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Restoring and preserving vintage sewing patterns


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Donate (and Pattern Points)  Print our Packing List form    Donate Pin Money


vintage kimono pattern   Donations support this entire site. Every sewing pattern you'll find here has been donated; operating and shipping expenses are paid from cash donations to the Pin Money fund; and all the work is done by three unpaid pattern lovers.

Your pattern donations are catalogued, restored if necessary and possible, and then sent off to people who will appreciate them. Damaged and incomplete patterns are stored and available for replacement parts to anyone who needs them. We never thrown away any patterns!

Stopped sewing? Inherited sewing patterns from a loved one? Clearing house for someone going into a nursing home? We are delighted -- and honored -- to have entire pattern collections. And for the benefit of our members (who really do care), consider an entry on the Tributes page and/or a note included in each pattern when it goes to a new owner. Please see our Packing List form for details.

Pattern Rescue members earn Pattern Points for donations and can redeem those points for collectible and vintage sewing patterns in the Trade area. Learn how it works below:


  We know you have them! An empty envelope. A bodice piece found in an entirely different dress pattern. A darling layette pattern that turned out to be missing half its pieces. Some tattered apron patterns you don't even like but were part of a box lot. Maybe even a complete set of pattern pieces with no envelope or instructions. And then there are those patterns you bought before you acquired your current impeccable fashion sense...

Tucked away in a corner of your sewing room there's a stash of patterns and stray pieces that you're never going to use. On the other hand, you hate to just throw them away. So dust them off and send them on to Pattern Rescue. We'll make sure they get passed on to someone who will use them.

What kind of patterns do you accept?

If it's a pattern, we'll take it. It doesn't matter whether it's unused or badly damaged -- or whether it's 5 years old or 50. A few people have even tossed in some fashion magazines and cross stitch booklets. We love all things related to sewing and needlework and we're willing to take and pass on just about anything.

What do you do with them?

Patch them up and give them away to people who really want them. If the pattern is missing something critical, the pieces are available to anyone with another incomplete pattern. If it's complete or only missing a minor piece, it's listed in the Recycle or Trade areas. Unidentifiable stray tissue pieces are used to reproduce small pattern pieces. If the Pin Money fund runs dry, we may sell a pattern or two so we can keep shipping. But nothing gets thrown away.

Where do I send them?

Please print and use the Packing List Form to ship us your patterns, especially if you want Pattern Points for your donation.

Is there a limit to how many I can send at one time?

No. The more, the merrier!

Will you pay for the shipping?

Sometimes. If there's enough extra cash in the Pin Money fund, we'll reimburse postage for non-members who request it. (We keep track of the shipping amount and send out checks as we can -- but expect it to take a while.) Members are not eligible for shipping reimbursement -- but you do earn Pattern Points.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

No, it's not. Pattern Rescue is not intended to make a profit, but that's not enough to get tax-deductible status from the IRS.

Are there other places to donate patterns?

For incomplete patterns, we're it. If you're looking for local donation possibilities, theater groups often want old sewing patterns to create costumes. Your local thrift shop may welcome patterns, but check with the manager first. Some thrift shops just throw them away.

Personally, we'd rather have patterns. But the post office, our web hosting service, and those pesky office supply stores all insist on being paid with legal tender....

Your contribution to the Pin Money fund gives us a way to pay Pattern Rescue's necessary operating expenses. It gets you one Pattern Point for each dollar you donate -- and you can trade those points for more patterns.

Make a donation:

  • After you receive patterns we've sent you. The funds to ship them came from our Pin Money. If you don't put it back, who will?

  • If you want one of the patterns in the Trade area, but you don't have any patterns of your own to donate.

  • As a "thank you" for a replacement pattern piece or successful Wanted to Buy post.

  • Just because you think Pattern Rescue is a great idea and you'd like to see it keep going for a long time to come.

You can donate online using the form below (or the one on our Home page).

Enter the amount you want to donate, then click the yellow button. All our online donations are processed through PayPal's secure server (but you do not need a PayPal account).


Amount:
 

Thank you for supporting Pattern Rescue!


Pattern Points

  Pattern Points are a bonus for folks who actively help Pattern Rescue restore and preserve vintage sewing patterns. You get Pattern Points for donating patterns or contributing to the Pin Money fund, for some links to the site, and for supplying select replacement pattern pieces. Pattern Points can be exchanged for collectible vintage sewing patterns in the Trade area -- and they give you priority for the free vintage sewing patterns in the Recycle area.


  How many points do I get -- and for what?

The table below is a general guide to our Pattern Point policies, and the items in red are new or changed for 2009:

Donation typePattern points
General pin money fund donations1 point for each dollar donated
Normal pin money postage donations (up to the actual postage cost)1 point for each dollar donated
Extra pin money postage donations (over the actual postage cost)2 points for each dollar donated
Speedy pin money postage donations (made within a week of shipping)1 bonus point
Recycle patterns - factory folded1 point for every 10 patterns
Recycle patterns - gently used 1 point for every 25 patterns
Recycle patterns - damaged/incomplete1 point for every 50 patterns
Trade patterns - complete or unusedVariable, generally 5 to 50 points for each pattern
Trade patterns - incomplete1 point for each pattern**
Blank pattern tissueVaries, usually 1 point
Replacement pattern pieces or copiesAs described in the request
Qualifying links to Pattern Rescue1 point per month
**If we can restore an incomplete Trade pattern, the original donor can either get the pattern back or let it go into the Trade area and take the additional pattern points.

Use the table at the bottom of the page to find out how quickly you can build pattern points when making a postage donation.

How can I use my Pattern Points?

Trade them in for collectible patterns. All the vintage sewing patterns in the Trade area have a Pattern Points value (between 5 and 50 points). You can't buy these patterns -- you must have Pattern Points to trade for them.

You also get priority for all patterns from the Recycle and Trade areas. When we process requests each day, the first ones filled are from people with Pattern Points. So if Jane and Sue request the same pattern but only Jane has Pattern Points, she gets the pattern. If 10 people ask for the same pattern, it goes to the person who has the most pattern points.

Will my points expire? Can I cash them in?

There's no expiration date on your Pattern Points. However, we do reserve the right to discontinue the program if necessary. Pattern Points do not have any cash value.

How do I know how many Pattern Points I have?

Whenever you earn or use Pattern Points, we send you email that includes your updated balance. You can also email us for your balance at any time -- but remember that it's a manual process so you won't get an instantaneous answer.

  Yes -- but is it collectible?

Rating vintage sewing pattern is subjective. Deciding whether a pattern is collectible or should go into the Recycle area -- or how many Pattern Points a collectible pattern should get -- is always a judgment call.

Pattern Points are not retail prices. It's entirely possible that a pattern we put in the Recycle area would cost you $20 or more to purchase online. Or that a pattern we've put in the Trade area is for sale at Ye Great Olde Pattern Seller for a couple of dollars. There's no official price guide to vintage patterns and resale prices can -- and do -- vary by large amounts for identical patterns.

We use our years of experience and best judgment to rate donated patterns. That being said, the decisions reflect our taste and biases and your opinion may differ.

Some of the factors we use to rate and classify patterns are:

  • Type - An evening dress pattern is more collectible than a simple shirt- waist dress pattern.
  • Style - More unusual and striking styles get higher ratings.
  • Age - The older the pattern is, the more likely it's collectible.
  • Condition usually affects the points assigned, and can be very important for more recent patterns.
  • Size - Patterns for average-size women and small children are the most popular; those for older boys and girls, the least.
  • Name - Popular makers or designers affect the rating and points.
  • Current Fashions - patterns are subject to fads like everything else.
  • Graphics - attractive envelope design can boost a rating.

Browsing through the Recycle and Trade areas is the best way to get a feel for our pattern rating tendencies. Wondering how many Pattern Points yours might earn? Send us a photo and we'll get back to you with an estimated range. The photos don't need to be huge scans of each one -- a clear group shot is fine.

If you disagree with the way we're rated a pattern you've donated, let us know and we'll be happy to take another look.


Bonus Pattern Points

  Use this table to find out how many Pattern Points you'll earn if you add a little bit extra to your Pin Money fund donation to cover shipping on patterns you've received. And you can add another point by making your donation within a week of the day we ship (10 days for orders outside the U.S.). If you donate by mail, we'll use the postmark as your donation date.


Donate this amount to the Pin Money fund to cover shipping:
Donation$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.00$5.00$6.00$7.00$8.00$9.00$10.00
Postageand you'll earn this many pattern points *
$0.831.173.175.177.179.1711.1713.1715.1717.1719.17
$1.001.003.005.007.009.0011.0013.0015.0017.0019.00
$1.17x2.834.836.838.8310.8312.834.8316.8318.83
$1.34x2.664.666.668.6610.6612.6614.6616.6618.66
$1.51x2.494.496.498.4910.4912.4914.4916.4918.49
$1.68x2.324.326.328.3210.3212.3214.3216.3218.32
$1.85x2.154.156.158.1510.1512.1514.1516.1518.15
$2.02xx3.985.987.989.9811.9813.9815.9817.98
$2.19xx3.815.817.819.8111.8113.8115.8117.81
$2.36xx3.645.647.649.6411.6413.6415.6417.64
$2.53xx3.475.477.479.4711.4713.4715.4717.47
$2.70xx3.305.307.309.3011.3013.3015.3017.30
$2.87xx3.135.137.139.1311.1313.1315.1317.13
$3.04xxx4.966.968.9610.9612.9614.9616.96
$3.21xxx4.796.798.7910.7912.7914.7916.79
$4.95xxxxx7.059.0511.053.0515.05
*PLUS 1 bonus pattern point if you donate within a week after we ship your pattern


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Page Last Updated    14 January 2009 Portions of this page © 2005-2009 All rights reserved.