This Will Leave You in Stitches

Isaac Merritt Singer invented the first practical home sewing machine around the middle of the 19th century. There had been many failed attempts before Singer to produce a machine that would speed up the process of hand sewing. In fact, the inventor Barthelemy Thimonnier was almost killed by an enraged group of French tailors who burnt down his garment factory because they feared unemployment as a result of his new invention.

The only reason Singer was actually successful was he had the foresight to patent his machine. It's all in the marketing - not much different than today. I will bet he did not think sewing would lead to the 1935 verbal expression, 'to have someone in stitches'. A result of laughing so hard one would have sudden stitches of pain in their sides.

Some days Some Like it Vintage will leave you in stitches too.

Some sewing inspiration.

Retro Butterick '35 Pattern

 

Vintage McCall's

Clothes-Horse

Have you ever counted how many pieces of clothing you have? Do you often say to yourself you have a closetful of clothes but nothing to wear?

I do. And then I go and buy more. I am a clothes horse - an old term which actually refers to a clothes drying rack but now often humorously refers to someone excessively interested in clothes.

However, until the 1960s you might be surprised by how little people had. Most women would have three to five dresses, and then they might have, if they were a bit avant-garde, a pair of pants. They might have two pairs of shoes. By modern standards this is unheard of.

Also, all women sewed. They did not head down to the mall to pick up a new dress. It was either made by herself or her dressmaker, along with her entire family's wardrobe.

Times change. By the 1960s and the rise of ready-to-wear, sewing became unfashionable. I certainly appreciate being able to have a large wardrobe and purchase items quickly without waiting several weeks for something to be sewn with fittings in-between. Let's face it, life is just too busy to sew an outfit. But every once in awhile I have the urge to sit at the sewing machine and create something I know I would be proud of. Sewing takes patience...and if you have the time and patience, what a sense of accomplishment it would be!

Some patterns I found on ebay for inspiration: