Oh yes--the drawings of patterns intended to be enlarged with
apportioning scales, such as the ones I put into The Edwardian Modiste,
the Voice of Fashion, Bustle Fashions 1885-1887, and Directoire Revival
Fashions 1888-1889. Those were typically not drawn to any kind of true
scale, presumably because the publishers wanted readers to use the
apportioning scales/rulers that were sold separately for enlarging the
patterns to the wearer's size.
Fran
Lavolta Press
www.lavoltapress.com
On 8/8/2011 1:34 PM, Lavolta Press wrote:
On 8/8/2011 1:19 PM, Joan Jurancich wrote:
At 11:02 AM 8/8/2011, you wrote:
Two other sources of scaled drawings:
The Workwoman's Guide (reprint of 1838 edition)
Alcega's "Tailor's Pattern Book" (reprint of 1589 edition)
The drawings in those are not to true mathematical scale, therefore
not suitable for the original poster's stated purpose of teaching
people to scale up a graphed/gridded pattern. You can photocopy
transparent graph paper onto a pattern that is at true scale, but
where the publisher did not supply a graph/grid on the page itself.
But if the scale is not mathematically true, then scaling up does not
produce an accurate pattern for the human body. Likewise, the
patterns printed in Godey's and Peterson's are not drawn to any true
mathematical scale. (That is, not until they started issuing full-size
tissue patterns with the magazines, which of course were not scaled
but human size.)
I believe the patterns in The Workwoman's Guide were designed to be
used by drafting with a combination of body measurements (or for
household linens, the size of the table, pillow, or whatever) and the
width of the cloth itself. They are mostly for body and household
linens. Alcega's book was designed primarily to teach tailors to do
layouts of pattern pieces on the cloth in the most economical way. I
believe the early, printed-in-the-magazine Godey's and Peterson's
patterns (which are pretty rough) were used primarily as style
guidelines. Someone who had the skill could use them to draw the
desired style directly on the cloth using the wearer's measurements.
However, I suspect most dressmakers, even many professionals, used as
basic bodice patterns either a bodice that already fitted the wearer
well, or one of the many Victorian "charts"/slopers that could be
traced off in a variety of sizes, whatever was needed at the time. The
bodice was the hardest part to fit, but once someone had a
well-fitting bodice they could copy variations in the neckline,
trimmings, or whatever from Godey's or Peterson's.
Fran
Lavolta Press
Books of historic clothing patterns
www.lavoltapress.com
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