A couple of events are coming up for which I’ve made costumes. First is a banquet of Regency style food. Last time I went to one of these I didn’t dress in costume, but after a friend assured me that Regency dresses are fairly simple to make and fit I decided to give it a go.

I found a basic pattern over at the Sense and Sensibility Patterns site and got it printed out on A3 paper. The sheets had to be stuck together:

Then the pattern pieces traced in the correct size:

After a bit of research I found that those pale, airy cotton dresses you see in period dramas were more often worn during the day. In the evening more luxurious fabrics were worn. Young, unmarried women wore light colours whereas older, married women could wear darker shades. Velvet was new and fashionable, too. In fact, I found four Regency era paintings via Pinterest of women wearing red velvet gowns, all trimmed with white.

That meant I could make a red dress in a fabric that didn’t need lining. Well, as it turned out it was easier to make the bodice lined because it allowed me to avoid overstitching or handstitching around the neckline and armbands. I found some cotton velvet in a subdued red and used cheap polyprop (65% cotton 35% polyester) as lining.

Back when I used to sew a lot and make my own patterns I always used cheap fabric I found on sale for the test ‘muslin’. This time I decided to try actual muslin for the test bodice. I didn’t like it as much – too flimsy – but it did the job.

After a bit of pattern adjustment and a second test bodice later I was ready to go. I spent a couple of days sewing it up, all the while suffering from camnesia so I don’t have any in-progress shots. I hand sewed the armbands, hem and trim. This is the finished dress wish cashmere shawl and past-the-elbow white gloves:

And a drawstring bag to match: