Not So White Regency Dress

Dress Diary

9/3/2004 - Start of project with the deadline only a week away. Here I go again! *rolls eyes and sighs*

Okay, so I guess I should start out by saying that this dress already isn't going to end up exactly as I'd planned. I already knew that I wouldn't end up making this dress with the train, because that's just not practical, even though I really love it. Then, when I sat down with Mom and we actually estimated the fabric needed, I wasn't going to have enough of the fabric I really wanted to make it out of. So, it'll still be white, just not the fabric I really wanted. Thus is born the (not so) white Regency dress, because even though it really will be white, it's not what I originally had in mind and may very well still accomplish at some point in the future, just not with this particular pattern.

Now, on to the project...

I already have a shift and stays, fortunately. The stays were made in a workshop, and the chemise was the result of an attempt to begin a Regency ensemble a couple years ago. The only catch is that the stays need some adjusting. When I made them, I had not yet realized that my torso is shorter than the average person. (I'm 5'3", which I already knew was a bit on the short side, but most of my lack of height is in my upper half.) I, therefore, followed the pattern and ended up with a corset that shifts up anytime I sit because it extends so low. So, one of the first orders of business will be to change that.

My plan for tonight is to start on a petticoat. (Sorry, I'm just really not into the so-sheer-I'm-indecent look. Sheer is okay as long as there are several layers of sheer.) I'm using La Mode Bagatelle's pattern for a bodiced petticoat, but without the heavy lining and boning. I was really hoping to find a very light weight cotton for this, but I'm going to have to settle for the typical muslin I always get for this stuff. (The chemise is made out of batiste that I got a really great deal on, but it is now twice the price at the store I got it at the first time. Hmmm...maybe I'll just splurge a little. The lighter weight fabric feels and drapes so much nicer than modern muslin.)

Today, I used the overhead projector at work to enlarge the bodice pieces for the dress itself. Don't worry, I learned from my mistake with the Polonaise; I enlarged the pattern to its original size and then will make adjustments where they are needed. Anyway, if I decide to hold off on the petticoat until I can get my hands on some better fabric, then I'll be working on a mock-up of this bodice tonight. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually be able to get most of it done.

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The pattern I used for this project comes from this book.

The fabric

Because the fabric has that subtle stripe, it makes the bias cut parts of the gown stand out a little better than a plain fabric would.

9/4/04

Didn't get anything accomplished last night, but today has been a bit more productive. Only a bit because of how hot it was today. No sea breeze today, so things didn't cool down until well after eight. At times, it just made working on anything unbearable.

At any rate, I started my day with a trip to Stone Mountain for my little "splurge" and found exactly what I was looking for. I ended up with five yards of batiste--about the same price as I could have gotten it in Lafayette, but it's 54" instead of 45", plus, I had a %20 off coupon. And since I had a coupon, I decided to get a really cute cotton dimity while I was at it, so I'm in love with my main fabric again. I made sure to get plenty this time, so I don't have to worry about running out.

After I got home and got my fabric washed, I got started on the petticoat. I'm using the La Mode Bagatelle pattern, but modifying it quite a bit. I didn't want to make it with boning and such, since I'll be wearing it with a corset. So, in order to avoid lining, I used the casing for the drawstring at the neck to finish the neck edge. I finished the center back by interfacing it with twill tap and then turning the edges over and top stitching. Finally, I used bias to finish the armscyes. So that's about where I'm at now. I've got the skirt pieces sewn together, but I still need to run a gathering stitch through the top edge and then get the gathers placed the way I want them on the bodice. Then it's just the hem and ruffle to finish it off. I really should get that done tonight, but it's getting pretty late. Maybe just the gathers.

9/5/04

So, the petticoat is pretty much finished. Just needs a couple of drawstrings, hooks-and-eyes, hem, and ruffle. Okay, so maybe that's a lot more than I thought.

I got started on a muslin of the dress bodice. I've actually put two together already and still don't have one that will work, but we've got some company over right now, so I had to put my cutting table away. I'd really like to get the dress cut out today, but I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to get a working muslin done. I guess it will depend on how long we have company.

Bodice closeups

It is kind of difficult to tell here, but there is about twelve inches of fabric gathered into two inches of space at the center back. To each side of the gathers is a triple pleat.

9/6/04

Happy Labor Day!

Today was a holiday, and for once, I actually treated it like a holiday and took it easy. (Yes, I know. I just had an entire summer off, but you know me. I've always got to be running around, stressing myself out about something.) Anyway, all that just to say that I didn't get much done on the dress.

I did get a final muslin done (yippee!) and got the fashion fabric cut out. I didn't really end up adding anything to the width of the skirt because, surprisingly, I didn't add a whole lot to the bodice (only about an inch and a half to the center back and another inch under the arm, but that one didn't add anything to the under bust measurement). The only place I really would have been able to add to the skirt, though, would have been to the front piece, which isn't supposed to be really wide anyway. BTW, this pattern either needs 60" wide fabric, or the back skirt section must be pieced. I thought about piecing (my fabric is 59") so that I could add a bit of extra fullness to the back, but decided that the skirt will be full enough as it is and I wouldn't really miss that one little inch.

I did start assembling the bodice, but got distracted. (My brother's band was performing at a church picnic, and I decided to go.) I'm using French seams since the fabric is so sheer and a serged edge might show. I'm also going to line the entire bodice. leaving just the armscyes unfinished; once the sleeves are attached, I'll fold over the lining and hand stitch it to finish that seam off. I'm still not too sure about how I'll attach the skirt pieces and everything. We'll jump that hurdle when we come to it.

I am getting a little nervous about finishing this project on time. It suddenly hit me that the event is this Friday; I've only got three more evenings to work on it. What was I thinking? But it will be so worth it if I get it done.

9/7/04

I just focused on the corset tonight (and on reading a few chapters of Portrait of a Lady). I removed the binding on the bottom edge, except for that which covers the edges of the busk pocket. I decided that it would just be too much work to change the busk and the busk pocket, so I started by cutting about two inches off each side of the back, then tapering as I cut along towards the front. Of course, I then had to cut down all of the boning and re-tip the cut edge, so that's as far as I got tonight. Once the tips are dry, I'll be able to reattach the binding and be done!

So, that means that tomorrow night I must get the corset finished as well as the petticoat. It would be great if I could also get all the major sewing done for the gown itself, but I'm not going to set the bar too high, after all, Miss Archer is still waiting for me.

A note on this specific pattern: you have to make sure that you lace it tight enough to pull the busk in at the front. When laced properly, the busk separates the breasts,
creating a very Regency look. It also creates a pretty flat front, which you can see in this next picture.

I know that this picture isn't all that great, but I wanted to include it so that you can see how even with two layers of fabric, you still get that hint of a silhouette beneath. The dress alone is very sheer, as you can see below.

9/10/04

Well, I actually got everything done on time, and I think I'm happy with the results. Of course, there are a few little things that I'm not quite pleased with, but that is usually the case. I had the same fitting issue I've had in the past: the muslin fits perfectly, but the finished bodice turns out a little too snug. (This fitting problem is usually reversed for corsets--the muslin will fit, but the finished corset somehow ends up just a little too big. Very frustrating.) What really threw me off on this project was that the only part of the bodice that needed adjusting was the back. It didn't make sense to me, so I was afraid to add too much. What I forgot to take into account was that the gathers in the skirt would add a little bulk to the waist, resulting in the back being yet again a little to snug. It's not too bad, and I think it still looks just fine, so I'm not going to complain too loudly.

Now, let me describe how I constructed this, because there aren't a whole lot of directions with the pattern.

I put together two separate bodices, one of the fashion fabric and one of the lining fabric. The original dress used a very fine linen for the lining, so to imitate that look on my budget, I used the leftover scraps of the batiste from my petticoat. Once the two bodices were assembled I stitched them right sides together along the front, neck, and waist edges, leaving only the armscyes open through which to turn it. I was concerned about the unfinished edge showing through the thin material, so I made two rows of stitches all the way around and then trimmed the seam very close; so far this seems to have worked perfectly.

After pressing my bodice, I then attached the modified sleeves. (The original pattern has a puff sleeve with a false sleeve attached. The result is a rather droopy puff with a very elegant long sleeve attached. I decided to forgo the puff and just have that ultra long sleeve that I love.) Now, normally at this point I would trim the armcye seam and then fold the lining over the seam to finish it. Unfortunately, I had taken such a small seam allowance that I didn't think I'd be able to double fold the lining over the seam. Instead, I simply attached the lining by whip stitching over the seam to prevent any fraying. (This solution kind of detracts from that beautiful finished look on the inside of the garment, so if that's what you are going for, be sure to take a wider seam allowance, rather than my meager 1/2 inch.)

For the back skirt, I folded the edge over and then stitched the skirt to the finished edge of the bodice. For the front skirt, I folded the waistband so the the edges were folded in and then the whole thing folded in half (like double fold bias tape, the this isn't cut on the bias). Now, if I'd had time, I would have hand stitched the waistband by hand so that no tip stitching was showing...but I didn't exactly have a whole lot of time for this. Instead, I top stitched the open edge of the waistband, sandwiching in the front skirt section as I went. (You may want to double check the length of the waistband; it needs to be long enough to wrap around back and then come back around front to tie.)

Three edges of the bib front are finished with strips of self fabric. The bottom edge could probably be finished the same way or turned over to cover the unfinished edge. I decided just to serge the edge, as that edge is stitched to the waistband and wouldn't show through the fabric. I attached the bib to the top edge of waistband by hand. Rather than add closures (such as hooks-and-eyes), I decided just to pin everything, which worked perfectly and, from what I understand, is historically accurate.

The final touch was to make the belt loops in back for the waistband to go through. I did this simply by creating thread loops.

4/15/05

I'm still working on accessories for this cute little ensemble. The goal is to eventually have a new bonnet, a spencer, shoes, perhaps a parasol, and a shawl.

For the shoes, I found these adorable little slippers that I think will work well. Then I noticed that Dharma carries some scarves that are quite long that might work well for the time period. So, it looks like both the shoes and the shawl will be taken care of rather quickly and for a very decent price.

The bonnet will take a little bit more work. When I stop by Dharma this weekend, I'm planning on picking up some silk and dye that I could possibly use. I still have all those Regency bonnet patterns from the workshop I took at Costume College and would like to make another in a slightly different style using buckram and silk rather than the straw.

For the spencer, I think I'll use the La Mode Bagatelle pattern and make it up in some leftover cotton velveteen I have. (It's the perfect project for the kind of remnants I keep--two or three yards--not enough for a whole outfit, but too much to just give away.) If I have the time, I'd like to do some embroidery on it as well; I was completely inspired when I saw something like this done on a garment in Vanity Fair.

The parasol...well, I'm still thinking about this one, so I'll get back to you on it.

So, here are some pictures of the finished gown.

And here are a few that show the construction of both the petticoat and the gown up close.

Obviously, none of this looks quite right on the dressform, but hopefully it gives you the idea. The bodice pins closed in front, which also holds the back section of the skirt in place. The waistband on the front skirt piece extends to serve as ties; these ties wrap around the back, through the loops, then back around to the front to tie under the bust. The drop-front (or bib) can then be placed using pins. (The original gown uses buttons with loops, but I didn't have time for that and the pins work just fine. I use silk pins, though, not the quilting pins that are pictured.)

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