What are you looking at: VOGUE

There's just something about the Vogue patterns...the sophistication of the designs and the envelope illustrations.  I absolutely love them.  Thought I'd share a few recent finds:

I found this one on etsy and I actually plan to use this pattern.  It's already cut, so no guilt there.  And no zippers to intimidate me either, just button & loop closures.  The only question: which fabric would be just right?

I found this Vogue Paris Original, #2576, at a thrift store a couple of days ago.  It's a nice thrift store, but not one I stop at often.  One of the little voices in my head suggested I stop there and I'm SO glad I did!  This pattern is uncut and still factory folded.  And the Paris Originals aren't as common; this is only the second one I've ever gotten my hands on.  This one was likely published in 1971; it was featured in the Vogue Pattern Catalog that year, and the next couple of years.  I'm not so crazy about that polka-dotted polyester version on the envelope, but just look at the drawing and you can see that the possibilities are endless.  By the way, according to the back of the envelope, this is an "at-home" dress.  (Did women actually wear long dresses around the house in 1971?)  Anyway, this one is now up for sale because I am not a pattern size 8 by any stretch of the imagination...so if you are, and you're interested in making this fabulous dress to wear around your house, you can find it on my etsy shop.

I've bought a couple of lots of patterns on ebay and there have been some true gems among them.  I have to say that there are few things I enjoy as much as sorting through an entire box of vintage patterns.  Seriously. And this one is just absolutely lovely:

Clearly I have no intention of (attempting) to sew this pattern, for two reasons: 1.  It's unprinted pattern, from the late forties, and I feel certain I would not have very good luck using an unprinted pattern.  I need some guidance on my pattern pieces.  2.  I can only imagine what sort of a disaster I would make trying to create all those tucks and other decorative what-nots on this blouse.  But it sure is pretty to look at and admire, isn't it?  So I'm going to frame it and hang it up in my sewing room, where I will enjoy it very much.

Now, I have one more very special, very Vogue find to share.  I still can't believe my luck, because I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never find one of these at a price that was realistic....

.........yes, it's the book:  Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing.   Copyright 1952.

It's even a first edition/first printing! Honestly, I hadn't heard of it until a few years ago when a customer who buys journals from me, and sewing-book journals in particular, asked me to keep an eye out for it.  So I lodged that into my brain, and whenever I was scouting for old books hither and yon, I'd look for this book.  And I would never, ever find it.  At the beginning of the year, I started to read sewing blogs to motivate myself to attempt sewing clothes and quickly discovered Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing, which of course was inspired by the classic Vogue book.  So then I started to covet a copy for myself. (That is the problem with the internet, isn't it?  It makes us covet stuff.  Or is that just me?) I've been collecting sewing books as well as patterns for the last few years and this is THE sewing book.  As someone who is obsessed by both books and sewing, clearly it was important that I own a copy.  My first few online searches were heartily disappointing: not only were there very few copies available, but they were all around $200.  Now, I am a thrifty gal and I'm just not willing to pay that much for an old book--because as wonderful as this is, it's still actually just an old book, now isn't it?  Yes, it is.  But I kept looking every now and then, and then one day on alibris.com I came across it listed for $45.  Normally, I wouldn't pay that much for a book, but...I truly felt that was a deal too good to pass up.  In addition, it was being sold by a Friends of the Library group and I like the idea of helping libraries.  A couple of clicks and a few days later it arrived at my house and it continues to make me quite happy.  And that's what it's all about, after all!