A lot of times when I am researching something for a post I run across websites that are interesting or have helpful information. I may link to them in the post, but then forget which post has which link. For those of you who follow along, this may prove helpful, also. Bear with me as I build this page.
Sites for Pattern Date Research
Commercial Pattern Archive at the University of Rhode Island - Free subscription required to search. CD's available for purchase.
The Vintage Fashion Guild- This link is to a public part of the forum, but membership is necessary for other areas.
Vintage Patterns Wikia - Over 83,000 patterns up to 1994 (or over 25 years old). Links to pattern vendors, blogs, completed projects, and more.
Purchase Original or Replicated Patterns
Vintage Pattern Lending Library - Original or Replicated Patterns for sale from the 1870's through the 1950's. Redrafted and updated with modern sewing terms. Facebook page, Etsy store.
Corsets
Symington Collection of Corsetry, Foundations Held at the Collections Resources Centre, Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire, England
Symington Corset Patterns From the 1850's onward. At the above museum.
Corsetiere.net UK based site full of history of mostly Spirella corsets. Other countries, too.
Farthingales Corsetmaking Supplies Everything you need. Canadian.
Antique Corset Museum This one's from Vancouver and is a little "out there" in some respects.
Vintage Fashion
Fashion - Era Seems to be UK based. From their website "At Fashion-Era.com we analyse two centuries of women's costume history and fashion history silhouettes in detail"
Dressmaking Research - "This site contains images of primary source materials focusing on the cut and construction of women's garments." The posters (for sale ) of women's dresses from 1900 through 1929 are to die for! There are also CDs of primary source material for many years and also millinery. Unfortunately, I did not get a poster and now they are gone.
Google Patents - You KNOW I love this site for researching strange objects and old companies.
The 1923 One-Hour Dress - This site is selling a digital copy of Mary Brooks Picken's instructions on how to design and make a dress in one hour. She was the head of the Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences.
1920-30.com - Same website as above with everything (almost) you would want to know about living in the 1920's and 1930's. There is a fashion section. They also sell digital versions of period craft and fashion books.
Books
Bramcost Publications - Reproductions of vintage sewing, knitting, crochet, ribbon work, etc books. They sell on Ebay and Amazon.
Antique Pattern Library - Free downloadable wonderful old collectible needlework books. (I have lots of these originals.)
Handkerchiefs
How to Make A Baby Bonnet Out of a Wedding Hankie
Fabrics
These from a series of articles Joan Kiplinger wrote for Fabrics.net. She died several years ago and will be missed. Very interesting, picture-rich articles, some of which are below. Browse the Vintage Fabrics section of the Learning Center at Fabrics.net for the rest.
Snaps, Hooks, Eyes, Zippers, Etc.
Feedbags
Bias Tape
More Bias Tape
Vintage Fabric Collector's Bias Tape & Notions Reference Chart