About Dating
Vintage Sewing Patterns
The pattern
number is only ONE indicator of the date on vintage sewing patterns.
You can’t use the number alone because the companies would start
over again when they got to a certain level. You must consider the
general silhouette of the clothing along with other factors such as
hair, price, sizing and envelope style and logo placement you can get
pretty close to the issue or copyright date. Please be aware that
even if a pattern is dated, it could have been in production for
years and could even be a re-release of a previous number.
Style eras often
crossed decade lines. For instance it is very difficult to tell a
1938 pattern from a 1941 pattern. The basic style and design elements
were the same. The same thing applies for 1959-1961 and again in the
60s and 70's. There is more difference between 1964 and 1967 that
there is between 1969 and 1971.
Besides the
general look and art work of vintage patterns, the sizing can be a
very good indicator. In the beginning of Home Patterns, the bust
measurement is often the only measurement given. By the 1940s
patterns gave bust and hip measurements but often the waist was not
given (due to the fact that the sewist could change that element).
Until 1956 a Size
12 was for a 30 inch bust. In 1956 sizing changed and a Size 12 was
for a 32 inch bust. In mid 1967 the standard changed once again and a
Size 12 became a 34 inch bust and remains so today. So if you are
trying to date something near the year of size change, the size can
be a great clue.
After several
years selling and handling old sewing patterns and catalogs, I have
compiled this list of dates and pattern numbers. Since most patterns
are not printed with the copyright information on them this list is
computed using information from magazines, pattern books and other
published sources. The best I can do most of the time is assume that
if a pattern is published in a catalog that is it's date of release.
There are of course crossovers and some patterns are rereleased. So
there is definitely room for error in my calculations.
Now you can own this information ...... you don't need to bookmark and keep your internet open just for research anymore.
I have transferred all of the information on these 9 pages to a PDF file so you can have them to explore at your leisure. Or print and take with you for reference on buying trips.
HOW to Date Vintage Sewing Patterns PDF
Click Here
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