Today’s freebie will take us back to sewing in the 1800’s. Unlike the wonderful sewing patterns we have today, the patterns used in the 19th century were diagrams in magazines such as Peterson’s or Godey’s Ladies.
Pinafore Dress
This is a dainty pinafore dress for a child. The material suggested to sew this pretty pinafore is Mull Muslin, Diaper or Holland. Each of these is a thin plainwoven, opaque linen or cotton fabric.
Diagram for Pattern Pieces
The pattern pieces include back, front, side fronts, sleeve, shoulder and trimmings. Pattern piece measurements are given in inches. The dotted lines on the pattern pieces represent a fold. You’ll also notice letters and asterisks to match the pieces when sewing. The trimming is your choice and could be lace.
You’ll need to draw the pattern using the measurements noted. Probably on wrapping, freezer or shelf paper, taping portions together as necessary. The instructions below suggest using some old muslin rather than paper.
Instructions for Enlarging
In a May 1877 Peterson’s Ladies Magazine volume an instruction on how to enlarge their diagrams was written. It’s assumed that most ladies of this day knew the fundamentals of sewing, but there must’ve been a few questions about copying the diagrams into a sewing pattern.
PDF File Download
You’ll find the paragraph on enlarging the diagram in the PDF file below:
1800s Child’s Pinafore Sewing Pattern
To read a file in PDF format you’ll need the Adobe Reader software on your computer. Most computers come with it, but it is free and can be found here.
Download Instructions: Right-Click the link and select either “save target as” or “save link as” depending on what browser you are using or simply click on it and save or print.
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Enjoy!
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