The 1907 McCall's Magazine and Her Pattern Friend

Would you like to know why I hoard damaged antique magazines?

I mean, aside from the obvious fun research and pretty pages, they do take up a significant amount of storage in my pattern studio.

And yet, I still hang on to them through each consecutive military move 'round the globe.

Several years ago I started my archive with the acquisition of a large collection of a few dozen early 1900s McCall's and Delineator Magazines. They were all in very rough condition, nearly all of them had been grievously injured by a thoughtless seller who pulled their covers off to sell, not realizing that most times, the COMPLETE magazine is far more valuable than just the cover page. (*Pssst* eBay sellers, please take heed).

Their condition aside, they are always really excellent to date patterns and research fashions of a specific era. And sometimes I'm lucky enough to match them with an original antique pattern featured inside.

Just like I finally did this week.

This is a rare and happy nerd moment for any sewing pattern collector. The sewing pattern, AND the magazine that advertised it 116 years ago, together as a set!

Hurrah!

The pattern itself is an extraordinary find on its own. It makes a Ladies' Eton Jacket  (with deep armholes ) in a size 32-inch bust.

The original McCall's magazine pages describe it, and the skirt pattern it may be paired with thusly:

"1675-1677 - This smart walking suit is a particularly stylish design for fall. In our model, the jacket is of golden ­brown taffeta and the skirt of broadcloth in the same shade, but the entire costume can be made of cloth if preferred. The jacket is one of the new Eton effects that will be worn this season. It is made with a straight, loose front and back, pleated on the shoulders on each side and stitched in narrow tuck effect to yoke depth. A handsomely shaped band of the material, faced with velvet, surrounds the neck, while the front closing is trimmed with many rows of brown silk soutache. The new ruffle of sleeves give the garment something of a cape effect, which is one of the latest fashion ideas, but, if pre­ferred, bishop sleeves can be substituted, as shown in the illustra­tion on this page, beneath which the re­quired quantity of mate­rial will be found.

...This costume would be very smart and service­able for fall wear if made of navy-blue broadcloth. The skirt could be trim­med with straps, as shown in the illustration on the op­posite page, and the jacket adorned with black sou­tache braid, and, if a touch of coIor is liked, faced with red vel­vet on the band that sur­rounds the neck, or this facing could be of black silk or velvet to match the braid that trims the front of the jacket."

Missing the front and back cover aside, it still includes 1 amazing color full-color fashion plate, several pattern ads, ads for garment catalogs and cleaning products, and several lovely needlework and sewing articles.

The pattern even includes a wonderful extra trimming piece cut from newspaper.

The moral of the story? Save the antique things. Be nice to them. Protect them and keep your husband from tossing them out. Or if you must find them a new home, find a fellow collector like myself who will give it the love it deserves.