Crossing Over: A Regency Dress

Gallery:

August 2008
My dress' debut at Costume College 2008! More pics from the day can be found here.

July 2008
Dress details.

Dress Diary:

June 29 2008

First on my Costume College sewing list is my Regency day dress. I actually started toileing ithis dress last summer. It was the basis of a "secret" project that I didn't get too far with. When I starting thinking about what I wanted to do for a Regency day dress I remembered this practically finished bodice toile languishing in my files. Simple, fun and a good trial of the style for my "secret" project - what could be better?!

A cross-over gown. I was originally going to use a gown in Nineteenth Century Fashion in Detail as my guide, using the Cut of Women's Clothes pattern as a base. Then while I was browsing a recent S&S newsletter I noticed, for the first time, that one of the gowns in Jennie's latest Regency pattern is quite similar to the Cut of Women's Clothes pattern. So I ordered the pattern and used it as my starting point.

So the saga began! I've unlocked the posts from the time so you can follow the modifications and tweaks that then ensued. You'll find them below...

Aug 26 2007
The S&S pattern arrived yesterday afternoon. This is the real reason I love Jennie's patterns - it's an instant gratification thing. The pattern looks pretty good, I'll be sure to write a proper review of it later.

I got my mail just as I had finished cleaning my room and was getting ready to cut out my shift. Ha! Into the corner went the shift (again) and instead I laced up my 1804 stays, took some measurements, traced the correct size onto interfacing and cut out a toile. I decided to make one up per the directions, just to see what happens. I can adjust from there.

This morning I went to church, came home and put a batch of brownies in for lunch and am on my way to my room to sew up the toile.

I can't believe I'm actually working on this already... yay!

Aug 26

I'm really pleased with the work I did on the cross-over bodice today. For the first toile I decided to cut out and make up the pattern as-is and per the instructions, just to see what the results would be. Official Jenny-Rose opinion? Not too bad.

1- The bodice was a little low. Apparently in my 1804 corset my normally "C" bust is an "A". Riiiggghhhttt. Strange but true, when I compared the corrected markings on my toile and the "A" cup pattern it was exactly the same measurement. Granted I want a rather high waist and I'm on the small end of "C" but still I thought that was amusing.

2- I didn't dig the pleats. I knew I wouldn't - I'm not a large pleat for Regency gowns gal and these were large pleats. I also had some issues with the cross-over bodice not matching the lining. Perhaps there is suppose to be bunching at the side but I smoothed it out (flat on my cutting mat) and trimmed off the access.

3- Other fitting issue was at the back shoulder seams. The angle was way off on me... pretty typical issue for 18th and 19th century angled shoulder seams though. I simply had Mom pin it at the seam for me and drafted out the excess.

After the initial fitting I decided to take it apart and fit the lining alone. That is where I figured out the cup size thing and marked the shoulder seam. The lining is pretty interesting. I thought these sorts of cross-over-and-pin linings were more typical of bib-fronts but were apparently used on all sorts of bodice styles. I noticed a few more in Bradfield's Costume in Detail, when I was actually looking for them (never ceases to amaze me what you can find hiding in that book).

After fitting the lining I took the toile apart again, made my changes and proceeded to put it back together, this time with the cross-over pieces again in the mix. I opted to do gathers instead of the pleats the second time around. I first pinned the lining and cross-over matching the side and armhole. I then pulled up the top gathers to fit before pulling the bottom gathers. The bottom was a little trickier, mostly because I ended up cutting so much off to match my new waistline.

The results? I'm very, very pleased. I need to tweak the front cross-over a bit - changing the angle at the very front and making the gathering threads longer in the front as well. I really like it - just what I wanted to achieve and without the hassle I was dreading with drafting from scratch. I started work on the sleeve tonight but it started to be fiddly and I decided it was too late to be dealing with fiddly sleeves.

Aug 30

The first sleeve toile, from the S&S pattern. I am very disappointed. Not only did it not fit together well at the seams but it didn't fit well in the armhole either, nor did it fit me. I have large upper arms but still, I expected more (or should I say less fiddling) with a purchased pattern.

That whole gather at the top/back to ease into the armhole thing didn't work for me. The pattern states that it won't look gathered, once it's ironed out, which was total crap. It didn't fit, doesn't look right and ended up quite gathered. Ick! I'm not impressed. *sigh* So I'm ditching it and trying the sleeve from my Bee Robe instead.

Dude I hate sleeves!

Aug 30

For my second sleeve attempt I used the sleeve from my Bee Robe (which is based on Hunnisett). Much better! I'm still not entirely pleased with the fit in the armhole area but the sleeve felt much better – no cutting off of the circulation.

During the second fitting I noticed that the armhole doesn't fit very well. Its not on the top of my shoulder, but actually slightly off the shoulder. I'm also not digging the way it's pulling right in front at the bust line. It's a fitting problem I frequently have in commercial patterns though.

I marked it to cut down the shoulder/armhole a bit but looking at pictures of my Bee Robe I'm thinking I may just ditch the S&S lining as well and create a lining based on the Robe, draping the cross-over pieces to fit.

Why try to tweak the S&S lining to fit/look more like the Robe when I can just use the Robe instead. It fits, it's comfy and the sleeve is cut for that armhole.

Sometimes I can be quite cunning really. :>

Sep 1
I went over to Stephanie's today to celebrate her birthday and to help break in her Mom's new sewing studio. Dude someday I really want one of those!

Anyway Linda (Stephanie's mom) hadn't moved in a full length mirror into the studio yet which cramped my style a bit trying to fit the bodice but I did work on it a bit. I never realized before that a large mirror is one of my most important peices of costuming equipment!

I am sans pics since I forgot the camera but I think using the Bee Robe pattern as my lining will work. I need to rework the back/shoulder seam and possibly the neckline but I like it so far.

Sep 10

Today's progress has involved trying on the toile, re-pinning and trying on again, trimming and trying on again... well you get the idea. First time I tried it on, as is from the last time I worked on it (and didn't take pictures). So the original S&S cross-over bodice with the Bee robe lining.

Second time I let the pleats out of the shoulder area to fill out the wider back/shoulder seam. It took out a fair amount of the fullness and changed the neckline a bit as well.

Third time I put the pleats back in the original place and trimmed down the wide lining. I think I like the neckline better this way. I need to scoop out the back a bit more though, the straight across thing isn't terribly flattering.

June 29 2008
So back to this frock... sort of.

Since it's been almost a year since I've touched this project, and I didn't particularly take good notes at the time, I'm going to sew the toile back together to make sure everything looks good. Hopefully it won't need too much work. *crosses fingers*

June 29
I got the toile of the cross-over bodice all sewn together but didn't feel lacing up in a corset so I set it aside and worked on the Pearl.

July 17

Yay, back to progress on this frock! I'm really hating the lining for the cross-over Regency dress. I've cut it down a bit since I took the above pic but still. It's just a pain and I feel like it shifts and moves every time I try on the toile, which means it will shift and move every time I pull the dress on. Not a happy thought.

I'm thinking seriously about leaving it off all together and just making a bodiced petticoat for underneath. It kind of depends on how thin my fabric is I guess. Do you think I'll regret making the dress without it?

I tried on the toile this morning and just finished tracing out a master pattern. Next step is to cut the thing out. I could have fiddled with the toile a little more I guess but I'm just not in the mood. It looks good enough. My headache du jour is at bay at the moment but it's put me out of the mood to do more drapings and fittings. Luckily my CC projects are almost out of the toile stage. The tracing and embellishment I have to do is much better suited to my available brain wattage.

Just plain progress doesn't seem to be doing it for me - I will feel so much better if I can just finish something though. Something, anything crossed off my list! :>

July 17
I can't believe it. It's 7:30pm and I'm still functioning. The headache du jour is STILL at bay, although I'm starting to get tired. Still I'm not laying in bed with an eye mask on like I have the every night this week.

I'm making all sorts of progress on this day dress. I'm getting a little muddled about how I want to do the skirts (it being a wrap-around style) but the brilliant idea of actually looking at the pattern I based this frock on for guidance just occurred to me. So I'm going to eat some supper and give that a read through.

Perhaps I'm functioning less than I think I am when that seems brilliant... :P

July 18

Thanks to the week-long headache being friendly and having the house all to myself yesterday I *almost* finished my Regency day dress!

My dress form being out of commission (weeps) I had to try it on a couple of times during the construction to double check the placement of the gathers on the bodice and skirt but in the end I'm very pleased.

Umm. It looks much better on me than on Narcissa. Oh and I made up the necklace from the vintage beads I got in SD too. It needs a red silk ribbon now. I'm digging the velvet red trim, which was Mom's idea. It's just enough pop and adds some texture. The fabric on the board behind the dress is what I'm using for my bonnet so that helps draw the colors together. Even though it doesn't match. I love not matching things perfectly.

So trim, sleeve hem and skirt hem and it's done. Yippee! Well I'm debating adding a strip of twill tape to the "waist" for stability, since I skipped the lining. We'll see.

July 19
I hate it when I go to bed with a headache and wake up with the same headache. It's going to be one of those days...

Yesterday was slightly productive. I made a trip to the fabric store for linings and thread and such like. Came home napped and threw everything in the washer.

On the sewing front I whipped up a bodiced petticoat. I used the bodice lining from the cross-over (which if memory serves was actually based on my Bee robe pattern) and the S&S regency skirt lining. Love that skirt lining pattern, I've used it for all sorts of things. It only took me three tries sewing the skirt on to get it right. I kept sewing things inside out. Silly.

The petticoat is made of linen I've been hoarding for a new shift. When I looked at the fabric this week though I decided it was too heavy for a shift but perfect for a petticoat. I like it, it reminds me of Lydia in P&P (1996) getting dressed for the ball. :>

I had Mom mark the hem for me of both the petticoat and dress. While I had everything on I had Daddy take some so-so pics to prove it does look better on me than on Narcissa. Next time you see it will be at CC and hopefully without a headache. :P

Everything is hemmed now and I stitched in a length of narrow twill tape to reinforce the waist of the dress. Next up trimming on the dress and I can officially cross it off my list - yay!

July 22
My cross-over Regency is now 100% done - all hemmed and trimmed and ready to be worn. Well after a good pressing anyway. Do you know what that means? Something crossed off the list! *does happy dance*