A Compendium of Lingerie Patterns...

Hello all,
Over at my blog A Few Threads Loose I'm gearing up for a lingerie sew-along. We're looking at mostly vintage patterns, and the voting for which pattern we'll use has started. Anyone is welcome to join, of course. We'll be starting out by making our pattern in comfy, soft, and affordable flannel for the fall, and then those who are interested can give it a try with nicer, harder to sew fabrics.

While I was putting the post together, I ended up finding some really great lingerie patterns, both vintage and new, as well as some great pattern finding resources. It sort of ended up as a nice thorough compendium of current and vintage lingerie patterns made available in pdf/ e-pattern, reproduction, and printed forms. It could be a helpful resource if you're looking for a great bra, tap panties, slip or teddy pattern. Check it out!

Pretty, Pretty pictures...

My latest addition to my vintage WOW collection is a 1950's Spadea patterns catalog. We're talking 54 pages of AMAZING fashion drawings and sketches of the most gorgeous clothing ever.
Including...

 Spadea 705-D by designer Ceil Chapman, and Spadea 1096-D by Anne Fogarty.

 Spadea 1194 and Spadea 1137 by Ceil Chapman.

 Spadea 1159 by designer Jo Copeland.

And a whole lot more. Nice eye candy, right?
You can see more on my blog A Few Threads Loose.

A Pattern and a Giveaway!

Hi all,

I'm hosting a pattern giveaway on my blog A Few Threads Loose. Stop on by for your chance to win this:

Have a great week!

Anna

A New Giveaway, the perfect cure for a headache.

I spent all day on the computer making my favorite bra pattern into a pdf and it made my head hurt. So I'm hosting another giveaway on my blog to make myself feel better.

Check it out!

Thrifty Finds...

I absolutely positively do not need any more patterns at the moment. I have a list of projects as long as my arm that will probably see me well into the late summer. But who among us can resist a box of vintage patterns in a charity shop, I ask you??

 Of course once you start looking it's game over and you have to come away with something. All things considered I was pretty restrained I think. Especially at 20p each. Am definately feeling the current 70's trend though. I think it's a style I've always subconsciously veered towards being a "child of the 70's " and all that...the oriental style jacket in the last pic would make a cute Spring/Summer cover up in a denim, don't you think? Best of all when it comes to the skirts in the first pic (which I know would be super simple to draft but hey, 20p ladies!) these ones have pockets. Ah, vintage skirt love....
How about you? Discovered any treasures recently?
Px
http://portialawrie.blogspot.com/

The value of vintage patterns.

I have been doing a lot of ‘searching’ on Etsy lately. An act not motivated by shopping, but by the desire to learn more about vintage styles throughout the decades. And I think sewing patterns really are a good place to start this sort of 'through the decades' research.

When vintage sewing patterns were first printed, they were current for the era. The older pattern envelopes feature illustrations by artists - impressions of the finished garments. The artists interpreted not only the silhouette of the pattern, but also what the fabric colour or print might be if made at that time. The artists also included the hairstyle fashions current to the era on their garment models. Vintage patterns therefore provide great insight for the would-be vintage sewer who not only wants to sew with a vintage pattern, but emulate an outfit that would have passed as fashionable for the time.

Through my ‘research’ however, I have been struck by the significant differences in the pricing of vintage patterns. I can understand a bit of a difference in price due to the condition of the pattern pieces/envelope, but it appeared to stretch further than this. I began to ask myself “how is the value of a vintage pattern calculated by sellers?”

It seems to me that a lot of factors come into play when deciding on the value of a vintage pattern. From my searching I can conclude there are many factors that are considered before a vintage pattern is priced, which I have written about on my blog. Do you think I have missed any factors out?

Where do you shop for vintage patterns?

Sam xox

Psst. On a side note - all the patterns pictured in this post are available from Etsy seller Savage Spider. Please be clear that I am in no way affiliated with Savage Spider, I only came across their pattern collection during my 'research' and was impressed with their variety of patterns and their reasonable prices.