Sewing Patterns Again, Pauline Trigere, Truman Capote & What To Wear To Your Next Black & White Ball

Speaking of the wee amount of tedious work it takes to sell vintage sewing patterns - going through about 75 in 1 day to check for missing pieces, instructions, left in pins and such is a perfect example.
But then there are the perks - as in the little surprise of this particular pattern I didn't know I had.



It appeals to me on so many levels - except size of course, as in it's not mine. It's tasteful simplicity embodied (there are 6 pieces total to the pattern - how easy can it get). And the design is sexy & alluring without being garish. What's more - to top it all off it was designed exclusively for McCalls by Pauline Trigere which may be why it's all about clean lean lines. Recently deceased Ms. Trigere is well known for her immensely talented designing touch especially in the area of outerwear. I for one appreciate her efforts in providing a bit of stylish elegance to the everyday world of home sewing.

Of course this dress would be fabulous in any color combo, print, brocade, colorful satin weave or what have you. But a quick glance at the illustration conjures up an event immortalized in 60s pop culture, Truman Capote's celebration of the bold, beautiful & talented of the day all masked & decadent and dressed in black & white at the Black & White Ball of 1966, which evidently you can read an entire book about.

Now.....wouldn't this have been the perfect ensemble to wear - even the up do, tiara & stole are perfect, just add a little black mask & a bit of famousness.

The Vintage Sewing Pattern Addict's Guide to Online Buying (and selling).

That title is wholly meant "tongue in cheek" as they say. I'm no expert on anything.

I sell vintage sewing patterns, they're easy to ship, the illustrations on the pattern envelopes are great and I personally enjoy sewing when I have the time or happen to find a pattern that I deem within my abilities so I'm naturally drawn to them. As an inventory item I think they blend well with the wearable vintage I try to find. Wearers of vintage are usually creative types therefore they're inclined to sew, design & create their own garments or accessories & most of us would agree sewing is an art form in itself.

In a recent entry on the dressaday blog an anonymous rant from an online pattern seller generated an interesting & long comment thread, some of it off subject but the gist of it in my opinion pertained to the value of collectibles - particularly patterns, and how value is determined & why. What makes something such as a pattern for a dress from the 50s worth a certain amount. Who decides & what's the criteria. Hopefully I won't ruffle anyone's feathers as I riff off the subject.

Personally I think whether you're a buyer or seller you must have guidelines. You have to keep in mind what the market will bear, what's the going price & stay within those limits more or less. As a seller you can offer incentives or run sales but if you price items way out of the ballpark buyers will go elsewhere. Buyers are savvy and they know what they're looking at. The pattern featured in the blog is a case in point.

Rarity is another attribute to take in consideration. A pattern from the Victorian era, teens, 20s or 30s should be priced significantly more that a pattern from the 40s or 50s, even one in mint condition.

I recently unearthed this book, copyright 1881 -



a good example of a cross collectible and of rarity. Tucked neatly in the back of Miss Oakey's tome is a pattern for a whale bone corset, a nifty thing to have even if you don't sew. I think that makes it worth a pretty penny.

Condition is a factor especially with patterns - a pattern missing pieces or instructions is nearly worthless while one never used is worth more. This I would assume is more or less obvious.


And then there's desirability, what's hot & what's not. Is there a particular style that buyers are looking for? Ebay can turn the price for a wanted pattern on it's head when buyers get into a bidding war. But even that is unpredictable. You may as well pack a crystal ball into your bag of tricks and that can make it a tiring thing to drag around all the time.

And then there's the greed factor. How much is too much profit? What's fair? I enjoy most of what goes into selling vintage patterns online or else I wouldn't do it. I'm also doing it for a bit of profit and it requires a fair amount of tedious activity now & then so it would be nice to be compensated. Though it would be swell to sell patterns steadily for $50 - $100 a piece and makes oodles of cash & retire to a beach side villa I would much rather be realistic, fair and keep selling them at a fairly good clip. I remember what a fellow flea marketeer said to me a long, long time ago after a particularly tough day, the essence of it being something like "I just wanna sell nice things to nice people, is that too much to ask?"

Buying a nice vintage pattern at a nice price shouldn't be either I would think.