Vintage Embroidery Patterns

Mom and I spent yesterday looking through my collection of vintage iron-on embroidery patterns.  I've been collecting these for years and years so my collection is quite extensive now!

It's been awhile since we've had them out and decided we would actually stitch a few.  So mom picked out a couple and so did I.  We traced them onto white quilter's cotton (muslin is fine too) and crayon tinted them:

As you know, I like pink!  LOL!!!

Anyway, Kim had asked me to post some photos of my patterns so she knows what to look for when she's out and about.

The easiest patterns to find are the old Aunt Martha's:

These are all vintage but new versions can be found in Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics and other craft stores.  You can also order them online from Colonial Pattern Company.


My absolute favorite vintage patterns are Vogart:

Vogart patterns are no longer being produced so the only way to find them is to search them out at Flea Markets, antique shops and Ebay.  I'm not sure why I'm so taken with Vogart patterns.  I think they have a charm that other brands don't have. 

Vogart patterns are pretty easy to find but one of the more elusive brands are Superior transfer patterns:

I've been lucky enough to find quite a few Superior transfers but they are a bit more rare.  Walker and Monarch are 2 other brands of old patterns that you can keep your eyes open for.  I only have a couple of each in my collection but am always on the look out for those.

So how do you find these little things in flea markets and antique shops?  Yes, that's a challenge if you don't know what to look for.  They're small and flat and don't usually jump out enough to catch your eye.

Look for sewing, crocheting and knitting supplies.  Those things are larger and if you find some of them, you might find some patterns tucked in.  Balls of crochet thread, knitting needles, larger pattern booklets, even cookbooks will pop out at you and sometimes these vintage treasures will be tucked in along with them.  Look for bags of old lace, bags of fabric scraps, old quilt pieces....ladies things I guess would be the best way to describe what to look for.  Of course, Ebay has a catagory for vintage transfers under "Sewing Supplies".

If all else fails, visit my friend Vicki at Patternbee.  She too is a collector and offers reproduction patterns that can be ironed on to fabric.  You might also enjoy visiting Vicki's Turkey Feathers Blog.  She shares recipes, photos of her lovely gardens, her hand embroidery, quilts, resale treasures and more.  It's a lovely blog with a very homey feel!

For me, I use a washout blue pen and a light-box since I love my patterns and want to keep them in one piece.  In many cases, I scan mine into my computer, print up a copy and trace them from that.  Any vintage patterns that are red, are much easier to scan and then convert to b/w.  It's hard to see the red line transfers with a light-box.

So what do vintage patterns cost?  They're usually quite inexpensive.  I pay an average of $1 - $2 for vintage Aunt Martha patterns and about $3 for Vogart.  If the patterns are complete and uncut, they'll usually go for a little more.  If the envelopes are still sealed, expect to pay about $7 or $8 for Vogart.

If you would like to learn how to do Crayon Tinting, click here.

Before I head out to stitch, I'll leave you with 2 of my vintage patterns for Thanksgiving:

You should be able to click on them and download to your computer.  If you have any trouble doing that, try here at my Flickr site.

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