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To contribute to this collective history project, send pictures and stories about the older women in your life to americanagefashion@gmail.com. The more information you can include (date, place, etc.), the better.-
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Tag Archives: sewing
A Remade Sari Dress, 1971
I was ready to call this remake of a sari an unwelcome appropriation of traditional clothing. A South Asian woman on my block who sold her saris before she died expressed a final wish that they not be cut up … Continue reading
A Sewing Pattern for the Older Woman, ca. 1936
The gray haired woman on the envelope is the first clue that this pattern was aimed at an older clientele. There are others, though. The size—a 42 inch bust and 45 inch hips—is another indication, since women generally gain weight … Continue reading
Unquilting/Requilting, 1970
This picture portrays a West Virginia coop turning old quilts into new items. If you look carefully, it appears that the oldest woman in the back on the right is hand stitching a pillow, while the woman at the far … Continue reading
Posted in 1970s
Tagged sewing, shift dress, shirtwaist, textile patterns, textiles, West Virginia
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Final Fitting, 1966
This photograph from the Chicago Tribune shows the sewing instructor Essie Cannon, on the right, checking the fit on a coat made by Mary Davis, on the left. Cannon was a teacher at the Midwest Senior Center in Chicago where … Continue reading
Posted in 1960s
Tagged African American, coats, hats/headcoverings, Illinois, sewing
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Celebrating their 90th Birthdays, 1949
This celebratory photo marks the ninetieth birthdays of Effie Appleby and Amy Bigelow. Both were members of the Women’s Guild of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Madison, Wisconsin, which threw a party in their honor. The photo description explains that … Continue reading
Hope Skillman Fabrics
I’ve been wanting to write about textile designer and manufacturer Hope Skillman (1908-1981) for a long time, but pictures of her—especially with any sense of what she wore—are hard to find. This Vogue advertisement, featuring her fabric on a dress … Continue reading
Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s
Tagged designers, sewing, textiles, women's organizations
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Domestic Scene, 1954
This snapshot evokes happy childhood memories for me. Some of my fondest recollections of my grandmother are when she was at her sewing machine. One Easter she made matching dresses for me, my sister, and my four cousins. For an … Continue reading
Imaginary Sewing
As a historian, I relish finding secret messages from the past—sketches in book margins, shopping lists and the like—that no one but the writer was meant to see. I discovered several such notes in an old issue of Vogue Pattern … Continue reading
Mrs. Exeter’s Fall Wardrobe, 1962
Do you remember Mrs. Exeter, Vogue’s older woman of fashion? I recently came across her again in a Vogue Pattern Book from 1962. By that time, she had all but disappeared from the fashion magazine. Apparently editors believed she was … Continue reading
A Sewn Wardrobe, 1978
In the 1970s, Vogue Patterns magazine did occasional features on women who sewed most of their own clothes. As an added bonus, the editors asked the women why they had chosen particular styles. What could be better for someone interested … Continue reading