Two recent gifts have come into the studio collection: knitting and sewing patterns.
We are very lucky to have a volunteer who comes in each week to conserve, curate and store the collection and it is looking very smart, as you can see in the photograph. It is so good to be able to go to the list of items, find the one needed and then be able to go to a box to get the actual item. Already the collection has proved its worth with people coming along with their own items that we can compare with pieces in the studio.
One of the smaller subsets of the collection is knitting and sewing patterns; there have always been a few because I sew and used to make clothes for myself. The collection has not been consciously gathered but has evolved gradually so it included patterns from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.
This week two people have sent in patterns for the collection. One is a box of menswear, both sewing and knitting, and the other is a miscellany of women’s fashion from the 1950s and ’60s. There is also a baby’s booklet: “Woolies for the first six months”. This includes the very sweet pattern for “A minute unmentionable”, a bodysuit, similar to an adult’s undershirt. Baby looks quite content in it on the cover.
These patterns are very useful, not just for historical reference but in terms of learning how construct garments. They capture moments in time that now belong to nostalgia. What generous and lovely gifts to receive.
The research collection is open to the public. If you are visiting the studio you are very welcome to have a look inside.