The Mrs. Depew Vintage Holiday Sale

 Hello all,

I just thought I'd pop in to let you know that I'm having a big sale at Mrs. Depew Vintage this month.

From November 23 to December 2nd, nearly everything at Mrs. Depew Vintage will be 25% off!

The discount will be automatic on Etsy or you can use the coupon code below at MrsDepew.com.

Happy sewing!

Home Pattern Company History Lesson

The Home Pattern company was founded by Conde Nast in 1905. It formed a relationship with the popular Ladies' Home Journal Magazine which began advertising their patterns. 

Patterns were sold via the magazine, as well as in stores from counter catalogs.

In 1913, The Peerless Pattern Company Merged with Home Company as Conde Nast bought up and absorbed several smaller sewing pattern companies.

Following a trend of sewing pattern companies improving the quality of instructions included, Home Pattern Company released patterns with the "Minerva Guide and Complete Dressmaking Lesson" in 1924. 

Home Book of Fashions Winter 1917-1918.

Ladies' Home Journal patterns have made their appearance online into the late 1950s / early 1960s but I so far have been unable to find a date when they stopped printing patterns. The magazine stayed in print until well into the 2000s.

The New Perfection Tailor System of Cutting from 1901

Today I thought we could continue our study of antique tailor systems with The New Perfection Tailor System - by far the prettiest and most artistically appealing system I have yet had the privilege of studying.

This bodice & Skirt tailoring system is from 1901 and was manufactured by W.R. Williams of Lawrence, KS. Instructions are printed on the pieces for drafting and there is also an instruction booklet.

The system is complete when it contains a printed envelope, booklet, Bodice Front Rule, Side Form Rule, Bodice Back Rule, Dart Rule, Sleeve (designed to draft a two-piece sleeve), Skirt Guide, and Collar and Neck Rule.
This piece is more unusual in my collecting experience because it comes with a collar and neckband rule.

The text printed on the bodice piece says "Perfected March 10th, 1879" and then has several "Improved" dates (to allow for changing styles) after the fact until 1901.

As the shape of a bodice changed considerably between 1879 and 1901, the changes and improvements were quite necessary to stay with the current fashion.

The original is printed on fiberboard with perforations for the varying sizes, which include children's 20-26" bust, and women's 28-48" bust.

Using the skirt rule and drafting booklet, several skirt variations may be made to nearly any size.

This system fascinated me to no end, and of course, because of that, I was quite driven to make sure that it survives for the next generation to enjoy. It has taken long nights, weekends, and time that I definitely should have been weeding my overgrown garden, but I have finally created a complete reproduction of the system in both pdf and printed versions.

Furthermore, feeling that the original instruction book could benefit from some added context, I added more content from my collection of Delineator and Designer magazines from 1900-1901.

If even one of you, my dear readers, find some use for this set, it will have been completely worth the time spent making it possible.

Happy sewing!