{"id":59170,"date":"2014-07-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uri-professor-emerita-writes-book-about-history-of-paper-sewing-patterns\/"},"modified":"2014-07-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T00:00:00","slug":"uri-professor-emerita-writes-book-about-history-of-paper-sewing-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2014\/07\/uri-professor-emerita-writes-book-about-history-of-paper-sewing-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 professor emerita writes book about history of paper sewing patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tUniversity has largest collection of patterns in the world<\/p>\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 July 1, 2014 \u2013 Looking for a pattern for a Zoot suit? How about a bodice from 1875? Bell-bottoms from the Sixties?<\/p>\n


\nIf you\u2019re a seamstress or just curious about the history of sewing, check out Joy Spanabel Emery\u2019s new book, \u201cA History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution.\u201d

\nEmery, of West Kingston, a professor emerita of theater and former adjunct professor of textiles, fashion merchandising and design at the 溏心vlog免费B站, has been collecting paper sewing patterns for decades. <\/p>\n


\nShe retired from teaching in 2000 and is now curator of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Commercial Pattern Archive, the largest collection of patterns in the world, with about 56,000 entries in an electronic database, including 46,000 on paper. <\/p>\n


\nThe patterns represent nearly 100 different companies, including the powerhouse McCall\u2019s. Donations also came from home seamstresses and families cleaning out their attics.<\/p>\n

Emery\u2019s book, published by Bloomsbury, is the first major study of the industry and solidifies her reputation as a worldwide expert on the feathery paper that a 1916 ad called the \u201ctissue of dreams.\u201d

\nWe sat down with her to talk about the history of sewing and fashion, her love for patterns, her work at 溏心vlog免费B站 as a costume designer and the precociousness of men\u2019s ties today.<\/p>\n

When did your passion for patterns begin?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nI\u2019m a costume designer. I\u2019m always looking for everyday clothing for characters in plays. Patterns are an incredible resource for that. Years ago, I was looking for a costume for Miss Stacy in a 溏心vlog免费B站 production of \u201cAnne of Greene Gables.\u201d I found a wonderful 1895 Butterick pattern for a skirt that was perfect for the character, and I was hooked.<\/p>\n


\n\tThe 溏心vlog免费B站 collection documents dressmaking over time, from 1847 bodices and 1870 smoking jackets for men to women\u2019s coveralls during World War II and cocktail-party aprons for 1950s housewives. What are your favorite patterns in the collection?<\/p>\n


\nMy favorites are from the 1930s. The patterns are amazingly intricate \u2013 beautiful sleeves, wonderful cuts. Think Jean Harlow. It\u2019s that lovely bias cut, so you get the shape of the body \u2013 gracefully flowing.<\/p>\n

How did you manage to collect 56,000 patterns?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nMany of the holdings are from my friend Betty Williams, 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s theater department and my personal collection. We\u2019ve also received thousands of patterns from families around the country. Word spread fast that we were amassing a treasure.<\/p>\n

When were patterns introduced?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\n\tAround the early 1500s, mostly for men\u2019s garments. The first pattern emerged in Spain in 1580 and then the French picked up on it. Tailors created the patterns, which they guarded closely. They protected them like crazy. The tailors often referred to their patterns as gods. <\/p>\n

Who were the customers?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nThe tailors were making clothes for the upper class and nobility, the only people who could afford them. Clothing was precious back then. It was inherited and left to people in wills. Remember, it had to be hand-woven. Dyes were expensive, too. When you see peasants wearing earth tones in the movies, it\u2019s because that was the cheap dye made from readily available plants. The reason purple is identified with nobility is because it comes from a very rare sea snail.<\/p>\n

Did most women sew back then?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nMost women learned how to sew at an early age, from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. Old samplers are a wonderful example of the skills girls were taught. Girls applied that skill to dressmaking. One how-to book from the 1850s suggested girls practice on their dolls, which would lie still and not fidget.<\/p>\n

How did the invention of the sewing machine in the 1850s change dressmaking?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nSeams could be sewed together much faster and that saved a lot of time. The clothes, in turn, became more elaborate, with swags and drapes and ruffles, all things that could be done quickly with a sewing machine. By making their own clothes, people could get the fashions of the day. They could look like the celebrities and models they were reading about in magazines. To keep up with demand, there was an explosion of pattern companies.<\/p>\n

Did pattern companies thrive during World War II?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nThere were restrictions on fabric during the war, so more people started to sew and re-make their clothes at home. Women took their husband\u2019s suits and reused them for clothing \u2013 for themselves and their children. Booklets were available that showed women how to \u201cmake and mend for victory\u201d and ads boasted, \u201cI\u2019m wearing Dad\u2019s old suit.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did patterns come to represent the dreams of the middle class?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nYou could get the latest fashions very quickly. Sharp-looking, handmade clothes became an option for everyone. It was less expensive to make your own clothes. And patterns were ubiquitous, available in fabric shops or by mail order from stores like Sears Roebuck. An ad in 1916 calls patterns one of the \u201cgreat elemental inventions in the world\u2019s history\u201d \u2013 much like the wheel.<\/p>\n

Do you sew?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nI sew, but I\u2019m not a master seamstress. I love to drape fabric and see the final look. It\u2019s instant gratification.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a Zoot suit?<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nIt\u2019s sort of the early 1940s version of punk. It\u2019s over-sized jackets and huge baggy pants. The original Zoot suit is attributed to the jazz musician, Cab Callaway. The suit was a reaction to government restrictions on fabric, so it was perceived as rebellious.<\/p>\n

Clothes must reveal a lot about a person.<\/b> <\/p>\n


\nClothes are a very precise kind of language. They express everything from class status to personalities. Have you seen the men\u2019s ties lately? They are a rainbow of colors. We\u2019ve gone from sedate colors in ties to much more flamboyant colors and patterns. I\u2019m not sure why. Maybe a future costume historian can figure it out.<\/p>\n


\n\tFor more information about the book or 溏心vlog免费B站 pattern collection, contact Emery at jemery@mail.uri.edu<\/a> or 401-874-2713. <\/p>\n


\nPictured above: Joy Spanabel Emery, of West Kingston, a professor emerita of theater and former adjunct professor of textiles, fashion merchandising and design at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Emery is the author of \u201cA History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution.\u201d Susan Hannel, chair of textiles, fashion merchandising and design at 溏心vlog免费B站, drafted nine vintage patterns in the book. Photo courtesy of Joy Emery.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

University has largest collection of patterns in the world KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 July 1, 2014 \u2013 Looking for a pattern for a Zoot suit? How about a bodice from 1875? Bell-bottoms from the Sixties? If you\u2019re a seamstress or just curious about the history of sewing, check out Joy Spanabel Emery\u2019s new book, \u201cA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}