Tag Archives: historic guides

The American system of dressmaking (1909)

The American system of dressmaking (1909)

Author: Merwin, Pearl
Subject: American College of Dressmaking, Kansas City, Mo; Dressmaking; Tailoring (Women’s); Garment cutting
Publisher: Kansas City, Mo., The American College of Dressmaking
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 10096944
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congress; americana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Okay, this is lovely. Drafting, sewing and fitting for a full wardrobe from innerwear to outerwear. Basically to the point where you’d have to go buy things (like millinery, hoiery, shoes, and corsets.)

Mainly women’s clothing.

Addn 16/09/18: as per the wonderful comment below I went to look for more information about the school.

The Rotarian

May 1914
144 pages
Vol. 4, No. 9
ISSN 0035-838X
Published by Rotary International
Established in 1911, The Rotarian is the official magazine of Rotary International and is circulated worldwide. Each issue contains feature articles, columns, and departments about, or of interest to, Rotarians. Seventeen Nobel Prize winners and 19 Pulitzer Prize winners – from Mahatma Ghandi to Kurt Vonnegut Jr. – have written for the magazine.

More such adverts can be found, I used the following search criteria: https://www.google.co.nz/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=American+College+of+Dressmaking%2C+Kansas+City

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Text book with diagrams and illustrations embodying the basic principles of designing, reproducing and garment cutting; (1917)

Text book with diagrams and illustrations embodying the basic principles of designing, reproducing and garment cutting; (1917)

Author: Blackburn, Juditha, Mrs. [from old catalog]
Subject: Tailoring (Women’s) [from old catalog]
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., The Blackburn company
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 6841634
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congress; americana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Another system using a special tool. I think one of these books has the tools in the back ready for cutting and pasting to heavy card, it’s a matter of finding it!

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Rosenbleet’s perfect system of ladies’ garment cutting, specially designed for self instruction (1911)

Rosenbleet’s perfect system of ladies’ garment cutting, specially designed for self instruction (1911)

Author: Rosenbleet, Joel. [from old catalog]
Subject: Tailoring (Women’s) [from old catalog]
P
ublisher: Los Angeles, The author
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 6354454
Digitizing sponsor: The Library of Congress
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congress; americana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Another measurement system with pattern guides- nice and clear, again an in between style- the CF is on a slope.

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Home dressmaking; (1913)

Home dressmaking; (1913)

Author: Ford, Jane. Mrs. [from old catalog]
Subject: Dressmaking
Publisher: New York, Cupples & Leon company
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 9639199
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congress; americana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Another in between but the illustrations are very clear- not a drafting system but how to alter patterns and also a handy guide on how to adjust a corset and making your own bust form (hint making a fitted lining and put over a standard form- hen pad to fit. Good instructions on stay tapes to prevent stretch.)

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Guide to dressmaking (1876)

Guide to dressmaking (1876)

Author: Symonds, J. Henry, pub. [from old catalog]
Subject: Dressmaking; Garment cutting. [from old catalog]
Publisher: Boston, J. H. symonds
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 8686671
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congress; americana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Lovely info on those self trimming effects so prevalent in the 1870s! Not heavy on construction or fitting.

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The elements of modern dressmaking for the amateur and professional dressmaker (1894)

The elements of modern dressmaking for the amateur and professional dressmaker (1894)

Author: Davis, Jeanette EHolahan, Cora M., ed
Subject: Dressmaking
Publisher: New York, The Cassell publishing co
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 10088784
Digitizing sponsor: The Library of Congress
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congressamericana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

pdf now!!!!! OMG!!!! i LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this book. I use the pattern diagram for my Victorian bodices and it talks about things totally not thought of. Like how to smooth the layers of the bodice from under the side of the bust to over, and then pin the fronts to shape. This is because the lining won’t stretch as much as say a wool shell and this makes the fabrics work together.

It also talks about feather boning which is actually made from feather quills!

by michaela de bruce, August 10, 2014

A word about perfect systems of cutting, which will do
away with any necessity for trying-on, may not be out of place:
every dressmaker hopes to find one, and learns system after
system in the vain endeavour. If such a thing were possible,
tailors would have discovered it before this ; the costliness
of the material they work upon, and the difficulty of making
alterations upon firm cloth, as compared with soft dress
materials, would ensure their straining every nerve to master
knowledge so very desirable and essential ; and the really
marvellous fitting without trying-on which is done by many
dressmakers as well as tailors would seem to declare that the
knowledge has been mastered ; but those same tailors and
dressmakers know that the risk of alteration being required
has always to be faced, in spite of careful measuring, of
a pattern bodice at hand to compare with, and of the most
minute care having been taken with every step of the work
from first to last. It is well for less experienced workers to
be very careful and painstaking, and not to expect too much
from the cutting only. Perfect cutting must be followed by
perfect making-up if everything is to be perfect throughout,
and such perfection cannot be ensured as a matter of course
to every worker, be she clever and experienced or altogether
otherwise, simply by the cutting-out.

The book is really stuffed full of information, and really is my go to for late 19thC bodices.

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Home dressmaking; a complete guide to household sewing (1892)

Home dressmaking; a complete guide to household sewing (1892)

Author: Myers, Annie E
Subject: Dressmaking
Publisher: Chicago, C.H. Sergel & company
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 7748833
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congressamericana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Full of how to’s for construction, including how to use gathers and

When there is a great deal of material to gather into
a small compass, the gathering stitch has to be discarded,
the intervals between the stitches being too
wide to sew across. Then the material is evenly
pleated up and sewed as pleated to the belt, shown in
the uncompleted portion. The advantage of this gathering
over real pleats is that the gathered pleats are
upright, and the material below hangs freely, while
pleats are sewed flatly into the belt and confine the
material more.

pg 38

Narry a comment about these being cartridge pleats at all. Because they aren’t, if anthing hanging pleats would be more accurate.

Cutting diagrams included.

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CASNEAU’S GUIDE FOR ARTISTIC DRESS CUTTING AND MAKING (1895)

Casneau’s guide for artistic dress cutting and making (1895)

Author: Casneau, Alice A., Mrs. [from old catalog]
Subject: Dressmaking
Publisher: Boston, Brooks bank note company
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 9154845
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congressamericana
Notes: gutters were tight through out the book
Love this! Actual in progress photos of a stunning tailor dress.

It’s difficult but I’m about to delve in to my digital archives (there are 100,000 files just in general historic, not my SCA era folder!)

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BAUGHMAN’S ADVANCED HINTS ON DRESS CUTTING 1892

Baughman’s advanced hints on dress cutting 1892

Author: Baughman, J. S, [from old catalog]Baughman, M. E., “Mrs. J. S. Baughman,” joint author. [from old catalog]
Subject: Dressmaking. [from old catalog]
Publisher: Burlington, Iowa, Commercial printing company
Possible copyright status: The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright restrictions for this item.
Language: English
Call number: 9627428
Digitizing sponsor: Sloan Foundation
Book contributor: The Library of Congress
Collection: library_of_congressamericana
Full catalog record: MARCXML

Very good for someone experienced in the styles.

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Sewing

Sewing

So this is not only great for learning some basics and learning them well and pretty easily, but it’s a fascinating look in to the past. This is for Ontario schools but I have read some similar books for the US, not so much elsewhere. I suspect that is more due to lack of these being shared on sites like Project Gutemburg.

Speaking of which, I have several hundred manuals to link to, I’ll try and do a master list for my site (under the header construction) because wow, seriously wow. Some of these books explain terminology that we still use. And what has been dropped and why- generally many modern fitting woes are down to trying to force more pieces from a length of fabric. A really good item is here: Yep, that is the title, and yep this is the main cause. If you get a good fitting pair of pants for goodness sake take a pattern because you will want to copy it it over and over again. My Regina bodysuit is my go to for four panel bodysuits.

It’s also a really good example of how you can’t just take from a pattern in one place and put it somewhere else despite what a lot of drafting books might suggest.

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