*new* vintage patterns & a ponderance...

For once the stars aligned and I got to be the one who "stumbles across" a brilliant batch of vintage patterns that are my size, great price, and "Buy it Now"!!  Seriously.  This never happens to me!

I limited myself to four...which was difficult.  I'm on a budget now that I'm paying a car payment again!

Let's just start with the best first, OK?  Overalls!  Ack!    AND it's Betty Grable!  I get outbid on Betty Grable *ugly* patterns, much less OVERALLS!  Which normally go way above my budget/price range.  AND they're floral!  Be still my heart.

Next, Betty Grable AGAIN! This time in 40s trousers and a "work shirt"!  All of these were from the same seller, (not a "vintage pattern seller", just a regular ebayer)  and they're all within one size of each other.  I'm going to imagine these all belonged to the same young woman.  Do you think she had to go to work in a factory during the war?

A mid-late 1930s 2-piece dress.  I love the tailored short sleeve, and the interesting inverted placket.  The deep collar matches Kay Francis' collar in the actress photo. 

Last, a Joan Blondell (who I love!) pajama pattern.  Both pieces are more like lounge wear, don't you think?

So if our 1940s factory girl was approximately the same size and sewing in the mid-late 1930s, then she might have been around 30 years old when the war broke out.  Maybe she was a wife and mother, and had to go to work.  Maybe a poster like this one called her to duty:

She would need the freedom of movement provided by the pants and overalls.  Like these women at work in US factories during WWII...

Love the hair ties!  And the oxford shoes in the last photo.

On a personal note...school is finally out for summer!  Our last day was yesterday (yup, a Saturday).  I'm ready for a little break and some quality time with my stash.  This morning I had a comment from an anonymous person who was a wee bit aggravated by a vintage top I had sewn up last year.  Apparently it didn't "appear" vintage enough to count as vintage (I think that pattern dates to 1946 if I remember right).  She posed the question, "Why bother to sew from vintage patterns if the garment isn't going to look vintage?"

Now to be fair, I did leave off one element of the finished top that is shown on the pattern front; the original pattern has gathered puffed sleeves with elastic in the hem.  I hate elastic on my (not as slim as they used to be) arms.  It annoys me, all day.  So I just left it out and ended up with a sweet fluttery sleeve.  But no, dear Anon, I did not change the pattern or alter it to make it appear more modern.  In fact, I followed every single step of construction as written in 1946.  Even all the hand sewing.  It's a beautiful top and one of my very favorites (people who know me can attest to the fact that I wear it regularly). 

Here is the pattern:

I still think anon's main beef is worth an answer though.  Why sew vintage patterns if the final garment doesn't scream vintage?   The simple answer might be... because I like them.  Lord knows they're not cheaper or easier to come by, and typically they require much more prep time.

And no, I'm not afraid of the "costume" effect some vintage-lovers lament about.  I don't care much if it does announce VINTAGE to the world.

The more complicated answer is... I think many vintage patterns have a classic, timeless appeal.  They are still beautiful and wearable today, and no, they do not announce "I'm wearing a vintage garment!" I also regularly achieve a better fit with  vintage patterns.  Something about the draft from the late 30s-50s fits my shape better. 

But those things alone wouldn't feed the hunger for *new* vintage patterns (even though I have more than I will ever be able to sew up).  No, the simple answer really is the best, most truthful. 

I just love them.  Do what you love.  That's my advice.