Works on Paper: 83,500 Vintage Sewing Pattern Illustrations Available Online
Have you ever flipped through a fashion magazine from days of yore and wished you could rock a psychedelic two-dimensional paper dress circa 1967 or slip into a Mod mini by Mary Quant? Well, now you can--but first, better dust off that sewing machine.
Until now, vintage sewing pattern covers have been available at various websites across the internet, but Vintage Patterns Wiki has just released over 83,000 downloadable, free, out-of-print sewing pattern illustrations, giving these unconventional "works on paper" a push into the world of Open Source. However, the actual patterns themselves aren't always free: though a few are available on the wiki, Vintage Patterns mostly links to affiliate sellers.
Organized by decade, designer, and garment, patterns date from the 1920s through 1992. There's even a collection of patterns inspired by Hollywood stars--Olivia de Havilland's jumpsuits look particularly on trend for spring 2018. With a little elbow grease and attention to detail, you'll have a bespoke piece that stands the test of time. Besides, sewing is great for the psyche: as Margaret Atwood wrote in Alias Grace, "I am certain that a Sewing Machine would relieve as much human suffering as a hundred Lunatic Asylums, and possibly a good deal more."
Images via Vintage Patterns Wiki
