#regency wardrobe

[whennnow]

The Good, The Bad, The Short Stays

February 13, 2019

[Image ID: a flat photo of Regency-esque short stays made of unbleached muslin]

I started my Regency fashion journey back in the summer of 2017 and I… have not made it very far. All I have right now are a chemise that I can’t get over my shoulders (whoops!) and a set of nice looking short stays with some dark secrets. I’m disappointed with my progress - it’s hard not to be - but I’m trying my best to look at this as a learning experience. So, without further ado, let’s dig into my stays!

These are the designs and pattern pieces I started with. I drafted the pattern myself, which was a first for me, and the pattern turned out surprisingly well! The finished product even fits well!

[Image ID: three mostly rectangular sewing pattern pieces labeled, from right to left, "front", "side", and "back"]

In the original designs, I had planned to have boning on either side of the center front lacing. I was forced to scrap that, as my chest just isn’t that wide. I also changed the number of gussets in each cup to four, instead of three, and made each gusset the same shape. They seem to work fine, but I’d be curious to see if shaping them would make much of a difference.

The gussets did not turn out well at all. I had never sewn gussets before, and didn’t bother doing any research before I jumped into them. I admit I still haven’t read up on gussets, but I suspect that part of the problem was that I had mis-measured the gussets and made the seam allowances too small, so when I folded in the seam allowances for the front panels and sewed them down, the gussets didn’t catch in some places. To remedy this, I hand sewed them using what could, on a technicality, be called a whip stitch, I think. The quality of my stitching isn’t very consistent, but it is very nice to run my fingers along in some places, and it serves to reinforce the seams there, which is probably a good thing.

The eyelets were also a first for me, and most of them turned out very nicely! There are 14 eyelets total, all hand-bound, with metal jump rings inside them for reinforcement. You can definitely tell which eyelets were my first if you look closely, but I’m very happy with how they turned out!

The body of the stays is just two layers of unbleached muslin. Something sturdier would have been better. The edges are bound in off-white bias tape, which seems to have worked well enough. The boning is heavy-duty zip ties, a carry-over from my cosplay days. The boning at both sides of the center front, where a busk should be, is actually just a wooden dowel. Doubling up the zip ties wasn’t giving me the support I needed for the bust (lift and separate!), so I had to find an alternative. Obviously, neither zip ties nor wooden dowels (or the jump rings in the eyelets) are ideal or washable, but they do, technically, get the job done.

Each cup has a drawstring at the top for adjustability. The shoulder straps tie to the front, also for adjustability. I ordered the cord I used for those and the front lacing from Wm Booth Draper. I had never heard of them before, but they seemed to be well-established and had lots of good reviews on their Facebook page, so I took the chance and was not let down!

To finish off, since this has gotten to be a lot longer than I meant it to, I’m not completely happy about how these turned out, but they fit and have been a very good learning opportunity for me, so I am content. I do plan on remaking them in the future, but that might be very far into the future, at this rate.

Stay warm, stay safe, stay dry.

[whennnow]

Navy Redingote-ish - Part 1 The Spencer

April 21, 2026

My big project for the Regency festival I'm going to is a redingote! Spring weather is unpredictable, so I really needed an outer layer in case it was cold or wet.

The Plan

I pretty quickly chose Laughing Moon Mercantile #130, View B (with the cape, obviously), as my pattern. The menswear/military-inspired look is one you see commonly in fashion plates.

I purchased a blue boiled wool blend from Mood Fabrics and pulled some black cotton and poly/cotton bits from my stash for the facings and linings.

At some point along the way, I also decided to make the top and the skirt separate pieces, like you often see in riding habits from this time, for maximum wardrobe possibilities. Plus, this way I could make just the bodice if I ran out of time, without ruining my plans or wearing an unfinished garment.

So this project will be in three parts - the spencer (because that's what a short jacket without a skirt would be called), the petticoat/skirt, and the cape.

The Execution

The assembly of the spencer/bodice is fairly straightforward. The outer bodice gets assembled, and the lining bodice, and each sleeve separately (two outer and two lining).

The collars took a moment to wrap my head around - there are four pattern pieces, all very similar looking, but each slightly different. The pattern didn't call for contrast facings like I wanted, so it took me a moment to figure out which two pieces should be cut from the navy wool, and which two should be cut from black cotton.

Then attaching the collars to the bodice neckline confused me because the collars seemed to continue into the lapel? And the instructions said that was correct? But then I realized that it was for the sake of seam allowances and everything made sense again.

With both the bodice layers constructed, I finally dug out my short stays so I could fit the bust darts on the lower edge of the bodice. I couldn't be bothered to get the pattern pieces back out and mark the suggested darts - I just fit it on me and made sure everything lined up nicely. With those marked, I pinned and sewed the darts on both layers and gave everything a good press. With this wool, the wooden clapper/point-turner I inherited from my grandmother came in handy!

Next, the pattern called for pinning the lining and outer fabrics right-sides together and sewing along the collar and lapel. Because I wanted to close the lower edge (the skirt will be separate, remember?), I also needed to sew the waistline edge. The weird seam allowance overlap required some pre-clipping and necessitated sewing that outer edge in two parts (the three edges of the collar, then lapel > bottom > lapel), but I managed to do it correctly enough the first time around. Huzzah!

I clipped all the corners and curves, turned the whole thing out through one of the armholes, and gave the whole thing a very good press.

The instructions recommend at this point that you tack the outer and lining collars together along the center back seam to keep things from shifting, which I did.

I also basted the armscye edges together at this point to make treating the outer and lining layers as one easier when I got to attaching the sleeves.

I also took a moment to sew the cuff edges of the sleeves together, outer to lining, right sides together. That got turned out and pressed as well, and I tacked the seam allowances together just below the elbow gathering to keep the sleeve from twisting up in weird ways. The tacking wasn't in the instructions, but it seemed like a good idea.

I really liked the way the pattern instructs you to attach the sleeves - you pin and gather the outer sleeve into the armscye and sew it to bodice, treating the bodice outer and lining as one. The seam allowance gets pressed into the sleeve. Then, you pull the sleeve lining up and carefully hand sew it to the bodice lining along the seam line, folding the sleeve lining seam allowance under so you end up with a perfectly encased armscye seam! The hand sewing part is a bit fiddly, but worth it.

Then all that was left was the closures. This was the one thing I disliked about the instructions - after all the detailed assembly instructions it just tells you to add closures. No guidance about what kind of closure to use or where to put them.

I opted to use small black hooks and bars, with one on the inner flap of the wrap front and one on the outer flap, both as close to the waistline as possible without them showing.

The Results

I really like how this spencer turned out! I got a lot of compliments on it while I was working on it at our sewing retreat, too.

The collar is absolutely fabulous, I just regret not using an interfacing like the pattern said too. The collar sort of wants to splay out instead of standing up. I've ironed them repeatedly and I'm putting pins in it while not being worn, which I'm hoping will help.

The fit in the shoulders is decent considering I didn't bother to do a mockup or any fitting. I run a bit wide in the shoulders, and my shoulders are a bit hunched, which makes shoulders difficult. I get a bit of wrinkling between the front shoulders, but nothing serious, and it's still comfortable. The fullest part of the bust is also a bit large for me, so I may pad it out a bit (scandalous, I know).

Up next is the skirt, whose construction should be considerably simpler, but may take more hand sewing.

[whennnow]

Two New Regency Shifts

April 2, 2026

[Image ID: two shifts folded in half vertically and laid flat next two each other to resemble two halves of a whole shift. /end ID]

I made my first Regency shift out of unbleached cotton muslin and store-bought bias tape way back in 2019. And it took me several tries to get it right.

But I did eventually get it right, or at least right enough, and I learned a lot. Now it's time to level up!

I acquired some yardage of white linen off Fb Marketplace last fall, and while it's maybe a bit heavier weight than would be ideal for a shift, I think it will do the job nicely.

The Pattern

I'll be basing my "pattern" off of my current chemise, but with some changes.

For starters, I'm keeping my sleeves and underarm gusset the same. I like the way they fit. I'll still be flat felling my seams, and I'll still have a drawstring across the front neckline.

However, I'm making the back neckline shallower and the neckline generally slightly less wide because I do not want the shoulders and the back neckline to need gathering. I'm sloping the side pieces of the bodice instead of cutting rectangles and adding gores so that I have fewer seams to sew and finish. I'm making the hem a few inches lower and the body a few inches narrower overall, but still making sure I can get it over my shoulders.

Actually, my shoulders are why it took me three tries instead of two to make my first chemise, and they're the source of my medieval T-tunic problems.

The sources I've seen for chemises and tunics tell you to measure your bust, waist, and hips and base your pattern off the largest one. Unfortunately, being as skinny as I am means that my shoulders are my widest measurement, and if I base my rectangle-based patterns on my bust, waist, or hips, I won't be able to get them on. Or off.

But I digress.

For future reference for myself (and anyone else who is a size XS/S or US 0/2, I guess), here are the measurements I used. The measurements include a half-inch-ish seam allowance.

The main pieces of the shift are 40" long and 22" wide at the shoulders, flaring to 34" at the hem. The sleeves are 12x7". The sleeve gussets are 6" squares.

The Sewing

For the sake of speed, I was originally going to do all the main seams by machine and finish them by hand. But I was feeling frustrated, and my sewing table (very small to begin with) had turned into just another surface to put things on, and frankly so had my chair, so I decided to just completely hand sew one. It was easier to pick up on a whim when I had a few moments, as opposed to unearthing my machine.

As a compromise, I made the other shift completely by machine. Both went together in more or less the same order though.

The shoulder seams of the body pieces were sewn together and finished first. I also attached the gussets to the sleeves, finished those seams, and finished the ends of the sleeves.

Then the sleeves were attached to the sides of the body, the body seams were sewn up, and all those seams were finished.

Next it was time to finish the neckline. The sides of the neckline that go over the shoulders were given a narrow double-turn hem. The back neckline was gathered slightly and bound with an on-grain strip of the linen. I did this on the machine-sewn shift first and gathered the neckline to 9in, after which I decided that was still too wide and decided to make the hand-sewn one 7in. The 7in gather was much better!

The front neckline was not gathered, but given a drawstring casing which was also made from a strip of linen. I sewed two eyelets about an inch apart at the center front (the only thing I did by hand on the machine-sewn shift), inserted a cord for the drawstring, and sewed down the other edge of the casing.

Finally, I gave the chemises a narrow hem and they were done!

Final Thoughts

I'm very happy with how these turned out! Admittedly, I think the front neckline could have been about an inch higher, and the back neckline easily two inches higher. The sleeves fit well, I can get it on easily over my shoulders, and I like the length!

I've already worn one shift to the Wooster Ball and it did its job admirably (hence why one of the pictured shifts is so much more wrinkly that the other).

Next up is my navy blue redingote, which will be done in stages. (I actually have the first part nearly done already.)

One day I'd like to upgrade my Regency stays to go along with my upgraded shifts, but that's not likely to happen this year. I had a fair amount of this linen left over after cutting out these shifts, so I've already cut out the pieces for a habit-style chemisette and a basic gathered apron. And frankly there's still linen left from this yardage after that, so...

[whennnow]

Plans for a Regency Weekend Trip

January 13, 2026

[Image ID: A pile of navy blue fabric, black fabric, and white fabric, along with a sewing pattern in a plastic bag. /end ID]

As I mentioned in my Yearly Goals post, I've got some Regency sewing to do!

Last September I purchased myself tickets to a Jane Austen Festival hosted by the Heritage Village Museum near Cincinnati. It's scheduled for this April, and I'm super excited to go!

But it wasn't until after I purchased the tickets that I really started to consider the implications. The festival is two outdoor festival days plus one indoor evening ball.

I'm definitely covered for the ball, as I've gone to two Regency dances before. I'll wear my white dress with probably blue accessories.

The daytime events, being outdoors in early spring, will require some warm outerwear. A second chemise would be a good idea, too.

A second pair of stockings might be in order as well, but those will be purchased.

The Necessities

First, the chemise(s).

I'll base my new chemise pattern on the old one but eliminate the drawstring at the shoulders and the back neckline. That is, there will only be a drawstring at the center front neckline.

I'll make the shoulders so they don't need gathering and permanently sew in the gathers at the center back.

I also want to cut the body pieces to include gores, instead of sewing gores on.

I'll do mostly machine sewing to speed up the process, and flat fell my seams for durability.

I managed to snag almost four yards of linen for cheap on Fb Marketplace, which is more than enough for two chemises. I'll probably go ahead and make both so that I can batch sew. It's a slightly heavier linen than I maybe would have chosen, but it's a step up from unbleached muslin. And like I said - it was cheap.

Then, a redingote.

I think I'll make this Laughing Moon redingote pattern (view B) in a blue wool blend, which I purchased on a decent Black Friday sale, but which was still my most expensive fabric purchase to date. The bodice and sleeves will be lined in an as yet undetermined black material, and I might toss in some black velvet or velveteen trim.

I ordered enough wool for the full-length redingote with the cape, but I'll make it in stages in case I don't have time to finish the whole thing.

The bodice part will be first, of course. I'll finish the lower edge of the bodice as if there weren't a skirt attached (so basically a spencer).

Stage two will be the skirt of the redingote. It will be pleated, not gathered, and I'll attach it to it's own waistband that can be attached to the bodice (or not) for maximum styling flexibility.

Stage three will be the little removable cape because I love it. Depending on how it's supposed to attach, I might make it reversible with blue on one side and black on the other.

I'll be able to wear the spencer/redingote over my dress either on its own or with a fichu or chemisette. A bonnet and reticule will complete the look.

The Extras

The two projects above are the ones I "need" for the festival weekend. But why stop there? (I mean, I'll stop temporarily if I run out of time, but why stop if I have extra time?)

For starters, I have more than enough of the shift linen to make the habit-style chemisette from the American Duchess book. I think it would look very nice with this style of redingote.

Also, I should really hem the open robe I made. I used the full width of the fabric and left the selvedge hem, but that gives me a massive train. The train is beautiful, and I can pin it up decoratively if I don't have time, but it is absolutely impractical for anything besides photos. It needs to be hemmed.

I always intended to make removable sleeves (or multiple pairs of removable sleeves) for the open robe, and a matching reticule, and maybe a wrapped, turban-style headpiece. I have a pair of flats that I want to cover in this fabric too so that I have matching dance slippers.

Also, I did start disassembling my green regency dress to prepare for remodeling. I intend to completely disassemble it, hit it with dye remover, re-dye it brown or grey or light blue, and reconstruct the bodice from a new pattern. I'll use my white dress pattern as the base, but do a bib-front this time. That's a lot of work, though, and I'm not even sure the skirt has enough hem circumference for my petticoat.

Also also, I still have wig wefts I ordered with the express purpose of making curly bangs. Which I never did. And should do. (Think of how pretty they'll look framed by a bonnet...)

Other Thoughts

I'll be packing my shift(s) and stays, petticoat, white dress, and however much of my redingote I finish as my "base" wardrobe. I'll bring my open robe, hemmed or not, for the ball. Accessories will include one or two reticules, one bonnet, a shawl (probably the yellow one), my fichu and chemisette, a fan, a pair or two of gloves, two pairs of shoes (one for the outdoor parts and one for the ball), and some jewelry.

It's a good thing I own a suitcase now!

Scraps/leftovers of the wool blend may, in the future, become another bonnet and reticule. I also discovered that I may have enough red linen left from my Florentine ensemble to make a style of spencer that I've been eyeing for awhile, but we'll have to wait and see.

Hopefully this will help renew my interest in historical sewing, or else I'm cooked.

Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

[whennnow]

Jane Austen Ball 2025

March 29, 2025

[Image ID: a photo of Alex in her white Regency dress, with a red ribbon bodice, red shawl, and faux coral jewelry.]

Another Jane Austen Ball is in the books! I went with red accessories this time.

Much like last year, I had a fantastic time dancing, and I loved seeing so many people dressed up! (I even made a little game of guessing which sewing patterns the ladies used for their Regency dresses, though I never asked for confirmation.)

While the ball was about an hour away from where I live, many people from my local English Country Dance group were there, plus a few other people I recognized from local historical events. It was delightful to see so many familiar faces, and I look forward to seeing most of them at our monthly local dance in two weeks!

I had one extra special moment, standing out even from the dancing, the people, and the delicious cookies - I met someone who recognized me from my Instagram! It's a little silly - I'm not exactly an "influencer" or anything, nor am I trying to be, but it was a fun reminder that the people in my phone are people in real life! :)

[Image ID: a messy flat-lay photo of a Regency-era women's ensemble, including a white dress and petticoat, a pair of short stays, and a red shawl, jewelry, and purse.]

[whennnow]

A Regency Open Robe

August 17, 2023

[Image ID: a photo of Alex in a Regency ensemble seated at a small table with a mirror.]

As I approached the mid-point of the year (by which I mean I started this project in late May), I wanted to tackle another stash-busting project. This one has been on my list for a while - basically since I started getting into historical sewing.

Back around 2018 or so, I bought 6yds of light blue/magenta poly dupioni fabric from someone de-stashing on Instagram. It was always destined to be a Regency open robe, and finally it will be!

The Pattern

I briefly considered altering the pattern for my white dress to use for the bodice, but then I remembered that I have the American Duchess/Simplicity pattern, S8941. (Quick note: they have pattern notes and adjustments on the AD website!) The sleeve pattern intrigues me, so I decided to go for it. I chose my pattern size based solely on the bust measurement since the waist isn't an issue.

I cut the bodice pattern pieces out of some scrap cotton, pinned them together, and started fitting. My first two adjustments were to adjust the angle of the shoulder seams and side back seams. The shoulder seams needed to come in about a quarter-inch to reduce neckline gaping. The bottom of the center back seam came in by a quarter-inch as well, narrowing the back panel and curving out to meet the existing seamline near the armscye, which resulted in a closer-fitting back.

The front piece got a bit more work. It took a few tries to get the bust darts just right, and I adjusted the curve of the neckline. Then I got overzealous and tried to remove the dart entirely by adjusting the neckline even more, but that led to more gaping in the shoulders, and I decided it was smarter to go back to the well-fitted dart than to continue tweaking a dartless panel.

Once I had transferred my adjustments to the pattern pieces, I could cut out the bodice pieces!

The Bodice

Bodice construction was fairly simple - there are six short seams, plus the two darts. Those were sewn up on my machine, then flat-felled by hand. The darts were also sewn by machine and pressed toward the side seams.

The neckline and the bottom of the bodice were both turned under twice and felled for a clean finish.

The armscyes were a bit more perplexing. I needed to finish these edges so the robe could be worn sleeveless, but I also had to consider how I would be attaching the removable sleeves. I ended up finishing them with self bias tape and leaving the removable-ness of the sleeves as a future problem.

(Note: Because the bias tape only needed to be folded three times, I only made it 3/4 of an inch wide. This was a pain in the butt. Learn from my mistake and just make it an inch wide.)

The Skirt

Now, I had some decisions to make about the skirt. How wide should it be? Where should it begin and end? Do I want a train?

The Simplicity/American Duchess pattern has a piece for the skirt, but I was too lazy to cut that pattern piece out of both the tissue paper and the fabric. I decided to just cut a big rectangle of my fabric from selvage to selvage.

I doubled the width of the lower edge of the bodice, added a bit because it seemed too narrow, and ended up with a piece 47" wide. I pulled threads to ensure that the sides of the skirt were perfectly on grain, then pulled two additional threads on each side to act as guidelines for my hems - one a quarter inch from the cut edge and another a quarter inch from the first line.

Most of the open robes I saw on Pinterest seem to have at least a slight train (examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). So I decided to leave the full 60" width of fabric as the length of my skirt. I can always hem it shorter in the future, but right now the selvage edge is the hem.

To finish the upper edge of the skirt and strengthen that edge, I sewed some narrow cotton tape just inside the selvage and turned that edge in to hide the machine stitching.

I attached the skirt to the bodice by laying the pieces right-sides together and using small whip stitches to attach them. The whip stitches allow the seam to lie almost perfectly flat and avoid bulk at the waist.

I lined up the edges of the skirt with the front dart, kept it smooth until the side seam, where I put a 1" pleat on either side (to help it ease over my hips), and then kept it smooth all the way to the center back panel. There's about 14" pleated into an inch and a half! I think it helps control the fullness of the skirt and keep the skirt silhouette slim, plus it adds bulk to the center back of the skirt and acts as its own bum pad.

The Closure

I kept the closure super basic for this because I had lost my motivation and wanted to be done.

I simply marked the center front line on each bodice front panel, folded back the fabric to that point, and stitched it into place.

Then I added three hooks to one side of the opening and three 'eyes' to the other and called it a day.

The Sleeves

Remember how I said I wanted to make removable sleeves for this open robe? Yeah, that's not happening. At least not yet.

This project had been sort of dragging along, and I wanted to finish up a few more UFOs so that I could start on some basic SCA garb, so I decided to leave the sleeves as a future project, and declare this Regency open robe "done enough."

Looking Forward

Now, back at the beginning of this post, I mentioned that I had 6 yds of this fabric. This open robe used up a little over four yards. I have a few ideas for the rest (besides the sleeves, of course).

I have a pair of modern, pointed-toe flats, but they're the kind where the sides (the upper?) don't cover the inner side of the foot, and I don't like that. So I think it would be fun to try and cover them in this material and add a fun ribbon lacing detail!

Another reticule is also a no-brainer. Maybe I'll add beads or spangles to this one. Maybe I'll add beads or spangles to the bodice of this robe!

I've been wanting a turban-looking kind of headwear for my Regency wardrobe too. I have some trims to combine with this fabric to add more color and texture, but this would be a good base fabric.

But those are all future projects!

More immediately, I've got an alteration to (finally) finish for my grandmother and a small modern make for myself. Then I'd like to get two t-tunics made for SCA garb (I've already got the fabric and sketched out a pattern). And by the time I'm done with all that, it will probably be December! Oh boy!

Until next time,

Stay cool. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

[Image ID: a back-view photo of Alex wearing a trained blue open gown over a white Regency gown.]

[whennnow]

Blue Lace-Up Bodice

December 2, 2022

[Image ID: a close-up shot of Alex wearing a light blue Regency bodice with white ribbon trim and lacing with a white Regency dress and a peral necklace.]

I have, once again, been long absent from this blog and from sewing. I moved rather suddenly in August (like toured one day and moved in two weeks later) and it took me a while to get settled in and get a table for my workspace.

I was not to be deterred, though. One evening in September I decided I desperately needed a "quick" little hand sewing project, so I dug out the fabric I used for my Regency bonnet and embroidered reticule and the lining pattern I used for my white dress and got cutting.

I had one center back panel and two front pieces with bust darts. The center back panel was also cut out from a perfectly-sized scrap of muslin to act as a lining. I sewed up the bust darts first, then moved on to the shoulder seams and... promptly sewed the wrong piece to the back panel. Oops! That got unpicked and I sewed the side seams correctly, and then the shoulder seams again. I layered the center back lining over the inside of the back and sandwiched all the seam allowances I could in between the layers.

It wasn't until that was all finished that I finally tried the bodice on over my Regency stays and white dress. Thankfully it fit well - which was to be expected since I had used the same pattern as I used for the lining of my white dress - so it was time to start making decisions about closures and necklines and trims.

Yeah, I hadn't made any decisions about what it would look like until this point. Not usually how I go into a project.

I decided to go for a lace-up front with ribbon trim like in this extant garment. There aren't many examples of lace-up bodices in the Regency era, but I really like the bodice in this painting.

I started by folding back the generous front overlap to provide a panel for the lacing and room for a bone to stabilize the lacing (though I doubt the Comtesse's bodice has any boning) while leaving room for a gap at the center front. This was sewn down using a prick stitch along the edge of the bone casing and the lacing panel.

With that set, I started on the hem. The lower edges (besides the center back panel, whose seams were already contained) were turned up twice and whip-stitched down. The armscyes got the same treatment.

Then I got all dressed up again to decide on the neckline. Like in the Comtesse's portrait, I wanted the dress' neckline to show above the bodice, so I trimmed it down starting at the top of the shoulder and scooping it so there would be a little over an inch above the bodice after I finished the neckline edge.

The neckline was finished the same way as the hem and arm scyes. In order to make my work easier around the curves and odd fabric grains, I folded the edge in once and basted it, then used that edge to guide the second turning-in.

With construction done, I could turn my mind to trims again. I ordered 5yds of half-inch wide white ribbon to trim the neckline and hem like on the extant bodice I linked above and I had some white satin cording that I had braided and tassels to attach to the ends.

But then I got to thinking about doing some embroidery to better match my light blue reticule - maybe a simple little basque stitch around the neckline and the back panel seams. And maybe the white lacing cord would blend in too much with the white dress beneath.

So the project was once again put aside for a bit.

Eventually, I decided that I wanted the bodice done sooner rather than later, so ribbon trim it would be!

It looks, in the photos of the extant garment, like the ribbon was just gathered across the width and tacked down, with enough ribbon between the tacking points to make a little puff. I spaced mine out so that the gathering was spaced out about an inch on the ribbon, and the gathered parts were tacked down roughly 7/8ths of an inch apart on the neckline. I did fudge some areas to get the trim to be roughly symmetrical, but those were my starting measurements.

Then, for reasons I no longer remember (because this happened early in November, and now it is almost the end of the month), I decided not to add ribbon to the waistline of the bodice. Instead, I jumped straight to the lacing.

I wasn't able to find a matching blue cord, and the white cording I have is too big for the holes, so I decided to use most of the rest of the white silk ribbon to lace the bodice closed.

The ends looked a little sad, though, so I attached white tassels to the ends. This means that I can't get the ends of the ribbon through the lacing holes, so I had to make sure the ribbon I used was long enough that I could get the bodice on and off.

The white ribbon lacing over a white gown doesn't contrast very well, so I'm considering this a temporary measure. I'm also worried about the tassels being too heavy for such delicate ribbon and the possibility of them tearing off. A better, more permanent solution will probably be to make some self-fabric rouleaux to use as lacing. I certainly have enough fabric left. (Maybe I should cover a pair of flats to be dance slippers?)

Until I actually make the self-rouleaux cord, though, this little bodice is done!

I really like how it turned out (except for the lacing ribbon)! I was worried the ribbon trim would be too frilly for my tastes, but it's actually fairly subtle and I think the scale/size is just right too.

Hope you're all safe as the year comes to a close.

Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

[Image ID: a neck-to-knees photo of Alex wearing a white Regency dress with a light blue bodice, matching embroidered reticule, blue shawl, and pearl necklace.]

[whennnow]

Making the DAR Vest

April 28, 2022

[Image ID: a navy blue Regency women's vest with silvery white trim in a military design and gold buttons.]

At some point in 2020 or 2021 (it's all a bit of a blur these days) I bought myself Fig Leaf Pattern's DAR Museum vest pattern. I finally got around to making it in early February when my work schedule and the weather conspired to give me four days off in a row!

I had a plain-woven navy blue polyester/poly-cotton in my stash and a matching set of six large and six small gold buttons. I had to run to the store later for cording.

I'd say the pattern was easy to follow, but I honestly just glanced at the instructions and decided to go about it in a completely different order. I did go back and consult the instructions later in regards to hemming and such, though, and what I did reference was easy to understand.

Fitting

I did run into one issue, unfortunately - sizing. The smallest size available is a size 8, and my measurements fall about 2" short of the measurements for that size. 'No problem,' I thought, 'it's not a fitted garment so it's ok if it's a bit too big.' I basted together the front, side, and back bodice pieces (again, not what the instructions say to do), tried it on to make sure it wasn't too big, and... discovered that it was too small somehow.

I did some thinking, stretching, and twisting in the mirror before I came to the conclusion that the fit issue was my shoulders, and that adding a bit of length to the shoulder strap part of the bodice front should fix the problem. It took a few tries - adjusting the length and angle of the patch - but it did the trick nicely!

I then had to make up for the extra neckline length by re-cutting the collar to be longer. I adjusted it by adding length at the center back. I suspect I should have done this differently (like maybe reading the provided instructions on adjusting the collar), but I only have a slight wrinkling in the collar and it doesn't bother me enough to fix it.

Construction

I started by sewing the front shoulder straps to the center back. Then I attached the side panels to the front, and then the side panels to the back. Seam allowances were flattened toward the center back and whipped down.

The collar was next. I sewed up the short side seams on the collar, attached the outside to the bodice neckline, then flipped all the seam allowances inside the collar and whipped the free edge down to encase the seam allowances.

The peplum then got assembled and stitched on. The instructions say to hem the peplum pieces before attaching them to each other, and I regret not doing that. It was hard to hem them nicely with the seams in the way.

After that, I could attach the front bodice lining, right sides together, and turn it right sides out to give the front edge a nice clean look. The trick here is that the front lining overlaps the collar a bit, so even if you do most of the construction by machine, you have to do the top inch or so by hand.

Once all that was done, I turned up the bottom edge of the bodice and whipped the seam allowance down, including the peplum seam allowance. It's not a particularly clean hem but it's working so far, and the front lining covers up enough of the lower edge that you cant see this part of the hem when the vest is worn.

The armscye was treated in much the same way - edges turned in once and whipped down. This was a lot easier than I was afraid it would be, given the curve, and I'm not super worried about fraying here because so much of it is on the bias of the fabric.

Last but not least, a scrap of muslin was cut out and used to line the center back panel. I just held it in place, turned the edges under to match the center back panel, pinned it, and whipped the edges down. This actually encases a fair amount of seam allowances, including part of the armscye, giving a nice, finished look to part of the inside.

Trimming

The original vest has 20 buttons and is corded on almost every seam! I only had 12 buttons to work with, and I didn't want to buy 10 yds of cord, so I turned to Pinterest.

There is, of course, the riding habit of Queen Louise of Prussia, and this detail shot of the back of Before the Automobile's recreation of it. But there's also this 1801/1804 fashion plate or this portrait of Sophie Reinhard. And one of many fashion plates where you can see two buttons over the peplum, kind of like what you see on the DAR vest.

I decided to go with something simple since the trim I had is thick cording, not flat braid or soutache. I loosely base the front on the Sophie Reinhard portrait, and did the button and cord around the seams on the back. The design I settled on only used 3 yards of cord.

I stenciled out the design I was aiming for in chalk on the bodice and pinned the cord over the markings. Then I ever so slowly couched the trim down, trying to hide my thread in the twist of the cord. Buttons went on last to complete the look!

Admittedly, I let almost two months go by between finishing construction and doing the trim. This is partially due to me being indecisive and partially due to some career changes and getting used to a new schedule. But the vest was finally complete!

I really like how it turned out! It was nice without the trim, but the trim really adds a lot to it - that HBIC military-inspired vibe. It was quick and easy to sew too, despite how I dragged my feet on it.

The only thing I'm less than thrilled about is how wide it makes my shoulders look, which is a silly thing, but it sits so close to my neck and the straps aren't very wide so my shoulders just appear much wider than they normally do. I intend to use this pattern as a base for another sleeveless spencer, so I might experiment with widening the back panel and the straps slightly. We'll see.

I think it would make a nice walking ensemble with long gloves, a habit-style chemisette, and a well-structured hat. Or perhaps something suitable for the seaside with this ruffly chemisette and my straw bonnet...

Now that this is done, I'll be sewing outside of the Regency era for a while - I need new pillowcases, I have plans for some lingerie/loungewear, and then Edwardian combinations - but I'll definitely be back! I've got all the supplies to make curly clip-in bangs and I need to use up some of my stash after all!

Until then

Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay healthy.

[Image ID: a photo of Alex from the hips up wearing a white Regency dress, ruffly chemisette, and blue vest in front of a busy bedroom background.]