The Great British Sewing Bee ❘❘ BBC TV Show

I don't know about you, but I love the shows that the BBC comes out with: Call the Midwife, Sherlock, Doctor Who, The Great British Bake Off, etc.... Recently I discovered the show, The Great British Sewing Bee on YouTube and it is the perfect sewing show! It features the history of home sewing and fashion in Britain's history -- fascinating stuff! But not only that, it also shows sewing techniques & projects and how you can do them yourself, which is handy for home sewists who would like some sewing tips while watching a television show. Oh, yes, another thing I love about The Great British Sewing Bee is the music! Gotta love listening Doris Day while watching a sewing show -- perfect for the vintage girl at heart.

If you would like to watch the show yourself, search The Great British Sewing Bee episode 1 on YouTube to find the first episode. I won't embed the episodes below, because you never know how long they will stay up. Btw, there are only four episodes.

Have fun watching!

Cutting-Out and Dressmaking by E. Grand'Homme (1879)

Vintage Pattern Covers

I bought some vintage patterns this weekend and thought you all would like to see them.

1. 1930s ?

2. 1930s/40s ?

3. 1940s

4. 1940s

5. 1940s

6. ?

 7. ?

8. 1940s ?

9. 1940s?

10. 1940s

11. 1940s

12. 1940s

13. 1940s

14. 1930s ?

15. 1958

16. 1940s

17. 1950s

If anyone knows the correct dates, or eras for the patterns with question marks. Or even if I dated some of them wrong. Please let me know! Thanks. 

~Ashley

The Hand-book of Dress-making by: Mrs. M. J. Howell (1845)

Textiles and Clothing by Kate Heintz Watson (1911)

Treasures in Needlework by: Mrs. Warren and Mrs. Pullan (1855)

Godey's Lady Magazine (1858)

Godey's Lady Book (1876)

McCall’s Magazines from the 1940s

I believe that magazines from the 1940s are the best!  I have, let me think here, three and they are all McCall’s.

What I like about the copies of McCall’s from the forties is that, they are organized into three three distinct sections: “Fiction and News,” “Home Making,” and “Style and Beauty.” My favorite sections are the latter two.


In the homemaking section I have found many recipes I would love to try. And as my copies are from the WWII era, they talk about saving/rationing certain ingredients to help win the war.  Someday I hope to try some of the recipes. When I do I’ll post my results here.

The style and beauty section has listings of the current trends and patterns. They also tell you how to reuse your old clothing, tablecloth’s, etc, into something new to save fabric. Sometimes I do this myself with clothing, but  not often. Like when ever I through away an old article of clothing, I look for a couple things. First, buttons I can use again. Second, trim that is not torn or unusable in any way.  Thirdly, see if I can’t use the fabric in some other way. Though mostly I will just through it away at this point. For it is mostly clothing that I have had for years and I am sick of the fabric and ready for change.

Here are a bunch of pictures from my magazines:

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 ~Ashley

The Lady's Book by Godey (1831)

The Workwoman's Guide by: A Lady (1840)

Sewing Primer, with Songs and Music: for Schools and Families (1886)

Household Sewing with Home Dressmaking (1898)

Christmas Gifts

"Gifts that can be used, or that really give pleasure to the person receiving them, are the proper ones to select. Gifts that cannot be used or enjoyed by those receiving them show either bad taste or else a lack of thought on the part of the donor. A beautiful Christmas card may give more pleasure to some persons than any other gift that could be selected. It is not the cost, but its fitness, that makes the worth-while gift." (Elementary Home Economics)

Hand-made gifts are especially desirable, because they represent time and thought spent for the purpose of giving pleasure to those receiving the gifts. The following are simple gifts that can be made at home.

Potholders
Pillowcase
Doll Dresses
Drawstring Purse
Apron
Decorative Pillow

How To - Prilgrim Mother Costume

Pilgrim Mother - Full, plain skirt, white kerchief, small white cap, and large spectacles. A gentleman's linen handkerchief, put around the neck and crossed over the bosom, answers for a kerchief. The cap, too, can be made of a large handkerchief in this way.

Fold the handkerchief in the manner shown in Fig. 206; lay it flat upon a table, and turn the folded corners over as in Fig. 207; turn up the bottom edge over the other, and roll over about three times (Fig. 208); take the handkerchief up by the ends and the cap (Fig. 209) is made.

From: The American Girls Handy Book by: Lina Beard and Adelia B. Beard
Copyright: 1887

Directions For Working in the Sewing Room

Personal appearance: The hands should be washed before beginning any sewing. With a wool dress or skirt some kind of sewing-apron should be worn, so that the work will not become soiled from rubbing over the dress.

Position: Sit erect with back against chair and with feet on the floor. Hold the work so that there is no need for stooping over. Never pin work to your knee when sewing. Sitting with a table in front of you, when sewing, is the best plan.

Care of work: Needles should never be left in the material when one has finished sewing, because dampness may cause the needle to rust and this injures the material. Thread-ends on all spools should be slipped through the groove made for that purpose. The tape-line should be neatly folded, and all other equipment in the sewing-box placed in order. All materials used should be neatly folded before they are placed in the box, basket, or bag.

From ~ Elementary Home Economics: Cookery, Sewing, and Care of Home by: Mary Lockwood Matthews Copyright: 1921