"Make It Yourself"

by Sarah A. Gordon

Home Sewing, Gender, and Culture, 1890–1930

Choices, Choices!

This pattern for a Ladies’ Bathing Costume from 1894 contained eleven tissue pieces. The consumer would choose sleeve, neckline, and pant styles and whether or not to use the skirt. The pattern envelope included instructions. (For the sake of reading clarity the original sepia image has been rendered as black and white.)

Courtesy of the Butterick McCall Vogue Pattern Archive (BMV Pattern Archive).