Category Archives: General

Vintage/Retro Resale Patterns Now Available!

In addition to our huge selection of current patterns, we’re adding dozens of vintage/retro and contemporary patterns over the next few days! We’ve got everything from authentic iron-on appliqué-based patterns from the 1930’s to funky 1980’s outfits.

Please note, by the way, that our vintage, retro, and out-of-print contemporary patterns are hard to come by and the prices reflect that. They may cost a bit more, but they’re definitely affordable, unique, and fun!

We’re putting them up as fast as we can. Keep watching…

A Note about Dating

If you’ve browsed the store, and we hope you have, you may be wondering about the dating of the historic patterns. I wanted to categorize them in a way I thought the majority of people would be familiar with. If I’m using “Victorian” as a timeframe, I want to be consistent and continue within the English monarchy (for the most part) as my point of reference.

For easy reference, here’s how we’re defining time:

  • Middle Ages 400CE-1558
  • Renaissance 1400-1600
  • Stuart 1603-1714
  • Georgian 1714-1837, Regency 1811-1820
  • Victorian 1837-1901
  • (American) Civil War 1861-1865
  • Pioneer 1867-1885
  • Belle Époque 1871-1914
  • Edwardian 1901-1914
  • Jazz Age 1920-1929
  • Retro/Vintage (After 1930)

There is some overlap. You will find that some patterns will be tagged with more than one thing, where it’s appropriate. That’s especially true when it’s not clear what time period a costume should belong to.

Not all of the historical patterns are accurate in their design, they are costumes, after all, and designed for home sewers. I have done my best to point out inaccuracies where I saw them in case you want to stay as historically accurate in your costume as possible. Of course, if you’re doing Victorian Sailor Moon, “period correct” is probably not a concern, in which case, carry on! (And please share pictures — that’s a mashup I’d love to see.)

For my references, I used :
The Chronicle of Western Fashion From Ancient Times to the Present Day, by John Peacock (Abrams, 1991)
Survey of Historic Costume, Third Edition, by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank (Fairchild Publications, 1998)
Elizabethan Costuming for the Years 1550-1580, by Janet Winter and Carolyn Savoy (Other Times Publications, 1987)
and Ye Olde Wikipedia, by everyone (taken with a grain of salt, 2015)

We want you to be able to find what you’re looking for. I hope this helps you do that. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions!

We Are Live – Store Is In Beta!

Our store is now LIVE! However, it is still in Beta. That means that it works and you can order things, but it is subject to change, hopefully for the better, without notice. 🙂 Just click on the “Store” link in the menu bar or this one right here to see what’s in stock!

We will be adding literally HUNDREDS of patterns and tons of cool information, tutorials, and other nifty stuff over the next few weeks. If something doesn’t work, pleasepleaseplease let us know by commenting or emailing. If you want to know if we have a particular pattern or kind of pattern not yet listed, or advice on matching a pattern to a particular setting or character, or what the weather’s like in Illinois, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at wendy@sewyourcosplay.com (for actual cosplay questions) or marc@sewyourcosplay.com (for technical issues or weather-related inquiries.)

Thanks!

Introducing Sew Your Cosplay

Sew Your Cosplay is a new resource for cosplayers. We sell new sewing patterns as well as vintage patterns. We comb through the pattern books, looking for things that look like they’d be the most adaptable, most suitable, or already designed for characters, and stock them for you so you don’t have to track them down.

This blog is also a resource for you, with pattern reviews, personal projects we’re working on, tutorials, sewing tips, and more. Simply put, we want to make ordinary patterns part of your extraordinary life, and we want to help you get the most out of those patterns.

Join us! Who will you be today?