The New Encyclopedia of Modern Sewing

This is what I was hoping to find at Books of Yesterday - it's a sewing reference from 1943.  I'm hoping that it would be useful when sewing from vintage patterns.

The book has some nice basic patterns for clothing and home decor - the decor is a little frilly (well, a lot frilly), but the clothing patterns are good.  There's a great pattern for a basic dirndl that I can't wait to use, as well as some cute, basic apron patterns.

I'm most excited for the "Flossy Touches" chapter, which contains a reference for basic embroidery stitches, as well as some cute ways to combine these stitches.

Also, it has instructions for applique and some sweet, very 40s floral applique templates, as well as monogram templates for all your handkerchiefs, pajamas, and linens.

I think the illustration style from the 40s is so cute, but the way everything has a face is a little funny to me.  A few examples:

And finally, a bit of pre-feminist imagry:

She's an angel, you see, because she made the table cloth, napkins, and the meal.

I've posted more pictures from this book on Flickr, so have a look!