Mariska Karasz was a fashion designer and an expressionist needlework artist who was born in Hungary and emigrated to New York in 1912. Examples of her fashions are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In mid-life Karasz turned to designing children’s clothes and writing and designing sewing books. How To Make Growing Clothes focuses on distinctive patterns for baby and toddler items. Karasz is undoubtedly one of those overlooked modern designers, she emigrated to the United States at the age of 14, taught herself requisite skills, and moved into the world of fashion design. Known and credited at the time for her bold and skillful use of colour, and her inclusion of Hungarian folk elements into her clothing for the fashionable ladies of New York. After the births of her children she took a special interest in designing fashionable, practical, and creative clothes for children. This title is aimed to help home sewers save both time and money in fashioning their baby’s clothes. Simply lovely. Her books are elusive in good condition, and this one is particularly scarce in dust jacket.

New York: Pelligrini & Cudahy, 1952. First edition. Blue cloth boards with navy lettering. Dust jacket with pattern illustrations in grey, blue and black shows foxing at edges, shading and a few very small tears to edge. Near fine book in very good dust jacket. Hardcover. 31 x 23 cm. 63 pages.