Sew Expensive... Butterick 5758 Bathing Suit Pattern

A while back, I was watching a great bathing suit pattern on Ebay. And of course, it sold for an amazing sum so I set the info aside for a rainy day... it's not exactly raining but my studio is still wall to wall with boxes so this is a good time to blog about some patterns!

Are you ready for it?
This lovely original Butterick 5758 from 1951 sold for an amazing $145.98.

Take a look at those lovely details! This is no simple skirted bathing suit. Notice the lovely gathers at the princess seam over the bust and the clever turned back collar formed, it appears, straight out of the criss-cross straps! It's tiny little details like this that set this pattern a head above your average vintage skirted bathing suit pattern. On a side note, I should also mention that Butterick bathing suit/ playsuit patterns always seem to be a bit more scarce, and in my opinion, this drives the price up a bit.
(You can see pictures of the Butterick Pattern flyer advertising this, and other great patterns courtesy of Cemetarian here.)

For those of you waiting for a great bathing suit pattern that don't have that kind of bank laying around, here are a few options that might work more in your favor.

Depew 1001, available in multiple sizes.

Depew 1002.

Available in a size 16 on Etsy at FancyWork, $55.

Bathing Suit Reproduction By New Vintage Lady on Etsy, $25.

Available in a size 14 at Glass of Fashion on Etsy, $59.99.

I know, many of you are thinking that summer is just about over for you. Summer has apparently just begun in Monterey (what fun! different seasons to learn!) and I can't get trips to the beach off my mind!

Giveaway Sponsored by Patterns from the Past!

Hello readers! Today I have a really special treat for you! Not too long ago I bought a few patterns from Patterns from the Past that were really special. Michelle, the knowledgeable proprietress has an amazing collection of 1920's and later patterns available. It is in fact, the best selection I've ever seen in all of my pattern shopping years.

I mentioned to Michelle that I would love to blog about her patterns and then in the massive shuffle that is family visiting, food poisoning and various other disasters, blog features got put on the back burner to simmer. Michelle recently contacted me though with a great idea. A Giveaway!
She is very generously offering one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate to Patterns from the Past!

Patterns from the Past has just under 5,000 patterns available from early turn of the century to modern times. Michelle has an excellent reputation amongst sewing enthusiasts. She has been selling patterns online for 18 years and in that time has sold patterns that have been used in productions like Mad Men, American Horror Story,  and the New York Ballet.

A great deal of her love for vintage fashion stems from her love of the old Oz books by L. Frank Baum. We have this in common, both of us were completely enchanted by the combination of Art Nouveau and ragtime illustrated fashions. These books and the wonderful art in them are still among my most treasured possessions today and it's wonderful to have something so unique in common with a fellow vintage pattern enthusiast!

Michelle has taken her love of vintage fashions and created a wonderful website, full to bursting with vintage and new patterns for every kind of fashion lover.
You'll definitely have a hard time choosing just one thing, I know I did.

Here are a few of my absolute favorites:

I'm completely in love with...

McCall 5903

McCall 5935

Butterick 8558

McCall 6357

Vogue 5261

McCall's 4219

Simplicity 3927

Ohhh la la!
If I wasn't saving up to buy a house at our next assignment, I would completely blow at least a month's income on these sweet little patterns!

So, how can you enter to win the $50 gift certificate?
 1.To enter the giveaway pop on over to Patterns from the Past and pick out your favorite pattern (it will be hard to choose!) then leave me a comment here with which one you like most.

You can also do each of the following to get an extra entry, just leave me a comment for each thing you do!
2. Like Patterns from the Past on Facebook.
3. Share about this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.
3. Mention the giveaway on your blog.
4. Become a follower of A Few Threads Loose, if you're not already.

Be sure to post your entries in the next 10 days. A winner will be randomly selected on December 27th.

To read more about Michelle, check out this great interview on Sew Retro and good luck to everyone who enters!