Dressmaking Technology

Dressmaking technology included everything from the basic sewing needle to the complex sewing machines of the factory. In the 19th century a steady stream of new technology for sewing and pattern cutting became available to both home and professional seamstresses and dressmakers. By the 1860s, the sewing machine was a standard and acceptable piece of industrial machinery in the household. Aided by installment buying plans, many middle-income homes were able to afford a machine – placed into an elaborate cabinet that could be properly displayed in the parlor.

Other sewing and clothing construction aids that evolved mid-19th century included commercial sewing patterns and pattern drafting systems based on proportional body measurement calculations. Many fashion magazines showed women the latest styles, but offered little assistance on how to cut an appropriate pattern. Pattern drafting systems appeared as early as the 1830s, simultaneous with the introduction of more complex and more fitted fashions. These systems were developed to provide both amateur and professional dressmakers a tool to cut a bodice to fit any size. The systems varied in ease of use and in accuracy, but certainly aided in development of the paper pattern industry.

The first full-scale paper patterns appeared as foldouts in Frank Leslie’s Gazette of Fashion, designed by Mme. Demorest. Initially, the patterns were only one size, and had to be adapted for individual measurements. It was Ebenezer Butterick who created the first paper patterns in graded sizes. The success of these patterns brought competition, beginning with James McCall and the McCall’s Pattern Company in 1870, followed quickly by numerous others. Fashion publications such as Harper’s Bazar also offered pullout pages with numerous patterns overlaid on the same sheet and coded by type of lines used. All this technology provided a woman with the tools to become her own dressmaker, if she had the time and inclination.