Book of Doilies, Mail Order Catalog

Peerless Mail Order syndicate issued two Mail Order Pattern Books under the titles of Book of Doilies and Little Book of Just Doilies. They advertised these little catalogs at the bottom of pattern listings in the newspaper. The first catalog was issued in 1957, and the second in 1962.

1962 Doilies Catalog of Mail Order patterns from Ellen Bruce, Martha Madison and Needlework Bureau

(Note: I have just the 1962 issue in my collection, which I persume is an updated version of the 1957 . These booklets contain no actual patterns; just individual advertisements on what you can purchase.

The booklet contains patterns from Needlework Bureau, Ellen Bruce and Martha Madison advertised between 1938 into the mid-1990's. I had a quandy as to what brand to give credit for these books, and in the end decided on .... (drumroll please) ... Anne Cabot. Why? Well, the Ellen Bruce identify was discontinued in 1953, Needlework Bureau in 1957 and, Martha Madison in the late 1960's. All three of these brands were then rolled over to the remaining brand under Peerless -- Anne Cabot. The catalogs do not list any names, this is all identified by the individual pattern numbers.

Here's a slide show of the 1962 booklet

There is a nice assortment of vintage designs in the booklet. About half of them are in the shop, the rest are on my wish list! If you'd like to comment, contact me - Lorrie@vintageknitcrochet.net

Thanks for dropping by.

Jul 24th 2026 Lorrie @ Vintage Knit Crochet