Pictorial Review 5969 - Men's and Youth's Shirt

Late teens to early 1920's.

There are several interesting things about this shirt pattern. First, only the coat-closing version is offered, even though closed front (slip over) shirts are still common at this time. Second, two choices of detachable collar are given. I don't know how to "read" men's collars well enough to know if one is decidedly more formal (or casual) than the other. Third, detachable sleeves are an option. Miscellaneous Garments states that detachable sleeves are an option for outing shirts, "thus making the shirt an ideal garment for outdoor sports." It's also interesting to note that one may make the back gathered or plainly fitted to the yoke, the latter being considered more correct for dress shirts.

Bear in mind that the button holes would have been worked by hand. I know that aftermarket button hole attachments were offered for home sewing machines by the 1930's, but I don't know how much before this they showed up. Hand-made button holes look different from machine-made ones; if they're well done I think they look very nice and they're not as stiff as machine-made button holes can be.

According the pattern envelope, a 36" chest will have a 14 1/2" neck.

This pattern is unprinted. No instructions are offered except what's on the back of the envelope.

Beauty Pattern Company 9291 - Ladies' Apron

1913.

This one can be dated precisely due to its appearance in the Racine (Wisconsin) Journal News in the Thursday afternoon edition of the paper for June 20th, 1913.

A nice, straightforward apron. The illustration is another fine example of putting the most glamorous face on the very mundane task of doing dishes.

McCall 7867 Ladies and Misses One-Piece Pajamas

Late 19-teens to early 1920's.

The men's onesies were ugly, but I think these are sort of cute.

View 1, with the lace-trimmed gathered ankles is a bit over the top for my taste, but I think that View 2, made up in chambray, with short sleeves, would pass muster today as a jumpsuit and looks very comfortable for summer time.

Butterick 1074 - Men's or Boys' Negligee Shirt

Late 19-teens to mid 1920's.

The Women's Institute book Miscellaneous Garments (1917) helpfully explains the different types of mens' shirts.

The instructions for a detachable collar are interesting. The double-pointed back yoke adds a stylish note. Note also that there is an alternate cutting line for the front to minimize bulk somewhat.

Notice that the "regulation" closing at this time is still a placket for a pull-over style shirt; the coat closing option still seems to be new.

To shorten the sleeve, the maker took up a two inch tuck in the sleeve piece and basted it with black thread. I know from experience that getting your sleeves the right length is a big motivation for having your shirts made (or making them yourself.) It must have been a great relief for the wearer to have cuffs that didn't drag down over his knuckles, as ready-made shirt cuffs surely must have.

This pattern includes a fairly early version of the Deltor, the instruction sheet.

The maker folded up the small pattern pieces and tied them with a scrap of shirting cotton.

McCall 7097 - Men's and Boys' One-Piece Pajamas

19-teens.

Notice the layout is for 27" wide (common for flannel) and 36" wide material, and the pattern designers know you'll have to piece the piece F.

The sheer ugliness of this pattern leaves me pretty much speechless.

May Manton's 7853 - Bathing Suit

About 1912-1915.

This bloomer-and-dress style was popular from about the 1880s to about 1920. The vaguely empire lines of this model are consistent with dress styles of the mid teens.

The June 6th, 1915, the New York Times included a wonderful article about the season's styles in bathing suits. Which starts off "probably the majority of women who love the surf will bathe this Summer, as in other Summers, in suits of black or blue." But in 1915, brightly colored silks were popular. Bathing shoes came in both high boot styles, such as our model is wearing, and low slipper styles.

My edition of The Women's Institute booklet Miscellaneous Garments, copyright 1917, recommends making bathing suits of "Flannel, serge, alpaca and similar woolen materials..." The author states that a successful bathing suit "should be generously full, though not baggy nor clumsy."

Proper headgear is important. According to the New York Times, rubber bathing caps were decorated with rubber flowers, and in 1914 it became fashionable to wear corsages of these rubber flowers in colors to match or harmonize with one's bathing suit.

According to The Women's Institute, over a snug-fitting rubber cap, one wears "...a cap of lightweight material that harmonizes" [with the bathing suit.] Also "...by observing the instructions given for house or boudoir caps...no difficulty will be encountered in developing them." The cap that our model is wearing is very much in the boudoir cap mode.

The booklet also gives detailed instructions for tying a silk square over one's rubber bathing cap in the newest butterfly or "aeroplane" style

Unknown 4692 - Rabbit Doll with Overalls and Jacket

The California Cultivator includes this in their December 20th issue in 1924. The December 4, 1927 Decatur (Illinois) Review shows this pattern along with others to make up for Christmas giving:

This is a very simple pattern, with the front and back of the rabbit, in this case the small version, only 12 inches tall, cut the same. Note that this is Peter's Winter suit. Perhaps for summer he didn't wear the jacket.

This pattern was well-loved. There are several cellophane tape repairs to the rabbit, and the envelope has been pinned closed repeatedly. It's interesting to speculate how many children were given this bunny, nattily turned out in his overalls and jacket.

At first I thought the pocket piece was missing (in people-sized garment patterns the pocket pieces often go missing.) But when I checked the envelope again, I found the maker had carefully pinned the tiny pocket piece to a scrap of blue fabric, possibly left over from the bunny's jacket.

The maker worked out the embroidery for the face on a discarded mimeograph sheet (remember mimeographs?) for some sort of event.

Superior 1210 - Children's One-Piece Creeper or Rompers

I'll guess the first half of the 1920's.

Note that the "kimono" construction of these rompers is identical to that of house dresses of the period. I imagine that lots of these rompers were made from feed sack prints, particularly during the Great Depression.

However, by 1937, Farmer's Bulletin 1778, Fabrics and Designs for Children's Clothes, a USDA publication, recommends solids in light blue, pink, green and yellow, but admits that small all-over designs can be used. This publication also recommends keeping the garment plain so that it can be ironed easily.

Simplicity 2667 - Misses' and Women's Dress and Apron

Late 1930s.

The pattern is described:

Collar joins in tiny revers. Princess fitting with slight flare at lower edge of skirt. Apron with patch pockets and straps over the shoulder, ties at the back.

The ruffled trim on the sleeves and collar is purchased. It's a bit unusual to see this on a house dress, a garment designed primarily for ease of laundering.

The prints in the illustration are pretty, and the matching dress and apron make for a nicely "finished" look. You'll need about 7 years of bias binding for the apron.

Recommended fabrics include percale, lawn, seersucker, gingham, poplin, pique, cotton crepe. For the dress only, one can use silk or rayon crepe.

The instructions detail two closing options; with the new-fangled slide fastener, and with snaps and a hook at the waistline.

This is an unprinted pattern. The instruction sheet is of poor quality paper.