Original 1942 McCall Pattern No. 917 - Ladies', Misses' and Girls' Pinafore Apron

Original 1942 McCall Pattern No. 917 for a ruffled pinafore apron in ladies', misses', and girls' sizes, with two skirts, one gored and one gathered, and lazy-daisy embroidery at the bib and pockets. This copy is Small 10-12, 28-30" breast. Complete, in nice condition, with its uncut transfer.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: McCall No. 917
• Year: Dated 1942, found in the 1942 McCall catalog, Page 44; promoted in catalog appearances from 1942 to 1944 (1944 McCall catalog, Page 30)
• Garment: Ladies', Misses' and Girls' Pinafore Apron (3 Views), with Transfer
• Size: Small (10-12), 28-30" Breast
• Condition: Complete, Nice Condition; Comes with Uncut Transfer

Design

A square bib on wide ruffled shoulder straps, a waistband with long ties, and two big patch pockets, over your choice of a gored or a gathered skirt, both with soft flares. The ruffles can be self-fabric or contrast: View A is red check with self ruffles; View B is deep green with white Hamburg embroidery edging and white lazy-daisies; View C is yellow dot with self ruffles and dark embroidered flowers. The straps button to the waistband in back. Twelve pieces and one transfer, with instructions for adjusting the pattern to your measurements.

A Moment in Fashion History

Pinafore aprons with ruffled straps gave the early 1940s kitchen a fresh, youthful look, and McCall pitched this one at young-marrieds and girls in their teens and younger. Our own catalogs show how long it stayed in the line: McCall promoted it from 1942, on page 44 of that year's catalog, through 1944, when it appeared on page 30 alongside McCall 958 and 1012. Simple cotton aprons like this one stayed popular through the war years, when a fresh apron could brighten a dress that had to last.

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. The front shows the three views, red check, green with eyelet ruffles, and yellow dot, with back views and a detail of the embroidered flower. We've also included page 44 of the 1942 McCall catalog and page 30 of the 1944 catalog.

Connections

On page 30 of McCall's 1944 catalog, under the heading "aprons for all needs," this ruffled pinafore shares the page with McCall 1012, a maid's apron with matching collar, cuffs, and cap, offered alongside two pointed hostess aprons. Side by side, they show how much an apron could mean in the war years: a cheerful everyday cover-up for a woman doing her own cooking, the uniform of household help, and the dressy apron a hostess wore to serve her guests. See the pattern from the same catalog page, McCall 1012, Hostess and Maid's Apron with Collar, Cuffs and Cap.