If you started to look for sewing patterns and just thought they are so expensive,
they need not be.
There are so many great styles and all of your basics can be found hiding
at the thrift store second hand.
They might be disguised as, let's say, a little bit ugly maybe.
Late decades, decades ago patterns.
But I promise you there are great ones there for really great prices.
I'm going to give you all my best tips and tricks and what to look for.
And getting great second hand sewing patterns.
Welcome back, my sewing friends. It is wonderful to see you here again.
If you're actually just joining us
for the very first time here, then we give you a very big welcome.
My name is Evelyn Wood and I’m the creator of VintageSewingSchool.com.
There are help
all of our members
really learn how to sew your own clothes and sew them really well.
That's the key thing here. Really great garments.
And look, as you know, we're talking about sewing patterns.
I've all the time, if you viewers of this channel
know, I thrift sewing patterns all of the time.
And I very much get asked a lot about
how do I get them from because no one can seem to find any good
second hand sewing patterns.
So that's what we're talking about in this video.
I want to break it down into what things to look for in particular,
because there's better things than others, like different garment types to look for
and then obviously what to look for in the patterns.
So you don't sort of just discard everything.
You know,
you've got to look with a critical eye and that's what I want to give you.
So you can head down to the thrift store
or I'm also talking about any second hand patterns.
So not just the thrift store, the charity store, your of shops.
It is also your local classifieds Facebook marketplace.
Have a look at garage and yard sales.
There is always, always, you know, a little sewing box
with a stash of different patterns there
that you can find all of these different places.
And then, of course, eBay and Etsy, if you can't get to any of them,
there are plenty online. You will find all of these types of patterns that I see.
So let's start with the thrift store.
Some of my thrift stores have lots of sewing stuff and lots of patterns.
Others have not much, some have none.
And other stores use the actual pattern tissue as wrapping paper.
Yeah, I know. It's really sad.
So, look, I totally know that you different thrift stores have everywhere.
That's why I said, look online, your garage sales.
They're everywhere. Okay, so here's what I recommend.
Save all of your dollars for all of nice, fancy,
high fashion type styles that you really like.
And those really particular ones with the with the really high styled items.
You know what I mean?
And indie brands are fantastic for those and getting some wonderful things.
All of your basics i.e.
like let's start to like what what garments to look for.
Let's start there because all of your
basics are going to be found here in the thrift store.
You can find, you know, your pencil skirts, your A-line
skirts, all of your basic skirts are in there.
You can find basic T-shirts like pull on, like knit t shirts because knit t shirt is a
t shirt button up shirts in different styles.
These are classic styles that you can find throughout all of these decades.
All the different patterns pull over shifts.
So just kind of like pull over shift even dresses
like even shift dresses, basic style dresses.
These are all really good to look for.
What's not so good to look for is one, as I said, your high fashion, high style
latest fashion item,
you know,
is probably not going to find at the thrift store
because there's the latest nearest thing. Right? Of course.
And so the other thing is maybe
pants and jeans, because the fit of those is quite particular.
And it does change over the decades.
So unless you're
maybe like me and looking for something that
say doesn't fit like what is currently in fashion,
then you might be in luck
if you want something a bit loose, fit, lower crotch, etc., that type of thing.
If you're looking for something that like fits like a modern day fit,
you probably won't find pants patterns secondhand as much
because that is up there with the latest and greatest category
that you need to buy new.
And then I would say almost anything really fitted and tailored.
So even a really, really super fitted dress really, really fitted jacket
can be a bit more difficult because then when you get more fitted,
that comes in line with the silhouettes that are popular at the time.
And a lot of these are obviously older, secondhand
and so those super fit are have a different silhouette
than we then like our modern silhouette is what we're looking for in modern tastes.
Now, you might be like me though as well, and like a little bit
something a little bit different, in which case you'll be in luck
because you still might find those there.
So does that give you an idea of
what to look for the particular garments or your basics
So, you know, your skirts, your pull on tops, your classic tees,
button up shirts, these are all your classic pieces.
This is what you definitely find at the thrift store no matter what. Okay.
And so the next one is don't just disregard it because it's old.
So a lot of these great patterns
and I'm going to walk you through some of these four examples.
These are, you know, from the seventies, from the eighties, from the nineties.
And at first glance, you just think and no, why would I want to wear this?
Trust me. Hang on with me.
Because there's hidden things in here, I promise.
So don't disregard because it's old and a lot of these are older.
And on that vein, do not go by size numbers.
Absolutely not.
Because over the decades, that number, that sizing number, it changes.
So we only go by body measurements.
So don't be fooled into sort of glancing and thinking, Oh, size 12.
That's that's my size. Great.
But it's from the 1970s or the eighties because that 12
will mean something different.
You're a sewist now. We always know go by body measurements.
So always know your body measurements to know which size would be good for you.
Okay, let's get into some examples, because one of the biggest tips
I'm going to give you is look for the multi garment patterns.
So a lot of these come from the eighties and nineties,
I find, and we're talking stuff like this.
So this here is first you're thinking not interested right like not my style
but we're thinking we're looking for basics here right. Basics.
So flip this over and have a look.
And this one here we can see halfway.
You can see you've got a classic pencil skirt,
absolute classic pencil skirt, and actually a very classic
looking pair of cigaret style pants that are just slightly tapered.
And I mean, they're easy to change to a wide or a thinner leg.
And you'll very often find that in these they might even have an elastic band
waist pants as well, which are a real basic easy first make.
So there are hidden things in here all of the time.
So I find most of these multi ones in suits.
So you have skirts, pants, jackets, button up shirt, etc.
They're all hiding in here.
So this one here is a great example where you've got another basic
lovely basic pencil skirt, another great basic pair of pants.
Look at these.
These can all make pajamas and just get used to sewing?
And you just look at the line drawings on the back because the detail of the,
you know, the fashion, the colors, etc., don't exist.
So the line drawings on the back can sometimes be less,
let's say, obtrusive in old fashion, so to say.
Again, not quite multi garment in the suits, but it is.
And I mean, I look at this one and I think,
oh boy, that's not very nice, but have a closer look, look at these skirts, etc..
So I can see because I'm used to it, the V skirt shapes, right?
I'm thinking, yeah, this is fantastic. Actually.
Have a look at either
The line drawing on the inside, or you might have to pull out the packet.
You can see.
Look at these skirts.
This is a classic pencil skirt here with a little waistband.
Dots. You've got this lovely flared skirt here. It's perfect.
You can even like this. Like this jacket here.
If you actually made this without the sleeves and just cut this
a little bit lower, you've got a fantastic little waistcoat, right?
This is a like this is just that little waistcoat.
You got that lovely kick out the front. The side here. Dang, so good.
And it's probably $0.50 as opposed to how much are all the new ones.
Another example looking past the decades.
So something like this one here, you know,
you might think, oh, so seventies at first, But again,
classic skirts here, classic pants, even the jacket on. This is beautiful.
And a little waistcoat and it doesn't include no, this one doesn't
include the button up shirt, but a lot of them do.
So make sure you have a look because a button up shirt is button up shirt.
Some examples of some dresses that are just like,
These are perfect basic little dresses, right?
Nice, easy, fit and take away the styling of this.
Like I'm going to wear these like tomorrow. I want to make these again.
Look at the back to really see through the design lines
and you can see you've got a basic lovely fit and flare dress with this one here.
I mean, isn't that what you know, half of us are all paying big dollars for
in the little 1950s dress.
If you are lucky enough to find anything even a little bit older in these
jiffy style patterns here, these are fantastic for beginners.
Basically, the whole premise of these little
jiffy ones are that they're like two pieces of fabric that you sew together
and it just really simple, easy like
volumous style like no fit dress right And you fit it with a belt easy.
It makes it so easy.
These are great beginner friendly,
basic pieces You can see you've got lovely,
like design wise, like No, not a lot of things going on here, right?
When I talk about patterns and things, it's just
does it back in a front and some binding etc.
nip it down with a belt and it creates a beautiful shape.
So you can find, though it doesn't have to say the word jiffy on it like these do.
So this one, for example, this one here is not too dissimilar.
It's got a button front,
but you know, you can do with that and you can find them without.
Right. Is just a few pieces.
Tie it with a belt, not too much fitting and it works just the way you want it.
Just find the right beautiful fabric that you want.
This here is quite interesting.
So this here, you could just make this a little bit longer.
And then if you belt this up and you've got exactly the same thing
with a sleeve version,
you can obviously make it without the sleeves and go from there.
So really simple ones can be found at the thrift store.
So don't just think you have to find the skirt pattern and something else pattern.
Remember, they're hiding in lots of different things.
Now, I hope that gives you a good example of really what to look for.
Really go past the decade and try and disregard what it looks like.
Look at the line drawings.
It really does help to
unstyle it so to say, and look past the decade
and past the fashioning the styling that I've got going on
and see the silhouette, because you'll find those basic pieces.
Look for those basic skirts, waisted skirts, look for the,
you know, knit t shirts, the button up t shirts, the pull on type numbers that no,
not really much fitting.
These are old classic styles that just go and you can find them so easily.
So what's my favorite decade though?
Well, besides actual vintage ones, of course,
my ones that I find in the thrift store. I really like the 1970s patterns.
I find this a really nice little sweet spot in the,
you know, old pattern range, so to say, one, the styling.
I mean, you can see these here.
I picked these because these are much sort of my style.
Their styling is like seventies
does like 1930s look, which is obviously suiting my silhouette.
But they're, I'm just drawn to these particular ones because of that,
you'll be drawn to the ones that you like in your sort of style too.
But I choose them, these ones because the patterns from this era
are, well, they're single sized usually,
so you'll find they have just one size on the pattern.
So you might be thinking, Oh no, I want let's be able to change sizes.
Don't worry, don't worry. You'll learn how to do that.
The thing is with multi sizes though, is that it can get really confusing.
You know, when you lay that out and there's just line after line
after line after line and you don't know what's going on,
especially when you're learning.
Yeah, it's really, really hard and difficult to look at.
I find most of the ones from the 1970s,
they're single size and they actually have the seam allowances drawn on them.
This is what you want as a beginner because it's like imprinting in your mind.
You're seeing it there. It's already done for you to think similar at stitch line
All these things are really there and it's really easy to kind of navigate,
get your brain in pattern making mode.
So I find that really useful in weather patterns
and I find the pattern instructions are a sweet spot between
really older than that and the sewing instructions get quite sparse
for it's like finish in the usual manner, you know, that type of thing.
So they've listed out in detail
like what we're used to.
And also I find so that the shapes have a lot more fitting
and form to them than say in the nineties when it's a bit looser, bigger
armholes, things like this.
I find the 1970s still have a really nice sort
of slender, contoured fit and that's real based like
the patterns are designed with a real fit in mind around the body.
So anyway, that's my sweet spot
in my pattern decade that I find at the thrift store.
Obviously I like vintage ones,
you know, older as well, but that's is what I find secondhand.
So I do hope that it gives you gives you more perspective on
what to look for when you're looking at these second hand patterns
to find all of your really great basic pieces,
because there's no need to splurge out on all of your patterns.
A nice mix is really good.
Get those high fashion ones from the indie brands.
Get all of your basics secondhand.
Remember eBay, Etsy, garage sales and thrift stores.
Have a great look. I would love to know below what you have.
What has been like?
What do you find the best stuff in your thrift stores? Let us know.
I would like to know your little pattern finding hacks as well,
because hey, we could all use some more tips and tricks, right?
I'm finding secondhand cheap patterns all right.
Let me know in the comments below.
And until next time my sewing friends happy sewing, bye.