Two Regency Dresses

This is Rebecca! She and her mum hired me to make Regency dresses for the Vintage Ball. I am very, very, very happy with how both of them turned out!

Becca's dress is loosely patterend of the Simplicity version of the Sense and Sensibility gown pattern. She picked out the ideal cotton print, which looks perfect on her! I modified the sleeves to be elbow-legnth, and used a false-button closure on the back. I trimmed it with white ribbon and little seed pearls around the neckline.

Below is unfortunately the only good picture I have of Mrs. B. in her dress. Again, I modified the S&S pattern, although this time I made it a drop-front gown. It crosses over underneath and closes with hooks and eyes, and then the "apron-front" part attatches with thread loops to some vintage wooden buttons I had in my stash. I'm quite pleased with it!

Courtney's Dress!

Courtney's dress is finally done, except for the hemming! Construction-wise, it's accurate, however, the gown material is 100% cotton, but the petticoat and the bows on the stomacher are synthetic. Her stays, which I'll get pics of later, are hand sewn with hand sewn eyelets and are made out of thick cotton. Her shift is muslin and is machine sewn and hand-finished. On her pocket, which I'll also get pics of later, I hand embroidered then finished up with the machine; the ties on it are grosgrain ribbon. Her petticoat is synthetic taffeta, and is totally hand sewn as well. The gown itself was hand finished, and I put the lining in by hand. The stomacher is totally handsewn and pins to the stays and gown... we might add hooks and eyes later. Overall, I'm really happy with how everything turned out!

Free Corset Patterns!

I dug this up the other day on Clare's blog and I thought I'd share it on here too! There are some very nice corset patterns here, including two patterns for 18th c. stays!

Meanwhile, I've finished Courtney's stays, shift, and the embrioidery for a pocket, and yesterday I spent working on her gown! Pics will soon follow, I promise!

18th Century Clothes for Courtney

Or, my first full 18th c wardrobe commission.

This is my friend Courtney, who asked me to make an 18th century gown and underpinnings for the upcoming home school week at Colonial Williamsburg in September. Last week we met up at the fabric store and plotted out exactly what she wanted! I'm making stays, pockets, a shift, a petticoat and a robe a la anglaise with a stomacher for her. I'm very excited because this is the largest commission I've done so far!

Starting with the stays seemed like the most logical course of action, as they are absolutely necessary before I can take proper measurements for the gown. Courtney asked for back-lacing, half-boned, strapless stays with horizontal boning across the front, similar to the Period Impressions pattern here. In my humble personal opinion, I have found this style of stays to provide a bit more flexibility, which is what Courtney wanted! She chose a thick, natural cotton duck for her stays, and I'll be binding the edges with a blue cotton blend I have in my stash. The pattern was custom drafted to fit her measurements, leaving a gap of 3-4 inches in the back after she laces in. I expect the stays to be finished, except for binding the edges, by Tuesday, and I'll take pictures then so you all can see what I've been working on!