Orphaned patterns can be useful to someone else.

You know how it is. You take a risk on a pattern (or a huge grouping) and you cant wait to make up that one pattern that enticed you to get the bunch to begin with. Yet when it arrives, you are saddened to discover that the one pattern you wanted only has 4 of 1 pieces. Makes you want to talk to that original seamstress and shake her for not organizing her patterns better.

Under normal circumstances of a missing cuff or even sleeve, you could make it work. I have a whole slew of ELPs (extra love patterns) in my etsy store in just that condition. Maybe if a back of the blouse is gone you could use one from another pattern. It doesn't seem *too* bad, right? What if that pattern is like I described earlier, missing a majority of its pieces> Its useless to you. To you it is, but perhaps not to someone else.

Im still surprised that a lot of people still dont know about Pattern Rescue.

You can get pattern pieces from, or donate to their collective and help someone else out. The site looks great! And its based on a point system, so the longer you do it, the greater your credibility.

I find this a lovely alternative to orphaned vintage patterns. Far better than making them into a bag *yuck*. Im getting together a rather hefty donation of incomplete 30s and 40s patterns and will be mailing it off shortly.

Here are some patterns/instructions/envelopes that are going.

I find a lot of children's patterns missing many pieces. Too bad too, the first one is 30s, the other is 50s.

That first one above I got as a mistake. I thought the pattern was in it, but the listing didn't say that is was envelope only in the title, but the description. Crap. The second was from a lot.

Below are a few that are printed and only sections are in tact. So so strange.

Then there are just the slew of pieces. I think most are sleeves and back of shirts.

And last but not least, instructions! Oh, oh oh! How I wish that 5945 pattern were present! *sigh*