tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post1444874042638588290..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: How Much For A Vintage Pattern or "10 bucks -- for THIS?"Peter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-4388470942250009402016-02-27T01:23:13.975-05:002016-02-27T01:23:13.975-05:00I have 30 years of experience sewing and I know ho...I have 30 years of experience sewing and I know how to make patterns but buying patterns save my life I have like 500 and I think I don.t have enough patterns. Buyin the pattern save tons of time and guessin I love patterns if I like a pattern idk about how much I have to spend.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13252440458017772446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-46732303811751972922011-09-07T09:18:11.058-04:002011-09-07T09:18:11.058-04:00I saw patterns on etsy that was literally beyond m...I saw patterns on etsy that was literally beyond my means. And I do troll through the site and noticed that some are easy to make, especially when I have the patterns alike somewhere - like the Burda magazines or the likes. I would not pay that much for anything, unless it is an antique gold bracelet, but I digress.Lissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04323743274926932858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-21383737651033563612011-02-27T11:24:36.105-05:002011-02-27T11:24:36.105-05:00There is a filing cabinet full of patterns going b...There is a filing cabinet full of patterns going back to the 30's in the basement. Mine, mom's, and Gramma's patterns. I have been re- tooling old patterns all of my life, because we sewed to save money. (Back when you could save by sewing your clothes.)I learned to look at the lines of a design, and decide if I already had the pattern. I often did. I recently made one of my old hippie chick patterns up as a stage costume for my niece. Like old times.eljeannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-6654794245722064862011-02-26T10:37:30.672-05:002011-02-26T10:37:30.672-05:00The amusing thing about ball gowns being three fig...The amusing thing about ball gowns being three figures is that who wears ball gowns anymore?<br /><br />Im starting to look at my pattern collection and my dress form I made for $22 (Onda) and Im realizing that I can now draft those complex designs that I cant find in my size.<br /><br />Frankly most people are buying these patterns for the cover illustrations, or as wardrobe stock for films, or to reproduce later.<br /><br />Ive paid over $100 for a pattern. It was from the 30s, in my exact size and it had a full length coat along with the dress, so it was a pretty fair deal. I haven't made it yet, but I plan to make both one day.<br /><br />As for pricy patterns, Ive seen a 30s apron patter go for $200+. I find that obscene! But apron collectors are their own beast. I mean, who cant draft an apron?Shelleyjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05223944949880318245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-78927603087046608962011-02-26T08:09:39.343-05:002011-02-26T08:09:39.343-05:00I will also be tempted to spend more on patterns i...I will also be tempted to spend more on patterns if the remind me of star wars or "Cry Baby" the movie even if they are no where near my size. It is a weakness.Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-56477275431387764352011-02-26T08:01:25.756-05:002011-02-26T08:01:25.756-05:00My first vintage pattern I snapped up for $1 way b...My first vintage pattern I snapped up for $1 way before anyone else thought they were worth anything. It's from the 50's it looks like a mini dress but its actually a swim suit. And it was my size!. I never made it, the thing was a little to complex for my skills at the time but I love it. <br /><br />Thats why I buy vintage patterns now I just love them. I especially love the mail order ones with the name and address of the original buyer. Or the original buyer has written notes on the pattern. A few of mine even have the newspaper add for the original pattern slipped inside. It means someone else had fallen in love with the pattern before just as I have now and I know a tiny bit about them.<br /><br />That being said, never more then $20 and it must be with 4 inches of my bust size. I'm a 40 so I try to find the pattern in a 40 but I will buy a 38 or a 42.Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-79598982754985783792011-02-26T01:38:18.841-05:002011-02-26T01:38:18.841-05:00I've been drafting period costumes for years, ...I've been drafting period costumes for years, but it never occurred to me to draft a modern one. I've done a lot of medieval and renaissance costumes, and a lot of theater costumes (late antiquity to 1800's.) When I started doing this in the early 80's, there weren't a lot of patterns for historical clothing around. <br /><br />I've never made my own clothes for everyday or even for dress up. Maybe I should start.lwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08731797783816953087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-64335884510562744792011-02-25T22:48:15.800-05:002011-02-25T22:48:15.800-05:00I'm too lazy to draft, and because I can get t...I'm too lazy to draft, and because I can get the Big 4 patterns cheap at JoAnn's, there's no point for me to.<br /><br />Perhaps I'm just not at the self-drafting point. I was given a pattern-drafting book for Christmas, and I will say that it's intriguing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-8062889228047355232011-02-25T21:49:18.625-05:002011-02-25T21:49:18.625-05:00Have you read the sewing instructions? There might...Have you read the sewing instructions? There might be details you learn from reading the instructions, and I agree with the others who pointed out the great neckline. Would you really have drafted that yourself? At any rate this is a learning experience, and I imagine you'll get something out of making this piece.sulymohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07887228971839188556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-42767954063280752922011-02-25T21:13:10.169-05:002011-02-25T21:13:10.169-05:00I have a hard time paying (more than $0.99) for pa...I have a hard time paying (more than $0.99) for patterns... but I will sometimes. I don't think I'd want to pay more than $20, though. I certainly don't regret my Colette or Jalie patterns, which run close to that mark. I wouldn't worry about your $10 on a basic dress, unless you proceed to buy five more just like it. :)<br /><br />That being said, I really enjoy altering existing patterns to get a look that's only in my head... so as my pattern collection grows to cover the basics, I see myself buying fewer.Tanit-Isishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824217102632813598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-14902732537078553682011-02-25T19:16:08.211-05:002011-02-25T19:16:08.211-05:00The most I've ever spent on a vintage pattern ...The most I've ever spent on a vintage pattern is $10. And that includes shipping. Usually, I tend to buy in bulk lots and then try and resell what I don't want or will never use. And I go to dollar days at Joanns for patterns. And yeah, I know enough now that I could probably draft my own, but I have little enough time for sewing as it is!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07717835382469677601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-34426336686291426212011-02-25T19:12:55.531-05:002011-02-25T19:12:55.531-05:00When I first started sewing in the sixties, I did ...When I first started sewing in the sixties, I did not use a pattern for skirts at all. just a strip for a waistband and 2 and a half yard for the skirt. Hem it and ready to go. Then I moved up to patterns when I made straight skirts and a-lines or blouses. Some of us spent money on patterns only when necessary, so they were not as plentiful in those days. The real heyday of patterns was the early seventies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-69263391161420617292011-02-25T19:07:47.041-05:002011-02-25T19:07:47.041-05:00I try not to go over $10 a pattern, that's onl...I try not to go over $10 a pattern, that's only if it's nothing special. I also try to help myself by buying in my size. I learned early on that I bought A LOT of vintage patterns in a smaller size with the mission to resize it for a project but I realize I never do. <br /><br />3 years ago I spent $45 dollars on one pattern and ended in a 2AM bidding war on a Monday night. It is a very chic Vogue Paris Couturier YSL pattern, a late sixties military coat suit. If you saw this pattern, you'd understand. :p<br /><br />Sadly, I don't ever attempt to draft. I've made too many mistakes to bother to do it again. Save myself the headache, right? I often create design ideas from what patterns I have by mixing and matching pattern pieces. I create another headache because I often leave many pattern pieces misplaced in other envolopes, like a random sleeve in a skirt pattern.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-21084139193913101912011-02-25T17:29:21.244-05:002011-02-25T17:29:21.244-05:00I haven't yet bought any vintage patterns - I&...I haven't yet bought any vintage patterns - I'm still learning on the ones you can replace if you wreck them. (Truthfully, now I trace, 8 x out of 10, but you know what I mean.)<br /><br />Having said this, I would pay for a vintage pattern I loved if I knew I could adequately reproduce it. Or one with pedigree that's in perfect condition.<br /><br />If I'd go out and spend 300.00 on a dress, why wouldn't I spend 30 bucks, for example, on its framework? That's work I don't have to do...K.Linehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15350615302797686048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-55916130166259136512011-02-25T16:45:58.338-05:002011-02-25T16:45:58.338-05:00chortle . . . laugh . . . sputter. once again, you...chortle . . . laugh . . . sputter. once again, you slay me. its been a top form mpb week. Grazie!Erzulimojohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01475371609166418042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-41105746221636876872011-02-25T16:36:46.139-05:002011-02-25T16:36:46.139-05:00This is so interesting to read the comments. I lov...This is so interesting to read the comments. I love sewing and I frequently find sewing "stuff" at garage sales. I use quite a bit myself and also donate quite a bit but there is still enough to re-sell to support my habit. <br />I have vintage patterns listed but cannot, in good conscience, list them for more than $10. I was about to list some Advance patterns in really good shape - uncut and lovely illustrations, but reading the above posts reaffirms my desire to make a little money so that some other person can acquire some cool little pattern and not break the bank doing so. Thanks for the fun commentary. And, I also, want to know where the 'cents' went on the keyboard (yes, I do know - in the 'symbols' up at top but I miss it on the keyboard).kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13468763091074811797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-54683937691455260872011-02-25T14:38:54.392-05:002011-02-25T14:38:54.392-05:00It's all about how much your time is worth to ...It's all about how much your time is worth to you. Once you have the ability to draft what you want, huzzahs! But if you end up spending 2 or 3 hours more on drafting & fitting than you would have spent fitting an already drafted pattern....well, do the math.<br /><br />If you can do it in 20 or 30 minutes, go for it!<br /><br />I'll spend $15-20 on an indie pattern because they can do what I can't. A year ago, when I re-entered the sewing world, my eyes & jaw popped WIDE open when I saw what patterns cost....now I know which pattern companies I respect, and they've earned my money!Jillybejoyfulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11010866113928621691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-65277227856394401252011-02-25T14:09:45.039-05:002011-02-25T14:09:45.039-05:00Burda Magazine (along with others) has been puttin...Burda Magazine (along with others) has been putting the "draft it once, make many variations" model to good use forever! <br /><br />What's too much to pay for a vintage pattern? Well, my vintage patterns are kind of like old paperback books - a lot of fun to have around, but not necessarily relevant to today. They're a great library, and I like having that kind of resource around.<br /><br />Generally, I think I'd pay $15, max -- but I've only done that once, to replace a pattern I'd lost and always wanted to make. Otherwise, most of my vintage purchases are at antique malls, and run around one dollar.<br /><br />I WOULD pay up to $10 if there were special features I didn't want to bother with drafting; there was a sentimental/historic hook; or the look was exactly what I wanted. But $175? I'm with Marilyn's Rags -- that's one great splurge in NYC's fabric district.Noilehttp://www.noile.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-21290510015117153462011-02-25T13:53:51.096-05:002011-02-25T13:53:51.096-05:00Get yourself a hip curve and a french curve and yo...Get yourself a hip curve and a french curve and you can take the patterns you already have and turn them into just about anything.<br /><br />Here's another idea: when you find a bodice, skirt, sleeve, or whatever that you love, glue that piece onto oak tag (the thick brown paper patternmakers use for slopers) , cut around it, and then you can use it again and again. Then you don't have to worry about then falling to pieces after a few pinnings.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04942455468832787000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-25528576335842439342011-02-25T12:24:44.142-05:002011-02-25T12:24:44.142-05:00I really love looking at the covers of the vintage...I really love looking at the covers of the vintage patterns, but I don't buy them. My daughter over at "Fashion Forestry" (on my blog list) just graduated from CCA in San Francisco, always gives me a hard time when I buy simple patterns, and keeps promising me that she is coming over to show me how to draft patterns etc. She does draping and all kinds of cool stuff. <br />But to your point, it is highly annoying to pull everything out and see a huge rectangle and very similar pieces that you already are familiar with. I'm sure that eventually you will start to make your own, or start to mix up old ones.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026706261655333994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-23725980833224774852011-02-25T12:19:16.304-05:002011-02-25T12:19:16.304-05:00Hi I've been reading the blog faithfully for a...Hi I've been reading the blog faithfully for a month now (it all started when Colette announced the sew-along on their blog), but this is my first comment. Love your blog, so much inspiration & tips & encouragement to just get out there & give it a try!<br /><br />$175 for a pattern? can you say <a href="http://www.regretsy.com/" rel="nofollow">"Regretsy"</a> !? I actually just bought bought my first vintage pattern for $10 including shipping. I was a little disappointed that it was printed on paper instead of tissue paper, but I plan on retracing it on parchment paper anyway.(Any tips on ironing it flat first?) I do have probably a $20 limit on patterns, & I don't buy unless the seller has included a picture of the pattern pieces or the back of the envelope that shows the pattern pieces. I am just now getting back into garment making after a 13 year absence. I never thought about drafting my own pattern before. Hopefully one day I will gain the skills to give it a try. Thanks for giving me something to think about & shoot for!Valhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02232652562552311563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-50690839852870864952011-02-25T12:12:00.217-05:002011-02-25T12:12:00.217-05:00You bought the pattern for a raglan sleeve and wid...You bought the pattern for a raglan sleeve and wide neckline which will work. Believe me, either of those can be tricky to get right, particularly the sleeve.<br />I am one of those people who blog about self-drafted projects (making a self-drafted jacket right now. this weekend: padstitching) and I do realise that may make my blog less appealing for readers. But I'm stubborn/perfectionistic/weird so I won't change my ways.<br />If I buy patterns, I buy vintage but usually just for the art work or (same reason why I will look in sewing magazines) to see how feature X looks as a pattern piece. And I would never pay a lot of money for a pattern.Laurianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16602295642057814667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-88198987274551658402011-02-25T12:11:58.545-05:002011-02-25T12:11:58.545-05:00When I first discovered vintage patterns I snapped...When I first discovered vintage patterns I snapped up some not realizing that millions of sheath dress patterns from the 60s are out there. Now I am more choosy and I don't want to pay more than $3-$6 for one. I love to collect patterns and when they are on sale for 0.99 cents (what happened to the cents symbol on the keyboard anyway?) I can go a little nuts. I have noticed that pattern companies will use the same basic bodice or dress shape and then vary details (scoop vs. v neck) to encourage me to buy more. I have no interest in drafting my own patterns at this point.sewpdxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-81872412265718528412011-02-25T11:55:37.869-05:002011-02-25T11:55:37.869-05:00My mom paid $50 for pattern for my birthday last y...My mom paid $50 for pattern for my birthday last year. It's an incredible Vogue Nina Ricci 1962 dress and coat that is absolutely delish. I haven't had the nerve to do anything with it yet but I just like knowing it's there and periodically I take it out and drool.<br />I have zillions of patterns thanks to JoAnns frequent $0.99 sales.Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05124636214096825169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-53971853022060139012011-02-25T11:42:44.457-05:002011-02-25T11:42:44.457-05:00Debbie, you do have point...Debbie, you do have point...Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.com