Oldies, But Goodies

I love patterns. I really love vintage patterns. I especially love patterns from the 50s and 60s. I think my love of patterns, all patterns, evolves from my need to create and to dream. I can't always get in front of my sewing machine, but I always have time to thumb through my pattern stash. I get an instant feeling of hope and a vision of what could be. I may never actually make a specific pattern, but I can fantasize about all the possibilities it represents. What fabric would play up the design to its best advantage? Should I add piping? Should the piping match or contrast with the main fabric? Would topstitching add a certain je ne sais quoi? Where will I find the perfect buttons? Is this the pattern from which I will create a garment that will make me taller, slimmer, prettier and more stylish? If the pattern is vintage, it only adds to the appeal for me. The 50s and 60s has always seemed like a simpler, more appealing time in history. With just the flick of my needle, I can be a go go girl, a Pink Lady, a Hollywood bombshell, June Cleaver or Agent 99. With the just the right pattern, I could be more demure, more fanciful, more mysterious, more elegant - well, just simply, more. I can spend hours in this kind of reverie and I can't imagine a better way to spend an afternoon.

Here are some of my favourites that I haven't posted before. These inspire me and ignite my imagination and passion for all the possibilities:



So, tell me folks, what do you imagine when you look through the pattern books?