Australian Home Journal - May 1946

The Australian Home Journal was a magazine publication which ran from the late 1800s through to 1983.  The magazine had a sewing focus and each edition had free sewing patterns included.  As well as this, each edition had a few pages of models showing the latest mail-order patterns which readers could order. 

You can find Australian Home Journals - as well as the sewing patterns - for sale on Ebay, at charity shops and at jumble sales priced anywhere between 50c to $25.  There's also a selection of them available to read online here at the Australian National Library. 

I thought I'd share a few of the fashion and sewing related sections of the earliest edition in my collection, from May 1946.

Click on the pictures below for full sized views.

The pattern for the two dresses on the left were included in this edition.

This is one page of the catalog of sewing patterns available for mail order

Another page of the mail order catalog

Another page of the mail order catalog.  It's obvious that ruched seams was 'in'. 

Another page of the mail order catalog - this page was for younger fashion.

One of the knitting patterns included - for a pretty twin set.

These segments of fashions worn by current starlets are throughout the magazine.

another starlet fashion segment... I like the big bow!

more fashions from the stars.  They tend to all be Warner Bros. studio starlets.

I'm quite taken by the outfit worn by this starlet.

One of the sewing hints segments - who wants a black velvet peasant waist belt?! I do!

Another sewing hint segment - I also want a 3 tiered apron.

I thought this sewing hint segment was interesting as it showed how women made do without things during the war - like zippers.

Sewing hint segment - applique on skirts.

Frankly, I'd probably only wear hat B...

I had to laugh at the beginning of this Horlicks drink advertisement.  "I was ashamed of him!"

I hope you enjoyed looking through the snippets of this magazine.  I have a decent and growing collection of these magazines and I hope to share bits and pieces from them over time.