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I was just reading though Beadle's dime guide to dress making and I came accross the section where it talked about pattern drafting. I was wondering if anyone else has come across anything else that mentions the "Excelsior Dress Model"? I've found several things about Mrs. Demorest online but nothing about the drafting system.
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Maggie Halberg
Milwaukee, WI -
Re: Excelsior Dress Model
Hi Maggie, old friend!
The Library of Congress has the "Excelsior mathematical scale for dress cutting: adapted to all sizes and figures, and also for basque waists and boy's coats: being the only scale in America by which basque waists can be drafted, with plain instructions" by Elizur Price Minier (1856). It is the only library that has it (as far as I know).
Aside from that one, I know of no other "Excelsior" drafting systems. Unfortunately, most of these old drafting systems never came into being until the '70's and '80's or later. Even the later ones are almost impossible to find. If you're interested in more systems, we had a huge list of them when I took the theatre drafting class at Madison -- give them a call, they might still have that list. One of our assignments actually involved taking a big chunk of the list and requesting those from the library system. I should have done some stats on the actual return rate (the systems that 1) were actually in a library somewhere and 2) a library would actually be willing to lend them out via interlibrary loan).
I think it was probably about this....maybe 5% were actually in existence, and
1% we could actually get our hands on! Yikes. Too bad.
Take care,
Katie -
Re: Excelsior Dress Model
Hi Maggie (again),
I found another book:
"The excelsior, or simplified delineator; being an original and complete system for draughting, balancing and cutting pantaloons" by George V Callendine (1851). This appears to be just for pants. The Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Ohio has it -- the only library that has it, I believe.
KatieComment
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