A few Goodies from 1940...

Hello my dears,
The other day I was flipping through a tall, dusty stack of McCall Needlework magazines and I was reminded just how amazing they are.

McCall Needlework, at least in the 40's was usually published quarterly. It was a bit like modern sewing magazines with some free projects here and there, knit and crochet patterns, tutorials on the trendy crafts of the time, and sewing pattern advertisements.
And of course it's the sewing pattern advertisements that caught my attention, and I got lost for entirely too long just admiring them.

So naturally, I had to scan and share them with you all. This is a handy resource to date your sewing patterns, and really just fun eye candy, too.

Who else is head over heals in love with the hooded robe on the upper left?! I'm so in love with patterns that have hoods! If you have a copy of this one and you're willing to part with it, let me know!

Happy sewing,

Found in a Bag, a Second 1920's Dress!

In a recent post I mentioned that I had a few boxes about, filled with bits, scraps, and bags of things from my late mother's house. This next dress in a bag came from this stash of goodies as well. The dress has recently found a home with a collector who is skilled and dedicated to restoring 1920's dresses. I'm glad it's going to a loving home, and I thought that you might like to see some pictures showing some of the amazing details this little beauty featured.
I present to you, Dress in a Bag 2.0.

The upper body of the dress was shattered - a sadly common weakness of dresses like these. With so much added weight from the beads, a dress like this sitting on a hanger for 60 years or so may very well start to fall apart at the weight-bearing uppers.

Remarkably, after a detailed search, it looked like maybe only 3 or 4 beads in total had gone missing.

This floral motif was amazing - the silk was painted inside the beaded outline.

Luckily, the under-slip was in almost pristine shape; even the snaps were still securely sewing in place at the side.

I think by far though, my favorite detail was the ombre effect of the dye at the petalled hem.

Happy sewing,

Some Catalog Love from McCall 1929...

Hello my dears,
Today's post is simply some eye candy from a McCall's  Sewing Pattern Catalog from 1929. I've been catalog obsessed this last year. I started with one, fell in love and before I knew what had happened, I had just under a dozen.
Lord help me, but they are beautiful to behold.
So without further ado...