A Stitch in Time – The Retrospective

Starting September 1, 2024, for National Sewing Month Simplicity.com presents “A Stitch In Time – The Retrospective”, an ongoing historical timeline and educational series. In honor of over 160 years of home sewing and crafting innovation, design, imagery, and fashion influence National Sewing Month will begin to unfurl the interwoven histories of “The Core 4” - Butterick, McCall’s, Simplicity, and Vogue Patterns.

Starting with the Buttericks (1863), as with the rest of the families, they were hard working tailors, skilled sewists, and overall crafty people designing, drafting, grading, printing, selling, and shipping sewing patterns. Shortly after more pioneers entered the burgeoning cottage industry, the McCalls (1870), and the Shapiro’s (Simplicity, 1927). They each started with a distinct vision and built their companies (even as rivals) from the ground up to create the beloved industry known today as crafting and home sewing.

✦ DID YOU KNOW?

Yes, it is true, Vogue Patterns started as a mail-in coupon printed inside the legendary fashion tome Vogue Magazine before becoming its own entity in 1899 know as Vogue Pattern Service.

Founded in 1863 by Ebenezer Butterick, a tailor, and his wife Ellen Augusta Butterick, (a highly skilled home sewist), also assisted by her mother and their daughter in Sterling, Massachusetts. The Butterick Pattern Company revolutionized the home sewing industry by introducing tissue paper sewing patterns in graded sizes, originally for men and boys. They opened a factory that same year in New York City due to demand. In 1866, the creation of graded dress patterns for women and girls were introduced. Women's patterns were offered in 13 sizes for dresses, coats, and blouses, and 5 sizes for skirts. The mail-in service made home sewing accessible to people across the county. The family’s manual system to flat fold multiple graded tissue paper sewing patterns into one packet was soon copied. Butterick's grading innovation democratized fashion accessibility.

James McCall, a Scottish tailor, founded McCall's Patterns in 1870, with his supportive wife, also a skilled seamstress. McCall's was the first to introduce full-color printing to sewing pattern envelopes. The enhanced illustrations accompanied the innovative practice of printed instructions with “photographic charts”, solid cutting lines, and dotted sewing lines, this allowed for less experienced sewists to level up. They soon launched a rival fashion magazine, “The Queen” debuted in 1873, later renamed to McCall’s Magazine in 1897 and subsequently grew to become a large-format glossy. Mrs. McCall took over the entire business shortly after her husband’s passing. In 1913, Mrs. McCall sold McCall’s Magazine to a banking group, beginning a new corporate path while the sewing pattern side stayed committed to developing creative and technical innovations for the home sewist.

Vogue Magazine, independently established in 1893, quickly positioned itself as the go-to source for high-fashion trends, society advice, and beautiful illustrations from European designers. Offering a coupon of .50 cents to redeem a sewing pattern featuring the fashions of the day was a common practice. Vogue Pattern Service expanded in 1899 and offered home sewists via direct mail the chance to create garments inspired by French couture fashion. In 1909, Mr. Conde Nast purchased Vogue Magazine, spinning off the pattern service in 1914 to become Vogue Pattern Company. Shortly afterwards, Vogue Patterns were available nationwide in department stores and Canada. With the onset of the 60’s, Butterick brought Vogue Pattern Company under its publishing umbrella, releasing the coveted vintage pattern collections of Vogue Paris Original, Vogue Americana, Vogue Designer Original, Vogue Couturier Design, Vogue Individualist, The Vogue Woman, and Vogue American Designer. Recent collections are Vogue Vintage Model, Vogue Easy Options, and Very Easy Vogue.

Based off an idea from his father, Joseph M. Shapiro, founded Simplicity in 1927 along with his wife Caroline Hutchins Shapiro, one of the country’s first Home Economists and their son James J. Shapiro, opened its doors in New York City. Simplicity Pattern Company aimed to make DIY home sewing more accessible by offering easy-to-follow patterns at affordable prices. Their patterns featured clear instructions and simplified designs, catering to novice sewists. Patterns were offered at .15 cents when first launched and made home sewing financially manageable for more people.

The evolution of sewing patterns highlights the significant innovation and growth in the home sewing and crafting industry. Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, and Vogue Patterns, each contributing advancements that made home sewing accessible, fashionable, and achievable. The electric sewing machine further transformed the landscape, setting the stage for the thriving DIY sewing and crafting community we see today. This historical journey not only underscores the importance of sewing patterns in fashion but also celebrates the creativity and resourcefulness of home sewists who have embraced and evolved with the core four over the decades.