Advance April 1943

April is already here, though so far I'm not sure it brought Spring with it!  We've still been having snow and cold, but let's pretend it's warm, and pretend it is April, 1943. :)

Here's some lovely looks from that time period, I hope you will enjoy this look back with me.

Advance 3245 / 3230

On the cover we have some looks with attractive and figure-flattering princess seaming. The flowers lend a nod to Springtime, the looks are at once professional and glamorous.

A few similar patterns from the team:

1.)  Advance 4883; Pretty Pattern Shop

2.)  Advance 3118; Happy I Found It

Advance 3188, 3204, 3184, 3180

Such pretty looks here!  Gathers at the shoulders and neckline are a popular trend.  Pockets are practical for the busy 1940s lady!

Some similar styles from the Pattern Patter Team:

1.)  Advance 4444; Grandma Made With Love
2.)  Advance 3361; Bluetree Sewing Studio
3.)  Advance 3722; Fancywork

Advance 3598, 3236, 3599

Frills, fitting, and tucks give a very feminine air to the somewhat masculine 1940s shoulder-line.

1.)  McCall 5701; She'll Make You Flip
2.)  McCall 5297; So Sew Some
3.)  Simplicity 2032; Pengy Patterns

Advance 3224, 3241, 3239, 3237, 3240, 3225, 3226, 3244

Wow!  So much going on here!  Looks for work, Mother-Daughter Fashions, dressy, and summery sundress. :)

1.)  Simplicity 3322; Fancywork
2.)  Simplicity 2069; Sydcam 123
3.)  Butterick 4569; Kinseysue

Advance 3237, 3244, 3172, 3246, 3230, 3222, 3245, 3245, 3238

Again, so many lovely looks!  Which one do you like best?  I'd wear 3245 tomorrow, really.

1.)  Advance 5052; Grandma Made With Love
2.)  Mail Order 8193; Vintage Needle Finds
3.)  Advance 3052; Sandritocat

Advance 3242, 10, 3229, 3243

Wow!  Look at these interesting patterns for swimwear, sports, nursing/canteen work and casual wear. How fascinating!

Believe it or not, Fancywork has the swimsuit, #3243 IN STOCK.

1.)  Simplicity 4326; Kinsey Sue

2.)  Butterick 3746; The Pattern Source

Advance 3232, 3231, 3228, 3233, 3227

Skirts, tops, back-to-school, and even sleepwear on this page.

1.)  McCall 7271; Clutterina
2.)  Simplicity 2210; Bluetree Sewing Studio
3.)  McCall 7307; Erika With A K Vintage
4.)  McCall 5553; Fragolina

Advance 3236, 3235, 3247, 3223

Wow!  Hats, bags, and other accessories on the back cover.. I'm sure you'll think they're oh-so-cute and glamorous too.

1.)  Simplicity 8372; So Vintage
2.)  Simplicity 4924; Roma's Maison
3.)  Simplicity 2137; Grey Dog Vintage
4.)  McCall 1506; So Vintage

Well, that's about all for now!  I hope you enjoyed this look at April, 1943!

Please leave any comments about your favorite patterns or designs. :)

Looks from Advance, December 1937

Advance Patterns: December 1937

The holidays are upon us, and as a little treat... here's some looks from Advance from December 1937 for your stocking!  I hope you will enjoy this look at these rare patterns from the past.

Advance 1921, Advance 1929

On the cover we have these sharp and very military looks!  Maybe a little odd for Christmas time?  

Advance 1919

Here Advance touts their patterns for every occasion, from business to frilly, and features an interesting frock in Advance 1919 with what looks like starfish on the bottom.

Advance 1917; 1920; 1926; 1918

How about these stunning numbers?  Pretty elegant, and really classy!

Advance 1928; 1934; 1924

The long jacket is an interesting look, don't you think?

Advance 1924; 1932; 1933; 1930

Wow, these super-fitted dresses with all that ruching are really neato.

Advance 1150; 1617; 1419; 2011

"Last minute Christmas gifts, easily made!"  ... they seem to have more confidence in my last minute sewing abilities than I do. :)  Very sweet little girls' dress and coat, don't you think?  Not for a girl but for her dolly!  Oh, any doll would just love it.

Advance 1916; 1931; 1923; 1927; 1925

A lovely selection of dresses for girls and young ladies!

Advance 1922; 1921; 1929

On the back cover we have more businesslike looks and see that this brochure was from Mullen's in Nashua, N.H.

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I hope you enjoyed this look at December 1937!  Here are some 1930s Advance patterns from team members.  Please check them out!

Row 1:) 

Advance 1804; Denisecraft, Advance 1154; Vintage Needle Finds, Advance 2496; Bluetree Sewing Studio

Row 2:) 

Advance 967; DRC Rose Patterns, Advance 5000; She'll Make You Flip, Advance 9711; Sandritocat

Row 3:) 

Advance 1975; So Sew Some, Advance 2871; Fancywork, Advance 897; Vintage Needle Finds

Looks from Advance Fashion News - August 1960

Today we're going back to August 1960, to see the beautiful fashions from Advance!  As you may know, Advance patterns were JC Penney's house-brand pattern, several department stores had their own sewing pattern lines.  (For example, Sears had Fairloom/Superior, but that's another story. :)

I especially love the monochromatic look of this pattern flier!  The mother-daughter dresses on the cover are oh-so-cute.

And what is more summery than a cute tiered skirt?  Here are some similar patterns from the Pattern Patter Team:

1.)  Advance 6758 from Jeanie's Shop
2.)  McCall's 9406 from Violet Crown Emporium
3.)  Advance 8989 from Vintage Needle Finds

The inside features another mother-daughter dress pattern.  I love them so much!

Some similar pretty sundresses from the Pattern Patter Team

1.)  Advance 9806 from Bluetree Sewing Studio

2.)  Simplicity 3877 from Sydcam 123

3.)  McCall's 9378 from Sandritocat

These insanely adorable girls dresses on page 3 are so sweet, they'll make your teeth hurt!!

9435 is available at Denisecraft, with one of the cutest envelope illustrations I've ever seen!

Some more adorable and similar patterns from the Pattern Patter Team:

1.)  Mail Order 1411 from All The Precious Things

2.)  Simplicity 4416 from Selvedge Shop

3.)  Simplicity 1706 from Grandma Made With Love

Dirndl skirts are all the rage!  And oh-so-pretty!  How about some similar patterns from the Pattern Patter Team?

1.)  Butterick 5834 from Erika with a K
2.)  Advance 9386 from Fancywork
3.)  Simplicity 4469 from Frisky Scissors

Or how about a "Chic Shirtwaist?"  A must for any girl's wardrobe!

Similar patterns from the Pattern Patter Team:

1.)  Simplicity 2622 from Clutterina's Shop

2.)  Simplicity 4326 from Rose Corners

3.)  Simplicity 2627 from Retroactive Future

I love the button trim!

Some similar patterns:

1.)  Simplicity 3306 from Pretty Pattern Shop

2.)  McCall's 5507 from Pengy Patterns

3.)  Advance 8713 from Vienna's Grace

The illustrations are so carefree and simple.  I really love them.  I wish we could know who illustrated these.

1.)  Advance 5627 from Sandritocat

2.)  Simplicity 2496 from Sew As It Was Patterns

3.)  McCall's 4584 from So Vintage

Closing with a an add for Penny's fabrics, and a suggestion for a dress to use!  Advance 9447 is available at Bluetree Sewing Studio.

All of these patterns are VERY HARD TO FIND.  So if you have one, consider yourself lucky!

Also be sure to check out these other great Advance patterns from Pattern Patter Team member shops!

Row 1: Pattern Shop; DejaVu Patterns; Pengy Patterns
Row 2: Jeanie's Shop; Grandma Made With Love; Clutterina's Shop
Row 3: Laguna Lane; Roma's Maison; Sydcam 123

Let's Promenade Part Two of Three

by Sew Betty and Dot

Are you ready to dance the night away? Let’s go!

Part One of the “Let’s Promenade” ended with the 1940s, when proms began to be more elaborate and more of a “dress-up” affair than they had in previous decades. In the 1950s, the prom developed into the event with which most of us are familiar (whether we went to the dance or have watched any number of movies—think about Grease).  

The postwar economy in America was booming, and with it the concept of “the teenager” became more prevalent. Teens now had more leisure time, and this stage in life was considered unique: no longer a child, not yet an adult. “Teen” magazines proliferated (Seventeen began publishing in 1944, and 16 Magazine in 1958—it was the perfect place to get all the news about the cutest singers and actors, and it spawned a host of similar publications.) And the prom came to take on a new importance as a not-to-be-missed teenage milestone.

While many proms were still held in crepe-paper decorated school gymnasiums, they also began to be held in hotels and country clubs. Boys often wore white dinner jackets and black bow ties. And the girls? Tulle, tulle, and more tulle! Dresses were often strapless, sometimes floor length but frequently princess length and quite often had very full skirts (but not always!). 

McCall’s 4357: SewBettyAndDot

Advance 7704 DejaVu Patterns

McCall’s 8719: sydcam123

Vogue 7512

Wraps (again, often made of tulle) and gloves completed the look (topped by a corsage, of course).

McCall’s 9577: GreyDogVintage

Butterick 6718: Anne8865

In the early 1960s, styles of the fifties carried over—although the hair got a LOT higher!--but Jacquelyn Kennedy’s elegant style had a huge influence on fashion as the decade progressed. Empire-waist dresses with long straight(er) skirts came into vogue. 

Butterick 2906: JFerrariDesigns

Vogue 4183: PatternandStitch

As the decade progressed, just as cultural mores began to relax, the range of styles available to girls seeking to look their best on that special night grew wider. Hair done up in beehives, bubbles, and flips; dresses with sheer sleeves, metallic fabrics (so itchy!), baby doll dresses—but tulle was still a popular choice for prom. 

Simplicity 7348: SuttlersSundries

Butterick 5049: MidvaleCottage

McCall’s 9461: SewUniqueClassique

Simplicity 5679: Denisecraft

Next week we'll see what changes the 1970s to Prom.