Many who are new to pattern collecting and research often assume that there is only one kind of sewing pattern. That is, the standard paper pattern as made popular by the big four pattern companies (Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity and Vogue).
A standard pattern is composed of tissue paper, printed or unprinted, that is laid out over fabric and ready to cut.
The pattern shown below is an early example of a standard sewing pattern.
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| McCall 5010 circa 1928 printed sewing pattern piece. |
However, this is just one of many different types of sewing patterns.
A pattern is defined as "a model or design used as a guide in needlework and other crafts". These designs might not always be what one would expect when reading the word pattern but they are indeed patterns that have been used by many seamstresses and trade professionals for well over 100 years.
The following are also sewing patterns:
Diagram:
Diagram patterns were particularly popular from the 1920s-1950s. The pattern is essentially illustrated piece by piece with measurements given for one to draft the pattern themselves. These patterns are nearly always in one size only, with minimal instructions. They gained their popularity mostly in French and German sewing magazines.
Here is an example of a 1940s diagram pattern for a pipe bag in French:
Draft-at-home: Draft-at-home patterns consist of a miniature pattern template and a specialized ruler or rulers that are used to scale the pattern up to a desired size. These can include Lutterloh, Golden Rule, Der Goldene Schnitt ,American Way, Dressmaking at Home, Lisette and more.
The benefit of these patterns is that they can often be used to draft a pattern in a wide size range including plus sizes. The downside is that they come with little to no instruction for sewing so one might need at least intermediate sewing experience to use them.
Below is a part of a Lutterloh pattern from the 1950s.
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| Part of a Lutterloh pattern booklet no. 70 circa 1950s. |
Haslam: This is another quite unique pattern-making system consisting of a set of foundation drafting instructions, a special chart/ tool with curves built in, and additional quarterly supplements with different garment styes.
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| Image courtesy of Mrs. Depew Vintage. |
Paperless Cutting: The Paperless-Cutting type of pattern is typically seen in American 1920-1930s sewing publications. Some also make an appearance in the occasional mail-order sewing pattern catalog.
They were quite popular during the depression as they were even more economical than paper patterns and could often be made in multiple sizes, as opposed to standard patterns that at the time, only came one size per envelope.
This type of pattern is not the sort that you lay out on fabric and cut out. These patterns are a set of very detailed instructions and illustrations that show you how to mark out your “pattern” on a piece of fabric laid out on your table (with chalk or pins). You use your own measurements to get an exact fit, and there is no, drafting involved. Just mark, pin, cut and sew.
The most popular paperless cutting pattern is known as the One Hour Dress.
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| Illustration from One Hour Dress circa 1924. |
Paperless Draping: The Paperless Draping type of pattern is also typically seen in American 1920-1930s sewing publications (including Fashion Service Magazine).
They can also occasionally be found in newspaper articles from that time period.
The draped patterns are similar to the Paperless-Cutting patterns above.
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| An illustration from a draping pattern booklet circa 1924. |
These patterns will start by using your measurements for an accurate fit (which means that these can be made in nearly any size), but the measured fabric will be draped on either yourself or a dress form (an extra pair of hands at this stage will be really helpful), and then pinned, cut, and sewn according to the (hopefully) detailed instructions. These are great for the seamstress in a hurry as the designs are usually basic and come together quite quickly.
Pattern Sheet Supplement: These are typically seen in modern magazines like Burda Style, and in antique American, French and German magazines as far back as the mid 1800s. Below is a June 1914 La Mode Illustrée that came with a pattern sheet supplement.
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| June 1914 La Mode Illustrée courtesy of Mrs. Depew Vintage. |
These typically consist of 1 or more pattern sheets, usually a minimum of 16" square, with the pattern pieces overlapping each other as shown below - this was done to allow for anywhere from 1-50 patterns to take up very little paper! Each pattern is outlined in a different method and one uses a key to determine which pieces to trace off.
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| from June 1914 La Mode Illustrée. |
They can be a bit of a headache to trace off but if you think about how many patterns you're getting for the cost of the magazine, from a vintage fashion lover's perspective, it's an entire capsule wardrobe in one package.
There are a few more types available that I have not yet had a chance to photograph and research so more will be added to this list in the future.
And so now you know, if you didn't already (clever you), that there are many more types of patterns out there and many of them can be quite fun to use!
Anna Depew
(All image sources and research come from the personal archive library of the author).
