The ladies' world

This week, I'm having a bit of a cold so sewing is slow and there's no way I'm modeling slips. 
I'm also kind of second-guessing my plans for a 1920's dress in that raspberry pink wool crepe... After all, how much winter do we really have left? (to be honest, these are the Netherlands so unpredictability in the weather is a certainty. We haven't had much of a winter so far so that might mean a mild and early spring. Or we could get a brutally cold February. The forecasts don't say so but they've been wrong before...)

And this week, my patterns from EvaDress (bought with the prize from last year's Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge) arrived. They took so long, I was starting to get worried but that's international shipping for you, I guess...
But I'm very glad they're here and I'm considering fabric options for these wonderful designs. Both seem to want crepe or rayon... Not the most plentiful things in my stash (I guess that is a reason in itself to keep coming back to 1950's: Those styles sew up well in cheap fabrics like cotton). 
I am definitely planning to sew these up as part of this year's Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge!

In the mean time, I thought I'd share a recent vintage magazine find with you. I'm particularly happy with this one. It's perfect for a pattern geek like me:

These were advertised with rather limited information. All that was told was that they were bound copies of ladies' fashion magazines from 1948 and 1949. Knowing that there were no real Dutch fashion magazines in those days, I emailed the seller to inquire. The answer really pleased me: This was a magazine targeted at sewing teachers and professional seamstresses!

It's called de Dameswereld (which translates as "the Ladies' World") and it was also the official magazine for the association of sewing teachers. 

And it has a bit of everything:

A complicated pattern explained in each issue. I love both these dresses!

Loads of information about measuring and how to use their system of slopers. I think I bought the basic book about those a year or two ago...

Hard-core sewing and tailoring instruction. This page is about ladies' collars.

Fashion news. This pages highlights robes and nightgowns (described as lingerie) presented at a trade show in London. 

And there is information about things like fashion shows and the exact rules of the textile rationing system (in place in the Netherlands, like in the UK, until 1950). And some industry-related advertising for fabric, thread and sewing machines. 

I don't think this would have been a star find for everyone who's looking for vintage patterns but it certainly is for me. I may just make one of the explained patterns for the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge as well...