Patterns- Becoming Even Harder to Find For You?

[Former_Member]

Hello everyone! For the most part, I keep the patterns that I buy, since I love to sew. For about a year I had really good luck finding them at estate sales and thrift stores. Lately though it seems they've dried up, or when at an estate auction, go for more than they're worth. I went to an auction and the patterns, probably around 200 total, at least 60% of more being from the 70s, went for over $300! That is outrageous.

Are the patterns seemingly drying up where you live, or going for insane prices? Has anyone had any luck posting wanted ads on Craigslist for this sort of thing?

[Former_Member]

Rebecca, I have definitely noticed a price increase at estate sales, as well as some second hand stores here (AL). Especially for quality ones. You can find some patterns for small change... but they show the wear and tear, and missing elements. Everyone's a "Picker" now, I suppose. : )

[Former_Member]

Patterns are spotty in my area; generally I can pick up a fist full at most estate sales, generally paying $5 for a dozen or so to !10 a box for 40-50 patterns. The best sale was last week; the woman had tons of patterns and I bought 95 the first day for $15 and came back and bought the rest for $10 the second day. All together, I bought over 300 patterns for $25!!! Unfortunatly, theyu're boxed up coing through 'docntamination' & 'de-stink' from being stored in the basement all their lives :-)

[Former_Member]

Nicolette, that is awesome! Aside from needing to "de-stink." ; )

[SewCraftPatternShop]

Right now I mostly deal through people I've bought from in the past for big lot purchases. They contact me when they have something which is very nice. It's true that pattern values have skyrocketed. I'm in awe of what some lots sell for on eBay. But if you keep a constant eye out there are still values to be found online. You just have to be there to grab them.

[VintageNeedleFinds]

Hi everyone, I have started a list of sorts of shops in my area that I have found some really good deals in the past. It's almost like now you have to have a plan of attack, knowing when some of the shop owners hit the auctions and such, I am still a "lurker" when it comes to the auctions myself and I really need to work on that.

[CynicalGirl]

Most of the thrift shops in my area (central Iowa) toss them out. I have pleaded with them to save them but...administrative decisions. Auctions don't even offer them around here. "So what do you do with them?" is the question I am asked repeatedly. I keep an eye on ebay auctions hoping for bargains.

[Former_Member]

It breaks me heart to think of all the patterns that have been lost due to people, and thrift shops, tossing them out. A lot of older people also throw things out without realizing their value. A friend of my family recently told my grandmother that she wished she had kept all the patterns she threw out upon learning that I liked to sew. This lady is in her 80s, and many of the patterns had belonged to her mother! This is also the same lady who gave her entire Beatles record collection to a church yard sale drive though, lol.

[Former_Member]

There seems to be no patterns to be found in my area (except for a box I'm slowly working down in price at the flea market. but many are water damaged and most are from the 1970s). I have yet to find a single one at an estate sale or a yard sale. Goodwill has some occasionally but they ask $1 a piece for them!

[Former_Member]

A majority of my collection is from the 50s and 60s (more so the 60s) and I get my patterns for .25-2.00 a piece depending on how much old they are or how much I love them. One time I bought a trashbag full of 50s-70s patterns for $3 at a animal shelter garage sale :) I was so giddy over that. At that same sale I got a gray Christian Dior trench coat from the 70s for 5 bucks. BEST DAY EVER. My town's losing a lot of their inventory due to me buying out everything. :P lol

[Former_Member]

But it's the truth. People seriously underestimate the value of a cute retro pattern.

[Former_Member]

Have any of you tried sites like Craig's List and Freecycle to request patterns to buy or barter? have been finding more than enough for the time I have to put into them, but most are from the 50's to 70's. I don't even look at any of the newer ones.

It would be wonderful to find a bunch of great old early 50's back to the 20's some day.....I love the styles, but have not sewn anything in decades....

[SerendipityUnlimited]

I have been fortunate to get the majority of patterns from family members, but I also have searched area thrift stores, estate sales, craigslist, eBay, and vintage shops. Maybe we are trend setters...haha..I feel like everyone has jumped on the bandwagon more recently though. I have been sewing/working with old patterns for awhile and in the past year or so feel like I've really haven't been able to find patterns like I used to. So frustrating, but it's good to know I'm not the only one.

[Abbysfabric]

I find 95% of my patterns at estate sales. I have found that if the sale has a lot of "high end" items, I can get them inexpensively. Patterns are still fairly plentiful in my area, for now. I usually run up on some good patterns at a sale every month or two. Just bought a bunch of old Vogue that I'm in the process of listing. I have noticed that some estate sales have "caught on" to the value of these old patterns and price them fairly high.

[Former_Member]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one struggling to find good vintage patterns. About a year ago I stumbled on to some great patterns at a local thrift store. I cleaned them out but since then it's been hit or miss. I miss those days.....

[Former_Member]

I feel you. My thrift store sells sewing patterns but they are in a bin and usually covered with clothing and junk. I never can seem to find patterns in decent condition in my area.

[Former_Member]

This whole summer has been terrible for me in terms of finding patterns. I found two large boxes of 80s patterns at an auction for $5, thinking the Vogue's might be worthwhile to sell. After going through no less than 30 patterns, I chucked the whole box, as none of the patterns were complete! Lots of the patterns had 5 or more pieces missing from them.

I stopped by a Goodwill "warehouse" where items are sold by the pound. I was able to salvage a few patterns, but since they are thrown in bins with shoes and other heavy and hard objects, all the covers were torn, and these were 50's patterns. I'm not sure why the goodwill is sending them into the bins with stuff that needs to hit the dumpster instead of selling them in the regular stores. Makes me sad to see neglected patterns,lol.

[CatnipHill]

Back about 10 years ago I was finding boxes of patterns for $2 at little antique/junk stores. Haven't seen deals like that for a long time. I've made a lot of money on that $2 purchase!

[Former_Member]

The other day I went to a thrift store that had some patterns. Most of the patterns were from the 80s or so, and they wanted 8-10 apiece for them. They said that they could sell them on Ebay for that price and more since their "vintage". I have nothing against the 80s, but really.... I can get patterns from the 50s-60s for .50 each.

[PattysPastTimes]

Guess if someone tried to sell me an 80s pattern for $8. - $10 each I would I would just tell her to go for it.

The last 2 times that I've run across any patterns they were all 70s and 80s. It seems like I'm not finding any 40, very few 50s and early 60s anymore.

Kinda sad because I love the 40s and 50s ones the most.

[Former_Member]

I think I may have another theory for why patterns are becoming so hard to find in the thrifts. A new thrift store opened up about 2 months ago in my area, so I've stopped by a few times. I asked the man working yesterday if they ever get any sewing patterns in. To my shock and horror, he tells me they do get lots of patterns in, but he throws them away since no one wants to dress like that anymore!!! I nearly passed out. I begged him to start saving the patterns for me to go through and he said he would, but I guess only time will tell if he actually does. Patterns being thrown out breaks me heart!

[PaulasSewNice]

One of the thrift stores where I live also throws them away!--they have twice that I have been in there had a couple for sale and they had them priced at $3.99--they of course do not check the completeness of them and don't care that if there are pieces missing your $3,99 is down the drain!

[Rosie247]

Went to a local store the other day where they used to sell bundles of patterns. The manager happened to be there that day and I asked him why they don't sell them anymore. He said it was because people kept breaking open the bundles and sometimes even taking the pieces out of the envelopes and that they end up on the floor all over the store so they started throwing them in the garbage since that's where most of them ended up anyway. He took my number and said he would call if more came in, we'll see how that turns out.

[BRICABRACGARDEN]

i HAD NO IDEA THAT THRIFT SHOPS THREW AWAY PATTERNS!!!! I am going to go ti my goodwill and see if they do that. That is outrageous. I buy newer vogue for my shop and just purchased 600 at my fabric store that went out of business. I am busy listing these new ones but love love the oldies. I have a few listed but they are scarce.

[sandritocat]

I've been doing this for years and yes I've been told over and over of how the patterns get thrown away and even though you ask them not too they still will get thrown away. I've been to estate sales where they were wrapping the glasswear with the pattern pieces!!!!