Ah, finally! I managed to find time to get pictures of my
new Regency Gown! :)
I loved this project! I dreamed up the design after hours of
scouring Pinterest for accurate and less
"typical" regency styles. It's a difficult task because I also had to
LIKE the looks. I'm not a fan of most Regency styles... something about the
high waist that drops in straight, loose lines from there... But I finally
settled on a design and sketched a picture for reference. Then, out came the
patterns and I started adjusting the base pattern's design and making a
mock-up. It actually went fairly smoothly this time! That's always exciting...
I'm not terribly fond of project experiences that cause me to dissolve into a
puddle of tears and say with Anne of Green Gables "I'm in the depths of
despair!" ;) :P
I toyed with the idea of making a Regency stay to make the
look more period accurate, but opted for comfort over accuracy this time. :O
Since Regency styles aren't my favorite and the dress was intended mostly to be
worn to the yearly Regency Christmas Ball my family and I attend and not for
reenactments or anything where extreme accuracy was required, I reasoned that I
was perfectly justified in going less period correct. (Yes I had this talk with
myself... ;) I'm always debating with myself... part of me wants every bit
accurate and part of me wants to be as comfortable as possible. :D It's
difficult when your style/historical fascination and your comfort levels seem
at war with one another. :P)
This dress is made of REAL silk! I was ecstatic when I found
ivory colored silk in Joann's red tag section at 50% off! I bought all the silk
left on the bolt and BARELY had enough! I had to buy some poly silk and piece
the under layer where the skirt overlaps in the front. It was scary close and
took a bit of finagling and a lot of thinking to accomplish. It had me lying
awake, staring into the darkness, puzzling it out a few times! :D I made the
hem only about 1/4" in my attempts to make the dress as long as possible.
One of the things I really wanted to do with my new dress
was to do a wrap around style... the dress closes with hooks and eyes on the
sides. I love doing thread eyes instead of metal, they blend in so well and
become nearly invisible!
I opted not to do a COMPLETELY wrap around style, partly
because of the poly piece I wanted to be sure was hidden and partly because I
didn't want to have to worry about it flying open to reveal my oh so modern
slip.. ;) So, I attached the underskirt to the over skirt at the side seam from
the floor to about hip level, leaving just enough room to easily slip the dress
on. Voila! No back buttons, and none of the worries of a true wrap around
dress. :)
I loved the gold trim I found in the store. There's
something special about white and gold, it has a sort of elegant, Grecian feel.
I've always liked the Grecian inspired Regency better than most other styles.
:) Since I couldn't find a more delicate trim that "went" with the
other trim for the neckline and sleeves, I cut off the edges of the main trim
and used it for the areas requiring a more delicate touch, and the extra middle
bits I used in my hair to tie it all together. :)
Now I have my "dream" Regency dress, and if
someday it tickles my fancy, I can take off the trim and accent with another trim
or a sheer overdress, but for now, I'm really enjoying the white, gold, and
simplicity. :)
Seamstress (way behind on blogging), signing out for the week,
er, however long it is this time. ;) :P
