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From Paper Patterns to Patterns-on-Fabric : Home Sewing in Sweden 1881–1981

Törnvall, Gunilla LU orcid (2023) In Costume 57(1). p.55-81
Abstract
From the end of the nineteenth century and one hundred years onward, home sewing was an important part of many women’s duties, but it was also a pleasure, something that existed parallel with the emerging mass-produced ready-to-wear industry. The paper patterns used for home dressmaking were often sold and distributed through women’s magazines. These pattern sections were both a kind of reader service and a conscious strategy to capture the female target group. This article, based on an analysis of three Swedish magazines, is the first in-depth survey of patterns for home sewing of women’s clothes in Sweden. The study shows how the magazines adapted to changes in society with increasingly easier patterns and ready-cut fabric for their... (More)
From the end of the nineteenth century and one hundred years onward, home sewing was an important part of many women’s duties, but it was also a pleasure, something that existed parallel with the emerging mass-produced ready-to-wear industry. The paper patterns used for home dressmaking were often sold and distributed through women’s magazines. These pattern sections were both a kind of reader service and a conscious strategy to capture the female target group. This article, based on an analysis of three Swedish magazines, is the first in-depth survey of patterns for home sewing of women’s clothes in Sweden. The study shows how the magazines adapted to changes in society with increasingly easier patterns and ready-cut fabric for their readers. By highlighting women making their clothes in the home, this article contributes to an often-neglected area of women’s memory and fashion history. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
From the end of the nineteenth century and one hundred years onward, home sewing was an important part of many women’s duties, but it was also a pleasure, something that existed parallel with the emerging mass-produced ready-to-wear industry. The paper patterns used for home dressmaking were often sold and distributed through women’s magazines. These pattern sections were both a kind of reader service and a conscious strategy to capture the female target group. This article, based on an analysis of three Swedish magazines, is the first in- depth survey of patterns for home sewing of women’s clothes in Sweden. The study shows how the magazines adapted to changes in society with increasingly easier patterns and ready-cut fabric for their... (More)
From the end of the nineteenth century and one hundred years onward, home sewing was an important part of many women’s duties, but it was also a pleasure, something that existed parallel with the emerging mass-produced ready-to-wear industry. The paper patterns used for home dressmaking were often sold and distributed through women’s magazines. These pattern sections were both a kind of reader service and a conscious strategy to capture the female target group. This article, based on an analysis of three Swedish magazines, is the first in- depth survey of patterns for home sewing of women’s clothes in Sweden. The study shows how the magazines adapted to changes in society with increasingly easier patterns and ready-cut fabric for their readers. By highlighting women making their clothes in the home, this article contributes to an often-neglected area of women’s memory and fashion history. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
alternative title
Från pappersmönster till mönster-på-tyg : Hemsömnad i Sverige 1881-1981
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
tillskärningsmönster, hemsömnad, damtidningar, mönstertidningar, klädproduktion, 1900-talsmode, Sverige, paper patterns, dressmaking patterns, home sewing, women's magazines, pattern magazines, garment production, twentieth-century fashion, Sweden
in
Costume
volume
57
issue
1
pages
27 pages
publisher
Edinburgh University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85153344983
ISSN
1749-6306
DOI
10.3366/cost.2023.0245
project
Att läsa mönster: Kvinnor, kläder och grafisk kultur i Sverige 1881-1981
Reading Patterns: Women, Clothes and Print Culture in Sweden 1881-1981
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
74770092-3a60-4347-95a9-554199c63c73
date added to LUP
2023-03-17 09:25:47
date last changed
2024-04-19 20:27:32
@article{74770092-3a60-4347-95a9-554199c63c73,
  abstract     = {{From the end of the nineteenth century and one hundred years onward, home sewing was an important part of many women’s duties, but it was also a pleasure, something that existed parallel with the emerging mass-produced ready-to-wear industry. The paper patterns used for home dressmaking were often sold and distributed through women’s magazines. These pattern sections were both a kind of reader service and a conscious strategy to capture the female target group. This article, based on an analysis of three Swedish magazines, is the first in-depth survey of patterns for home sewing of women’s clothes in Sweden. The study shows how the magazines adapted to changes in society with increasingly easier patterns and ready-cut fabric for their readers. By highlighting women making their clothes in the home, this article contributes to an often-neglected area of women’s memory and fashion history.}},
  author       = {{Törnvall, Gunilla}},
  issn         = {{1749-6306}},
  keywords     = {{tillskärningsmönster; hemsömnad; damtidningar; mönstertidningar; klädproduktion; 1900-talsmode; Sverige; paper patterns; dressmaking patterns; home sewing; women's magazines; pattern magazines; garment production; twentieth-century fashion; Sweden}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{55--81}},
  publisher    = {{Edinburgh University Press}},
  series       = {{Costume}},
  title        = {{From Paper Patterns to Patterns-on-Fabric : Home Sewing in Sweden 1881–1981}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/140701226/Frompaperpatternscost.2023.0245.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.3366/cost.2023.0245}},
  volume       = {{57}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}