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,

Sew Expensive... Wealthy Knitters Unite!

 Today for our semi-regular (when I feel like it) installment of Sew Expensive we have a knitting/ crochet book instead of a sewing pattern.
Last night (night for me, at least) Worth's Hand Knitted Creations sold on eBay for a sum that made me spill my morning coffee all over the damn place.

The 72 page booklet from 1936 sold for a painfully exciting $213.58. Why? Hell if I know. Maybe it was because it looked like this:

And had a pattern for this in it:

Wow. I mean, WOW.

It's beautiful to be sure, and very rare. I would pay $213 for this dress, but I'm not sure I would pay that for the pattern.
How about you? Is there something that you would pay almost anything for, that might not seem very valuable to others?
Philosophical answers are welcome too.

Knitting Patterns, a Scallop ruler, and it sold for WHAT?

Hello all, please forgive this week's radio silence. I've been fighting with this old shoulder injury and it makes sitting at the computer and typing somewhat uncomfortable. I'm feeling ok today though so let's get to it!

This morning's mail brought a much anticipated 1933 knitting book full of bathing suits and beach fashions. I'm updating them, cleaning them up and posting the patterns a couple at a time to my etsy shop. Here are the two that I had so much fun coloring today:

1933 Bathing Suit Knitting Pattern

1933 Surplice Blouse Knitting Pattern

Hurrah Photoshop... helping me while away the hours until my sweetie comes home from a long trip to the States!

In other news, I have a great image of a most indispensable tool and decided to scan it in and help you create your own, should you want one. This scallop ruler is so handy for adding scalloped edges to your sewing projects, and for re-drafting the scallops on a pattern that you've adjusted the size of.

To make your own, you can just print it out on thick paper and cut, or print it on regular paper and paste it to thick construction paper.
Get the free Scallop Ruler PDF.

This could come in awful handy if you have the Mrs. Depew Vintage Bias Tap Pantie Pattern and plan on sizing it up or down.

In other sewing news, I thought you might be interested in how much this lovely Simplicity 1441 sewing pattern sold for a couple of days ago. Can you guess?

Yeah... did you see that coming? Phew!
Stay tuned for more this week including two new sewing projects I've completed, updates on the Sewing Studio Redecorating effort, and hopefully the release of a new sewing pattern, if I can bear to be at the computer for long enough!

Knit for Defense

For today's normal, non- giveaway related post, I thought I'd share my most recent acquisition, a fantastic 1941 Knit for Defense booklet.

The inside front cover sums up what it's about best:

"The National Defense Program isn't all tanks, airplanes, and battleships. It's people, too- you and I and 130,000,000 others. North, South, East, and West women are taking up behind- the- scene tasks of an Unlimited National Emergency. You too, can play a leading role in the greatest defense program of all history by anticipating the needs of our boys in training.
Whether he is in the Army, the Navy, or the Air Force, he will appreciate the warmth and comfort of sweater and woolen accessories knitted especially for him. With that in mind we have included in this book garments specifically designed for men of action and patterned after regulation specifications."

This book is full of really great knitting patterns, which I've added to my etsy shop as a PDF.
But mostly, this book has 1940's military eye candy:

Crew Neck Pullover

Round or Turtle Neck pullover

Sleeveless V-Neck Pullover

Plain gloves, Scarf, and Neck Protector

Aren't these gents just dreamy?
If you'd like to know more about the knitting for defense, or knitting for Victory movements, there's a great article here.