Tag: 4055

Purple linen Regency-ish dress

Simplicity 4055

This is Simplicity 4055 again, this time in a lovely deep purple linen. I did make a couple of amendments to the pattern, mostly to the fit of the bodice. I widened the sleeves by an inch, to allow room for my biceps and to make it easier to lift my arms. I also made a full bust adjustment (a novelty for me!) to allow me to wear a modern bra rather than Regency stays. Next time I need to bring the gathering a little more towards the middle, but the fit is still very much improved.

Simplicity 4055

I also altered the back of the bodice, to eliminate the buttons. Not having a maid to dress me, I couldn’t fasten the buttons between my shoulder-blades without some serious yoga practice, so I decided to get rid of them. Instead I added a rather anachronistic zip into the side seam, which was much easier to manage. I really like the back of the bodice without the buttons, it looks much neater.

I did have a brief look around the internet and in some of my costume books, to see whether there were any examples of Regency dresses that didn’t fasten at the back, and was very interested in this tutorial for making a bib-front style. The wraparound section at the front would eliminate the need for separate stays, and you could make lots of different detachable bibs with embroidery and smocking and all sorts of details. That idea is now looking very tempting for my next big dress project!

Regency-ish Dress and Bloomers

Regency-ish dress & bloomers

(Sorry about the terrible picture, trying to take photos of black lace is a nightmare.)

Today I have finally finished all the hand-sewing on this Regency-ish dress based on Simplicity 4055. Some of it was of my own making – I had to bind the edges of the armholes to stop the seams of the net sleeves from being scratchy. Originally I’d put poppers at the back, but it turned out to be a bit tight and every time I moved they’d pop open. Not good for dancing. So I unpicked the poppers, put in eyelets, and now it laces up. Not very Regency. Ah well. The length’s hardly period – and it’s even shorter than I’d intended, hence the definitely not-Regency bloomers to go underneath.

The bloomers started life as Simplicity 2777, view E. I left off the waist casing, and finished the top edge with picot edged lingerie elastic. I also left off the leg bands and ruffles, because I found a piece of very extravagant garter elastic in my stash. It was much too stretchy to use as an actual garter, but absolutely perfect for trimming these little shorts.

I’m still trying to get used to the shape of the dress. It’s pretty and I know it’s basically the same shape as me, but I’m so conditioned to believe that every woman should have a neat little waist that I feel as though it looks a bit frumpy. Hopefully that’ll wear off when I put it on and discover that it’s actually comfortable rather than digging into the waist that I haven’t got, which is what happens with most of my other dresses. Which is why I never wear them.

I’m wearing the outfit on Friday evening, so hopefully I’ll be able to ask someone to take a better photo for me!

Regency Bodice

Regency Bodice

Remember me saying that I fancied making a Regency dress for the summer? Well, I went and grabbed myself a copy of Simplicity 4055, read a number of reviews online, and started sewing.

Normally in a Simplicity pattern I’d cut a size 18, but I’d read that this pattern came up large, and I knew I wasn’t going to be wearing umpteen layers of Regency underwear underneath it. So I checked the measurements, took a deep breath, and cut out a size 14. I made a muslin, and it fitted absolutely perfectly!

I have to say that this is the first pattern I’ve ever made that I haven’t had to alter in the bust, or at least think “oh well, I’ll just have to wear a padded bra”. I suspect this means that almost everybody else who makes this dress is going to need to make a full bust adjustment, or actually wear Regency stays underneath.

The bodice is made from three layers. The spotty mesh is basted to plain black poly-cotton, which are treated as a single layer. It’s then lined with another layer of the same poly-cotton. The sleeves are also underlined, with black dress net (crinoline). The spotty mesh is very light and floppy, and I knew that I wanted the sleeves to stand up by themselves. I also wanted to keep the translucent quality of the mesh, so the net seemed like the perfect solution. Structurally it’s worked really well, but the armscye seams are incredibly scratchy, despite being run through the overlocker. I think I might have to bind them with tape, to enclose the edges of the net completely.

Unfortunately I didn’t make a muslin of the sleeves, which have come out just a tiny bit too tight. I’ll be alright as long as I don’t want to go around waving my arms above my head, but next time I’ll make them slightly larger around the bicep.

I plan to make the skirt in plain black poly-cotton, overlaid with the spotty mesh again. The slight spanner in the works with that plan is that the spotty mesh is only a metre wide (40″), and the pattern uses the full width of 115cm (44″) fabric. I haven’t had a good look at the pattern pieces yet – I might be able to lose a little bit of width at the hem of the skirt. Alternatively I think I have enough of the mesh to put a seam at the centre back, and leave the the centre front hanging in two pieces. I’ll have to see.

I’m trying to make this dress completely from materials already stashed in my Shed, so now I’m hoping that I’ve got enough narrow lace to trim the mesh layer of the skirt. It also needs three buttons for the back of the bodice, but I don’t think I’m going to have any trouble finding three black buttons in here!

Regency Summer

Today I would like to both praise and curse my friend Rhona, for being an extremely bad influence.

At the beginning of July I’m going to London for a three-day weekend with friends. Being London, and being July, I expect it to be excruciatingly hot and stuffy. (It’ll probably rain now.) In order to try and stay as comfortable as possible in the heat, I’d bought two patterns for sundresses – a 50s-ish halter neck, and a gathered maxi dress. I have absolutely miles of cotton shirting (mostly vertical stripes in various shades of pink and purple), plus all the organic cottons, so I figured these would be ideal. Long and floaty, nice and cool, and I could make little bolero jackets to go over the top to avoid sunburn.

And then Rhona started talking about making a very lightweight Regency-style dress to wear on her summer holiday. And then there were links to patterns, and fabric. And now there’s a fabric-shopping trip planned, and I want a Regency-style dress too!

So I’m looking at Simplicity 4055, mostly because I have a card from my local fabric shop for a free Simplicity pattern. (Hoorah for free!) And then I started wondering about Regency underwear (as you do), and discovered that there used to be a matching underwear pattern, but it’s out of print. And then I discovered that both patterns are actually by Sense and Sensibility, and I can buy the matching underwear pattern after all.

And then I started thinking about layers, and asymmetric hems, and combining lovely organic fabrics with stuff that’s been languishing in my stash, and about the visual ridiculousness of wearing a Regency-style dress with a half-shaved head and Doc Martens… and that’s something I really want to do! So, when I start wandering about looking like a somewhat punk Jane Austen, you only have Rhona to blame.