Here’s three new-to-me mail order patterns from the estate stash of Mrs. William Key of Clarksville, Tennessee. You may recall her from this post. These three, from Mrs. Key, are Patt-o-Rama sewing patterns:
I’ll start with the bottom pattern:
The Patt-o-Rama mail-order sewing pattern line was offered in Grit magazine. I’m not sure if it was offered in other mail-order publications.
I think it was unusual for sewing patters in the mid- to late-1960s to still be unmarked, as most of the major sewing pattern companies (Butterick, Simplicity, McCalls, Vogue) offered printed patterns. McCalls (known as McCall in the 1920s and 30s) first offered a sewing pattern with printing in 1919 (it looked like a blueprint).
Here’s what was in the middle envelope:
The baby’s dress, pattern 8102, appears to have been used several times. It is complete, and comes with the instruction sheet as well.
The top envelope was oddly thin, but here’s why:
The outside of the envelope indicated a needlework pattern — and sure enough — it is a cute crochet pattern for a girl’s dress, instructions only.
After checking a few more resources, I discovered that Mrs. William Key was Nellie Katherine Richardson Key, 1916-1997. She is buried in at the Shrine of Memories and Chapel in Clarksville, Tennessee.
And a search through Ancestry.com turned up this:
Isn’t she lovely?
I can tell this was a very stylish lady.
It is wonderful to be able to put a face to the sewist’s patterns.
If any of Nellie’s descendants would like to have these patterns, please contact me by email and I will gladly send them to you.
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