News — 1940's

As everything in life, sewing patterns are a balancing act-especially VINTAGE patterns! After being folded for who-knows-how-long after having been treated who-knows-how by the one(s) who previously owned it and after warping the ease in the fragile tissue paper to create as careful a draft as possible, chances are a vintage pattern will be un-balanced at best. When I first started drafting from vintage originals back in the 90's, I did so verbatim.  That is, I drafted each piece as it lay on my table (after CAREFUL iron pressing) without matching the balance between front and back, side seams, etc....

I fashioned an apron from View B of my pattern A40-3250 (originally a 1945 Butterick). I did so thinking that upon entering a vintage apron challenge that we had to actually sew from the apron pattern we were posting (this was not the case).  Understand that I was in the sewing challenge frame of mind at the time just having concluded my EvaDress Pattern Challenge.  Regardless, I have a fabulous apron in fabric I have been drawn to for a few months! As I posted in the challenge: 'Had I been able to source the contrast fabric I wanted for...

Provided McCall came out with this design (6659 in 1946) first, the pattern in my previous post (below) could have been Butterick's answer to the dress with cut-out details at the shoulder. As in Butterick's design, the McCall has geometric cut outs along the shoulder line but in non-shirred manner which draws attention to the face and this one nicely frames the neck with strappy V-neck appeal!   The cut-outs are faced for crisp, sturdy corners: Between the two designs, it may be curious how the draped short sleeve is so similar and the tendency to break up the mass...

This little gem of a 1947 Butterick pattern is featured in Threads Magazine, issue #188 (Dec. '16/Jan. '17) Pattern Review on page 24.  So, I am making this post the pattern tour for it!  I issued it in my multi-size series last year for 32" to 48" bust:   The cut-out details at the front of each shoulder create a flattering, almost sweetheart neckline.  The original pattern instructs making these cutouts with narrow hand-rolled hems (illustrated below).  I noted in my instructions to face the cut-outs with silk organza, using narrow seam allowances to get stable, crisp openings. There are...

People ask about re-sizing patterns, so I thought I'd give a little about that here. The general rule I give in some of the patterns I offer is as follows (this example shows a 1947 Vogue Dress): To grade a pattern 'With a long straight edge, draw vertical lines down the length of each piece as shown in the accompanying illustration.  Make sure each line is drawn to coordinate with the placement of the lines you draw on each adjacent pattern piece (click images below for larger view).   Cut along these lines.  Then, take the total difference between the...