Butterick Sewing Patterns

History of Butterick Sewing Patterns

Nearly everyone who sews knows the name Butterick as a frontrunner in classic home sewing patterns. Very few people, however, know how the company got its start. Prior to Ellen Butterick sharing her idea of a pre-sized pattern with her tailor husband, Ebenezer, all sewing patterns came in one size that required the user to adjust each pattern’s measurements to fit the individual the for whom the garment was being made.

It was Ebenezer Butterick who turned his wife’s request into a reality. The first graded Butterick patterns for men’s and boys’ clothes were published in 1863. One might think it odd that patterns for women’s and girls’ clothes were not first to be offered, but when one considers the fact that Ebenezer was a tailor, and that Ellen was making clothes for their son, it makes perfect sense that patterns for men and boys would be the focus of the Butterick Sterling, Massachusetts, household.

The Butterick decision to focus on men’s and boys’ clothes was given even more emphasis because of an Italian military hero named Garibaldi. His heroic feats inspired young boys of the day to dress like him. Therefore, patterns for the Garibaldi suit became a hot item for the blossoming Butterick Pattern Company. At first the patterns were cut and folded by Butterick family members. Eventually, the enterprise moved to a larger house in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and in New York just one short year later.

Three years after making the first graded pattern, the Butterick Company began offering clothing patterns for women. Until then, women were relegated to taking apart old dresses, blouses and skirts and using the pieces as patterns.

With the advent of the graded Butterick pattern, every day women were able to finally enjoy the pleasures of making and wearing fashionable clothes for themselves – a luxury that had up to that point be reserved for the well to do.

Who Uses Butterick Sewing Patterns

Butterick remains true to its origins by producing sewing patterns for men, boys, women, teens, children, toddlers and infants. Butterick sewing patterns are generally classic in style… the kind of clothes that are not only comfortable, but clothes that can carry the wearer from one trend to another without appearing to be out of date.

This is especially important when considering coats, suits and jackets. We have one Butterick coat pattern that we have used four times. We used it to make one rain coat, one wool coat and altered the pattern just a little to make a couple of jackets – one casual and one to accompany a skirt to make a one-of-a-kind dress suit. Butterick sewing patterns are designed with the intermediate and advanced home sewer in mind, but can be used by less experienced sewers who have mastered basic sewing skills and vocabulary.

Clearly written instruction sheets are included with each Butterick sewing pattern. Most novice home sewers will be able to follow those instructions with little or no problem. We do, however, recommend that Butterick sewing patterns not be used by children.

We also caution beginners to attempt their first few Butterick patterns only with the assistance of an experienced home sewer by their side. Nothing is more frustrating than to purchase an expensive piece of fabric and then be so overwhelmed by a pattern that they are never able to complete the garment they were so enthusiastic about when they started the project. Sewists are now moving to sewing patterns from indie developers such as Winslet’s Patterns and Ellie & Mac.

Where are Butterick Sewing Patterns Sold?

Nearly all fabric stores have at least one or two Butterick pattern catalogs for shoppers to look over. Home sewers who have not looked at Butterick sewing patterns lately will be pleased to discover offerings from designers like Connie Crawford, Maggie London, Muse and Suzi Chin.

When shopping for patterns in a traditional fabric store is neither practical nor convenient, the internet is an option. No matter what time of day or night you choose to shop for sewing patterns, you can visit butterick and shop to your heart’s delight. Do not be confused by the URL.

The business of sewing patterns is not immune to the same changes as other industries. In other words, mergers and acquisitions are a big part of the sewing pattern business. Vogue Patterns had been owned by Conde Nast publishing for many decades, but was acquired by Butterick in 1961. Fifty years later, McCall’s Pattern Company purchased both Butterick and Vogue.

Today, McCall’s owns and distributes patterns under four different brand names – McCall’s, where home sewers can get patterns for the latest trend-setting, fashion forward styles; Butterick, for the classic time-tested fashions; Vogue, for the haute couture styles that Vogue has always been famous for; and Kwik Sew, stylish clothes for the beginner as well as the advanced home sewer who is constantly on the go and so busy they need to be able to create fabulous clothes as quickly as possible.

Popular Picks from Butterick Sewing Patterns

Women’s dresses

• Party dresses

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6318E50 Misses’ Tie-Waist Dress

Butterick sewing pattern 4435 occasion dress

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B4790 Misses’ Wrap Dress

• V-Neck dresses

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6317 Misses’ Pullover V-Neck Dresses

Butterick B6657A5 Easy Women’s V-Neck and Keyhole Dress Sewing Patterns

• Blouses

Butterick B6684A5 Easy Women’s Pullover Blouse Sewing Patterns

BUTTERICK B6687Z Easy Women’s Ruffle Sleeve Blouse Sewing Patterns

• Coats and Jackets

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6328 Misses’ Open-Front Jackets

Butterick Patterns Misses’ Petite Asymmetrical Front and Collar Variations Jacket and Coat

Butterick Patterns B6385 E5 Misses’ Funnel-Neck, Peter Pan or Pointed Collar Coats

• Cape and Seam

Butterick Patterns B4377 Floor-Length Cape and Princess Seam Dress Sewing Pattern

Butterick B6603 / BP344 Misses Cape Sewing Pattern

• Knee, Ankle, and Shin Length Dresses

Butterick Patterns Women’s Knee Ankle Length Pleater Dress Sewing Patterns

Butterick B6586E5 Easy Women’s Close-Fitting Knee, Ankle, and Shin Length Dress Sewing Patterns

Butterick B6678A5 Easy Women’s Unlined Shin and Knee Length Dress Sewing Patterns

• Renaissance and Victorian Costumes

Butterick Women’s Victorian Shirt and Skirt Costume Sewing Pattern

Butterick B5265 Women’s Pilgrim Historical Costume Sewing Pattern

Butterick B4571 Women’s Medieval Dress Renaissance Fair Costume Sewing Pattern

• Vintage dresses

Butterick B6682E5 Women’s Vintage Dress and Jacket Sewing Patterns

BUTTERICK B6266A50 Women’s 1950’s Vintage Dress Sewing Pattern

• Shirts and Pants

Butterick B6690MIS Women’s Hip Length Raglan Sleeve Shirt Sewing Pattern

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6327 Misses’ Tapered Pants

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6294 Misses’ Tunic & Pants

• Aprons

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B5474 Aprons

Men’s dresses

• Historical Costumes

BUTTERICK B3072320 Revolutionary War Historical Men’s Costume Sewing Pattern

Butterick Patterns Men’s Historical Costume Jacket Sewing Pattern

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6844 Men’s Robe

Butterick Men’s Historical Early 20th Century Coat and Vest Sewing Pattern

Generic Men/Women/Children dresses

Butterick Patterns B5963 Misses’ Robe, Top, Gown, Pants and Bag Sewing Templates

Butterick Patterns Misses’/Men’s Coat, Tunic and Pants Sewing Pattern

Butterick Patterns Misses’/Men’s/Childrens’/Boys’/Girls, Tunic, Shorts and Pants Tops

Children’s dresses

• Boys/Girls Shirts, Tops, Shorts, and Pants

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B4176 Children’s/Girls’ Top, Dress, Shorts and Pants

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B3475 Boy’s Shirt & Shorts

• Girls Dresses

Butterick Girls Sewing Pattern Jacket Dress

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B3351 Children’s/Girls’ Jacket & Dress

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B6046 Children’s/Girls’ Shrug and Dress Sewing Template

• Robe and Collar

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B4542 Children’s/Boys’ / Girls’ Robe and Collar

Infants dresses

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B5017 Infants’ Top, Dress, Panties, Shorts, Pants and Hat

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B5624 Infants’ Dress, Jumper, Romper, Jumpsuit, Panties, Hat and Bag

BUTTERICK PATTERNS B5625 Infants’ Romper, Jumper, Panties and Hat

Butterick Patterns Toddler Girl’s Underwear, Romper, and Dress Sewing Patterns

Conclusion

In spite of sometimes rapidly changing fashion trends and the public’s often fickle clothing tastes, classic Butterick patterns have remained a mainstay in sewing rooms around the world.

Butterick sewing patterns are among the most user-friendly patterns on the market and have been dependable, reliable, accurate and available for nearly 150 years.

With that kind of longevity and track record, home sewers can be assured that the same reliability and dependability that they have come to expect from Butterick sewing patterns will remain the same for many, many years to come.

Home sewers the world over owe a debt of gratitude to Butterick sewing patterns. Just think, had it not been for Ellen’s inquiry and the forward thinking of Ebenezer Butterick, women might still be ripping old clothes apart in order to make new ones. On the flipside, there were precious few patterns for men or boys when I conducted a recent search of Butterick patterns.

The only patterns available for men were a couple of costumes, sleepwear, clerical robes, surgical scrubs and two extremely casual unisex set with a long sleeve top and pull on pants that are marketed as parts of matched sets for the entire family.

The new crop of Butterick sewing patterns appears to focus almost exclusively on women and girls. I couldn’t help but notice that home décor patters were not represented at all among the newly released Butterick offerings.

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