One of the things I love finding on vintage patterns are notations made by prior owners. Sometimes they're as mysterious as a secret message. Other times they offer a glimpse of a seamstress' well-laid plans. Yet other times they're the final trace of that rage that comes with a failed sewing project.
McCall's 9780 belonged to a "Verna Stein," according to the name one the envelope. At first I assumed that Verna was a very exacting child and this pattern was part of a careful negotiation with her mother. The note reads:
I would like this one, but with a big sash tie in back & lace around the neck and sleeves. How does that sound?
But the writing is so neat, so precise -- this isn't a child's scrawl. I think Verna hired a seamstress, and these were her written instructions to her.
Still, I prefer to think of Verna as a precocious little girl, mouth twisted in concentration as she consults her penmanship book and underlines all the important words in her oh-so-polite fashion note to Mother. I wonder what kind of fabric she chose.