Vintage patterns and making

Vintage 1940s Hand bag crochet patterns

We  sourced a lovely selection of very chic crochet handbag patterns which date from the wartime 1940s. These use really interesting shapes, and are very simple to make. The key to some of these patterns is to add stiff lining so that the wonderful shapes are kept - you can use buckram or stiff interlining fused onto a crisp cotton or linen. You could of course use a vintage print on the fabric which would make the lining very pretty and unusual.

Take a look at some of these fab pictures of the bags, and imagine them made in modern yarns, textures and colours- you could make some in stripes- the semi circle would look wonderful in stripes of colour, and/or texture, and the ones made from motifs could be fantastic in a huge range of bright colours- a wonderful way to use left over yarns....

As always with our blogs, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will find a link to click to take you instantly to the downloadable patterns on the website. Have fun browsing the pictures first and imagining the yarns already in your stash that you are going to use to make them with......

This semi circle bag is so chic and wantable- it could be made in plain colours too- think of pale pastels or whites and creams.....

This 1940s clutch bag has a ripple effect in the pattern, which means  that if you change colour every row or couple of rows then you get a very pretty up and down ripple effect stripe....black, gray and white would be very chic, and lots of bright colours would be very boho and fun too.

This one is very easy to make- its just made from one simple motif repeated over and over again and then sewn together with sides and handles.Once you have made this one once, then you will easily be able to understand how to make similar shaped bags but ones bigger and smaller just by using more or less motifs....

Similar to make as the one above, but this time a different motif an bag shape- we like the idea somehow of this one made in autumnal colours such as golds, greens and rusts......

and another one made from motifs- we so love the angular shape of this one....

This one would make a great evening or daytime clutch bag- we love the shape and would you believe it is made in one piece only? We know some of you are reluctant sewers out there, and yes, we do understand that bad sewing up can make or break an item which you have so loving made- but this one we reckon you could get away without sewing by crocheting the sides together....just a thought!

This one too- we love the shape of this,its so cute and could be made for kiddies as well as for grown ups-

Another ripple worked crochet handbag pattern-you can see quite clearly the pretty undulating pattern- we think ripply stripes of black mohair inbetween black aran weight yarn would look fab for this one

heres another really chic yet simple bag to make- some of you we know worry about making handbags but these are ideal to try out whether you are a beginner or experienced as the will make great bags quite simply,e easily and uncomplicatedly! Actually, we are not even sure if 'uncomplicatedly' is an actual word, but it does go quite well in describing our attitude at Vintage Visage to making- we like to demystify vintage patterns as much as we can so that you can have a very positive making experience- remember- we offer an email backup service for all our patterns where we will answer any query you have. We are experienced tutors and so understand the worries and little mistakes that can crop up....

Find the 1940s crochet hand bag patterns here on our website- just click here and it will take you there direct by opening a new window....  there are several pages of them, more that we have shown here so do have fun browsing through....

1920s flapper hat patterns

Here at Vintage Visage we love hats- and we love the roaring twenties when flappers started to make fashion waves and release women from the tyranny of corsets once and for all! (more about corsets soon in a future blog item- keep an eye out!)

So patterns for 1920s flapper hats are something we actively seek out- we have several to choose from for both women and little girls- all of which look very chic and make excellent gifts or items to sell. Take a look at the pics here and then follow the link at the bottom of the page to find the patterns on the website- all instantly downloadable and very reasonable prices 

This is a crocheted 1920s 'helmet hat' all the rage in the mid 1920s 

This is a flapper hat from the early 1920s which is the era  where the new season of  Downton Abbey is set. Expect to see the ladies of the manor in very chic hats like this one and the one below

This one below is lovely and easy to make, and has a plaited trim

The one below is striped- great for using small bits of left over yarns and is , unusually, knitted not crocheted....

All of these make wonderful items if you are in the business of making to sell- and these cute childrens hats below too- how could anyone resist these!

Hats can be made even prettier by adding embellishments such as crocheted or fabric flowers, ribbon bows and all sorts of beads, sequins and feathers......

Have fun making these hats- the patterns can be found here on the website

Vintage 1940s handbag sewing patterns

A while back we found a rare publication dating from 1940s wartime Britain with the most wonderful selection of vintage diagram sewing patterns for  bags and handbags. Diagram patterns are wonderful for the modern world of instant downloads as ,rather than rely on actual paper pieces, the instructions give you a squared grid chart where every square represents an inch, and a very simple shape drawn inside. You can then draw a squared grid of one inch squares and draw that simple shape onto the grid, following where the drawn lines cross the squares lines and corners. I may have made it sound a bit complicated, but believe me, its actually very simple and very liberating when you realise how easy it is....

Some of the shapes that they ask you to cut are so simple that they merely give you the measurements of the squares, rectangles or triangles needed to make the bags....

Anyway- thats probably enough info for the introduction as you may want to see the lovely pictures of the bags that you could be making. As always, the link to the patterns to purchase and download are at the bottm of the page- enjoy!

Thi sis a really pretty little bag, so easy to make, with just instructions of how to cut out the simple shapes and no grid. We think that it would be really pretty made in silks, satins, vintage floral prints, layers of organzas sewn together and lots of other pretty fabrics. You could make the petals from a contrasting colour to the main part of the bag too. 

Made in creams and whites with beads, crystals and sequins , it would be really pretty for a bride and weddings.

This is a very chic 1940s roll top handbag sewing pattern- very simple to make yet very stylish as the bag top rolls down and is kept in place by the strap threaded through as in the picture. Imagine this made in jewel coloured taffetas or vintage floral prints or faux suedes and leathers......

This one is fun- its a handbag based on collar boxes- in the 'olden days', mens shirts had detatchable extemely stiff collars which were removed after wearing, and after cleaning were starched and kept in round collar boxes. Collar boxes are quite collectable now, and are often used as small storage boxes in bedrooms for jewellery etc. This one is very easy to make- has a stiff bottom with a soft drawstring top.

This is a good take on the ever popular tote bag. Its again very simple to make, and when you have followed the instructions once then you should be able to understand quite easily how to make it in different sizes. As you can see, theres a seam down the front and back in the centre, so you could use contrasting colurs or textures to make the bag really interesting  and wantable.

This is a vintage sewing pattern for a bandbox bag- you could also use this as a storage box or even a hat box if you make it the correct size for your hats!

This is one of our most popular 1940s handbag patterns- it is a softly gathered bag which was originally made form very soft suede but today could be made from silks and satins and lots of other pretty fabrics.

We love the potential of vintage sewing patterns- firstly we ladies can never have too many bags and handbags, secondly they can be made from small pieces of left over fabrics, thirdly, if made for others they do not have 'to fit sizes precisely ' like hats or clothes, and lastly they make excellent gifts or items to sell as they are wantable items......many people worry about making bags as they think that they must have solid handles or very specific methods to be successful- fear not, try these and you will be very surprised how successful they are when made up.

Find the patterns for these bags and more on the website by clicking here

Vintage Victorian Crochet Lace Shawl Patterns

We were lucky enough to be able to source a very rare and very old set of patterns from the Victorian era for crochet lace shawls- which are so pretty and really useful for winter shoulder warmers or for baby christening times.

These shawls look quite complicated but in actual fact are quite easy to make as the patterns involve a lot of repetition- so once you understand the first section then its all systems go.....This set was originally written in UK crochet terms, which as you will now are slightly different from UK crochet terms, but as with all of our crochet patterns we do include a very simple and easy to use translation of those terms for USA users

Find the victorian shawl pattern here

Most of these are made with 2 ply yarn and so are quite soft and delicate when made- you can of course make them with thicker yarn, but bear in mind that unless you are an experienced crocheter and can work out how many less chain to use, your shawl will make up much larger than these. if you use DK it could be in danger of being blanket sized, but that might actually be wonderful for interior design and throws.......

This one has a fringe that is worked i chain stitch- but if you wish you could add a more usual  tasselled shawl instead

Enjoy these patterns- we rescued them from a set of very old and tattered papers and have tried to keep the old victorian typeface intact, whilst enlarging it for easier reading, and adding a short commentary about how you can use the patterns. One of the important aspects of our work is to save these wonderful old pattterns fro futre genrations, both for them to understand how the old items were made, and to provide technical and design inspiration too. We sell our patterns to makers, reenacters of historical eras, historians, and also well known fashion designers on both sdaie of the atlantic......

We have so many more crochet shawl patterns from many other eras too here

Vintage Victorian smocking patterns

We have recently added some Vintage Victorian smocking magazines to the website. They are over one hundred years old now and so the magazines themselves were very much fraying at the edges, so we have rescued them by digitalising and offering them on the website. They show the basics of plain and quite simple smocking, and then how to apply it onto garment and accessories, and also there are more more complicated types and designs of smocking too.

This one shows how to mark the fabric and then work some simple smocking designs- it gives instructions for a very pretty smocked muff whic could be made today , and also lots of ideas of how to apply smocking to garments

As an example, here are some very pretty little girls dresses from the very early 1900s victorian era seen in the magazine.

This next one has some more complicated smocking designs 

And some lovely ideas again for using the patterns in garments and accessories

We do like their idea of combining smocking with bead embroidery

According to the first magazine,

'the art of smocking was supposed to be of ancient origin. though really little is known of it until the 13th Century,at which period it was usual for women and girls to wear loose garments called 'smocs'or 'smickets' , the name being derived from the anglo saxon word 'smocc' signifying 'a garment to creep into'

Quite how historically accurate that is we do not know, but it sounds interesting and quite possible. if anyone knows therwise, please let us know!

You can find the Victorian Smocking digitalised magazines here

Shetland lace shawls- vintage knitting patterns

Shetland lace knitted shawls are so pretty and beautiful. As they are knitted usually in 2 ply yarn then they are very soft to wear and suitable for both adults and as baby christening shawls. You can also use cobweb shetland wool or cashmere which makes them even softer and more delicate- my mother used to say that the sign of a well knitted shetland lace shawl would be that it could be pulled right through a gold wedding ring......

Most shetland shawls are knitted on 2 needles and so are great for those who may be nervous of round or circular knitting,- although circular knitting needles have , we think, made knitting in the round a little easier these days from the old 4 or 5 sets of double pointed needles which were all too easy to drop if you weren't concentrating properly or perhaps your tension was a little loose.

Shawls are lovely to make for gifts or to sell. Adults love the warmth and prettiness and often use them as big scarves these days with coats. They are so useful for baby christening shawls too- either to give as a gift or to sell for others to give as gifts at baby showers etc.The great thing about them is that they do not need to be fitted and so you do not have to worry too much about the sizing...

We have a lovely selection of them for you to purchase and download- here are a few

See how delicate the stitches are-

The designs have such wonderful names such as pineapple, diamond and shell, spiderweb etc..

Find our lacy shetland shawls here to purchase and download at very good prices...

 

Make do and mend - mending, recycling and upcycling clothes and home decor

Is the art of make do and mend still active? We have some wonderful digitised booklets from the 1930s and 40s which show how to patch clothes and gloves, darn, mend the cuff of jumpers, coats, turned up trousers, re-front the husbands shirt, refoot stocking and repair knickers.....

We are in the midst of a recession yet most of us, we think, buy new rather than mend the old ones- is that so?- or can you tell us what you mend to either save money or save resources....let us know your thoughts. We do think that perhaps the advice to make a pair of knickers from an old jersey may be a tad too far these days for most of us tho!.......

This is one of several ebooklets that we have on the make do and mend subject- its quite rare we think, and we also have the more usual pink one, both dating from the wartime 1940s in the UK
This one below dates from the 1930s, and besides clothes mending has all sorts of mending tips for around the house......

of course, somme of the mending information for the homemay now be out of date- we think cisterns for instnce have moved on and improved since the 1930s....but just in case you have a vintage 1930s cistern which has broken- now you coukd fix it!

Find the digitalised ebooklets on our website here

 

Vintage snood patterns

Here at Vintage Visage we are always looking for new snood patterns. Many of the vintage patterns for snoods date from the wartime 1940s when they were a convenient way to hold hair back whilst still looking chic, even if your hair was not quite looking its best- which often happened in wartime. It was an ideal compromise for times when a hat was not required but a lady still wanted to look her best.

We have several crocheted ones on the site, and also a lovely sewn one too- see below for great pics.....and the link at the end will take you straight to the website where you find the patterns for sale to instantly download after purchase.

One of our most popular patterns- a 1940s snood made with Solomon's (or lovers) knot stitch. We also include a very simple plain crochet snood  pattern with  this one which we have often used to make snood for weddings and brides. They do look gorgeous made with silks and silk ribbons too.

this is such a pretty snood- its really a half snood as it only covers the bottom of the hair but imagine it made with whites or creams for brides, or with lovely bright textured yarns for a more fun modern look...

This is a more intricate snood made with a popcorn stitch- so very pretty....and another here...

Next we have a lovely sewn snood hat with a matching muff- very easy to make and again useful as a wedding or bridal item if made with creams and whites...imagine beads and crystals sewn over it.....

Find all our lovely snood patterns to download from the website here

Vintage 1940s hat sewing patterns

Here at Vintage Visage we have lots of wonderful vintage 1940s wartime sewing patterns to make all sorts of chic hats- from half hats, to jellybag hats, to bow hats and sewn snood hats.

Our patterns come in a diagram form which means that you can instantly download them from our website after payment. A diagram means that we do not provide the actual sized pattern pieces, but give you a very simple diagram with measurements which you can then easily transfer onto newspaper or A4 paper taped together. They are very simple to do, and just in case you are new to diagrams, or a little nervous, we always offer a full email backup service from the website so that you can contact us with any queries. We have tutored for many years, and so are used to helping our learners.

Anyway- enough writing for now- I am sure you would rather see the wonderful pics of the chic hats that we offer- keep scrolling down for the free draped hat pattern at the end.....

This is a really simple, and deceptively easy to make double bow hat- to give a contemporary twist we think that you could make it in 2 types of printed fabrics for a fun bright look, or 2 tyes of cream fabrics for a more bridal look too. The possibilities are quite open for experimentation with bits of left over fabrics with this one.

This hat is fabulously chic with a wonderful sculpted hat and a matching muff. 

This one is based on the old 'jelly bags' which were used to make jelly desserts by straining in the 1940s. Its is again very simple to cut ut and make, and can be worn 2 ways as seen here

Bonnets were popular too- this one could be worn with the brim back or forward- and could also be decorated with ribbons, fabric flowers made from scraps, and beads and brooches.....

All of these hats are easily made and work very well for reenactments of the 1940s wartime era, or to make with a contemporary twist for todays fashion market. Here at Vintage Visage we sell not only to sewers who wish to recreate period looks, but also to well known designers on both sides of the atlantic who use vintage patterns as inspiration for their new collections.

This 1940s draped hat is so very chic- and so easy to use that we are giving you the instructions as one of our free giveaways........

See?- its very easy- we weren't exaggerating! We thik that if you lined this with stiff iron on interlining then it would tie beautifully, and enable ou to use all sorts of lovely fabrics, silks, vintage prints etc....

Find our other hat patterns on the website here... 

 

Enjoy!- and send us some pictures when you have made them.....x

 

Vintage Poncho knitting and crochet Patterns

We are starting to see lovely knitted and crochet ponchos on the shops ready for the autumn here. There are some fabulous ones at net a porter which are so beautiful in muted tones- and we also have some patterns for both adults and children for you to make them at home which will save you some money!
You can keep the pretty bright tones, or choose neutrals and greys like this ready made one from net a porter costing £335

We have tiny wee ones to make for little tots here too- these are great for using left over yarns as you can make them in stripes of different colours/textures as well as plain colours

Find poncho and shawl patterns here to download on our website