eBay highlights: French magazine edition!

As you may have guessed from my last post, I spend a lot of time on eBay. (Not usually buying, just browsing.) Even if I can't buy everything I want, I figure I can share with you guys so maybe you can get some cool stuff!

My new favorite thing is looking at different European eBay listings. Surrrrrrre you can find some cool stuff on American eBay, but you can also find some of that stuff at antique stores. I've been looking at vintage things from the US for so long they're losing their charm. What about other places? (I haven't looked elsewhere yet because I figure one can count on "mode" for fashion for a while.)

Oh, if you want to buy these, I think most of them ship internationally or near-internationally. And PLEASE make sure to share scans/photos if you do–I would love to see them!

Without further ado...

Fémina Nöel 

This one is way out of my price range at 69 Euro, but it is SO GORGEOUS and would make a beautiful gift for a vintage fashion or illustration enthusiast. The first and third designs above are by Heim and the second and fourth are by Patou. 

The catalogue/magazine (?) also contains beautiful advertisements, including one illustrated by the amazing Rene Gruau:

So beautiful. I don't know what I would do with it...do you? It feels almost blasphemous to to leave the pages in the magazine and away from view, but I can't imagine ripping them out, either, even if they were all lovingly framed.

Elle and Elle

Unlike some of the other magazines I've highlighted that I have no idea about, everyone knows and loves Elle, though this version is quite different from the English version on supermarket shelves. (Then again, most titles from the 1950s that survived to the present are not the same at all today.) Loved seeing Suzy Parker on the issue on the left–she's definitely one of my favorite models from the period.

Le Miroir des Modes

Le Miroir des Modes was basically the French equivalent of The Delineator, a magazine published by Butterick. However, it's in French, so it is instantly way more fashion-y than any old American magazine. (I genuinely do love America and American fashion, but you can't argue with the fact that Paris is and always has been one of the international hubs of fashion design.) I really love the look of the late 1910s–that decade was such an interesting transition period for women, and while the 1920s gets all the attention, it's interesting to trace those changes back to the 1910s. No patterns in this one, but it's still lovely to look at. 

La Mode

I don't know a lot about this magazine. It seems to be separate from La Mode Illustrée. The issue for sale in the above link is from 1911. Very interesting two compare the evolution of styles--and in just six years!

Tricotons pour eux and Tricots pour vous

I'm pretty sure these are not by the same publisher, but at some point a knitting pattern is a knitting pattern, and honestly, I picked the image on the left because of the dog. 

Plus these GEMS

Femme Pratique

Femme Pratique

The longer I look at the two of them, the more I am horrified. What is going on in these photos!? I thought France was supposed to be a gastronomist's paradise, WHY IS SHE WEARING A FOOD DRESS!? I seldom agree with cats, but they seem to be in the right mind about this whole ordeal.

What interesting things have you found on eBay lately? (Don't worry, I won't buy them. Maybe.)

xoxo,

Annie Belle

My vintage pet peeves: eBay edition

While I may not attend reenactments (I really don't have a lot of those in my area), I do consider myself a member of the "vintage subculture." You know the type:  the sort of person who's more comfortable staying in and sewing or knitting from a vintage pattern than going bar-hopping, who's on a first-name basis with the owners of the local antique shop, who knows the optimum time to visit the Salvation Army for some primo vintage. That type.

And maybe a little of this type too.

However, there are some things about this vintage culture that drive me absolutely insane. And because I live in a fairly small town, most of what I encounter is over the internet. A lot of this is on eBay.

I don't really do a lot of online shopping, but I do a lot of online browsing, so I spend a fair amount of time over at eBay. This is my (by no means exhaustive) list of pet peeves. There will probably be more installments in this series, because I am easily annoyed.

• "Industrial" sewing machines.

I am of the opinion you can NEVER have enough sewing machines, especially vintage sewing machines (where there is a possibility one may conk out on you at any time if it's not in optimum condition). Even though I have two great sewing machines, I'm always on the lookout for another. A Featherweight, a Class 15 clone, Pfaff or Adler, Kenmore...all are on my wishlist. (As well as space to put them!) However, one word that crops up a lot on sewing machine listings is "industrial." Compare the two pictures:

Both illustrations are from ISMACS.

The first sewing machine is the Singer 29. The second sewing machine is the Singer 201-2. The first is designed for industrial use by bootmakers, furriers, and all sorts of other leatherworkers. The second is designed for domestic use. 

Now, the two do look kind of similar. They're both black, they have hand-wheels, and there's a needle. But the Singer 29 is designed for highly specialized work, whereas the Singer 201-2 is designed for more general work. Is a Singer 201-2 capable of sewing leather? Yeah, as eBay sellers will testify. Is it designed to sew leather every day? No, probably not. I have a Singer 201-2 and I love it. It sews beautifully. But there are some things it just can't do.

So we've concluded the Singer home machines aren't "industrial". But are they "industrial strength"?

This is a hard one. On one hand, we have no working definition of "industrial" or "strength". "Strength" may come without "industrial"—due to the decline of the manufacturing industry in the United States, I'm probably more likely to see a Singer 29 in a leatherworker's shop than I am in an industrial factory. And "industrial" may come without "strength"—delicate items such as lingerie and silk blouses are sewn in industrial settings all the time, just with sewing machines designed for the purpose, like the Juki 8700-A. Industrial machines may not always have a super-fast stitch speed like the Juki model above (4,000 stitches/minute!), especially if they're designed for heavier materials. However, my beloved Singer 201-2 is lagging behind at a mere 1,100 stitches/minute, which is where household machines tend to settle.

The cutest sewing machine ever--but as a hand-crank, probably not very efficient!

On the other hand, vintage domestic sewing machines were designed to take much more of a beating than our modern plastic ones. Most were made of cast iron until the mid-1950s (if my research serves me correctly) and continued to be made out of metal until at least the late 1960s. The manual for the Singer 201-2 instructs the user to oil the machine daily if it's used every day, which it may have been, for some users.

In short: don't trust an eBay seller describing a domestic sewing machine as "industrial" or "industrial strength". It doesn't matter if it sews eight layers of tooling leather or denim unless YOU'RE going to be sewing eight layers of tooling leather or denim. Buy for your needs.

Speaking of which...

• Selling sewing machine manuals (especially digital copies). 

Yes, it's cool to have the original, but you can probably find one online for free.

And finally...

• Mad Men is set in the 1960s!

Does this:

Photo from the Mad Men Facebook page

look like this:

No! I mean, really, even if I try to step out of my fashion-historian shoes for a minute, no, they do not look ANYTHING alike. I've been looking at a lot of vintage sewing patterns and ephemera lately, and the difference between the 1950s and the 1960s is so marked:

MAYBE I'm cheating a little by using a late 1960s pattern, but the early 1960s part of the show was over half a decade ago. The show is ABOUT the social changes of the 1960s—and I'd say fashion is included in that! If people are still throwing Mad Men themed parties (are they?), people are dressing more like Megan than Betty.

Probably because Megan is way more fun.

So, that wraps up my vintage pet peeves entry part one. Don't even get me started on clothes...I have some more goodies coming up though! 

What are YOUR vintage pet peeves? Did I miss any? (I'm sure I did!)

xoxo,

Annie Belle

My first free pattern!

Okay, it's not technically "mine"—it's from a 1951 German magazine called Praktikus Modenblatt that I found on one of my very dedicated eBay haunts. But I liked it, and it's a very simple design (basically three rectangles), so I sketched it up in Photoshop from the illustration.

It shouldn't take more than two yards of 45" wide fabric, and it's pretty roomy, with the total underarm measurement coming in at over 50", so it should be one size fits all. You can also continue the rectangle theme and add a collar or a belt, but I didn't include that in case people wanted to add their own touches. You may want to include a facing for the collar too. Or not. 

Oh, and no seam allowances/hems either—as I've said earlier, I chafe a bit at instructions, so you can add your own seam allowances: 3/8", 1 cm, 4/8", 5/8", whatever. 

Here's a PDF.

I haven't made it yet, but it seems easy enough. For some reason I'm really set on making it in a simple ticking. Maybe shorts to match. Hmm...

If you make something, please share!

xoxo,

Annie Belle

Crochet et tricot part two

A follow-up from yesterday's post!

Three more under the cut, including a pattern for men.

More vintage French knitting patterns, this time from the late 1920s-early 1930s

As a lover of vintage things, I am eternally indebted to projects like Google Books, Trove, and Gallica. My current obsession is Gallica--there are a few French magazines on there from the 1920s and 1930s and they're absolutely lovely! Of course, there are earlier (and probably later!) editions as well...I'm just busy soaking it all in!

These patterns are from the Crochet et Tricot edition of la Mode du Jour. The site says that the issue is from 1928, but it looks more early 30s to me. 

I selected eleven patterns from the magazine to share, six today and five tomorrow, but you can download the whole PDF here. You can also download the images individually in .jpg format or download a .txt document, which might be better for running the patterns through Google translate if you're uncertain about the instructions. 

As is typical for earlier knitting patterns, the yarn requirements are probably a little under what's actually required. 4-fils would be 4-ply (UK) or modern-day US sock/fingering yarn. But check your gauge and knit what's comfortable for you. 

Off we go!

Four more after the jump!

some vintage knitting patterns in french

I am very anti-authority when it comes to knitting. I personally prefer spending money on yarn over books and patterns. If I like a pattern that's not free, I can probably find a free equivalent on Drops, Trove, or elsewhere. I've been knitting for six years (gosh, that seems like a long time!) and I've done enough knitting to look at a photo and figure it out. (Now, finishing the project? That's another issue...) Which is why I love the Lutterloh approach:

All you need is a pattern (or the measurements of one) and the gauge and you're set!

So when I found these knitting patterns on Ebay, I knew we were made for each other. Maybe. I guess I have to make them first. Click to make 'em bigger. 

More after the jump...