Paper sewing patterns are one of the most valuable resources in dress history because they model what people actually wore as opposed to museum pieces which are generally special occasion pieces. Patterns also display the garment construction practices of time and help with historical accuracy when making reconstructions. Truly one of the great elemental inventions in the world’s history, paper patterns can be credited with the democratization of dress in the 20th century.
*This video focuses on the American paper pattern industry.*
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Sources:
A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution by Joy Spanabel Emery (book)
COPA: https://copa.apps.uri.edu/
McCalls’ Archives: https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=mccalls
TIME: https://time.com/3985665/sewing-machine-invented/
FIT: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1860-1869/
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A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries: From Catwalk to Sidewalk Paperback by Bonnie English
Photo Credit:
A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution by Joy Spanabel Emery (book)