Easy to Make

Sewing patterns from the 1940s and 50s are transformed into densely layered collages of pattern tissue and garment sketches in this series. Taking its name from a familiar slogan emblazoned on the envelopes of many dressmaking patterns, "Easy to Make" celebrates the legacy of the home dressmaker and the complex task of recreating fashions of the day as stylish and practical (or not) homemade garments.

The tradition of making one's own clothes is largely lost, and the material expression of this work, the garments themselves, have been lost with it; surviving examples are often donated to costume collections in local theatres or schools, or occasionally found in vintage shops. However, a great many of the tissue patterns that guided these seamstresses survive in our mother's and grandmother's collections, and a surprising number are to be found online. "Easy to Make" presents the source material for the often elaborate garments fashioned by talented home dressmakers of the mid twentieth century.

Seamstresses and costumers often use vintage patterns as research material (myself included), but they are generally unusable directly, as they are not sized to fit modern figures. Given this, the older patterns are impractical to use without extensive alterations, but are fascinating as aesthetic objects. In these flimsy tissue cut-outs, three dimensional garments are represented in simple two dimensional shapes, accompanied by cryptic construction guides. Modern sewing patterns often strive for clarity and quick construction; these are delightfully complex and are not for novices. As an aside, the first garment I ever constructed was from a 1950s McCall pattern, and, though a simple design, was still quite a challenging exercise.

The patterns used date from 1939 to 1956, and come from various manufacturers. As such, each pattern maker's system of marking the pieces varies by date and style; markings may be printed or punched, seamlines sometimes marked, often not, etc. Even though each piece is somewhat similar to the next, there are enough variations to make each work distinct.

Each work focuses on a particular pattern design and consists of several layers of pattern tissue over unprimed canvas overlaid with a sketch and/or fitting/construction diagrams for the garment, in a combination of charcoal, ink, watercolor and acrylic.

Easy to Make was shown from March through May of 2004 in Seattle.

Catalog (sortof)

Simplicity 3247 (1939) 24" x 24", 2004
McCall's 4622 (1942) 24" x 24", 2004
Simplicity 1778 (n.d.) 24" x 24", 2004
McCall's 6629 (1946) 24" x 24", 2004
Vogue 9558 (c.1947) 24" x 24", 2004
Simplicity 2847 (n.d.) 24" x 24", 2004
McCall's 8468 (1951) 24" x 24", 2004
Vogue 4191 (1951) 24" x 24", 2004
Simplicity 3647 (1956) 24" x 48", 2004