Mrs. Depew

Let's talk jackets, my friends. While it's not jacket weather here in humid-as-hell Georgia yet, I know many of you are turning your attention to your fall wardrobes. This is a great time of year for a transitional jacket for just that extra bit of warmth as morning cool down and evenings start to c

I have had this vintage McCall Kaumagraph pattern in my collection for over a decade. I recently discovered it in my January 1938 McCall Complete Needlework Catalog and realized it was far more interesting than I had originally thought. It's not very often that I see a full page of a McCall catalog

This is quite a unique piece of McCall's pattern history... McCall 2380 is "The New McCall School Pattern" dating to late 1921 or early 1922. The envelope mentions that these school patterns were issued in a special series, but this is the first of it's kind I've seen in over 20 years of collecting.

If you've read my blog regularly, then you have an idea of how rare and desirable some sewing patterns and books can be. Experienced collectors and pattern sellers will tell you that a Vogue Paris Original sewing pattern from before the 1970s can sell for quite a bit of money. An evening gown patter

I recently sent this beautiful 1920s sewing pattern to a new home. But before I did, I just could not resist taking some scans of the amazing, rather long instruction sheet. The original is so large that I broke it up into small images so you can take a closer look if you like... Pictorial Review 43

As an admin of the Vintage Sewing Pattern Nerds on Facebook, I see a lot of posts asking about how to grade sewing patterns. So I have decided to put together a small blog post about my favorite sewing pattern grading resources. First things first though: If you wish to grade a vintage sewing patter

Hello my dear friends, I am slowly adjusting to the smaller field of vision I get to enjoy until things either heal or don't (a fun waiting game has ensued). I am still having trouble looking at any one thing for very long, making computer work a bit of an interesting challenge, but luckily for me,

For this month's e-book freebie, I wanted to share with you this sweet little booklet from the 1950s. I've been working a lot in my garden this month and I've been practicing reusing and repurposing older items out there instead of buying new ones. This sewing advertisement and home reference bookle

I have been working quite a bit this week on an apron sewing pattern from 1916. Much to my delight, while researching the pattern, I found it featured in an article, Aprons and Other Things, in the April 1916 McCall's Magazine. And what's more, they had photographed an actual woman wearing the apron

It seems that at least once a week I get an email from a customer asking about vintage tap pants. I’m a bit obsessed with vintage underwear patterns and could go on and on about them, but I get two main questions the most. "Which of your tap pants patterns is best?" And “Which of these has a gusset

This download is now archived. This is a digital draft-at-home pattern for a French tunic-style dress from 1950. The eye-catching design details on this ensemble are centered on the back view which features a marvelous v-neckline finished with a pointed collar. Bracelet-length sleeves are fitted wit

In one of my recent blog posts, we discussed some of my favorite step-in sewing patterns. I had a great time oohing and ahhing over my own collection, which sent me on a fun dive down the rabbit hole where I keep my vintage pattern catalogs. <figure> </figure> This leads us to today's eye candy in m

As I do some research for a blog post about Hollywood patterns... want to see some pretty stuff?