Sewing Diaries
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Edwardian Jacket and Skirt
'The Importance of Correct Corseting'
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Other Projects
Regency Gowns
The Regency era, from about 1810-1830, is one of my favorite periods in history. Women started wearing far more practical clothing then in previous eras, making Regency gowns easy to sew and wear even today. I use Sense & Sensibility's Regency gown pattern, and I highly recommend it- it goes together very quickly, easily, and is probably my very favorite pattern.
Here is the first gown I made, in April 2003- a blue and white homespun with white grosgrain ribbon trim. This was my first historical project ever, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. As you can see, it's far too big and I partially fixed that problem by sewing ribbon under the bust and having it tie in the back. This is a period correct adjustment, however I really should just take the bodice apart and take it in.
The second gown I made was made of white cotton muslin. I fully lined this dress with the same white muslin, and it is actually has a pretty substantial weight.
My next gown is made of a red and off white print toile- NOT period correct, sadly- with off white crocheted trim around the neckline and sleeves. I also redid the neckline so it is rounded instead of square.
Next I made a sort of modernized version of the Regency gown, with the Regency bodice, elastic around the sleeves, and a tea length skirt with less fullness in the back. It is made of lavender cotton with a white print, and only took me something like 3 hours to complete.
The last Regency gown is my favorite. It is made of a period correct, laurel wreath print cotton that I bought for 88 cents a yard at Joanne's. The sleeves were supposed to be long, but ended up being 3/4 length as I ran out of fabric- I bought the entire bolt! Still, I really like this dress! I wore it on Halloween to give out candy.
Links of Interest
We Make History- Ladies Regency Clothing
Notes and Illustrations on Regency Clothing
