Stuff You Missed in History Class

Paper Sewing Patterns, Part 1


Listen Later

Commercially available sewing patterns have been a cornerstone of home stitching for a century. But well before they existed, there were people trying to share sewing patterns. 

Research:

  • Alcega, Joan de. “Libro de geometria, practica y traça.” Madrid.1580. Accessed online:https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_07333/
  • Aldarondo, Abner. “A Master Tailor’s Manual.” Folger Shakespeare Library. Jan. 10, 2023. https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/a-master-tailors-manual/
  • Bertrand, J.E. “Descriptions des arts et métiers faites ou approuvées.”  l'Imprimerie de la Société Typographique. 1780. Accessed online: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=SAWFeeXzMgYC&rdid=book-SAWFeeXzMgYC&rdot=1
  • Boullay, Benoit. “Le Tailleur Sincère, Contenant Ce Qu'il Faut Observer Pour Bien Tracer, Couper.” (Reproduction.) Hachette Livre Bnf. 2012.
  • Buckley, Cheryl. “On the Margins: Theorizing the History and Significance of Making and Designing Clothes at Home.” Journal of Design History, vol. 11, no. 2, 1998, pp. 157–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1316192
  • Crane, Ellen Bicknell. “Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts.” Lewis Publishing Company. 1907. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=nfhSZxL8bTEC&source=gbs_navlinks_s
  • Crossland, Samantha R. “Made in Minneapolis, sewn all over the world.” Hennepin History. 2021, Vol. 80, No. 2. https://hennepinhistory.org/from-the-magazine-made-in-minneapolis/
  • Demorest, Ellen. “The Question of Labor. Women’s Work and Wages.” New York Times. Nov. 18, 1863. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1863/11/18/78710875.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
  • “The Educational Legacy of Simplicity Pattern Company.” Simplicity Patterns. September 2024. https://simplicity.com/blog/the-educational-legacy-of-simplicity-pattern-company
  • Emery, Joy Spanabel. “A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution.” Bloomsbury Visual Arts. 2020.
  • Freyle, Diego de. “Geometria Y Traça Para El Oficio De Los Sastres.” Sevilla, Spain. 1588. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/1588-geometria-y-traca-para-el-oficio-de-los-sastres/page/n1/mode/2up
  • Johnson, Susan. “’Madame’ Demorest—The Woman at the Top of a 19-Century Fashion Empire.” Museum of the City of New York. April 15, 2020. https://www.mcny.org/story/madame-demorest-woman-top-19-century-fashion-empire
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Ebenezer Butterick". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ebenezer-Butterick
  • Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ellen Louise Curtis Demorest." Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/money/Ellen-Louise-Curtis-Demorest
  • “Demorest’s Illustrated Monthly and Mme. Demorest’s Mirror of Fashions.” April 1865. https://ia802801.us.archive.org/8/items/demorestsillustr00newy/demorestsillustr00newy_bw.pdf
  • “Design Group Americas Voluntarily Files for Chapter 11 Protection, Initiates Sale Process Aimed at Maximizing Value Through Going Concern Transactions.” BusinessWire. July 3, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250703734892/en/Design-Group-Americas-Voluntarily-Files-for-Chapter-11-Protection-Initiates-Sale-Process-Aimed-at-Maximizing-Value-Through-Going-Concern-Transactions
  • “Joseph M. Shapiro of Simplicity, 79.” New York Times. July 31, 1968. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/07/31/76959179.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
  • “Millinery.” New York Times. Nov. 7, 1853. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20309463/?match=1&terms=%22Mme.%20Demorest%22
  • “The 40’s from The War Effort to The New Look - Championing Fashion that Matters.” Simplicity Patterns. September 2024. https://simplicity.com/blog/vogue-patterns-an-evolution-of-american-style
  • Queen, James and William Lapsley. “The Tailor’s Instructor.” Philadelphia. 1809. Accessed online: https://dn790007.ca.archive.org/0/items/taylorsinstructo00quee/taylorsinstructo00quee.pdf
  • Reyes-Martinez, Marcos A. “The Vara: A Standard of Length With a Not-So-Standard History.” National Institute of Standards and Technology. Oct. 11, 2019. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/vara-standard-length-not-so-standard-history
  • Walsh, Margaret. “The Democratization of Fashion: The Emergence of the Women’s Dress Pattern Industry.” The Journal of American History, vol. 66, no. 2, 1979, pp. 299–313. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1900878

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Stuff You Missed in History ClassBy iHeartPodcasts

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

23,346 ratings


More shows like Stuff You Missed in History Class

View all
Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff You Should Know

78,688 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,837 Listeners

Lore by Aaron Mahnke

Lore

44,999 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,242 Listeners

Stuff To Blow Your Mind by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff To Blow Your Mind

5,667 Listeners

The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast by The History Chicks | AIRWAVE

The History Chicks : A Women's History Podcast

8,030 Listeners

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

10,365 Listeners

Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast by Nashville Podcast Network

Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast

4,706 Listeners

Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

Ologies with Alie Ward

24,585 Listeners

This Podcast Will Kill You by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

This Podcast Will Kill You

17,003 Listeners

Ridiculous History by iHeartPodcasts

Ridiculous History

4,561 Listeners

American History Tellers by Audible

American History Tellers

19,197 Listeners

We Knows Parenting by iHeartPodcasts

We Knows Parenting

248 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,512 Listeners

The Fred Show Feels Good News by The Fred Show

The Fred Show Feels Good News

8 Listeners

Noble Blood by iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Noble Blood

13,595 Listeners

Project Listen by iHeartPodcasts

Project Listen

8 Listeners

Point of Origin by iHeartPodcasts and Whetstone Media

Point of Origin

350 Listeners

Special Teams by iHeartPodcasts

Special Teams

63 Listeners

HISTORY This Week by The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios

HISTORY This Week

4,214 Listeners

We're Having a Moment by iHeartPodcasts

We're Having a Moment

249 Listeners

Drafted by iHeartPodcasts and Treefort Media

Drafted

142 Listeners

Abortion: The Body Politic with Katie Couric by iHeartPodcasts

Abortion: The Body Politic with Katie Couric

238 Listeners

Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

Jill Scott Presents: J.ill the Podcast

1,550 Listeners

Prompt Us by iHeartPodcasts

Prompt Us

839 Listeners

Money Moves Powered By Greenwood by iHeartPodcasts

Money Moves Powered By Greenwood

63 Listeners

Maxine Miles by iHeartPodcasts

Maxine Miles

277 Listeners

Burke In The Game by iHeartPodcasts

Burke In The Game

159 Listeners

Angie Martinez IRL by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Angie Martinez IRL

1,045 Listeners

On-Call with Kay-B by iHeartPodcasts

On-Call with Kay-B

18 Listeners

Stealing Superman by iHeartPodcasts

Stealing Superman

191 Listeners

Playing Dirty: Sports Scandals by iHeartPodcasts

Playing Dirty: Sports Scandals

59 Listeners

IDEA GENERATION's All Angles by iHeartPodcasts

IDEA GENERATION's All Angles

34 Listeners

Health Stuff by iHeartPodcasts

Health Stuff

30 Listeners