1954
There isn't anything particularly unusual about this skirt pattern. However, along with the released pleat at the center back to accommodate striding energetically across the greens, the designers have provided an attached "saddle" pocket for your tees, divot tool, and lipstick.
This is somewhat similar to the earlier Pictorial 7559, though in that case, the pocket is detachable.
This pattern doesn't appear to have been used.
Those of us who spent time in the Philadelphia area will probably feel a little nostalgia for the old John Wanamaker department store. By the time I knew Wanamaker's in the 1970s, the sewing department was gone, though only 75 miles upstate, I patronized the yard goods department in little Hess's department store until the late 1980's.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Butterick 6458 - Ladies' Dressing-Sack
This one can be definitely dated to 1902, when it appeared in Butterick's Delineator magazine.
We've seen the term "sack" used before for Banner Sack Apron 131 to describe a relatively unstructured garment that hangs from the shoulders. (The French spelling of "sacque" tends to remind one less of a sack of potatoes.)
Here's a very funny discussion of the uses and abuses of dressing sacks, published in 1913 by Myrtle Reed in her book Threads of Grey and Gold:
The dressing sack is (supposed to be) a garment you wear while you dress you hair; it keeps hair off your clothing but more importantly, it's loose enough so that you can raise your arms up high enough to reach behind your head, which is not possible in most ladies' garments until the 1920's, when women's clothing lost much of its confining structure, and when, incidentally, women started bobbing their hair.
Dressing sacques don't seem to show up much past World War I.
However, notice that Reed recognized that dressing sacks are sometimes worn as bed jackets, which will start to show up in great variety in the 1930's, and are still offered now and again as an option in robe patterns, pointing right back to Reed's idea that a dressing sack is nothing more than a Mother Hubbard cut off at the hips. Both are suitable for maternity wear.
This also strikes me as a supremely practical garment to wear when reading in bed when one has a drafty bedroom and a limited heating oil budget.
Labels:
1900s,
butterick,
dressing sack,
women's clothes
Friday, June 11, 2010
McCall 8104 - Artist's Smock
1934 or a little later.
Outside of a few novelty apron patterns which start to show up in the '30s and '40s, this is the earliest "unisex" pattern I've ever seen. (The term "unisex" seems to have been coined, or at least popularized, in the 1960's.)
With this pattern we've come a long, long way from our slightly frou-frou artist of the early 1900's. I'd be much more inclined to call this a lab or shop coat. The 1928 book Tailored Garments states that
The making of garments for men...also offers excellent possibilities for the woman who wishes to specialize. For example, a good business may be build up by making...coats for barbers, surgeons, etc...
The instructions are extremely brief, even for this era.
The pattern has been very carefully cut out and used.
Labels:
1930s,
artist,
McCall,
men's clothing,
occupational garment,
smock,
women's clothes,
work wear
Friday, June 4, 2010
Advance 3249 - Overalls
World War II
The image of World War II's "Rosie the Riveter" is so firmly embedded in our culture that the Library of Congress calls their collection of images of women at work during WWII The Rosie Pictures.
But where did these women get their work duds? For the most part, they probably did what many of us still do today - they wore men's clothes.
However, Advance thought it was worth offering an overalls pattern for women. Nothing fancy about this pattern; only one view is given. Yardages are given for only 36" and 39" width fabric, common widths for denim.
If you couldn't find a pattern locally, Montgomery Ward could supply you. Here are three patterns they offered at 5 cents each (very reasonable; note that the Advance pattern would set you back 15 cents.)
Ward's would also sell you your fabric, having employed some patriotic copy editing to what were, for the most part, standard fabrics:
The Advance overalls in a size 18 will require 3 1/4 yard of 36" wide fabric.
If making your own wasn't an option, Wards offered a nice line of women's workwear featuring a "Victory Volunteers" emblem. These bib-top overalls were described as "a sensible choice for your wartime job" and were offered in three qualities: Best quality came in gunpowder blue twill jean for $3.77, Better quality came in navy and white pin check for $2.95, Good quality came in blue Sanforized denim for $1.95 and didn't have the emblem.
I couldn't get a clear enough image to insert here, but there were even Volunteers for Victory paper dolls!
Not all women worked in factories; many did agricultural work, either on their own family's farms, orchards, and ranches, or through organizations such as the Women's Land Army.
The image of World War II's "Rosie the Riveter" is so firmly embedded in our culture that the Library of Congress calls their collection of images of women at work during WWII The Rosie Pictures.
But where did these women get their work duds? For the most part, they probably did what many of us still do today - they wore men's clothes.
However, Advance thought it was worth offering an overalls pattern for women. Nothing fancy about this pattern; only one view is given. Yardages are given for only 36" and 39" width fabric, common widths for denim.
If you couldn't find a pattern locally, Montgomery Ward could supply you. Here are three patterns they offered at 5 cents each (very reasonable; note that the Advance pattern would set you back 15 cents.)
Ward's would also sell you your fabric, having employed some patriotic copy editing to what were, for the most part, standard fabrics:
The Advance overalls in a size 18 will require 3 1/4 yard of 36" wide fabric.
If making your own wasn't an option, Wards offered a nice line of women's workwear featuring a "Victory Volunteers" emblem. These bib-top overalls were described as "a sensible choice for your wartime job" and were offered in three qualities: Best quality came in gunpowder blue twill jean for $3.77, Better quality came in navy and white pin check for $2.95, Good quality came in blue Sanforized denim for $1.95 and didn't have the emblem.
Everybody got to participate in marketing the Victory Volunteers effort:
Wards would also sell you Sanforized denim overalls. Although these were marketed for "Victory Workers, Farm and Factory," they may have been part of their standard line and not specific to the war. The description tells us that these will "take countless washings and ironings" and that they have "metal buttons for a smart, workmanlike appearance."
Not all women worked in factories; many did agricultural work, either on their own family's farms, orchards, and ranches, or through organizations such as the Women's Land Army.
Women riveting ships together or working in the fields probably didn't have time to sew, but their mothers or aunts might have helped out.
Yarn companies produced a variety of booklets of items to knit for military men and women, but the folks at Chadwick's Red Heart Yarn remembered the civilian women with their booklet Women's Sweaters - America at Work and Play. The cover model is their Victory Girl.
This practical cardigan was offered as well. While having a sweater you've knit yourself gives a nice sense of accomplishment, we shouldn't overlook the benefit of the soothing, repetitive nature of knitting, particularly during a stressful period.
Friday, May 28, 2010
McCall 8629 - Ladies One-Piece Seamless Apron
Late nineteen-teens to about 1920.
Although this apron is seamless, you're still going to have to piece the fabric if you're using narrow fabric, but otherwise, this is a very simple pattern, and probably very popular.
Although there is a certain satisfaction in purchasing a pristine, unused pattern, patterns that have seen some use have stories to tell us. This pattern is well-used, with multiple tears in the pattern tissue and one small torn-off piece that was carefully pinned back on. If the pattern pieces could speak, I'd love to know how many times this apron pattern was made up.
The maker has penciled in a shorter cutting line, as well as the line along the side where the apron will need to be pieced.
It's a little hard to see but you can just see that the artist has indicated rick-rack trim on the short version:
Rick-rack seems to have been a very common trimming for aprons. Nu-fashond rick-rack was a common brand in the 1920s. Sewing patterns from this period seldom mention notions and trimming, but sewing books of the period frequently mention trimming house or bungalow aprons with rick-rack.

6/18/2010 - Update. I had a free Saturday so I took the time to make this up in a very cheery remnant I found last year. Fortunately, because the print is so incredibly busy, you don't really notice that I didn't have enough material to match the side pieces or the pockets (if you look closely, though, you can see where the trelliswork doesn't exactly match.) Unfortunately, I see now that the print wasn't precisely centered on the fabric, so the design is about 3 inches off center, darn it. This fabric was 45 inches wide, so I had to piece the sides. I finished these seams with a flat fell.
The approximate circumference at the bottom of the armholes is 36 inches.
The very brief instructions indicate that if preferred, you may underface the edges, so I think the expectation would be that you would bind them. I decided to underface with lavender gingham bias that I'd cut for the purpose. Here you can see that I've pinned the folded bias on, but basted it through the deep front curve, since I think that gives me more control as I'm sewing.
Labels:
1910s,
apron,
made garment,
McCall,
women's clothes
Friday, May 21, 2010
McCall's 2118 Men's Western Shirt
1956.
I'm beginning to detect a certain convention in the illustrations for patterns for western shirts. There will be three views; a workaday view, a plaid or checked view, and a fancy view.
Piping the extravagantly shaped yoke on this one is may result in the use of strong language. The fancy view includes some pretty complex applique as well as the deep shaped cuffs with all those little buttons.
The maker made plenty of notes to herself on the envelope, though I can't quite decipher them all. The transfers are missing, which is quite common.
Western shirts are generally quite slim-fitting, but this pattern also offers you the option of not using the back darts, giving a little more ease for a true working garment. (You get yourself dressed up in that fancy, darted, appliqued version, about the heaviest thing you're going to lift is your hat to a lady.)
Labels:
1950s,
McCall,
men's clothing,
western wear
Friday, May 14, 2010
Church World Service 20 - Men's Work Clothes Set
Before 1963
This pattern was produced by McCall for Church World Service (CWS). McCall has a long tradition of cooperative ventures; see their pattern supporting the Red Cross during WWI, Red Cross Pattern 35, Taped Hospital Shirt. It would be interesting to know if McCall produced the CWS pattern gratis or simply at cost. It would also be interesting to know if McCall did the pattern drafting or if CWS hired this out on their own. I'm guessing that the somewhat amateurish illustration was produced by someone at CWS.
A section on the instruction sheet explains the goals:
PATTERNS FOR DIGNITY
Personal dignity and self-respect -- these are the things you provide for refugees, disaster victims and other needy persons overseas through the United Clothing Appeal of the Churches.
New clothing, in the styles requested by our friends abroad, will represent in a most meaningful way the Christian concern and compassion of the American churches for those who desire above everything else to stand on their own feet.The pattern reflects a time when women (always the primary consumers of home sewing patterns) had the time and the skills needed to sew for others.
This set of work clothes has been simplified in ways that meet the specific needs of both the seamstress and the recipient. Note that the sleeves are just hemmed, because setting in cuffs takes time and can be fiddly to do well. A hemmed sleeve that is too short might be unattractive, but it won't flap and get in the way an unbuttoned cuffed sleeve does and can be easily rolled up. The shirt front is closed with gripper snaps, quicker than having to make button holes and sew on buttons, and as long as the snaps don't pull out, maintenance free for the wearer - no buttons to lose and have to replace. The elastic waist bands in the slacks and shorts will assure a broad range of fit. Although the pattern doesn't call this out, made up in cotton broadcloth, these clothes could be used for pajamas.
Church World Service is still in operation. A few simply drawn patterns for infants clothing are available, but for the most part the expectation is that donors will supply purchased clothing.
Labels:
1960s,
charity,
McCall,
men's clothing,
work wear
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