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Show us your vintage patterns!

Lauren

Distinguished Service Award
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Sunny California
Yummy new Vintage Vogue Patterns

Look at these, gals! The first four are new! Good to see that they're keeping it up even thought the other lines are tapering off. I think the first one is absolutely smashing!

Maybe I should sew the ones I have so that I can buy some new ones...
 

Littleone

New in Town
Messages
3
Aren't they yummy? I like the first one as well :) I'm making one of the older versions at the moment.

I'm new, I'm gonna sneak over to the 'new ladies' thread and introduce myself :)
 

AllaboutEve

Practically Family
Messages
924
They really are gorgeous, I like the 3rd along and the 1st. I haven't tried making a dress yet, just skirts, but I think that I will have to give one of these a try. Do many of you sew or knit? I love to make things.
 

Lauren

Distinguished Service Award
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5,060
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Sunny California
Yup, I sew and knit! It's fun to be able to make your own duds, and you don't have to worry about condition issues. I am browsing for 30's knitting patterns... I have yet to make anything more complicated that a sleeveless turtleneck in a loose stitch, though.
 

swankysister

New in Town
Messages
47
Location
Australia
Thanks Lauren Henline! I did notice the new Vintage Vogue patterns, because in Australia, they're currently having a 'buy one Vogue pattern, get two free' promotion. :) So, I looked up the website and saw the newies. Didn't get any Vintage patterns, though. I know a couple of people who have made dresses from them and their advice was, "watch the sizing".
 

swinggal

One Too Many
Messages
1,386
Location
Perth, Australia
Yes, bought them all in Melbourne a few years back half price as well. The new ones are nice. But my favs are still both the 1934 bias evenin dresses. Gorgeous.
 

Snookie

Practically Family
Messages
880
Location
Los Angeles Area
swinggal said:
The new ones are nice. But my favs are still both the 1934 bias evenin dresses. Gorgeous.

I like the evening gowns the best, too. I wore Vogue 2241 to my senior prom. I like that new suit, though--and I'd get to wear it more often than an evening dress!
 
Vogue Patterns 75% off!

I got a flyer from Hancock Fabric's the other day. Vogue patterns are 75% off this week! I got two of the hat patterns including the newest 1950 one and the older 1939 dress and coat pattern. I would have loved to get more but can't afford it with Xmas comming.
 

Angelicious

One of the Regulars
Messages
190
Location
Rainy ol' New Zealand
My local sewing store has every brand of sewing pattern on sale except Vogue! :p Wouldn't you just know it! I'm dying for some of those gorgeous hat patterns... Still, they're bound to go on sale some time soon. :)
 

Lauren

Distinguished Service Award
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5,060
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Sunny California
The Future of the Vintage Pattern Market?

A seller on Ebay seems to have come across a collection of 30's patterns, the most extreme priced of which was this one.

This makes me ponder, what do you think the future of the vintage pattern market will be? Are these being bought up by collectors or designers? I know one fetching a price like that is a rarity, but with these 30's evening gown patterns now fetching $100 and up on Ebay, where prices generally are less expensive than the overall market it makes one think.
 

AllaboutEve

Practically Family
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924
Crikey $210!!! That is truly outrageous. Even though I use Ebay a lot and have found some great stuff it is guilty of creating a false disproportionate value for a some goods.
I can't imagine paying that kind of money for a vintage pattern and not then locking it in a safe. You wouldn't dare use it, which would be a shame.
I worry that the market for vintage patterns will be stripped through some of the big internet auction sites by people who only want to sell them on for profit.
The saddest thing is that these patterns were made to be used and loved by people who might not have a mint in the bank, hope that we don't all get priced out of the market.
 

colleency

One of the Regulars
Messages
215
Location
Los Angeles
That's a ridiculous price. The pattern for the dress looks almost identical to one of the Vintage Vogues, sans cape and belt.
 

MissQueenie

Practically Family
Messages
502
Location
Los Angeles, CA
That's unbelievable! I don't know that I could bring myself to spend so much on a finished garment, let alone a pattern!

I don't think I'd have the heart (or guts) to use a vintage pattern, anyway, even if I traced it. I would really like to see someone bump Vogue out of their monopoly on repro patterns, and more patterns for things like men's suits. The market is certainly there. Any entrepreneurs out there?
 

Lauren

Distinguished Service Award
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5,060
Location
Sunny California
There are four vintage pattern reproduction companies that I know of offhand who make copies of original vintage patterns. These are:

The Vintage Fashion Library

The Vintage Pattern Lending Library

Decades of Style

Past Patterns

And I hear say there is a new one that will be popping up soon.

The first two you have the option of "loaning" a pattern or buying it. I bought one from the Vintage Fashion Library and it was fabulous! Made up great, and printed on nice heavy pattern paper like the Folkwear or Truly Victorian patterns. I hate the flimsy tissue paper patterns. I tear them so easily.
 

Snookie

Practically Family
Messages
880
Location
Los Angeles Area
Eventually, I do think that all vintage patterns will fall into the hands of collectors at high prices. (so snap them up now -- copy them, and carefully put them back in their envelope -- your future buyer doesn't have to know that you have a copy too! ) Personally, if those collectors do a good job preserving them, I think that's okay. People like me like to use, and thereby, destroy them. So long as regular folk have access to the libraries and quality repro patterns, and can use those resources to produce their clothing, I think it's okay. (Although I think still need more of these resources.)

Hopefully, the collectors are willing to pay a high price because they also see the value of these items and the history we value so much. Don't worry, they can't monopolize history.
 

Lauren

Distinguished Service Award
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5,060
Location
Sunny California
I definately agree with you on all regards, Snookie. Here's hoping the collectors are willing to either have them reproduced and made available by A) Someone Else B) Themselves. It makes me shudder to think of all the vintage patterns thrown away throughout the years as trash. Many people still are doing this, not realizing the value! I always bug the people running estate sales not to throw them out or use them as wrapping for glass things!
 

fuzzylizzie

One of the Regulars
Messages
172
Location
Beautiful WNC
Wow! That was some price! I've been selling patterns for a very long time, and I would expected to get about $80-100 for that one. But when 2 persons really want the same thing, there's no telling how high it will go.

Great 30s gowns have always brought high prices, but I can see how the increasing scarcity will lead to even higher prices.

I sell patterns to lots of different types of people - gals like us who want the patterns so we can make the clothes, fashion design students, fashion designers, companies like Gap, professional seamstresses and even fashion editors. I think it's pretty safe to say that most of them will be used, so the idea of making copies of any great pattern you sell is an excellent one.

Someone posted on an eBay board sometime back that they had found a great use for all the worthless old patterns - as packing material. You can imagine the scolding they received!

Lizzie
 

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