Patterns of Design

Patterns of Design...It just has a sophisticated ring to it. So...engineering-esc.

So much for my sophisticated style of writing, making up words. But, I am not here to blog about writing or engineering. I would like to talk about patterns and pattern making.

I did some looking up stuff (googling) as they call it nowadays...and found out that American pattern making was completely different than that of European sewing. There was no marketplace for homemakers for clothing; with the extremely rich the exception; so a way in which the homemaker could expand their wardrobe was necessary. In 1860, Mr. and Mrs. William Jennings Demorest made fashion patterns for home seamstresses. They sold a magazine, what I would call a catalog, with 100s of different patterns. The patterns were rudimentary for the most part; mostly made in only one size and did not come with instructions.

When I was a kid I used to love to go to the fabric store with my mom. She did a lot of home sewing and most of my outfits were homemade. I loved to sit at desks with the big, ginormus pattern catalogs .Flipping those pages were so fun! Even more fun was opening the big, ginormus pattern file cabinets and searching for my pattern number- sort of like treasure hunting!

I have been altering patterns for awhile now trying to get just the right look- because a pattern for what I want doesn't really exist. I find this really rewarding making my own OOAK piece of clothing. If you read my profile- you will know that I search for vintage patterns and notions. I did a bit of shopping at a local Goodwill tonight and came across a curious pattern.

If you are younger than 30 and know who Mr. Blackwell is than I salute your fashion history knowledge. For those of you who DON'T know who he is; he is most known for being a fashion critic and at the end of every year he would create his "worst dressed list". In the '50s he had his own boutique "House of Blackwell", his own designer clothing line and pattern designs AND he dressed the stars! Yvonne Di Carlo (Lily Munster), Jayne Mansfield and Nancy Reagan just to name a few. So, I thought this was a great find for 69 cents and uncut! A cool piece of fashion history.

Recycling Will Save The Pelicans

June 2, 2010

There was a time and a place when any well respected, properly dressed, modern woman NOT only wore stockings but she would carry around a spare pair in her purse, just in case. Stockings were made of silk and they averaged about $2.00 a pair, maybe more depending on where you shopped. Today, the average American pays more than $2.00 for their morning cup of coffee. In 1940, the average American household lived on less than $24.00 per week so if you got a snag in your stockings I’m not sure you could just go out and buy another pair of stockings without sacrificing some of the family’s monthly allowance. Then, on May 15, 1940 the Du Pont Company changed how the modern woman bought and wore hosiery. It was the first day that nylon stockings were sold retail!

I came up with the concept of this blog weeks ago and thought it would be fun to explore the world of “plastic” clothing. However, as I am typing it, gallons and gallons of crude oil continue to spill into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and kill wildlife and seafood sources of the region. I now have writer’s remorse. I don’t want to give the impression that I support offshore drilling as a viable means to continue to produce synthetic clothing and textiles by writing about the fascinating world of nylon.

On April 20, 2010, a semi-submersible exploratory offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded after a blowout and sank two days later, killing eleven (11) people and causing a massive oil spill threatening the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida The rig is owned and operated by Transocean, Ltd., on behalf of BP.

Now, as I re-read what I started to write; I ponder this notion; “Did Mr. Du Pont’s vision of re-creating a world of synthetic fibers and materials for clothing include killing off some of our world’s richest, natural resources?” In 1937 new and exciting studies on hemp were being introduced to society. These studies of hemp coincided with Mr. Du Pont patenting his creation, nylon. Over the years it has been argued that Mr. Du Pont paid millions of dollars to private organizations to create special groups that advocate the criminalization of the production of hemp and slander its positive qualities, especially its use as a fiber in textiles. Do any of the labels on your clothing say 100% hemp? I know I don’t have any. The majority of my wardrobe is created from a fabric made of blended synthetics and cottons. Supporting recycling and reuse of already manufactured clothing, such as vintage articles is a safer way to wear the fabrics of the future.

I pray that the oil executives will control the spill and cease the production of future spilling of oil into the Gulf very soon. I also pray that a new awareness of the idea: “You Are What You Wear” will surface and force the textile industry to re-think how fibers are used.