pattern junkie

McCall's: Destroying Your Child's Precious Self-Esteem, Pattern by Pattern

McCall's 7453, copyright 1964.  An adorable pattern, right?  What girl wouldn't want to wear it?

Let's take a closer peek at the symbol and writing in the upper right-hand corner, shall we?

And I thought the Husky boys had it bad.

TEACHES GIRLS TO SEW

Reader Margie sent in this fantastic sign that she found in a box of patterns (dated from the 40s to the 70s) that she was given at an auction.  (Note to self: attend more auctions!)

I have to say I nearly spit coffee through my nose when I first saw it.  I love how the VALUABLE PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION offered by Presson Patterns is much more important than any frivolous entertainment they might provide.  There will be NO GUESSWORK and NO MISTAKES!  The poor little zombie girl with the doomed expression seems to be marching off to another miserable lesson now.  She'd probably much rather be playing with the mechanical construction toys, but gender roles aren't to be defied...

Costume Countdown: Cats, Canes & Clockwork Orange

Peruse vintage costume patterns for just a few moments, and you'll realize that the footed pajama has long been the bedrock of kids' costume patterns.  It beckons from within the illustrations like a shady man on a streetcorner, opening its coat full of watches and whispering to tired moms, "Pssst.  Lady.  I know the sewin's gonna take some time.  You're just makin' pajamas, some mittens and a hood with bunny ears or a spaceman's antenna, see?  Let the kid run around in it for Halloween and ya got jammies for the rest of the year." 

Take McCall's 1485 from 1949.  The panda, in particular, is quite adorable.  (Click on the photo to go to the listing, which is at Midvale Cotttage.)

(As an aside: is the brown bunny moonwalking?  I'm not sure.)

So it's no surprise that McCall's 3355 from 1972 is based on the good ol' footed pajama.  (Thanks to historically patterns at etsy for the photo.)  It's a good pattern:

 

See?  Cute!  Bunny is helping Tiger with makeup and Mouse is hanging out with Cat, who's carrying a cane for some reason.  I feel bad for the little girl who's staying in, but she does have good slippers.  S

Adorable and practical: that's the footed PJ costume.  Timeless, really.  So it's no surprise that McCall's re-issued the same pattern in 1980, this time calling it McCall's 7132 (click on the drawing to go to the listing in tiddleywink's shop.)  Taking recycling to heart, though, the pattern illustrators re-used the same concept -- although I find the update disturbing:

Cat still has a cane, and that gives me pause.  Do cats usually carry canes?  I've always been a dog person, so maybe there's a cat/cane connection I don't know about.  Maybe canes were the height of fashion for cats between 1972 and 1980, and any child dressed for Halloween in footed pajamas, ears and a bow tie but sans cane was mistaken for a marmot.

Then there's Bunny.  Bunny isn't helping with makeup any more, electing instead to tauntingly wave a cottontail at Pajama Girl which, frankly, isn't so nice.  Whatever illness is still keeping Pajama Girl inside this Hallow's Eve has presumable gotten worse.  She's practically quarantined off, though the fever has made her blissfully unaware of it.

Mouse has taken over makeup duty, but I don't like the look on Tiger's face.  Not one bit.  That kid is going to cause some trouble.  Combined with the what must be cruel laughter of Cat, the taunting of Bunny and that inexplicable cane, the whole thing is feeling a little too Clockwork Orange to me.  The "Powers" scrawled next to Trio Taunt doesn't help much either.  (Truth be told, neither does the fact that the hubby and I decided to re-watch some Kubrick films last week, so I've got the Korova Milk Bar on my mind.)  At any rate, I fear for Pajama Girl.  She's not going to be smiling for long.

Costume Countdown: I Hear The Mermaids Singing

Today's costume countdown: questionable children's costume patterns! 

First up: Butterick 5597, issued 1991, photo courtesy Spessarite Sole:

Right.  Creating shell-shaped breast pieces for a prepubescent girl?  Nah, that wouldn't make parent OR child uncomfortable. 

Next up? McCall's 2205 from 1985, again from Spessarite Sole's etsy shop:

I suppose sticking them in the flower pots is the only way to keep them on the ground when the wind picks up.

Last but certainly not least, behold Simplicity 8221 from runningalarm:

Imagine opening the door on this group on Halloween night.

MOM AT DOOR:  Look at all you kids!  Jenny, you're such a cute little elf.  I'd better hide the cheese from that mouse --

MOUSE: Squeak!  Squeak!

MOM AT DOOR:  And the pirate and Indian, you're both so scary!  And Timmy...well, uh...

TIMMY: I'M THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN!

MOM AT DOOR:  You're the what?  I'm sorry, I don't think there is a spirit of --

TIMMY: I'M THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN!  I HAVE LEAVES ALL OVER MY JUMPSUIT!

PIRATE: Let me put the jack o' lantern over his head.  That helps a little.

MOM AT DOOR: Yes, actually it -- wait a minute.  Timmy, where's your treat bag?  Are those dried leaves in your hands?

TIMMY: I'M THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN!!  MOM SAYS AUTUMN IS WHEN ALL GOOD THINGS DIE AND THAT IF I WANT CANDY I CAN GO STAY WITH MY DAD AND HIS TARTED-UP HARLOT!

MOM AT DOOR:   ...

TIMMY: I'M THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN!!!

Costume Countdown: Sci Fi Madness!

With just under a week to go until Halloween (one of my favorite holidays -- I'm still rubbing the blood off my arms from the "Carrie at the prom" costume I wore to a party last night), I'm declaring it "Costume Countdown" week.  I'll be featuring vintage costume patterns every day until Halloween. 

Today: SCI FI MADNESS!

First up, Butterick 6756, which you can find on etsy at the lovely PatternMania's shop.

I love this illustration.  I like to imagine it's actually from a children's book, "The Littlest Spaceman," about an astronaut's son who takes dad's spaceship and lands on the Planet of Animals.  As he shouts "I'm Lord of All I Survey!", Panda and Leopard bow compliantly, while Lion does a welcoming dance.  Sadly, the Littlest Spaceman has led a sheltered life on the space compound, and doesn't realize that Rabbit and Carrot have other opinions.  A coup's a coming, and it's not going to be pretty.

Now, no Sci Fi costume post could be complete without McCall's 8731, which any Star Wars fanatic should grab from PatternPeddler posthaste.  It is -- hold your breath now -- an Ewoks pattern.  OK, so some Star Wars fans may buy the pattern to burn it, but I'll take the cutesy Ewoks over Episode One any day.

I was excited to post this because I thought it gave me a valid reason to link to the Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978, until I remembered that that gem of television history featured Wookies, not Ewoks.  I'm linking to it anyway, because you've never seen such a confused mess in your life.  Poor Harrison Ford.

Finally, why limit Sci Fi wonderfulness to Halloween?  Erin over at Dress A Day finished her Tetris Dress, and it's great!  Here's a pic of the wonderfulness, but go to her blog to get the full story!

Creepy Children, Volume 3: It Puts the Lotion in the Basket, or It Gets the Hose Again

OK.  I know that Kwik Sew 345 is supposed to be all childlike and innocent, but it just creeps me out.  And yes, since it's from the 60s or 70s the resemblance to the poster for The Silence of the Lambs is completely coincidental, but it's there.  Behold:

Kwik Sew:

Silence of the Lambs:

The more I look at the Kwik Sew pattern illustration, the more it creeps me out.  What's the boy hiding behind his back, and why is he smiling like that?  What's wrong with the girl's fingers?  They're just weird.  And why does she have that big jelly arm?  Does she even have arm bones?  Where are the boy's feet?!

Ick.

Creepy Children, Volume Two: The Endtimes Are Near

Simplicity 7683
Originally uploaded by TheRealAstrogirl

Forget the four horsemen of the apocalypse. It's going to be three gleeful tykes in footie pajamas who usher in the end of the world.

"Creepy Children" is already well on its way to being a regular feature here at Pattern Junkie -- there are just too many to choose from. For another truly jaw-dropping kids' pattern illustration, check out Kwik Sew 1653 over at the fabulous blog Clothed Minds. It's honestly sort of disturbing.

Creepy Children, Volume One: We Are Satan's Playthings

One out of oh, every three pattern illustrations featuring kids creeps me out.  I don't know why.  I'm not freaked out by kids in general, but somehow pattern illustrators find a way to bring out the worst in them.

Take for example Simplicity 8377, which is for sale right now in the lovely Sandritocat's etsy shop:

 

First there's the disturbing image of an eight-year-old boy dressed like he's about to hit the disco.  A medallion?!  Turtleneck?  Those shoes?  Is he Superfly's sidekick?

The ones who really scare me, though, are the Yellow Girls.  Let's face it, these aren't innocent tykes -- they're incarnations of Satan himself.  Yellow Skirt's already laughing, because she knows just what horror will befall you when you take that apple.  Yellow Jumper's pigtails are barely disguised HORNS, for crying out loud, and she looks like she can't wait to see the world burn.

Oh, and don't expect any help from Flowered Jumper, Plaid Jumper and Plaid Pants.  When the world turns to ash they'll be watching with the same bemused expressions they're sporting here.