Full Description
Sewing patterns have been the principle blueprint for making garments in the home for centuries. From their origins in the tailoring manuals of the 16th century to the widely produced pamphlets of the 18th and 19th centuries, through to the full size packet patterns of today, their history and development has reflected major changes in technology (such as the advent of the sewing machine), retailing and marketing practices (the fashion periodical), and shifts in social and cultural influences.
This accessible book explores this history, outlining innovations in patternmaking by the companies who produced patterns and how these reflected the fashions and demands of the market.
Showcasing beautiful illustrations from original pattern pamphlets, packets and ads, as well as 9 complete patterns from which readers can reproduce vintage garments of different eras, the book provides a unique visual guide to homemade fashions as well as essential exploration of the industry that produced them.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Tailoring and the Birth of the Published Paper Pattern
Chapter 2 Development of Dressmaking Patterns
Chapter 3 Nineteenth Century Technology
Chapter 4 Early History of Pattern Companies 1860s-1880s
Chapter 5 New Markets and Expansion 1880s-1900
Chapter 6 Shifts and Balances 1900-1920s
Chapter 7 Blossoming Economy 1920-1929
Chapter 8 Surviving the Great Depression 1930s
Chapter 9 The War Years 1940s
Chapter 10 Shifting Trends 1960s
Chapter 11 New Challenges 1960s-1980s
Chapter 12 Reinvention and Renaissance 1980s-2010
Epilogue
Appendix 9 Pattern Grids 1854-1968
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
