| History Of Butterick Pattern Company:
Butterick Pattern Company was created by Ebenezer Butterick in 1863. The first patterns were for men and boy's clothing and were cut and folded by members of his family. By 1866 they began supplying women's dress patterns.
In 1867, Butterick published the "Ladies Quarterly of Broadway Fashions" and in 1868 added the "Metropolitan". In 1873 "The Delineator" began publication. The first pattern instruction sheet was introduced in the 1920's and was call the "Deltor" and perhaps helped the Butterick Company survive the Depression when other pattern companies failed .
In 1948, Butterick started printing markings directly onto the tissue pattern.
Butterick pattern #6015 (the Walk-away Dress) was such a popular phenomenon that the company stopped production of all other patterns until the demand for #6015 stopped. No other pattern before or since has been such a best seller.
For a more through History go to the Butterick Website
The pattern number is only an indicator of the date on vintage sewing patterns. You can’t use the number alone because the companies would start over again when they got to a certain level. You must consider the general silhouette of the clothing along with other factors such as hair, price, sizing and envelope style and logo placement you can get pretty close to the issue or copyright date. Please be aware that even if a pattern is dated, it could have been in production for years and could even be a re-release of a previous number.
Style eras often crossed decade lines. For instance it is very difficult to tell a 1938 pattern from a 1941 pattern. The basic style and design elements were the same. The same thing applies for 1959-1961 and again in the 60s and 70's. There is more difference between 1964 and 1967 that there is between 1969 and 1971.
Besides the general look and art work of vintage patterns, the sizing can be a very good indicator. In the beginning of Home Patterns, the bust measurement is often the only measurement given. By the 1940s patterns gave bust and hip measurements but often the waist was not given (due to the fact that the sewist could change that element).
Until 1956 a Size 12 was for a 30 inch bust. In 1956 sizing changed and a Size 12 was for a 32 inch bust. In mid 1967 the standard changed once again and a Size 12 became a 34 inch bust and remains so today. So if you are trying to date something near the year of size change, the size can be a great clue.
All Numbers listed have been found either on a dated pattern, or in a magazine or other publication of the period.
These pages are constantly changing as new information and new publications are found. So check back often to see the current changes.
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