I inherited a bunch of vintage patterns from my Grandmother, and more from an honourary aunt, plus I’ve bought plenty, and been given even more by other lovely people, over the years. I estimate that my collecting is nearly 1,000 pattern dating from the mid 1920s, to the 1980s (plus there are the modern patterns I own!) So how do I store and care for all of these patterns? There are lots of posts entitled “How to store and organise patterns,” but really, there is no one right answer.  This is just how I do it. First, each pattern goes in its own, individual, zip-lock bag.  I pay $14 per 100 bags in just the right size (and try not to think about the fact that I’ve spent almost $150 in storage!). The bags protect the patterns, and keep the envelopes, some of which are fragile or torn, or coming apart at the seams where the glue has failed, from further damage.   I’m working on transferring the collection to acid free comic book bags, …

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and are looking forward to a New Year full of hope and happiness! I had a lovely holiday with Mr D’s family: a lovely relaxed Christmas lunch with the unexpected treat of fresh-smoked trout, followed by an afternoon of playing with the aunt and uncle’s gorgeous kitties, browsing their amazing book collection, and modelling some fabulous ’60s and ’70s frocks that they had found at an op shop, to figure out what size they were.  There was one early ’60s dress that looked like it came straight off the set of Mad Men, and had I only been shaped like the redheaded actress from that show, I would have fit it properly! I received a lovely thoughtful selection of gifts: my family and friends know me well! Mr D got me The Cut of Women’s Clothes (YAY!  Now I can stop borrowing it from the library constantly!  I had it out so often he was convinced I owned a copy!) and the drool-worthy Vintage Paris Couture!  And …

One of the things I really love about sewing is how few patterns there actually are: in modern sewing, all you need is a bodice block, a skirt block, and a trouser block, and you can make just about anything! The same holds true for historical sewing: one 1770s dress pattern can be adapted for a whole range of looks: the under-bodice to a pet-en-l’aire or robe a la francaise, the bodice to a robe a la anglaise or pierrot jacket etc. etc. I’ve been playing with the idea of a single, adaptable patterns for different eras, particularly the 1920s and 30s, for a while now.  The 20s and 30s inspired a huge variety of dress looks, but if you really look at most ’20s and early ’30s dresses, they use the same basic template, and create all the variety through elaborate seaming and interesting fabrics. My Gran’s Garden dress, 1924 Hula Goddess Dress, 1930s Sea at Sunset evening gown, Spotty Nautical dress, Little Bit of Red dress, and  the Frumpy Dress were all made …