NEVER MISS A POST 📨

SUBSCRIBE

PatternVault

Weldons So-Easy 20 detail

What to Wear in an Emergency

Written by

Sarah Sheehan

·

Weldons So-Easy 20 hooded wrap housecoat detail
Detail, Weldons So-Easy 20 (ca. 1940).

From Weldons’ 1940s So-Easy line, this “Ten-Second” Siren Wrap features a cozy hood and chic contrast binding:

Ten-second siren wrap dressing gown pattern - Weldons So-Easy 20, circa 1940. A Weldon Production.
Weldons So-Easy 20 (ca. 1940) Siren wrap.

Other So-Easy air raid patterns included a women’s two-way siren suit (no. 19), child’s hooded siren suit (no. 17), and girl’s hooded siren suit (no. 18).

Back of Weldons So-Easy 20, showing other 1940s designs in the So-Easy pattern range
Back of Weldons So-Easy 20, showing other designs in the So-Easy pattern range.

The pattern tissue is printed with an advertisement for Dewhurst’s Sylko machine twist.

Weldons So-Easy 20 pattern tissue advertising Dewhurst's Sylko machine twist
Weldons So-Easy 20 pattern tissue advertising Dewhurst’s Sylko machine twist.

For knitters, Weldons also had a special knitting book called Quick-Change Siren Woollies (click to view an Etsy download):

Weldon Knitting no. 29 1940: Quick-Change Siren Woollies - 14 garments including jackets, pullovers, children's siren suits, mittens, shawls, socks, etc.
Quick-Change Siren Woollies – Weldon Knitting no. 29 (Nov. 1940) Image: Etsy.

For more on Weldons’ wartime So-Easy patterns, see There’s a War On.

, , , ,

4 responses to “What to Wear in an Emergency”

  1. catherinedaze Avatar
    catherinedaze

    These seem to be a sort of coat-dressing gown hybrid. Curious as to what fabrics are recommended?

    Reply
    1. PatternVault Avatar
      PatternVault

      I was hoping to find fabric recommendations myself, but these patterns don’t seem to include them. The instructions refer to the garment as a “braided wrap with attached or detachable hood”; yardage is for 54″ fabric and optional 36″ hood lining.

      Reply
  2. Ally Avatar
    Ally

    I never even though about such a thing! What an interesting piece of fashion history. Thank you for sharing. I love the Quick-Change Siren Woolies and of course, I always love your blog posts 🙂

    Reply
  3. Toddler’s Hooded Siren Suit – PatternVault

    […] More on Weldons’ So-Easy patterns: There’s a War On | What to Wear in an Emergency […]

    Reply

Leave a reply to Ally Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.