Original 1964 McCall's Pattern No. 7427 - Children's Appliqué Pocket Aprons, Medium

Original 1964 McCall's Pattern No. 7427 for three little girls' aprons, each with a picture pocket: a pinafore with a donkey carrying a flower basket, a crisscross apron with a rabbit popping out of a magician's top hat, and a full-skirted bib apron with a clown-face bib. Size Medium 4-5. Complete Nice Condition, 15 pieces, with the uncut transfer included.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: McCall's No. 7427
• Year: 1964
• Garment: Children's Appliqué Pocket Aprons (3 Views), with Transfer
• Size: Medium 4-5 (23-23½" Breast, 21-21½" Waist)
• Condition: Complete Nice Condition, 15 Pieces; Uncut Transfer

Design

McCall's 7427 hides a pocket in every picture. View A is a short pinafore apron with a cocoa-brown upper section and a tangerine lower section; the flower basket at the seam is a pocket, holding appliquéd tulips, and an appliquéd donkey below carries it, all cut from the apron fabrics and trimmed with sand rick rack and embroidery; it buttons at the back. View B is a crisscross apron in one fabric, its straps crossing in back, with a black top-hat pocket and a white rabbit appliqué in an orange vest, edged in white soutache or baby rick rack. View C is an apron with a full gathered skirt, about 67" around, on a waistband with elastic in the back, and a bib whose pocket is a clown face cut from striped fabric, with jumbo rick-rack eyebrows and hair, a red button nose, and black button eyes. Fifteen pattern pieces plus McCall's Multi-Blue transfer, which stamps more than once. The Medium takes ⅝ yard of cocoa brown and ¾ yard of tangerine for View A, ¾ yard for View B, or 1¼ yards for View C, all 35" fabric; McCall's suggests cotton satin, linen, broadcloth, or percale, and velveteen for Views A and B to "make any dress a party goer."

A Moment in Fashion History

By the mid-1960s, McCall's children's patterns had caught the playful, graphic spirit of the decade: bold shapes, bright solid colors, and appliqué that looked like a picture book. Aprons like these were as much play clothes as cover-ups, and the envelope promises they were easy to make and to pop on. The pattern carries McCall's seal as "A Dressmaker Tested Design," McCall's assurance that it had been made up and tried on a live model before it went to print.

Illustration

The envelope front and back are shown as scanned, framed on our blue mat without retouching, so the artwork appears in its true color and condition. View A is shown in brown and tangerine with the donkey and tulip basket, View B in sky blue with the rabbit in the top hat, and View C in pink with its clown-face bib and swirling skirt, beside a detail of an appliquéd tulip and McCall's Dressmaker Tested Design seal.

Connections

This pattern is part of our exhibit, Kitschy Kitchen -- McCall Edition, a growing collection celebrating the whimsical, decorative side of kitchen textiles. While I love everything about McCall, it must be said, "McCall Makes the Cutest Aprons!"