Hollywood Patterns - the bug has bitten

[laughingmagpie]

If there's a way for me to work in my obsession with James Cagney into any other area of my life, I will find it... and then hours will be wasted and money will be spent... and so it proves inevitable that I find myself scouring the web today for Hollywood Patterns that feature James Cagney's leading ladies.

The bug bit me some weeks ago when I bought an Ann Sheridan 'Angels with Dirty Faces' Hollywood pattern from a VFG member on ebay. Not only a super-cute suspender skirt pattern, but Sheridan starred in several movies with Cagney, she's gorgeous and 'Angels' may well be my favourite of his gangster roles.

But there are others out there, I sense it! He made almost 70 movies, so that's a lot of potential starlets on pattern envelopes...

I've seen Joan Blondell (one of my fav leading ladies!), Bette Davis, Margaret Lindsay and Olivia de Havilland out there. Did Jean Harlow ever grace a Hollywood Pattern? Rita Hayworth? Mae Clarke?... Ooo I just thought - it would be awesome if there was a Jeanne Cagney one too (Jimmy's sister).

What I would really love to know is if there is a comprehensive list of the Hollywood Patterns, especially those with Stars on them?

Jen

 

[fuzzylizzie]

As far as I know there is not a list, but what a great idea!

In my webstore I have a Kate Hepburn that is really fab. They did a lot of "starlets".
Right now I have Ruby Keeler, Bonita Granville, Marjorie Reynolds, Ruth Warrick, Martha O'Driscoll, Ellen Drew and Priscilla Lane. I've seen Lucille Ball, Betty Grable, and Barbara Stanwick, but I really don't know about the ones you are asking about.

 

[laughingmagpie]

Demonstating my truly obsessive nature...

After asking the question here on the messageboard, I went and combed ebay and the web in general including RubyLane, etsy, and everywhere else I could imagine, looking for Hollywood Patterns. I ended up buying a few (of course!) but mostly I was just trying to catalog all the ones (with Star pictures) that I could find.

I now have over 250 patterns documented! And I'm still adding new ones every couple days.

So far, no sign of Mae Clarke, Jeanne Cagney or Rita Hayworth, but my little collection of Cagney co-stars is growing! I have visions of one day making an outfit for each of them... I mentioned the obsessive part, didn't I? ;)

I have downloaded pictures for the great majority and noted where I found them, but I haven't contacted all 200+ sellers for permission to copy the photos, so for now these are all just my own personal collection of pictures hoarded in my Magpie Nest of a harddrive.

But, I could make available the list of pattern numbers with associated Stars and whether a specific movie is mentioned. Do you think there would be interest in something like that?

Jen