Maudella 5059 - Anorak

Mens' utilitarian clothing can be very hard to date.  The shape and spread of the collar seemed to point to a late 1940's or early 1950's date, but the style of an advertising illustration on the instruction sheet seems pretty firmly 1960's.  

This is a very nice design as we get into the chilly winter months, particularly if, as the pattern recommendations suggest, a "fine woolen" lining is provided.

The Maudella brand was started by Maude Dunsford in West Yorkshire, England in 1937 (1.)  The brand seems to have lingered until the 1980s.  Maudella patterns show up for sale now and again.  The earlier patterns in particular seem very much more on the practical or utilitarian side rather than the high fashion side.

Though utilitarian, this jacket is not make-it-today-wear-it-tonight simple.  Getting the bound edges right on the zippered pockets will take a little care, and of course the lining will take some additional time.

This is an unprinted pattern.

(1)  See:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2002_32_mon_02.shtml

Butterick 7068 - Misses', Juniors' and Girls' Windbreaker

1920s.

This is the companion to the boys' windbreaker I posted in December 2010.

As with the boy's version, the maker has the option of knitting her own collar, sleeve, and bottom bands.  Since knitting yarns tend to come in a much broader range of colors than by-the-yard knit banding, the maker would have the potential to make a banding that complemented or contrasted with the windbreaker fabric in much more interesting ways.  Of course, that K1P1 banding is still pretty boring to knit, but sufficiently mindless to make a long bus or train trip go more quickly.

In the envelope with the pattern was this instruction sheet for the California Redwood Sleeve Board (Chicago Ill.)

This unprinted pattern shows some signs of wear.

McCall 3845 - Ladies' Beauty Shop Apron

1920s.

I don't see any detail that particularly makes this good Hoover apron suitable for beauty shop work, except possibly the pockets, as pockets were by no means a required feature of aprons at this time.  Miss A's "surplice" collar is nicely sporty.  One imagines these made up in dusty rose, dutch blue, or eau de nil, with white collars and cuffs.

Would Madame like the marcel wave today?

This printed pattern is unused.

Farm and Fireside 4430 - Economy Apron & Cap

1920s.

This is the time of year when some of us spend a lot of time in hot steamy kitchens, converting the garden's produce into quarts and pints of good things for the winter.  The all-business economy apron and cap would be just the right thing to wear for those marathon bean-canning or piccalilli-making days.  I might have a couple of these aprons handy so that after lunch I could put on a dry one.

This apron is so simple that I think you would have good luck sizing up this pattern from the layout.  To give you some measurements to start with, the front length (bottom of neckline to bottom edge is 36")  The width from the center line to the back edge just under the arm hole is 17 1/2".

Farm and Fireside was a magazine published between 1879 and 1939.

Patron-Modèle 100501 - Costume de travail

Guessing here at a date of the late 1940s to the early 1950s, based on studying envelopes with a similar layout for women's clothing, which is a little easier to date.

This is the sort of find that makes this collector want to stand up and yell "Bingo!"  A vintage French home-sewing pattern for men's workwear is a wonderful find.

The rather swank illustration of Monsieur having a smoke break tends to obscure the sensible utilitarian design of this double-breasted jacket and trousers.  It also completely hides the breast pockets.  Note that the sleeves end in buttoned cuffs, which would be safer around machinery than plain hemmed sleeves.

The instructions on the front of the envelope indicate that the seams are to be flat felled (rabattues piquees) and the edges top-stitched (piqure au bord,) standard techniques used in American ready-to-wear workwear, both of which strengthen the garment.

Some basic fabric recommendations are given:  toile, or canvas, and croisé, or twill.

One is reminded of Irving Penn's beautiful photographs from his "small trades" series of 1950-51, taken in Paris, London, and New York.  The Patron-Modèle working clothes made up in white would suit les patissiers (pastry makers):

From:  Irving Penn, Small Trades, page 13.  Getty Publications, 2009

This unprinted pattern is in good condition, although the envelope seems to have had a hard life.

Butterick 4972 - Misses' Jumper

1970s.

One of the interesting aspects of this pattern is the cover photo, which manages to evoke a rather romantic rural British atmosphere, with the white and red painted stone barn in the slightly misty background and the model's wellies (long before the current craze for Hunter wellies!)  This seems very much in line with some of Laura Ashley's similarly evocative designs of the period, though Butterick's design has abandoned Ashley's fondness for sprigs and flounces and is much more functional.

At first glance this looks like it might be a hoover-fronted dress or apron, but the description called it a "sandwich board jumper."

And here's how you wear it:

Although I always have very poor luck in getting wrapped garments to stay wrapped, this is on the whole a nice design.  It would make a splendid full-coverage kitchen apron.

This printed pattern has not been used.

Marian Martin 9624 [Smart Apron Frock]

July 25, 1933, as per the The Gettysburg Times.

Between the pattern and the envelope, there is quite a lot going on here.  Let's take a look.

For those of you unfamiliar with Marian Martin patterns, they were advertised in newspapers and were generally quite economical - this one sold for fifteen cents when some of McCall's elegant embroidered smock patterns from the same period sold for three times as much.  A seasonal circular was also produced for fifteen cents.  These patterns didn't come with paper envelopes in addition to their mailing envelopes.  Now and again these patterns show up with glassine envelopes, but I haven't pinned down the exact time period when this was the practice.

The illustration above is from the instruction sheet.   The instruction sheet, which is in very poor condition, refers to this garment merely as a "dress" while the newspaper article refers to it as a "smart apron frock."

The newspaper copy is wonderful:

"Here's a new recipe for housewives!  Send for this pattern, buy a few yards of fabric...cotton prints are pretty and cost so little, add a bit of contract, (sic) make it during leisure hours and you'll have a most attractive frock.  It has reversible fronts, perky flares and handy pockets.  You'll want several different colors."

I guess that the copy edit department at the Gettysburg Times was overworked during the Great Depression and "contract" just slid by instead of "contrast."  The article just above this pattern advertisement is titled "Washington Highlights" and in passing mentions former president Hoover, for whom this style of reversible-front apron is often called a "Hooverette."  And indeed, that's how the maker Mrs. L.L. Long thought of her smart apron frock: note how she's written that across the front of the envelope:

This address appears to have been consumed by the Interstate highway

Note also the small insignia at the top center of the envelope.

This tends to stump those who are new to vintage patterns, and they wonder what on earth the National Rifle Association had to do with anything.  At this time, NRA stood for National Recovery Administration, which had the responsibility for implementing the National Industrial Recovery Act.   NIRA was passed in 1933 as part of the New Deal, but was declared unconstitutional in May 1935 shortly before it was set to expire.

NRA was strongly pro-union, so by putting the logo on their envelopes, the Des Moines Tribune was making a statement (those of you with expertise in unionization in the newspaper industry, feel free to chime in here!)  In color, the logo was known as "the blue eagle."  With the eagle holding an industrial gear in one talon and the power of electricity in the other,  this is quite a striking image.

On the reverse of the envelope, Mrs. Long made a note to herself about the amount of fabric required.   Because the pattern and envelope are so battered, I suspect that she made up her Hooverette multiple times, as the newspaper copy suggested.

But honestly, I bought this pattern entirely because I thought the illustration was so engaging.  It's very tempting to supply a caption for it:

"All hail to the god of sweet iced tea!  Sing Lipton!  Sing Tetley!"

or

"That's funny, in those nice Agatha Christie novels the poison just dissolves"

What's yours?