×
×
homepage logo

Aunt Norie’s Sewing Room

By Eleanor Mckee - | Nov 6, 2012

I recently overheard a lively discussion of patterns between a mother and daughter in the fabric shop.

Mom wanted more of the old and standard ‘fit-in sleeves and darts.’ “They’re just patterns in their catalogs, for goodness sake,” the mother said. “Oh, Mom, those are so time consuming and really difficult,” the daughter said.

I was really amused me — an old granny packrat with my box of well-used patterns. The mother was so right.

With too many things we are used to finding in our stores and shops, we ask and are told “No, we don’t get those any more,” or “They don’t make them any more.” We just sit back and accept that. Why? Think about it, folks.

I think way back to when patterns were so precious, priceless, really hand-made, traded and passed round. I guess that’s why I have my box of old favorites to which I’ve added some of today’s simple, hang-loose styles.

I had just recently helped a young friend with her sleeves. Yes, they were from a fitted pattern and they weren’t hanging right. You see, on the old, fitted sleeve there is a front and back to that piece of paper pattern, and if you don’t understand and follow the directions … Well, she had just put the sleeves on the opposite sides, so we changed them they and they fit fine.

The front edge of the sleeve is indented or shoved back — scooped out, so to speak — while the back edge of the pattern is moved forward to give you room to pull your arm forward without pulling your garment too tight across your shoulders.

To demonstrate to my young friend, I folded her paper pattern from the center of the shoulder, which has a dot on the pattern piece which, when assembling the garment, is the point where the sleeve center joins the shoulder seam. What I had been explaining to her was so very easy to understand.

For instance, if a suit jacket is not made this way, well it just has to be. You can’t begin to imagine what a mess it would be if it wasn’t.

They are not harder to make. It just takes a little more time. Pattern companies have them. All they need to do is leave some in their catalogs.

Cut that thread on a slant, now. It helps to quickly thread that needle.

— Aunt Norie, PO Box 265, Tonganoxie, KS 66086; auntnorie@att.net