Abstracts
Abstract
When restrictions and rationing took effect during the Second World War, home sewing became a necessity for many women. This paper presents and discusses the distribution of paper patterns for home sewing in Sweden during the war years, using the examples of three different pattern magazines. It shows how these magazines conveyed, interpreted, and adapted fashion to home sewers. Despite the fact that such periodicals were bestsellers, they have attracted limited scholarly attention both in media history and in the history of reading. This paper highlights the role of print culture in women’s homemade clothes manufacturing and thus contributes to an often‑neglected part of women’s history.
Keywords:
- Pattern magazines,
- women’s magazines,
- home sewing,
- dressmaking patterns,
- World War Two
Résumé
Lorsque les restrictions et le rationnement sont entrés en vigueur pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, beaucoup de femmes se sont vues obligées de se mettre à la couture. Cet article porte sur la distribution de patrons de papier pour la couture à domicile en Suède pendant la guerre, en prenant pour exemples trois magazines de patrons. Ceux-ci véhiculaient la mode, l’interprétaient et l’adaptaient aux couturières amatrices. Bien que ces publications aient connu énormément de succès, elles ont peu attiré l’attention des chercheurs, que ce soit en histoire des médias ou en histoire de la lecture. L’article illustre le rôle de la culture de l’imprimé dans la confection de vêtements par les femmes et contribue ainsi à valoriser un pan souvent négligé de l’histoire des femmes.
Mots-clés :
- Magazines de patrons,
- magazines féminins,
- couture à la maison,
- patrons de couture,
- Seconde Guerre mondiale
Appendices
Bibliography
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