1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and we are still 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:21,159 Speaker 1: talking about paper sewing patterns this week. Little did you 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: know this could possibly be two episodes worth of information. Honestly, 6 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: this could be a whole podcast series. Yeah, I was 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: gonna say, I bet it could be a whole series 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,959 Speaker 1: if we wanted. Yeah, easily. I felt bad every time 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: I cut something. And there's one in particular that we 10 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: don't mention it all, and I will explain why I'm 11 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: behind the scenes. Yeah. And we sat in part one 12 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: that this is really a focus on like Europe and 13 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: North America, and it became a global thing. It could 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: be like ten podcasts series forget it, see you next year, 15 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: and people would be like, I don't sew, I'm not 16 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: in for this. But here we are. At the end 17 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: of part one, we had mentioned, after talking about various 18 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: tailoring and some sewing books that had come out, that 19 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: there were two people that really kicked off the industry 20 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: of printed patterns in the US and made them super popular, 21 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: and those were Ellen Curtis Demorist and Ebenezer Butterick. So 22 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,639 Speaker 1: today we are going to talk about those two people 23 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: as well as the development of the other companies that 24 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: make up the so called Big four pattern companies, Butterick, McCall's, 25 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: Vogue and Simplicity. Ellen Louise Curtis was born on November fifteenth, 26 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: eighteen twenty four, in Skylerville, New York. She went to 27 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: Skylerville Academy as a teenager, and when she graduated at 28 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: the age of eighteen, she immediately went into business as 29 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: a milliner with her own shop. She worked in millinery 30 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: for about fifteen years and then got married in her 31 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: mid thirties to a man named William Demorist. So Ellen's 32 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: entree into pattern printing is often described as her envisioning 33 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: a product that could fill the gap in the home 34 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: sewing market series of patterns that were offered in multiple 35 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: sizes and were mass produced, not custom measured for each client, 36 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: and that her husband, William was on board, and that 37 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: they launched this new business venture together. That doesn't seem 38 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: to be entirely accurate, though there was another Missus Demrist 39 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: before Ellen, and that was Margaret Demorist. William's first wife, 40 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: and she was billed as Missus Demorist in pattern ads 41 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: and women's magazines in the mid eighteen fifties. One from 42 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty three that ran in The New York Times 43 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,639 Speaker 1: touted sewing lessons as well as quote patterns of plane 44 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: and basque wastes cut to fit the form with unfailing accuracy, 45 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: and elegant dress patterns cut at eighteen and a half cents. 46 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: William had hired Ellen and her sister Kate to actually 47 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: design and produce the patterns, while Margaret was the public 48 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: face of the brand. Initially. Margaret Demors died in eighteen 49 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: fifty nine, the year before Ellie and William married, and 50 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: once Ellen assumed the role of Missus Demrist both domestically 51 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: and professionally, the pattern company, which pad and modest success 52 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: in the eighteen fifties, really started to take off. In 53 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty, the two of them opened a shop on 54 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: Broadway in Manhattan called Madam Demorest's Emporium of Fashions. The 55 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: patterns that they sold were not just functional for sewing, 56 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: they were also works of art. Dressmakers shops that used 57 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: the patterns could also assemble the pattern itself with pins, 58 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: and have a display piece for their window. Because the 59 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: Demorists printed their patterns on colored paper, customers could even 60 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: get trims for their assembled paper patterns. But the Demorists 61 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: had a much bigger vision than just opening a shop 62 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: from which to sell patterns. They envisioned an entire brand 63 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: that people would associate with style and dressmaking. To expand 64 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: their business identity, they also started a periodical, Madam Demorrist's 65 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: Mirror of Fashions, which William basically ran in terms of 66 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: the editorial while Ellen managed the shop and the new 67 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: designs and The magazine, which ran for nearly thirty years, 68 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: published color plates of the latest fashion trends, and it 69 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: also included full sized patterns. These were not part of 70 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: the page content of the magazine. They were a separate 71 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: insert that was stapled into the magazine itself for easy 72 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: removal and use. The Demorists also still offered the patterns 73 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: as separate products. Customers didn't need to purchase the magazine 74 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: if they didn't want to, they could just select from 75 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 1: the various pattern offerings. This was the first of many 76 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: products the Demorists eventually offered through both mail order and 77 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: via retailer distribution. Over time, their products included branded sewing 78 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: notions like pins, scissors, and measuring implements, and even foundation 79 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: garments to get the perfect base layer for the new 80 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 1: dresses customers were stitches. The Demorrists also expanded into cosmetics 81 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: to offer a full fashion and beauty brand. Yeah, they 82 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: also kind of franchised, like there were multiple Demorist shops 83 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: that opened up that were run by other people, and 84 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: they were very successful in all of this. By eighteen 85 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: sixty four, just four years into their venture together, they 86 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: had to expand their quarterly magazine to a monthly which 87 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 1: was called Demorists Illustrated Monthly Magazine and Madame demeris Mirror 88 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,840 Speaker 1: of Fashions. It was kind of two magazines, but they 89 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,599 Speaker 1: were all put together into one and that was all 90 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,239 Speaker 1: one title for him, and the magazine, of course touted 91 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: their patterns on the first page in a huge ad. 92 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: For example, the April eighteen sixty five ad read life 93 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: sized paper models of all the reliable and latest Paris 94 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: designs for ladies and children's dress, arranged and elegantly trimmed 95 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: so as to present the most perfect resemblance to the 96 00:05:54,760 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: original articles, including Evening Home Bridle or fancy dresses, also cloaks, mantles, waists, jackets, sleeves, 97 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: apron sacks, capes, robes de chambre, undergarments, etc. And every 98 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,799 Speaker 1: style of garment adapted to boys and misses and infants 99 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: that has any claim for either novelty or utility, all 100 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: accurately reproduced in tissue paper as soon as they are 101 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: offered in either Paris or London to secure which we 102 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 1: have completed ample and costly arrangements. Patterns sent by mail 103 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: or express to all parts of the Union. In Canada, 104 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: Madame Demorrist's excelsior and always first premium system of dress cutting. 105 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: The rest of the magazine included articles about the latest 106 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 1: fashions and accessories, such as Paisley Shawl's being a good investment, 107 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: small pieces of sheet music so readers could learn a 108 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 1: new song, sequential art stories, fiction stories and essays, and 109 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: commentary on fashion related news that included the ball for 110 00:06:55,640 --> 00:07:00,040 Speaker 1: President Lincoln's second inauguration, of which the magazine noted quote 111 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: the arrangements for a brilliant opening of mister Lincoln's second 112 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: term were made with great liberality and were entirely successful. 113 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: Nothing could exceed the imposing grandeur of the spectacle which 114 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: the Great Hall of the Patent Office presented when the 115 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: Auguste assemblage composed of the President and his lady, the 116 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: foreign ministers with their wives, the heads of departments, and 117 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: five thousand of the most distinguished people from different parts 118 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: of the country was complete. The clothes were, of course, 119 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: also noted in this ride up quote. The toilettes were, 120 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: many of them magnificent. Missus Lincoln's consisted of white satin 121 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: with an elegant white lace flounce festooned at the side 122 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: with heavy white silk cord and tassels. A bertha of 123 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: point lace ornamented the low neck, and a costly point 124 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: lace shawl covered her shoulders. Her hair was worn in 125 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: curls and adorned with white and purple flowers, pearl necklace, 126 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: and ornaments, bouquet and violets. In the early eighties teen seventies, 127 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: the magazine began touting the latest demorist innovation patterns in 128 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: sizes other than an average slash medium, and it also 129 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: developed really smart ways to integrate pattern sales with fashion 130 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: and society news and information. An editorial package about cruises, 131 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: for example, would include information on how to book them 132 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: and where types of excursions that one might go on, 133 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: and then suggest the patterns that would enable the reader 134 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: to prepare the perfect wardrobe for such a trip. The 135 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: Demorst brand assured women who stitched their own garments that 136 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:39,439 Speaker 1: their patterns would enable them to create clothing as stylish 137 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: as people in higher income brackets. Not entirely germane to 138 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 1: the topic of patterns, but worth mentioning the way that 139 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: Ellen Demerist ran her business was quite progressive. She made 140 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,679 Speaker 1: working women one of her personal causes, and she walked 141 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: that walk. Her business employed a lot of women, and 142 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: that included black women. She also reportedly hired black employees 143 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: under the same employment terms and pay rates as white employees. 144 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: She talked about the importance of recognizing women as part 145 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: of the workforce publicly. In November of eighteen sixty three, 146 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: she wrote a long and rather sharp reply to the 147 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: editor of The New York Times for an article that 148 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: had been published about women in the workforce. Her reply 149 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: began quote, inasmuch as you are not a woman and 150 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,320 Speaker 1: do not to any extent employ women, allow one who 151 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: is and who does to reply to yesterday's article headed 152 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: Women's work and their Struggle for better compensation. The whole article, 153 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,839 Speaker 1: because of being based on false premises, will bear an 154 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 1: absolute reversion. She then picks apart the entire article point 155 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: by point, noting, among other things, that the original article 156 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: failed to take into account, the fact that women are 157 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 1: expected to raise children and that it's one of the 158 00:09:55,240 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: reasons women weren't often seen in careers. Demerist was involved 159 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: over the years and a lot of women's causes, and 160 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: the magazine often gave space to women writers to share 161 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: opinions on women's issues. Yeah, people like Luisa may Alcott 162 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:16,079 Speaker 1: contributed to the magazine all the time. The eighteen seventy 163 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:21,559 Speaker 1: six Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia featured two paper dress pattern exhibits. 164 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: One of those was set up by the Madame Demerist Company. 165 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: The other display was the work of Ebenezer Butterick. And 166 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about Butterick and his company after 167 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: we pause for a sponsor break. Ebenezer Butterick was born 168 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 1: in Sterling, Massachusetts, on May twenty ninth, eighteen twenty six. 169 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: He apprenticed as a tailor starting at an early age, 170 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: and then he opened his own business as a merchant tailor. 171 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: So that's a tailor who makes clothes but also manages 172 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: an inventory of fabric that is used for the clothes 173 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: but is also offered at retail. He is frequently described 174 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: as having been kind of a mediocre as a tailor 175 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: and not having a lot of success in that business. 176 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,679 Speaker 1: But then, in eighteen sixty three, Butterick, working with his 177 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: wife Ellen Augusta Butterick, Yes there are two Ellens in 178 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: this story, he did two things. He started offering standardized 179 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:26,079 Speaker 1: tissue paper patterns in multiple sizes, and he established a 180 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: factory to print them in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. This was a 181 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: lot more lucrative than his tailoring business had been, and 182 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: he saw its potential. Butterick also had the foresight to 183 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:42,239 Speaker 1: do something the demorists had not. He patented his patterns. Initially, 184 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,040 Speaker 1: most of his patterns were for men and boys clothes, 185 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: and he also started a periodical, although his was not 186 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: a frequent one. That was the Semi Annual Report of 187 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: Gents Fashions, which debuted in eighteen sixty five. He offered 188 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: individual patterns for twenty five to fifty cents, but you 189 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: could also make a bulk purchase of fifty patterns for 190 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 1: five dollars. The next year he added graded size designs 191 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: for women and girls, and that was when things really 192 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: took off. He also started another periodical, Ladies, quarterly report 193 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: of Broadway fashions. His women's patterns were usually four component 194 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: pieces of a garment and not a full dress, for example, 195 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: so rather than an entire dress, a customer could purchase 196 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: a bodice and a skirt separately and then combine them 197 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 1: into a dress. One of the reasons his offerings became 198 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: so popular so quickly was that he offered what was 199 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 1: at the time an extremely wide size range. It was 200 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 1: graded to fit bus lines from twenty eight inches to 201 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: forty six inches. Butterick also innovated in the way that 202 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: patterns were packaged. The Butterick Company folded the tissue patterns 203 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:56,080 Speaker 1: so they would fit snugly into a packet envelope that 204 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,040 Speaker 1: had that envelope flap closure, and soon that became the 205 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: industry standard. By the end of the eighteen sixties, Butterick 206 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: moved his pattern printing operation to a new factory location 207 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: in Brooklyn, New York, and he revamped his magazine of 208 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 1: women's fashions, calling it Metropolitan and publishing it monthly like 209 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 1: Demorist's magazine. This was part style information and part self advertising, 210 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: but Butterick also used it to bolster his reputation through 211 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: what was almost certainly false reporting of his company's success. 212 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 1: For example, he claimed that he sold more than fifteen 213 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: hundred patterns every day, which historians have dismissed as highly unlikely. Yeah, 214 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: that's a lot. In that same nineteen seventy nine paper 215 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 1: we mentioned in the first part of this two parter 216 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: by historian Margaret Walsh, titled the Democratization of Fashion The 217 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: Emergence of the Women's Dress pattern Industry, Walsh notes how 218 00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: this exhibit at the Exposition was a touchstone of a 219 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: massive change in a way that it changed fashion for 220 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 1: a wider array of people than would have had access 221 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: to such things prior quote. At mid century, fashion both 222 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: as an indicator of financial strength and social rank and 223 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: as an expression of femininity had been the prerogative of 224 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,439 Speaker 1: the rich. Only the wealthy could afford to change their 225 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: styles of dress frequently. But now, thanks to the mass 226 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: production of paper patterns, American women in their European counterparts 227 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: were able to participate in a new social experience of 228 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: making stylish clothes at will. Eighteen seventy six was a 229 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: big year for the Demorists. Their company had the biggest 230 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: year it would ever have on the books. They sold 231 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: three million patterns that year, but after that things leveled 232 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: off for them, even though they won several awards at 233 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: the expo. Conversely, Butterick saw growth. In eighteen eighty one, 234 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: Ebenezer Butterick founded the Butterick Publishing Company, an international iteration 235 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: of his already very busy business. Already between the two companies' 236 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: trajectories is sometimes attributed to the fact that the Demorists 237 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: didn't copyright their designs, so soon the same products were 238 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: available elsewhere whereas Butterick had his protected. But the market 239 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: had also had a lot of newcomers who saw the 240 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 1: success of the Demorists and Butterick brands and also wanted 241 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: to offer patterns to home soists. Another big factor that 242 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: differentiated the two was that the Demorists, in trying to 243 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: create an entire brand, had kind of over diversified. They 244 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: weren't associated just with patterns, Butterick was. Butterick's patterns also 245 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: offered more instructions than Demorists. But the big big thing 246 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: was that Butterick had started his own printing facility to 247 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: turn out patterns. He could do it fast, and he 248 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: could do it in large quantities. The Demorists and other 249 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: competitors on the market just didn't have that level of 250 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: ownership of the manufacturing and that hurt them. One of 251 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: the other competitors who started offering patterns as Butterick and 252 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: Demorist were showing that it was a very viable business 253 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 1: was James McCall. This one is a little bit frustrating 254 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: in terms of the history because information on McCall is 255 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 1: actually pretty sparse. We know he was a Scottish born 256 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: tailor who moved to New York from Glasgow in eighteen 257 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: sixty nine, and he worked in the sewing trade in 258 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: New York, first for a British company called Royal Chart 259 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 1: that sold a pattern drafting system, and then he worked 260 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: for a sewing machine company. When he went into the 261 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: pattern business for himself, he too had an accompanying periodical 262 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: that was called Catalog of the Bizarre Paper Patterns. He 263 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: was purposely trying to gain momentum by making people think 264 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: this might be an offering affiliated with Harper's Bizarre magazine, 265 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: which had grown popular as a fashion publication. By then 266 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 1: he next moved on to a new name, The Queen, 267 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: though it was subtitled once again with the word bizarre 268 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: as illustrating McCall's bizarre glove fitting patterns. He was, to 269 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: be clear, absolutely not the only person doing this. There 270 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,879 Speaker 1: were a lot of magazines and pattern catalogs with the 271 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,399 Speaker 1: word bizar somewhere in the title, trying to trade on 272 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: the Harper's Bizarre popularity. But then finally in eighteen ninety seven, 273 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: it just became McCall's magazine. We mentioned in the first 274 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 1: part of this episode that most of these patterns being 275 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: distributed were actually blocks or slopers. They didn't include a 276 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,679 Speaker 1: seam allowance. In nineteen nineteen, McCall's took the step to 277 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:42,440 Speaker 1: start printing all of the company's patterns with seam allowance included. 278 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,399 Speaker 1: The stitching line was denoted with a dotted line on 279 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 1: the pattern, and the cutting line was a solid line. 280 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 1: McCall died sometime at the end of the nineteenth century. 281 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: The details are a little unclear, and at that point 282 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 1: his wife, who was only named in accounts as Missus McCall, 283 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: ran the company until she sold it to a banking group. 284 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: Next up, was Vogue Patterns, which started in eighteen ninety nine. 285 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: Unlike other pattern companies who offered magazines to grow their 286 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:18,159 Speaker 1: names in businesses, Vogue Magazine predated the Pattern company that 287 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 1: started in eighteen ninety three, and the pattern branch of 288 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: Vogue's business began as a mail away service that was 289 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: part of Vogue Magazine. A mail in coupon was printed 290 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:30,879 Speaker 1: in the magazine that readers could fill out and mail 291 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: in along with fifty cents, and then they would get 292 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 1: a pattern back so that they could make one of 293 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: the latest fashions featured in that magazine. But in eighteen 294 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:43,199 Speaker 1: ninety nine, the Patterns became its own division, with a 295 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,479 Speaker 1: range of patterns available for direct order. The year that 296 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: Vogue Pattern Service launched, Ebenezer Butterick stepped away from his 297 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: work in the company that bore his name. His health 298 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: had declined, and he returned home to Stirling, Massachusetts to 299 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: live out the remaining years of his life. He died 300 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:04,240 Speaker 1: in March of nineteen oh three, but the company continued. 301 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: Vogue was purchased by Conde Nast that's the person, not 302 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: the company. The company is named after him in nineteen 303 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: oh nine, and five years after that. In nineteen fourteen, 304 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 1: the company sort of relaunched Vogue Patterns, this time as 305 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: a standalone business which was Vogue Pattern Company. Vogue Patterns 306 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: saw rapid success, and it was the first company that 307 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:32,560 Speaker 1: had widespread department store distribution. In the mail away version 308 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,360 Speaker 1: of the company. Vogue had been the first to license 309 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: designs from European designers, so women everywhere could make their 310 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 1: own versions of designer clothes using designer patterns, and this 311 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: is actually something that has continued through the current times. 312 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: Other pattern companies have done this, but Vogue has been 313 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:55,199 Speaker 1: associated with it throughout. We'll talk about a newcomer to 314 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: the pattern game after we hear from some of our sponsors. 315 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: The nineteen twenties were very busy for pattern companies. It 316 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: was in the nineteen twenties that pattern envelopes started getting 317 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: full color illustrations of the fashions that you could make 318 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: with the contents. This was another innovation that McCall's spearheaded, 319 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: but within a decade all pattern companies had adopted the practice. 320 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: As designer fashion became more and more prominent in the 321 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: Roaring twenties, McCall's embraced it by working with high profile 322 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 1: designers like Elsa Scaparelli and Jean Levan to create licensed patterns, 323 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: and the last of the Big Four, Simplicity Patterns, was 324 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: founded in nineteen twenty seven. Joseph M. Shapiro was born 325 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,680 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty eight in Borisov, Russia, and had moved 326 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: to the United States in nineteen twelve. He had a 327 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 1: number of jobs over the years, but he was working 328 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,639 Speaker 1: for a fashion trade magazine when he decided to launch 329 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,720 Speaker 1: the company based on his opinion that dress patterns cost 330 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,200 Speaker 1: too much. At the time, the cost of a sewing 331 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:12,440 Speaker 1: pattern ranged from forty five cents to two dollars. Simplicity 332 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: came into the market with a goal of aiming for 333 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: the business of lower income soists Simplicity patterns were only 334 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,880 Speaker 1: fifteen cents. This idea of making sewing as economical as 335 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,920 Speaker 1: possible would drive a lot of the company's initiatives after this, 336 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: Shapiro later told an interview quote, what's the tendency of 337 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: the American people in everything and architecture and eating and living. 338 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: I asked myself, it's simplicity. So I was pretty sure 339 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: cheap patterns would go. But I made one mistake. Ten 340 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: cents was too cheap. No one would believe they could 341 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: be any good at that price, so I raised it 342 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 1: to fifteen cents, and they began selling like hotcakes. Simplicity's 343 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,399 Speaker 1: timing entering into the market was fortuitous. When the Great 344 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: Depression hit in the United States, more people than ever 345 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: turned to swing their own clothing, and because Simplicity's price 346 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: point was the lowest, the popularity really soared. Joseph's wife, 347 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: Caroline Hutchins Shapiro, is super important to this story. She 348 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: was a home economist and she had a tremendous influence 349 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: on the company's offerings and ethics. Because she specialized in 350 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: home ech and Simplicity had been founded with the vision 351 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: to empower stitchers at all economic levels. She spearheaded a 352 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: new division of the company, the Education Department. This department 353 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: worked with the public school system to assist with home 354 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: economics curricula, and even had company reps who would travel 355 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: to visit schools regularly. This was great in terms of 356 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 1: helping educators, but it was also really savvy and that 357 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: it meant that the next generation of soists and thus 358 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: customers was always getting support from Simplicity. So if you're 359 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: one of those people who took homech in school and 360 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,439 Speaker 1: had a sewing project like an apron or a basic 361 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:01,879 Speaker 1: garment as well part of your school work. That is 362 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: thanks in part to the materials that the Simplicity Education 363 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 1: Department provided schools with in its early years, setting the 364 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 1: tone for home at curricula for decades. Caroline Shapiro stayed 365 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: with the company until the late nineteen sixties, when she 366 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: retired after working for Simplicity for more than thirty years. 367 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,400 Speaker 1: In the nineteen forties, Simplicity started offering patterns that had 368 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: been designed to use as little fabric as possible. There 369 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: were also tips included for using the fabric from existing 370 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,679 Speaker 1: garments to make something new. According to a stat on 371 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:39,120 Speaker 1: Simplicity's website, the war years were a boon for home 372 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 1: sewing as everybody was trying to economize. Before the start 373 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: of World War II, an estimated fifty percent of women 374 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: in the US sewed, but by the end of the 375 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: war it was more than eighty percent. Simplicity was not 376 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: the only patterned company to meet the country's economic challenges 377 00:23:55,680 --> 00:24:00,760 Speaker 1: with simpler designs that required less fabric. Vogue also shifted 378 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:04,679 Speaker 1: its design as slimmer silhouettes became more realistic for the 379 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:09,399 Speaker 1: finances of soists when the country's financial picture grew brighter 380 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,639 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifties, though, Vogue was quick to launch 381 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 1: new couture campaigns, including a line developed in collaboration with 382 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,879 Speaker 1: Christian Dior. Yeah, that's the point where you get that 383 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:23,480 Speaker 1: so called new look that he was coming up with, 384 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: which was like a very fitted, nipped in waiste with 385 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: a huge skirt that was very voluminous to create a 386 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: really sharp silhouette. And those skirts take a lot of 387 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: yardage to make that beauty. So they quickly shifted gears. 388 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,960 Speaker 1: But that ongoing effort to appeal to a wider audience 389 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: of economic levels really paid off for Simplicity. By the 390 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 1: late nineteen fifties, the company had offices around the world 391 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: and patterns were sold in five dozen countries. The company 392 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: built on that success in the early nineteen sixties by 393 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,280 Speaker 1: launching the Jiffy line of patterns, and this line was 394 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: designed to be approachable in every way. It was inexpensive, 395 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 1: relatively easy to sew, with few pieces to cut out, 396 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: and generally Jiffy patterns had low yardage requirements. With Simplicity's 397 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: star on the rise, Butterick made a move to stay 398 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: relevant in nineteen sixty one when it purchased the Vogue 399 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:24,360 Speaker 1: Patterns license. Vogue was and still is the pattern company 400 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:27,640 Speaker 1: most associated with high fashion designs, so this was an 401 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: interesting move for Butterick to make. It sent a message 402 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 1: that the company wasn't competing with simplicity, but was going 403 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: after different soists, that being the ones with more money. 404 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,840 Speaker 1: This was emphasized when the company launched pattern lines like 405 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: Vogue Paris Original, Vogue Designer Original, and Vogue Couturier Design 406 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 1: and its continued efforts to establish and maintain relationships with 407 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: fashion designers like Dan von Furstenberg, Donna Karen and Issimiaki. 408 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,879 Speaker 1: Another pattern company and he emerged in the nineteen sixties 409 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:05,520 Speaker 1: that was Quixo, which was launched by Kirsten Martinsen McMaster 410 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty seven. She was born in Sweden in 411 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty eight, and she had studied fashion and patterned 412 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: drafting in Europe before moving to the US when she 413 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:16,920 Speaker 1: was in her twenties. That was a move she made 414 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: for her job working for Viking Sewing Machines, and one 415 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,359 Speaker 1: of her jobs with Viking was designing patterns for a 416 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: newly growing sewing trend. Working with knit fabrics. She eventually 417 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 1: branched out on her own to create the So Knit 418 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 1: and Stretch Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then seven years 419 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,920 Speaker 1: after it launched, it became Quickso in nineteen seventy four. 420 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: Kirston was the driving force behind Quixo until her death 421 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: in two thousand and two. The company was purchased by 422 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: McCall's in twenty eleven and continued until twenty twenty one, 423 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 1: when McCall stopped producing all of the garment patterns under 424 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 1: the brand to focus just on crafts, and it has 425 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:59,640 Speaker 1: since been sunset completely. By the time Quickso had been 426 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: sun set, all of the Big four were part of 427 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: one company. In two thousand and one, Butterick and McCall's merged, 428 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 1: which meant that Vogue was also part of that deal. 429 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: This had been something of a survival necessity following the 430 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: sewing boom of the nineteen fifties and sixties. Things had 431 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 1: really dropped off as more and more women had entered 432 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,880 Speaker 1: the workforce, so there was just less sewing being done 433 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: in most US homes. Butterick was close to going out 434 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: of business when the McCall's merger happened at the time, 435 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: soists were kind of suspicious of the deal, with some 436 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: concern that there would be fewer choices in the designs 437 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,719 Speaker 1: available if there was no competition. But each company established 438 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,640 Speaker 1: and maintained its own clear brand. Then things happened pretty 439 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: quickly in twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen. First, in twenty sixteen, 440 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 1: CSS Industries, which was largely a gift wrap and holiday 441 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:58,960 Speaker 1: items brand, bought McCall Pattern Company for a reported fourteen 442 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: million dollars. The following year, CSS bought Simplicity Creative Group 443 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: for sixty four million dollars. It seems kind of like 444 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 1: a monopoly, but the Federal Trade Commission didn't think so. 445 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: CSS was then acquired by IG Design Group and twenty 446 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:19,479 Speaker 1: twenty for a reported eighty eight million dollars. Hey, you 447 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: know we started part one. It was because the Big 448 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: Four were being sold off from IG Design Group as 449 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 1: IG Design Group Americas to Hilco, a liquidation company. Well, 450 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: while I was working on this, DGA filed for Chapter 451 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: eleven relief. In a July third write up on the 452 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 1: filing that appeared in Business Wire, it was reported quote 453 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 1: the company intends to pursue a value maximization strategy by 454 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:47,200 Speaker 1: engaging with buyers who were interested in purchasing certain of 455 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 1: the company's business segments as a going concern, while concurrently 456 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:55,239 Speaker 1: winding down its domestically manufactured woven ribbon products business and 457 00:28:55,240 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: supporting assets. So this seems and it's all so neus 458 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: like it might be hinting that there could be some 459 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: entity at least in discussions about possibly purchasing the pattern 460 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: companies and keeping them going, but that is unclear and 461 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: the future remains very murky. I as I said before, 462 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 1: one percent expect for all of this to change in 463 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: the gap between when we record and when we publish. 464 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: If there's an actual development, maybe we'll do a pickup. 465 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:29,320 Speaker 1: We'll see what happens. Maybe. So one of the things 466 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: that's troubling for alsoists is that these pattern companies are 467 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: the only ones that print large scale tissue patterns. So 468 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: if they're completely shuttered, smaller pattern companies that ran print 469 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: jobs with them will no longer have any options. Yeah, 470 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: you know, I just want to say, if in the 471 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,240 Speaker 1: time between when we record this and when stuff comes 472 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 1: out or shortly thereafter or whenever, if you see articles 473 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: allege that all of the pattern companies mismanage their money 474 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 1: and made silly decisions. Uh, just like think about the 475 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 1: fact that they were acquired by private equity. Yeah. I 476 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 1: mean when businesses that you love go out of business 477 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 1: and you're like, man, what happened, and then you suddenly 478 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 1: read articles about how they sold too many lobster dinners 479 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:26,480 Speaker 1: or whatever. A lot of times that wasn't the problem, right, 480 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: And I mean we could talk more about this on 481 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: behind the scenes, but there is also that thing that 482 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:35,360 Speaker 1: happens in a lot of industries where some business interest 483 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: will have a surge in popularity and there will be 484 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:43,760 Speaker 1: a huge effort to move capital behind it to expand 485 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,680 Speaker 1: that part of your business. Yep, and then that business 486 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,600 Speaker 1: falls off and you're like, uh, oh, Spaghettios, that's not 487 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 1: really mismanaging money. I mean, there can be money mismanagement 488 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: in there, but it's also like moving to meet the 489 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:59,480 Speaker 1: needs of a market, and then when that market vanishes 490 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 1: or dis pates for whatever reason, Yeah, you have to 491 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: have an exit strategy. And sometimes, unfortunately, the exit strategy 492 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: is we gotta sell list we got a fold or yeah, 493 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: be acquired by someone. Yeah, do you have listener mail? 494 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 1: On a better note than any of that. Uh, I mean, 495 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:18,440 Speaker 1: I think it's on a better note. It's about Edwen 496 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: Howard Armstrong. Okay, great. This is from our listener, ed 497 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:23,560 Speaker 1: who writes high Holly and Tracy. I have to say 498 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: that I absolutely loved your podcast on Edwin Armstrong. I 499 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: have a BS and electrical engineering, and when I took 500 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: my first course in radio for my undergrad the instructor 501 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: described a super heterodine concept as the Armstrong superheterodine. I've 502 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 1: always wanted to know more about Armstrong, and now I 503 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,400 Speaker 1: have a great idea as to who Armstrong was. I'm 504 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 1: retired from engineering now I'm a veteran. Thank you for 505 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: your service, but I still love learning about the history 506 00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: of engineering. My graduate diploma is in aeronautical engineering, so 507 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 1: I'm waiting with baited breath to hear a story about 508 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,440 Speaker 1: a woman aeronautical engineer or three. For our other listeners, 509 00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:02,360 Speaker 1: Tracy sent a reply to ed with some suggestions of 510 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:05,000 Speaker 1: things that we've recorded. I got addicted to your show 511 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:07,240 Speaker 1: several years ago, and I love the detail that you 512 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: bring to each subject. I especially love your female focused episode. 513 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: I am the father of two daughters and even more wonderful. 514 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: I agree with your views on our current state of 515 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: political affairs. Please keep up the incredible work and know 516 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: that my two grown daughters and I love to listen 517 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 1: and discuss your shows and spread the word to anyone 518 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: who we feel would be interested in your show, which 519 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,480 Speaker 1: is damn near anyone. For now, I'm enclosing pictures of 520 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 1: my three fur daughters, who are grown but live with 521 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: their father, unlike their sisters on two legs. Take care 522 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: and thanks again. These cats are so cute. There is 523 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 1: a very very fluffy kind of buff with darker tone 524 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:52,080 Speaker 1: color elements that looks like she might be Sassafras. I 525 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,960 Speaker 1: love everything about it. That is Sydney, who is also 526 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 1: known as Bubbles after the Powerpuff Girls. It's always getting 527 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:03,760 Speaker 1: her sister's into trouble. Listen, I love the Powerpuff Girls. 528 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 1: You give me all the PPG references you want, because 529 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: I'm here for it. And then there is a beautiful 530 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,640 Speaker 1: black tuxedo kitty named Pepper who is the eldest and 531 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 1: the biggest troublemaker and instigator of all that is mischievous. 532 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: And then Sterling who is called Linky. She was Sterling 533 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:26,960 Speaker 1: Silver when she was born and apparently briefly resembled a 534 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 1: sausage link when she was filling out as a kitten, 535 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 1: which is how she got the name Linky Linky. I 536 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,040 Speaker 1: hope this isn't the case. Linky looks like one of 537 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:39,200 Speaker 1: those cats that is a little bit emo. She's a 538 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: little in her feelings. This is what it looks like 539 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: based on this phono, but she could also just be 540 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: having a moment of curious focus. Your babies are so beautiful, 541 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 1: ed thank you for sharing them with us, and I'm 542 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: so glad that our Edwin Howard Armstrong episode was enjoyable 543 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 1: for you. I always worry anytime I'm talking about someone 544 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: or something in a field that is not one I'm 545 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: super hype a knowledgeable about. Like I try to read 546 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,200 Speaker 1: as much as I can and get as much foundation 547 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:06,520 Speaker 1: under my feet before I start running, but I always 548 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: worry I'd miss something and someone in that field will 549 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:11,560 Speaker 1: be like you are a ding dong, which is possible, 550 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:15,279 Speaker 1: could always happen. If you would like to write to 551 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: us and share your kiddies or your opinions on whether 552 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:20,279 Speaker 1: or not I'm a ding dong answers, Yes, I'm good 553 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:22,719 Speaker 1: with it. You can do that at History podcast at 554 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio dot com. You can also subscribe to the show 555 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you listen to your 556 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:36,680 Speaker 1: favorite podcasts. Stuff you Missed in History Class is a 557 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the 558 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:44,640 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 559 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: favorite shows.