Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Antique Patterns

I have been busy with the doll clothes recently. I ordered a reprint of an antique pattern from www.olddollpatterns.com, I've ordered from them before and have been very pleased. The patterns are printed on nice heavy paper and are nice clear copies. The pattern I ordered doesn't have a copyright but the style is from the late teen's/early twenties. Working with those early patterns is not easy, they have very scant instructions, and very few diagrams. There were only 3 for the dress I'm working on, and one for the slip. The pattern pieces have nothing printed on them except the pattern piece number and the occasional construction notch. There are cutting layouts, and they have to be looked at carefully to understand how the garment should be cut. I had a lady come in the store the other day and she had to buy more fabric because she hadn't cut a piece on the fold even though the pattern piece was clearly marked CUT ON FOLD. She admitted she was a new sewer, and new sewers do make mistakes like that. However she would have been lost looking at the pieces for this little doll set; there was a definite assumption by pattern makers of the day that the person buying the pattern had some prior sewing experience, as well as a lot of common sense. I admit I changed some of the construction methods as I went along just because I know of easier ways to do some of it. Anyway, I am posting some early pics now, I can't finish the ensemble til I get some ribbon rosettes (the pattern says to make my own, but I've tried half a dozen times and am admitting defeat!) and a lining for the cape. I'm making it from red velveteen and I was going to line it in red taffetta, but now I'm thinking cotton would be better and I don't have a big enough piece.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have some things to do today to get ready. I am making cranberry sauce from the recipe I used last year; Siobhan loved it and has asked for it again.

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