I love to Op shop and every now and again there will be some great patterns in store. I keep going back to the same shop so I know when they get in a new supply of patterns. Maybe from someone having a clean out of their sewing room. (honestly how you can throw out anything from the sewing room is beyond me, as my hoarder self says)

I have only ever had one pattern that was missing a main pattern piece, but usually the sewing community keeps things together so it is rare that things aren’t in the pocket. For 50 cents to a dollar or two you can find some great patterns. Ok they might not always be in your size but you can get some great vintage patterns, and if you can alter patterns even better. I have collected quite a few over the years and love the simple Jiffy patterns that have just two or three pieces. At the moment my store has a lot of 70’s and 80’s patterns on offer.

This pattern was an Op shop find. A 1972 Butterick, pattern number 9804, I liked the look of the three-quarter sleeve with the contrasting band. It came together very easily. I made it in a cotton blue floral fabric so it is easy to wear and very cool.

I have found the old patterns have simple straight to the point instructions,but the pattern pieces need a bit more understanding, as they usually don’t have writing on them, just punched out dots. This pattern was no exception. By reading the instructions you can easily figure out all the darts and grainline. You just need to make sure all that information is transferred to the material before you start.

As you know I am a crafty sewer so making clothes for myself can be a challenge.

I had no trouble putting in the contrasting band or sewing it all together. The only problem I had was the facing. Again I turned it the wrong way and needed to re cut a new one, but besides that everything else went together smoothly.

adding the band

adding the band

This was a fun pattern to sew together and will try out the short-sleeved view, since it is now warming up and I need a few more tops to go with my skirts.

If you havent been Op shopping before, give it a go. It is exciting to find a great pattern, flicking through a pile of old pockets, reading the marks and corrections from the previous sewer.

There is also always some competition when it comes to pattern hunting in the op shops, so if you find a good one, hold onto it tight.

Good luck finding a gem.

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