Original circa 1939 McCall Pattern No. 663 - Apron and Kerchief Set with Mexican Motifs for Appliqué

Original circa 1939 McCall Pattern No. 663 for a cheerful women's apron and kerchief set, trimmed with appliquéd and embroidered Mexican figures and bands of multicolored bias binding at the hem. Three apron views (a bib apron and two half aprons) plus a matching triangle kerchief, with the transfer for the appliqué and embroidery included. One Size. Complete Nice Condition, with the transfer uncut.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: McCall No. 663
• Year: Circa 1939; also found in the February 1941 McCall catalog, Page 36
• Garment: Apron and Kerchief Set with Mexican Motifs for Appliqué (3 Views), with Transfer
• Size: One Size
• Condition: Complete Nice Condition, with Uncut Transfer (blue)
• Envelope Worn and Professionally Repaired with Lineco Acid-Free Archival Tissue and Acid-Free Adhesive

Design

McCall 663 builds three gathered aprons and a kerchief around two appliqué scenes. View A is a full bib apron with crossed suspender straps, made in yellow and bordered in red, blue, and green bias binding, with a woman balancing a basket of flowers on her head opposite a man in a wide sombrero offering her a flower, set among cacti. View B is a red half apron on a waistband with the same striped border, showing a man in a serape and sombrero leading a laden burro. View C repeats the burro scene on a blue ground, trimmed in orange, green, and black, with wider striped bands at the hem. The stripes are made from Bias Binding Tape No. 5, and the triangle kerchief ties under the chin to match. The appliqués were meant to use up scraps of gingham, percale, chambray, or calico, with six-strand cotton for the embroidered details. Ten pattern pieces and one transfer, with McCall's Cut and Sew Guide and directions in French and Spanish.

A Moment in Fashion History

In the late 1930s, American interest in Mexico ran high. The Good Neighbor Policy had warmed relations between the two countries, the new highway from Laredo to Mexico City opened the country to motoring tourists, and Mexican pottery, textiles, and folk art turned up in American homes and department stores. Pattern companies followed: burros, sombreros, serapes, and flower sellers became favorite motifs for aprons, tea towels, and kitchen linens through the 1940s. These figures are an outsider's picture-book view of Mexico rather than a portrait of it, and they tell us as much about American taste of the period as about their subject. McCall's own catalog promoted this set for the "quaintness and gay color of Old Mexico," and suggested the scrap bag for the appliqués, a thrifty note that carried into the war years.

Illustration

 The envelope shows the bib apron in yellow, the half aprons in red and blue, and the kerchief, each with its appliqué figures and striped hem. We've also included page 36 of the February 1941 McCall catalog, where the set shares the page with McCall's flower-appliqué aprons and an embroidered smock.

Connections

Made from scraps of gingham, percale, chambray, or calico for the appliqué, this circa 1939 apron set shows the thrift that home sewers carried into the war years, along with McCall's knack for kitchen fun. Explore our exhibits showcasing the resourcefulness and everyday style of wartime home sewing, Women of WWII, and the whimsical, decorative side of kitchen textiles, Kitschy Kitchen -- McCall Edition.