it goes out of print again!

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

McCall 2379 - Girl's Middy

1920s.

This is one of a special series of "school patterns" that McCall issued for beginners.  After mastering other patterns in the series for a nightgown and a petticoat, the novice could move on to this iconic middy blouse.

McCall patterns at this time didn't have separate instruction sheets.  Instead,  the instructions were largely printed on the pattern pieces themselves.  This isn't a bad approach. You quickly learn to keep the pattern pieces pinned to the fabric until you're ready to sew them, then to review the instructions on for each of the pieces you're about to sew.

For this series, however, McCall decided to print all the instructions together at the bottom of the sheet of tissue.

Look at all those pleats at the bottom of the sleeve!

McCall 1310 - Boys' or Girls Western Shirts

 1946.  With Embroidery or applique trim.

A terrific western shirt, particularly appealing because it allows the girls to play, perhaps in the Dale Evans role.  Who wouldn't want to be "Queen of the West!"

From http://www.denveroldwest.com/

This printed pattern has been cut but doesn't seem to have been used.

Butterick 7892 - Little Girls' Romper Dress

A few years before 1921

In a time before it was acceptable for women or girls to wear trousers, this seems to me like a humane way to dress an active little girl.  The rompers themselves aren't much different from boys' rompers.

But at lunch time, or when one of those old-fashioned, elderly relatives appears, give her hands and face a quick scrub and button on her skirt and you have your little lady (more or less.)

You could even make extra skirts so that you always had a clean one on hand.

This unprinted pattern is unused.

Interestingly, this idea of rompers-and-detachable-skirt shows up for women in the 1930s through the 1950s, when it's known as a "play suit."

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.