Every once in awhile I get a wild hair and have to go searching on google for books online...I've found a LOT of genealogy information there, along with other items that interest me... this morning, I found the "Ladies Home Magazine" from 1858! I've been facinated by it for the past hour or so...
I browsed it, keeping in mind that my g-g-g grandparents were married in 1857, and this would have been of interest to Martha Ward Swycaffer as she set up her housekeeping... I found it interesting that while there are "patterns" in the magazines, they are not what we look at as patterns today...there are no instructions! They show a photo, and women of the time used their own brains and imaginations to create....that intrigues me more than anything...
At any rate...thought I'd share with you! :) It's kind of fun to check out...

http://books.google.com/books?id=ezE...tterns&f=false

Just in case the link doesn't work, go to Google, click "more", click "books", click "full" and then search for "Ladies Home Magazine"

Many years ago an older lady gave
me a pattern from the 1800s for a
winter coat for a doll. She said patterns
for adults were made the same. It was
a big piece of paper with a massive
amount of lines criss/crossing on it.
The only way I could think to make
a garment from it was to put it on a
light board or window, or use a really
thin piece of fabric over it and copy
each line on each piece of paper or fabric.
Then when all were cut out you'd have
a pattern like we use now..but you still
had to use your brain and make seam
lines and reduce or let out certain parts
of the pattern. Nothing like that was
included. Women way back then had
to THINK when they sewed.
And before they CUT too.

I do so LOVE our patterns we have today!

Very interesting. I wish I could see the magazine itself.

Me too....but a photocopy is the next best thing! :) It's downloadable too...