Adorable Free "Anne" Toddler Sweater Pattern

This adorable knitting pattern is called "Anne" and is for toddlers ages 2 to 4 years old.  This cute knitting pattern is from a small vintage pattern book in my collection.  The book dates from the 1940s and is I believe English.  It is too cute not to share so please enjoy this free pattern!  I love the Little Bo Peep motif on the front!

It is definitely a well loved and used pattern book as you can see from the wrinkles in the pages!

Here you can see that some little one added a few scribbles to the pattern, but it's still readable, nonetheless.

Enlarging the instructions will make reading easier.

I'll be sharing a couple of other free vintage knitting patterns from the same book soon.  These charming patterns come together quickly and would make lovely gifts for your favorite little toddler!

Vintage Knit Patterns for Babies

Today I thought it would be nice to share a couple of knitting patterns from my vintage pattern book collection.  This first pattern is from a small book publish in London during World War II.  The book is full of practical, economical, yet adorable patterns for children.  This little "bed" jacket would make a lovely sweater for your favorite little girl:

The directions start here:

And the second page:

In another vintage pattern book, I found this lovely little dress.  This pattern book is also from the war era but was published in Australia.  It is also full of beautiful layette patterns.

First page of the pattern:

And the second page:

I am having so much fun going through my vintage pattern book collection and am finding all kinds of treasures!  Stay tuned, my goal is to share more free patterns, check in often to see what else I've discovered to share!

Happy stitching!

Vintage 1959 Girl Scout Fabric vs. 2010 Robert Kaufman Girl Scout Fabric

As a diehard, green-blooded Girl Scout, I have been a collector of vintage Girl Scout memorabilia for years.  And as a seamstress and designer, anything to do with fabric gets my attention.  So you can imagine my delight when I acquired some yardage of the original vintage Girl Scout fabric produced in 1959.  This fabric is what the Robert Kaufman Girl Scout fabric released in 2010 was based on.

This photo is the vintage1959 Girl Scout fabric:

And here is the Robert Kaufman 2010 Girl Scout fabric:

The two fabric designs are very similar with some imagery duplicated, other imagery slightly modified.  Overall, it's almost the same design.  In this example, the vintage 1959 fabric is on the left; the 2010 image on the right is crisper and slightly smaller, but otherwise the same:

Here the hiking girls are the same, except that now the blond is a redhead.  The border colors have changed too, but the new fabric has retained the hand-stitched style outlining of the old fabric:

The 2010 Girl Scout fabric (on the left) better represents the diversity of the organization's membership:

Here, Robert Kaufman 2010 Girl Scout fabric is on the right:

One thing that isn't visible to the naked eye is that the older, 1959 Girl Scout fabric is a slightly thicker cotton, not quite a barkcloth but definitely thicker than quilt weight cotton.

The vintage 1959 Girl Scout fabric and the Robert Kaufman 2010 fabric are both charming, and the imagery is as delightful today as it was 54 years ago!  I'm so happy to have both of these wonderful fabrics in my collection..... time to get stitching!

Go Girl Scouts!  

Free Apron Patterns

There is just something charming about aprons.  Just looking at them brings back warm memories of delicious smells coming from the kitchen.  Yesterday I was looking through a vintage sewing pattern book and found the patterns for these two little sweethearts.  The vintage pattern book isn't dated but the designs look very 1930s to me.

As you can see from the description, the directions call for the aprons to be made with oil cloth, but any pretty cotton fabric will do.  You'll have to do a little drafting to enlarge the pattern, but it's pretty straight forward after that.

This half apron would be perfect for either crafts or gardening.  The appliqué is charming and you could embroider a cute design on any of them for a personalized look.

One of the things that I love about my large vintage pattern book collection is discovering the treasures within.  So many of them are from a thrifty time, this one from the 1930s is a prime example.  "Make Do or Do Without," as the saying goes.  Enjoy making aprons from these vintage apron patterns, they'll look just as good today as they did then!

Free Children's Vintage Cross Stitch Patterns

Looking through my stash of vintage cross stitch patterns I decided to add a few more free patterns, this time children's themed patterns.  The first two, old fashioned little girls, would be super easy and fast to sew, could be quickly stitched into holiday ornaments or stitched side-by-side for a pretty sampler for a little girl's room.

Sunbonnet Sue style:

This page depicts several old fashioned scenes of children playing..... love the skaters!

Not children, but these patterns could be used to decorate children's clothing or maybe embellish baby sheets, the bunnies, squirrel and Doxie dogs are pretty darn cute!  Of course, the scary kitties would be better for Halloween decorations and the rooster would be great on a tea towel.

And I don't know the story behind this but it reminds me of a storybook tale ..... perhaps Hansel and Gretel?

 Coming from the same page are these adorable bunnies.  Love the repeat pattern!

There is something charming about old fashioned imagery that never seems to go out of style.  These vintage cross stitch patterns are just as sweet today as there were 100 years ago when there were first published.

Vintage 1940s Tablecloths

Recently I came in to possession of some bright and delightful vintage tablecloths from the 1940s and 50s.    The imagery is charmingly retro that would still work today.  These vintage tablecloths have the typical spot here and there, and maybe a pin hole or two, but something you'd expect after all these years.

This chicken tablecloth is one of my favorites!

The tablecloth below has a retro Hawaiian feel to it and I love the teal and rose colors!

And can you guess the theme of this next tablecloth?  Perfect for a Tex Mex barbecue and the colors are BOLT, this tablecloth doesn't have much fading at all, really crisp.

There are a couple of Colonial themed tablecloths including this one.  This vintage tablecloth is printed but has the appearance of embroidery.

This tablecloth would be perfect for a little girl's tea party, it's covered in dreamy little girl activities including this pony ride.

These are just a few examples of the terrific vintage 1940s tablecloths currently on hand.  You can see these and others in my Etsy shop.  They make a bright addition to the kitchen breakfast nook and the imagery is just as charming today as it was when they were made.

Vintage Christmas Cross Stitch Patterns

Christmas is a little more than a month away which leaves plenty of time to create using these vintage Christmas cross stitch patterns.  These cross stitch patterns came from an original vintage pattern book from the 1920s.

The first thing that comes to mind are Christmas ornaments!  The first chart could easily be made into a Christmas ornament and personalized with the family monogram.  What a unique gift this would make for someone special!

In addition to ornaments, the swag above would look charming on napkins, tablecloth corners or even pillowcase edgings.  Below are all the letters of the alphabet for easy personalization.

And here comes Santa Claus!  These Christmas ornaments would take a little longer to create but would look great on any Christmas tree and would make very special gifts!

Time to get cracking!  With Christmas just around the corner, time to get out the trusty embroidery floss and start stitching!  I just love this timeless, vintage Christmas look and can't wait to get started with these fun vintage Christmas cross stitch patterns!