Do you want to test out your sewing skills on some vintage inspired styles? We’ve brought together a list of pattern designers with vintage inspired pattern ranges, essential tips and great blog posts for all your vintage sewing needs.
If you want to know more about sewing with vintage patterns, check out this blog post as part of our Sewing Pattern Tutorial Series where we look at vintage sewing patterns.
Our top 5 tips for sewing vintage patterns
- Check the pattern measurements, don’t just cut out your normal size. Vintage patterns can come up a lot smaller than usual.
- Some patterns don’t come with all the smaller pattern pieces, such as facings, because everyone did a lot more dressmaking back then and you were expected to draft them yourself.
- A lot of the original vintage patterns come with little or no instructions so you will need to have made a few garments before embarking on one of these.
- Making a toile is really important as this will help sort out any fitting issues. Women’s body shapes have changed over the decades, so the fit might not be what you expect.
- Not sure where to start? Check out Vintage Pattern Wikia, which has a huge section of patterns to browse by the decade as well as lots of people selling off old patterns.
The best vintage sewing blogs from the sewing community
- Gertie wrote about vintage sizing.
- Flashback summer has 10 tips for sewing vintage patterns
- The Vintage Pattern Files – have lots of great posts as well as lots of free patterns.
- Tips from the V&A Museum about how to look after old textiles.
Independent designers with vintage inspired sewing pattern ranges
Jennifer Lauren Handmade – Jen designs modern sewing patterns with a vintage twist. They have beautiful design details and a lot of thought goes into the fit. Jen often includes multiple bust pattern pieces and has an include size range. These sewing patterns are lovely wardrobe staples that you can wear to work and out with friends. To see the whole Jennifer Lauren Handmade range take a look here.
Christine Haynes – Christine is a Brooklyn-based sewing teacher and pattern designer, learning to sew ages 10. She has also written four sewing books. She is currently relaunching her sewing pattern range with refreshed designs and a more inclusive size range. These are figure flattering designs with a vintage vibe. To see the whole Christine Haynes sewing pattern range have a look here.
How to do Fashion – Nanna creates vintage reproduction styles for women. These designs will allow you to create a unique wardrobe inspired by the elegance of years gone past. The silhouettes are cut and inspired by previous decades and would make wonderful special occasion dresses. Take a look at the full range of How To Do Fashion sewing patterns here.
Selkie Patterns – Alexandra and Caroline are a new independent designer team based in London. They have a strong focus on sustainability, which is threaded through everything they do. They are also the authors of The Great British Sewing Bee book: Sustainable Style. These ladies teach workshops, give talks and also offer environmentally friendly fabric limited edition collections. Take a look at the Selkie Patterns collection here.
