A Carefully Curated Collection
I have always loved museums and history and thrift stores and yard sales. The only difference between a museum and a yard sale is that the museum has been carefully curated to bring forward the story of the life of a place or a people, whereas a thrift store or a yard sale is where all the unwanted things land in a jumble. I like finding those things and bringing them forward. I like the way these cast off sewing patterns tell not only the history of fashion, but the industry and thrift of women raising families, grandmothers sewing for new grandbabies, teenagers learning to sew, excited to make their own outfits just the way they like them, and even men who love the freedom of creating their own clothing. I love counting the pieces of old patterns that were used sometimes 80 years ago, seeing how that seamstress of the past shortened a hem or substituted a collar drafted on a piece of newspaper.
And I love that Etsy makes it possible for me to bring these patterns forward here in a carefully curated collection, to tell the story of the creativity of all those sewers who went before us, and pave the way for those who are at this very moment searching the internet carefully for just the right pattern, just the right style, just the right size. And every single time I happen to be the seller who has that pattern, it makes me happy. With over 8,000 sales in this and my other Etsy shops, that's a lot of happiness!
Visit my vintage only shop, where you'll find lots of children's patterns, plenty of cuteness, nifty old books and other things: https://www.etsy.com/shop/allsfairyvintage?ref=shop_sugg
When I'm not finding, listing or selling patterns, or spending time with my son (we are homeschoolers), I am also a writer. Here's a piece I wrote for my Etsy pattern sellers team blog about how a dress pattern became a critical clue in the solving of a murder in 1867: http://patternpatter.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-pattern-for-justice.html
