Vinatge Children's Patterns

 Lately I have been so inspired by vintage children wear designs.both modern takes on retro styles like Oliver +S,  and actual vintage pattern designs. I've spent the last two nights shopping for them and purchased several. I am counting the seconds until those weathered envelopes holding fabulous little designs arrive!
 I have discovered several fantastic sources for vintage patterns. The first of course is Etsy, THE place for all things vintage. Three of my favorite Etsy sellers for these gems are Sew Much For You, SewUniqueClassique, and Vintage Vice.
 I also found a couple of website that carried a great selection of children's. Among them isVintage Stitching. So far this is the best site I've found for selection and price. I found a couple of other sites (so vintage patterns,Betsy Vintage.) that have a great selection but the prices are Waaaaay higher than etsy and Vintge Stitching, by $20+! HERE is a link for a list of vintage pattern vendors.
  In all my research I've learned a few things. First off is that you will be hard pressed to find unused, or uncut patterns and if you do the price is high! This doesn't bother me personally, I enjoy imagining who that person was and who she was sewing for. I find myself wondering if they were a mom like me and if she too loved that  sense of pride that comes from creating one of a kind clothes for your child.  Something else I discovered is that many of the patterns most from pre-80's are not multi-sized which is kind of  bummer! I also learned that sizes are MUCH different now and that MEASURING your child is KEY!!! I actually learned this years ago when one of my favorite things to do was scour consignment and resale shops for vintage designer and couture pieces. Oh just imagine my horror to be looking for a vintage size 10(!!!!) when I wore a 4/6. Here is the size chart from the dress I chose for my younger daughter.

  

  It seems there were only a few pattern manufacturers that offered designs for children, the vast majority were made by Mc Call's and Simplicity. After looking at hundreds of patterns I got a feel for where my taste lies and most of my favorites were designs from the 1960's. I did like many from the 1950's however with their very full skirts and fitted tailoring they seem a little "period piece" to me and more difficult to make modern. My favorite children's wear designer of the time is Helen Lee and Mc Call's produced patterns of some of her designs. Here are a few of my top picks from Helen Lee

Her coats are simply incredible! I just love how these designs are absolutely timeless, they transcend time and fads and are just as stylish today as they were then. With just the right fabric you can make a modern classic that is all yours.

 So maybe you are wondering what patterns I chose for my very first "modern vintage" project?  I Chose two actually, one for each of my girls. For N(my 5 yr old) I chose This 1967 Mc Call's jumper with an inverted pleat fromThe Vintage Taurus on Etsy.

And for my two yr old I selected this adorable little a-line dress from Simplicity bought fromKimtedrow on Etsy.. THIS is my most favorite of the patterns I purchased, it is beyond cute. I will be making the red dress view.

So now my goal is to pick the perfect fabrics to bring these stylish pieces to the present. I'm thinking that N's jumper would look great in a print, possibly  plaid, wool maybe? For B's I had velveteen in mind. What do you think, any ideas for me?