One thing which did worry me before I started sewing it was the fact that all the seam allowances are ⅜"/10mm. For as long as I have been sewing, the seam allowance on patterns has been ⅝"/15mm. I'm so used to this that I even use it when I draft my own patterns. So I was convinced that at some point I would forget, and merrily start sewing up ⅝" seams.
However a quick look through some of my vintage patterns shows that the ⅝"/15mm allowance has been far from universal in the past. Although initially patterns had no seam allowance included, this Butterick pattern from 1923, which is one of my oldest, has an allowance of (mostly) ⅜".
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| Butterick 4530, 1923 |
The exceptions are the wonderfully-named "outlets", the areas which you might want to let out. These are described on the Deltor (instruction sheet) as having "an additional amount", which on measuring the pattern turns out to be an extra ⅜".
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| Outlets! and seams! on the Deltor |
McCall were a forward-thinking company in the early twentieth century, being the first to introduce both printed patterns and coloured artwork, so I assumed that their patterns would include seam allowances. They did, and the information is on the envelope flap. Again the allowance is ⅜".
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| McCall 283, 1935 |
Advance patterns allow a whole ½", a point which is stressed on the envelope back.
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| Advance 2229, 1939 |
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| There could be no missing the seam allowance information |
Meanwhile Simplicity continued with the idea of variable seam allowances. The envelope back for this blouse pattern includes the information that ¾" is allowed for underarm seams, while all other edges are ½".
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| Simplicity 4139, 1942 |
I'm not sure if this difference is because the underarm seams need to be stronger, or if it is to allow for 'outlets' (although that would seem an odd place for them). The coat pattern Simplicity 4896 has wider seam allowances at the sides, "to permit alteration".
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| From Simplicity 4896, 1944 |
Also allowing for alterations is this pattern from Bestway, a British pattern brand mainly associated with women's magazines. Most of the allowances are ½", but the side edges of the skirt (but not the bodice) have 1" allowances "for fitting".
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| Bestway 18928, 1940s |
Vogue does not seem to have been an especially innovative brand; for example it was very late moving to printed patterns. By 1955 however it had adopted the now-familiar ⅝" seam allowance: it is mentioned on the instruction sheet of this pattern.
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| Vogue S-4644, 1955 |
Meanwhile Maudella, another British brand, were clearly late adding 'turnings' (seam allowances) at all. At least the fact is made very clear on the envelope.
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| Maudella 4279, 1950s |
On the back of this pattern envelope however, it states that "⅝" allowance added on all seams".
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| Maudella 5151, 1960s |
And the Grace dress? It's early days, but so far I've remembered to sew ⅜" seams. In fact, for things like attaching the collar to the bodice, the narrower seam allowance makes the whole thing far easier to handle. Perhaps I need to rethink my attachment to ⅝" seam allowances for everything.
Could the turnings for maudella have been hems? It seems such a strange term for a seam allowance!
ReplyDeletebut what interesting research! I had often wondered when pattern standards changed like that.
Thank you Tegan. I think that 'turnings' must be a British term, as it is used on the Bestway pattern as well, as something different from a hem.
DeleteMy Bernina is an 801, and the standard seam allowance mark on the plate is 1/2" (the machine was issued around 1980). Most of the older patterns I've worked with have 1/2" seam allowances, and I'm always at a bit of a loss about 5/8" since it isn't marked on my machine. (I should just mark it with masking tape or something).
ReplyDeleteI'm very lucky because the plate on my 1986 Jones machine has ⅛" markings going up to 1", so I'm covered for all possibilities!
DeletePerhaps those former seamstresses had better memories than I do! When I have a pattern that suggests different seam allowances for different parts (like a wider one on the sides for fitting) I usually forget and cut the same all the way around.
ReplyDeleteYes, variable allowances always look like a recipe for disaster to me! I always have to alter patterns to shorten the bodice anyway, so I usually trace them onto plain tissue, and make the seam allowance ⅝" all round to avoid the inevitable failure.
DeleteInteresting as ever! I am intrigued by your 1923 pattern! And very jealous. I remember the term 'turnings' from school in the 1960s. And I find anything other than a 5/8 th seam allowance deeply unsettling. It makes absolute sense to me - enough for a margin of error, enough for run and fell seams, enough to tidy up the final finish ... not too gigantic. And like Lynn says, if seam allowances are variable I am sure to forget which parts are less. My 1975 Bernina has eighth of an inch marks!
ReplyDelete"Unsettling" is the perfect word for it! While the ⅜" allowance definitely makes curved seams far easier to handle, as you say there is not much margin for error. It all makes me wonder who this pattern is aimed at. I've read about some new sewists preferring indie patterns because they find the instuctions in a Big-4 pattern confusing (too brief, and assume a lot of prior knowledge). The 'Grace' pattern comes with 17 pages of instructions, which to me suggests a target audience with limited sewing experience. In which case a narrow seam allowance could be asking for trouble.
DeleteSadly, dressmaking slipped off the school curriculum in the 1970s and has never returned - a whole generation missing out on the joys of the cookery apron and gym skirt. I am trying to write a book about this at the moment!
ReplyDeleteI would love to read that! I was never very good at sewing at school: the emphasis was firmly on evenly sized tacking stitches and ruler-straight machine stitching, whereas I was making more complicated items at home but with neither of these skills at the top of my agenda!
DeleteI'm rather taken with this discussion on turnings! Here's a quote from Clothes - their choosing, making and care by Margaret G Butler, first published in 1959. This was the textbook we had at school in 1969. It's excellent by the way - widely available on the second hand market. Here goes, from page 59 - Chapter 7 Cutting out and preparing for fitting ...
ReplyDelete"If the pattern includes a turning allowance which is adequate in width, cut out round the edge of the pattern ...etc"
I had never realized that it is not a universal term. Because I grew up with sewing as part of my life, it's impossible now to think when and how I learned various details.
DeleteQuite a few of the Indie pattern designers have gone back to a 10mm seam allowance; you always have to check before starting your project.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning Rachelle, I'll be sure to check the instructions properly in future.
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