Plans and packaging

I'd completely forgotten how long embroidery takes! Especially if you find that you need natural light to make a half-decent job of it. And even more especially when you realise partway through that you need to change the design (thank goodness for Frixion pens!).

While there still isn't a finished piece, at least I have some sewing plans to show. I have finally found a suitable pattern for the last of my MakeNine2022 (or MakeNone2022, as it is so far!) fabrics - the black, cream, and red cotton.

The last piece of the (as yet, not begun) jigsaw

This simple design should work well with the woven plaid, and I think I have just enough for the longer-sleeved version. The plan is to do the decorative stitching in red, and make a buckled belt rather than a tie one. I will probably also omit the pocket.

The pattern is unused, which prompted a new discovery. I have a few Style patterns from that era, and they have a single coloured sheet with the illustration, and the pattern pieces wrapped in the instructions. What I hadn't realised is that the whole package was sealed in a plastic (not cellophane) bag - you can just see the perforations along the top in the pictures below.

The paper sheet is the same size as a pattern envelope

The back of the package

Up until this point, Style had always sold their patterns in paper envelopes, even when they moved to colour printing. Back views, yardages, and pattern pieces were on the envelope back, cutting layouts and brief instructions on a single sheet inside.

Envelope for an earlier pattern, 1288

The sheet folds into four and fits inside the envelope

When I looked at opened, non-envelope, pattern 1541 (yes, I did finally manage to get a copy), I discovered that the instruction sheet was even smaller than the one for 1288.

Layouts and yardages - the sheet wraps around the pattern pieces

The still-concise instructions on the other side

The instructions which are the same for all patterns were on the back of the illustration sheet, so overall there was the same information - just arranged differently.

Front and back of the illustration sheet

When sealed up, the effect was exactly the same as a pattern in a paper envelope.

I'm not aware of any other pattern company making such a change, and I wonder why Style did it? Was it an attempt to reduce production costs? Appear more modern? Reduce production costs disguised as appearing more modern? Whatever the reason, it was shortlived. In 1966 Style went back to paper envelopes.

The envelope returns

Initially, though, the instruction sheet layout didn't change, that took a couple more years.

Information so good they gave it twice

At least at this point Style, finally, started dating their patterns - thereby making a pattern nerd's life much easier!