Light Blue Regency Gown

This dress was my first ever Regency Gown, and it has served me well indeed. I've worn it to 3 Regency Balls. It was a last minute project that turned out better than I could realistically have hoped. With only a week  until a Regency Ball I pulled a light blue taffeta from my stash and decided it would suit just fine. :)

I used Butterick 6630 and Simplicity 4055 patterns as a base, and tailored it to my taste from there. I decided to go with an 1820's look with the waist dropped a couple inches below the normal Regency waistline. Well actually I found a picture of first lady Louisa Catherine Adams in a book at the library and based my design off of that... as well as I could with such a limited time at my disposal, that is. ;)

Before the next Regency Ball I added silver and black embroidery at the neck to match the sash. It was only my second attempt at embroidery. I really like doing embroidery, but it is soooo time consuming! I don't think I would have the patience to do the elaborate embroidery some period Regency dresses have! But maybe someday I will find the time and patience to do a project with oodles of embroidery. :)

All in all I've been very pleased with my first Regency dress. But this year I decided that I "needed" a new dress for the Annual Regency Christmas Ball my family and I attend each year. A dress with potential for many different trimmings, etc., so I can change it up each year. Stay tuned for pictures of that dress coming soon! :)