When outside temperatures rise a little bit above their frosty norm and crocus flowers peek their pretty heads above the ground, we know that spring is around the corner. With the promise of this beautiful season, our attention often turns to our closets and is kept there with the eternal question of “what will I wear?” We reach to the back or our closets where last year’s fashions have been placed, pull them out and try them on, hoping they still fit. We then decide if our garments will be worn in this new season…or perhaps discarded, replaced by new and updated versions.
Our ancestors were no different I think, with many of them looking toward ever-changing fashions of a new year and season. How exciting it must have been for them to receive the newest pattern catalogs in the mail, to leaf through, noting the newest cut of blouse, length of skirt or shape of neckline!
Oh, how exciting it must have been to rush out to the store and purchase beautiful and unique patterns offered each new season. How delightful to sort through the various styles, deciding on new and pretty outfits to make.
Please enjoy the following scans of an original New Butterick Fashions Pattern Catalog from my private collection which is filled with dreamy fashions of a by-gone era.
