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! :)
