Vintage Patterns: To Tape or Not to Tape

I wonder, when you see old sewing patterns that have tears and are dangling in pieces like a well-loved rag doll, do you wish they had been taped to prevent further wear? Or should they be left alone, kept pure, even if it means an unusable pattern?

As an owner of an Etsy shop, selling vintage patterns, in rough shape or not, I am not sure what to do when it comes to this issue. What do you prefer? Personally, I don't mind them being taped if it means saving a pattern from a DIY project or trash bin. But there are some tape jobs that are quite repulsive, however. I believe, if done tastefully, taping should happen.

Recently, when checking over patterns for completeness, I came across a pattern for a beachy ensemble. This pattern's envelope had the front detached from the back, with numerous rips, one being on the cover, starting from the top left to down right, about 3" long, about a third of the pattern. When looking at the pattern pieces, one of the shorts pieces had been folded and pinned together, not neatly mind you, and upon unpinning, I discovered that this shorts piece had been ripped across the hip, from one end to the other. Like a rogue amputation.

There is a bit of the tape coming through here, but has lost its stick.

From that point on, I decided to pull the pattern from my possible inventory, grabbed my iron and some tape (Most will advise you to use acid free tape, to prevent the yellowing that comes from most household tape), and began trying to perform pattern CPR. I also got the envelope carefully taped back together from the inside. The rips are still visible on the outside, but are secured from behind to prevent any more wear.

So, have you struggled with this or had this predicament? Please share your thoughts.

Ivy

September Purchases

Hello dear readers, here are the goodies I got in the first month of fall!

Vintage Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt

Vintage Christmas tree ornaments

Embroidered linen

Dotty paper embroidery doll from Chicken Scratch

Ornamental Stitches for Embroidery from Chicken Scratch 

Vintage quilted hankie box

Small Raggedy Ann and Andy

Big Raggedy Ann

Big Raggedy Andy

'C' brooch with rhinestones

Vintage single-strand rose carved necklace

Priscilla style 2-strand pearl necklace

Priscilla style 3-strand pearl necklace (needs fixing)

Tiny plastic Renwal baby

Japanese tea saucers

Vintage plate

Set of 4 Currier and Ives season plates

A Book of Famous Poems compiled by Marjorie Barrows

Superior Electric Products Corp metal hair dryer

Clutch with pearls and beadwork

Black Loredana sequin and bead purse

Black seed bead and embroidered rose cigarette case

Vintage Crown birdcage from Chicken Scratch

June Purchases & Free Stuff!

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great weekend (What is a weekend?)

Here is what I purchased and some free finds in my neighborhood on junk pick-up day!

1940's Simplicity Pattern #3490 from Vintage of Ada

Dutch girl planter from Vintage of Ada

Garden book from Vintage of Ada

Pink Abingdon Vase from Vintage of Ada

Small book about furniture styles from Vintage of Ada

Mary Pickford/Mary Miles Minter style hat from Vintage of Ada

Pinaud Apple Blossom Talc

Little singing figurine marked Japan

Book about flowers

Photo of happy 1930's woman

Vintage postcard

Can you say Call The Midwife?!

Dresses and Apron from Chicken Scratch

Figurine with ruffled dress

Vintage postcard of a cottage at Carslake, MN

Doeskin felt hat

'Virginia 1918' baby fork

Tiny butter plate

Yellow duck planter

Art deco vanity set

Child's nautical coat

Schrafft's chocolates tin

Asian style tin with lid

Vintage medicine tins (flower seeds are in the laxative tin!)

This sewing machine cabinet (minus the machine) and five windows from a bungalow were on curbs throughout the local area to be crushed taken as trash or saved picked up for free. I can't imagine these going to the claw!

Hope you all have a great July!

Ivy