Hide and Seek: Finding Vintage Patterns on the Web

 

You can find lots of vintage knitting, crochet, and sewing patterns online.  Some are fabulous, others are cryptic. The difference between a good pattern and a bad one is often a matter of being prepared.  Vintage patterns can be a great teaching tool, as well as a place to experiment. 

When using an old pattern, be sure to read all the way through the pattern before you start. If you are following a knitting or crochet pattern, make a swatch to approximate the correct yarn and gauge  for your pattern. Try to familiarize yourself with the terms used in the pattern.   
 
Here are a few sites we visit for inspiration from the crafts of yesteryear:

Soft Memories vintage pattern resource website is a subscription service that also offers free patterns like the Baby bunting pattern above.

Pattern Bee is a family-owned business that stocks hundreds of vintage iron-on embroidery transfers, including a free set of flower-of-the-month illustrations.

Decades of Style provides nearly a century worth of sewing patterns painstakingly reproduced for modern crafters with a full range of sizes.

Comments

[Kim Harris]

You can also find vintage patterns at this resource:http://www.vpll.org/catalog/. I haven't used it (finding what I wanted at Decades of Style instead) but they had a interesting variety of items.

[bess]

I can't remember where I read about this, but the Victoria and Albert Museum has posted a few of their collection of 1940s knitting patterns:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/knitting/1940s/

[Kristi]

Good advice, I've been checking out vintage patterns online as well as hunting for them at thrift stores.

[Eren]

Vintage embroidery patterns (free) can be found here as well from Floresita.

http://mytransfers.blogspot.com/

[purl bee]

Thanks for sharing the free pattern links, please keep them coming!