Today I was in the process of listing this Advance pattern in my shop when I noticed the writing on the bottom right-hand corner:
"This pattern features The Bishop Method of clothing construction." Curious to know more about the Bishop Method, I pulled out the instructions. No help there -- it's one of those amazingly efficient one-sheet instruction pages that you so often find in older patterns.
A little more poking around revealed this pattern on etsy, which offered a teensy bit of info on the mysterious Method of Bishop:
The Bishop Method, apparently, features fitting with "Key Grain Lines." Hmm. Well, I DO agree that grain lines are important. In fact, the first rule of sewing that my mother drilled into my head was the importance of aligning the grain before cutting out the pattern. (The second was "Never trust Simplicity patterns," which may not be quite as universal a rule.)
Further googling revealed copies of "The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction" by Edna Bryte Bishop available on etsy and Amazon. Never one to turn down an excuse to buy a vintage sewing book, I ordered one -- hopefully I'll be able to report back soon. Anyone out there know more about Advance's Bishop Method?