Vintage Sewing Books & Manuals

Today, there is an overall lack of appreciation for vintage sewing books and manuals.  But prior to the internet, these books & manuals were a lot more important. Sewing enthusiasts everywhere relied on the books to explain different sewing techniques. They also referred to books when a problem arose with their sewing machines.

Prior to the invention of computers and printers,

… you couldn’t just type out the words and hit print. Instead,  it took entire teams of workers to make one single publication. Teams had difficult manual jobs to complete in order for the publication to get done.

At the beginning of the printing process,

…a lithographer used a linotype machine to cast lines of text out of molten lead. Lines of text were mirrored so they could later print right side up. Once the lines were cast, they had to be arranged on a block called a page form. Then, someone had to read the lines to make sure there were no errors in the type.

There was another person too.

Additionally, there was another person whose sole job was to tighten keys to ensure lines of text didn’t have too much space in-between. This person would also tighten everything up to ensure nothing fell off the page form. Afterwards, the type had to be cast onto a bendable sheet of metal that went onto rollers where the finished project was printed. The words were literally “Hot off the press.”

Keep them and pick them up.

Since so much work went into making vintage books, it is always sad to see them thrown into the trash. While vintage sewing books and manuals aren’t considered valuable, it isn’t a stretch of the imagination to see them becoming much more valued in the future. Hence, it is important to keep manual, original accessories, and sewing machine together. And, it is also important to pick up quality vintage sewing books whenever you get the chance.

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