Vintage Pattern curiosities - 1940s

Being retired gives me time to go through my stuff. I am trying to organize, reduce and donate. But, when doing this ... you run into interesting things ...

... these two patterns for example. They look fairly similar. They are both from the 1940s, the one on the left from 1945, right at the end of the World War II. You can see fabric rationing is still in effect. The skirt is short and not too full.

The one on the right is from 1948, only a three years difference, but you can see the silhouette has changed. And I would guess it was greatly influence by Dior's New Look which debuted just one year earlier in 1947.

So, I found that really interested. But, then I opened up the envelope and there were more surprises.

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First look at the guidesheets for both patterns, which were then called the Simplicity Primer, are very different. The size of each sheet is different, the artwork and the way the information is presented is different, too.

You can see the second guidesheet from 1948 has a simpler, cleaner look, but there is less information.

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​I should point out that the guidesheet was just that, a single sheet. It was basically an assembly guide. They expected everyone would have a good basic sewing book at their side. They called it a "tool as necessary as your scissors or needle." I think it still is.

The size of the two croquis drawings are different. Although I am very sure the same artist did the work for both patterns.

The small diagrams of the pattern pieces are different. The 1948 patten seems to have a simpler look and less information than the earlier one. 

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For example, this picture suggesting a paper pattern fitting in the 1945 pattern is missing in the 1948 one.

A BIG change are the seam allowances! In 1945 you were supposed to use 1/2" or 3/4" seams, depending. In 1948 that was averaged out to 5/8" for all the seams. I guess another attempt to make things simpler.

Both patterns expected you to make bound buttonholes, with an option to make "worked" buttonholes after the dress was finished. A worked buttonhole is one completely sewn by hand that would look like a modern machine made buttonhole. Sewing machines couldn't make buttonholes then without a specialized attachment. So, maybe a bound buttonhole was the easier option??

The sewing instructions in 1945 showed the garment on a dress form.

In 1948 the pieces of the garment were drawn on their own, more like what pattern are now. 

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Also, the actual pattern pieces for the 1948 look similar to current patterns, although they were printed one size at a time, so stitching lines as well as cutting lines could be marked.

The big surprise for me were the pattern pieces in the 1945 pattern.

If you have never seen an "un-printed" pattern before, this is what they looked like. Each piece came cut to the correct shape and grain line, darts, gathers and other stuff was indicated with little holes punched in the tissue.

Little by little pattern companies converted over to printed patterns starting sometime in the 1920s. Each at a different time and in a different way.

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The pieces in this 1945 pattern were an odd hybrid. They were precut with hole punched like a traditional unprinted pattern AND had some printing that looks hand stamped.

See how the notches are irregularly cut on the edge with numbers in arrows hand stamped?

And check out how the dart is marked. It's like trying to make out star constellations.

Where as a fully printed pattern can give LOTS of useful information. 

These are cool dresses. They remind me of the shirtwaist dress uniforms the nurse-midwives wear in "Call the Midwife." A show a LOVE!. I think I'm going to make the left hand view in the 1948 pattern. It's my size and I've got just the right amount of this fabric. I think (maybe) I will try the bound buttonhole! Might be too much work for 12 buttonholes though. 

The great thing about making a vintage pattern. It will never go out of style, because it already is out of style!