Oooh, the spencer pattern is available free! Downloading and will try.

I own several volumes of Weldon's from back when Interweave was still reprinting them instead of re-PDFing them. The bound volumes include pamphlets on leatherworking, ironworking, crepe-paper working -- they're a hoot!

And, yes, I am all about (reading, not generally performing) historical needlework, and am Interweave's slave.