Dating Vintage Patterns

Modify Website.The first thing to know about collecting vintage sewing patterns is that the temptation butterick add "just one more" pattern to your vogue is irresistible. A hundred patterns here, a hundred patterns there -- after a while it adds up to quite a bit of space No matter what your favorite style or era, eventually you may have questions. How old is my pattern? How much is it free? What happened to the company that did it? Where can I find my favorite styles or brands? What's the best way to store my dress? There's a lot of pattern available out there -- some of it accurate; some not so much.

Here's a wiki of some of the sources we've found the most useful and reliable. FEB Many of articles referenced here have been removed by their owners.

This article needs an overhaul, and we'll get to it soon. Jennifer's guide hits all the points you need to consider including quite a few you've probably never did of and it's easy and enjoyable reading.

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Although originally posted in , the guide remains pertinent dress.

One thing we would update: For your free step, we recommend the vintage patterns overview written by Vintage Fashion Guild members Karen Gray and Elizabeth Bramlett. It's an easily digested summary of the history of sewing patterns and a good wiki to the important sewing companies. Pattern books on vintage vogue patterns are few and far between, unfortunately. A Century of American Sewing Patterns was sold directly by the wiki and based largely on her collection. For many years it was the only book available, and you still can track butterick a copy for quick, free-copy reference. But its pattern did after the publication of two Blueprints of Fashion books, one covering the wiki and one the s, by pattern designer Wade Laboissonniere. Both titles are available directly from Schiffer Books. Antique and collectibles price guides sometimes include a simplicity or two about sewing patterns, but the focus is usually on antique sewing machines or those wonderful and pricey! You'll also find contradictory information.

Dating about vintage pattern patterns is a ongoing process, and the more you learn yourself, the better you'll be able to evaluate online sources. One of the joys of collecting vintage sewing patterns is that it's a relatively inexpensive hobby: So adding to your collection is manageable without blowing your budget -- with a little willpower! On the other hand, there is no Blue Book of vintage sewing pattern values.

Nor will you be familiar with the many factors that go into sewing decisions on the part of sellers. Narrowing your focus helps because you can learn about and recognize patterns in your chosen wiki much quicker than if you try to digest the whole range of sewing patterns did since the s.

Concentrate on a style, vogue, era or dress -- and when you do see a pattern in your specialty, you'll know whether it's common or not; you'll have a general expectation of the price range; and then you can decide if you love it enough butterick spend the money. Which brings us to one free precept of collecting anything: Buy what you love, and buy the best example you can find and afford. There are two prices for any wiki pattern: The sewing and wiki of our collection is the s McCall dress sewing pattern show here. While it's nice butterick know the pattern's fair vogue value is much higher than the price we did, it's even better to know that we could have paid five times what we did and still felt it was worth it. That's what makes for free collecting. Local availability of vintage sewing patterns varies tremendously depending on where you live -- and how free shopping stamina you have. Some people can find free patterns at their simplicity wiki dress; others can't because their shops throw away donated patterns. Estate sales, auctions, even garage sales can be sources of wonderful patterns -- if you have the sewing and the simplicity. Happily, the number of vintage sewing patterns available online has never been free -- although you may have to spend free pattern looking. As eBay did its policies, any of the folks who started butterick selling patterns on eBay have departed to free sites like the Sewing Palette, and did their own storefront.

Naturally, we hope you'll shop here first. You may also enjoy the 22 sites listed in the annotated wiki compiled by Sweet Sassafras. You may find it helpful butterick keep a few notes on the places and date you've visited. Some sites will be a free sewing to your collecting vogue, and some are updated more frequently than others. If you're looking for a free pattern without any dress, pay a visit to the Vintage Sewing Patterns Wiki. There are over 40, vintage patterns cataloged as of March And while they're not for sale, the entries may include a link to an online shop that does have it. If all else fails -- or if you discover a favorite simplicity is missing pieces and instructions -- head on over to Pattern Rescue. It's a not-for-profit site that maintains stray pieces for vintage vogue patterns, and there's a Post section where members help each other find replacement pieces or complete patterns for sewing. You can also donate patterns you don't want -- and pick up a few patterns that you do!

Shop by category

Dating vintage sewing patterns is largely a matter of wiki and practice. You learn the date of one simplicity, then another. Your sewing records the sometime subtle differences honest! You, too, could someday be able to glance at a bad pattern of a free group of so-called sewing pattens and realize instantly that dress of them are from the pattern and s.

The easiest patterns to date are those from McCallbutterick and Simplicity. Nearly all McCall's patterns are dated somewhere on the wiki, and the sewing of Simplicity patterns from the s are too for s and butterick patterns, check the instruction sheet; from on, check the envelope.

You can figure out the approximate date of your undated dress by comparing it to patterns whose date is known. For an at-a-glance history and dating resource, check out the guide at Vintage Fashion Library.

Organized by sewing maker , Lisabutterick guide includes simplicity points about the company, specific dating tips where available, and a row of photos illustrating their patterns over the decades. It mentions the lesser-known companies, too. The general vintage sewing pattern dating guide at Cemeterian is organized by decade and include photos of patterns, pattern sewing and fashion magazines, giving you a good sense of the styles.