Vintage Patterns Dazespast

Vintage Patterns Dazespast

Vintage Patterns Dazespast

Hi, and welcome to my blog Vintage Patterns Dazespast.

So who am I? About Vintage Patterns Dazespast. Well, it’s a long story, but my name is Ruby. I’ve come from city to country, been overseas, and now operate online businesses selling vintage crochet, knitting, sewing, and needlecraft patterns. One continuing thread throughout my life is my love of vintage and fiber–and all things handmade.

I have a few online properties. There’s my eBay store, www.dazespast.com, along with the digital store, www. vintagepatternsdazespast and, www. freevintagepatternsdazespast. Ruby’s Fashion Doll World will be added later this year.

I’m also a certified eBay Trainer and an Internet Marketing Professional doing businesses as Marketing Your Product for Profit.

Where to Find me online?

You will find Facebook pages for Vintage Patterns Dazespast, Free Vintage Patterns Dazespast, Ruby’s Fashion Doll World, Marketing Your Product for Profit, and Adirondack Farm to Market with Twitter, Linked In, and Pinterest profiles.

Finishing the story will explain the why and the how of these ventures. You see, I have always loved working with fiber. I’ve been sewing off and on now for over 40 years. My other passions include crocheting, photography, gardening, fashion dolls, and all things handmade.

So, you’ll probably ask, how did I get into the collectible needlework pattern and book business? It all began with a doily. I started collecting vintage patterns back in the mid-’90s, all because I could not find a ruffled doily like my mother made when I was a girl.

As an avid shopper of garage sales, second-hand stores, antique shops, and flea markets, I’m usually not looking for anything in particular but am lucky at finding all sorts of goodies. One day I went looking for ruffled doilies. I found all sorts of doilies, but they were all flat. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. All those doilies and I couldn’t find anything that I wanted.

We lived in the city back then but were fortunate to have a computer connected to the Internet, so I decided to surf the web for ruffled doilies. I found a grand total of four websites. The name was different back then, but one was what we now know as About.com. The others were Yesteryear’s Vintage Patterns, which sold copies of old pattern books; Soft Memories, which today still offers vintage crochet pattern membership packages; and Crochet Memories offers e-patterns.

At the time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted a membership, so About.com provided me with the perfect pattern – Waterfall Double Ruffle Doily, 1949 Spool Cotton Company – which, by the way, I’ve made six times over the years. In fact, I like that book so much, I’ve made every doily in it.

I’ve crocheted as long as I’ve been sewing but made mostly wearable pieces. After making that doily, I was bitten by the thread crochet bug. That doily starched-up beautifully. Here are a couple of pictures of my very first ruffled doily.

So why did I begin collecting?

I decided to sign up for memberships with Crochet Memories and Soft Memories. At that time, your membership allowed for unlimited download to the database of your choice. My job required me to travel to Europe, South American, Mexico, and around the automotive belt in the Mid-West, so I had lots of travel time to crochet.

Before I would leave home, I would download all the patterns I liked. Well, I must have downloaded too many, and the site owner canceled my membership, probably thinking that I might be trying to sell the patterns. Truly, that thought had never crossed my mind.

As I downloaded the individual patterns, I became fascinated by the intricate fine lace pattern detail and wanted to look through the real pattern book. I never liked copies anyway, although they served my purpose at the time.

The Internet allowed me to replace my loose pattern pages with real pattern books. By the time I returned from Europe in 2003, I had 64 4-inch binders filled with collections of pattern books. Amazing! They were delightfully full with patterns from Spool Cotton Company, Canadian Spool Cotton Company and Coats and Clark, Lily Mills, American Thread Company, Royal Society, Dritz, DMC, Priscilla, Corticelli – and that are just the crochet books.

I would find Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French crochet magazines and books using the International Crochet symbols at the markets. Lang is one of my favorites, and now select yarn supplies online carry their pattern books. Here’s one of my favorites.

Hakeln Perfekt
Hakeln Perfekt

I spent three years in Europe; the markets were a treasure trove of crochet books, handwork like I had never seen. So, in addition to those 64 binders, I also came home with four steam trunks full of all kinds of needlework and fine crochet threads in every color imaginable and then some. Take a look. Here are a few more pictures of my crochet work.

Remember, I did tell you that this was a long story. Now I’m back in the USA, pushed into retirement, and wanting to continue my career in the technology sector working with small businesses. I wanted project work, not an actual 9 to 5 job, and I wanted to move out of the city; move to a rural area with water and the woods. I just wanted to slow down. I’m happy to say I did it!

I have a son in the Army who was in Iraq during my stay overseas, and I got to see my grandson born, which, by the way, was a wonderful experience. Here’s a picture of Caleb and his Daddy (my son) after Iraq.

Melvin | Caleb
Father and Son after Iraq
My journey gets even better. It’s time for a break, and it’s time to add some inventory to the stores and pops in on Free Vintage Patterns Dazespast, Vintage Dazespast Patterns, and Ruby‘s Fashion Doll World on Facebook. Check out Ruby Sprowls Daily. We will continue this story another day.

11 Comments

  • Helaine hurston

    Do you know where I can get the frame for those macrame tables vintage. I can not find them any where. I have the patterns but can not find the metal frames

    • vintagepatternsdazespast

      Helaine, thank you for your question–I too have looked for the wire frames, other than circles and purse frames, I haven’t found any and had to make mine. If I find a source I will add it to the site, I would appreciate the same.

  • MailainLove

    Hi ruby, so happy you followed me. IT’s great to discover new blogs this way. there are so many out there that you just can’t get too through search engines! Thanks and i look forward to reading your next posts 🙂

  • B & the Moon

    Firstly, thank you for following my, what I call, newborn blog (it is but a few weeks old)…I hope you will enjoy watching it grow (hopefully) big and strong! Love your blog, although unfortunately i now have several projects added my already burgeoning to do list! A good way to work through some of the stash though I suppose…

  • Uncle Spike

    So Ruby, you decided to join the small clan of Uncle Spike followers, sometimes known as The Spikey’s….

    I really appreciate you wanting to become a new follower, after all, there are many many interesting and entertaining blogs out there.

    Anyway, I hope you like my upcoming posts and if you get bored one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too.I have added plenty of categories now to help readers. If you have any likes, dislikes or suggestions about my blog, by all means let me know, either through ‘comments’ or via email. Always welcome reader input 🙂

    Thanks again for your vote of confidence, and hope you have a great old day…

    UNCLE SPIKE
    uncle.spikes.adventures1@gmail.com

    • vintagepatternsdazespast

      You have a gift that I do not, the ability to small talk and make it interesting and the gift of humor. Any successful blog needs a bit of off topic spice and humor, it’s always welcomed. I also like the fact that you’re well traveled and there’s a lot to share about that — I’m always interested in and hope my followers are interested in far away destinations and why it’s important to move beyond the tourist tracks.. You’ve been to Asia, I haven’t yet. I still need to make it to Alaska and Hawaii, but I made it to Africa, Europe, South America. My bucket list includes north Africa, Russia, China just to name a few–I was telling my husband the other day–that I want to see China by cruising along the Yangtze River, maybe dive and see some of the treasures that are now underwater. The big 60 is tapping at my window — I’m taking all in with stride with grace and patience.

      Peace Ruby

  • Catherine McLean

    I was on Pinterest this afternoon and saw MCCALLS 2255 UNCUT– I still have this pattern and I used it as a kid for my “princess doll.” Considering how the major pattern manufacturers only have patterns for the modern dolls, it was wonderful finding your site Ruby, and I’m following you! FYI: I have been sewing clothes for over 50 years and only recently got back to sewing doll clothes–and I am now using the McCalls 2255 pattern for Darq, the 18.5″ Indian doll that has became an avatar for my novel JEWELS OF THE SKY.

    • Ruby Sprowls

      Catherine, I sincerely apologize even at this late date–I see that I never responded to your comment. I’m not sure how I missed it. Welcome and please accept my apology. Enjoy!

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