Christmas Carol 2013, Part 2

I finally finished the regency gown for Fair Young Girl! Yay! I will admit, I cheated a little bit. I used the serger on the armholes and the waistline, instead of hand overcasting everything. I figured I used the machine to sew the dress anyway, so it’s not going to win any awards for being hand done anyway! The back of the dress has a little pad sewn in to keep the dress from falling into the small of her back. I used a diagram out of one of my books, and used ties on the inside to attach it so that we can remove it for laundering (as per the original). The dress has a overlapping flaps in the front to help secure everything. They are attached at the shoulders and sides. They just overlap and pin snugly.

The dress bodice crosses over at an angle. The one that goes under has an extra panel of skirt that extends past the bodice and ties at the side back (you can see the tape tie hanging in the photo above). This helps keep everything secure, and also prevents undergarments from showing when you walk. The top part of the crossover has 2 hooks to secure it in place.

Here is the spencer. I used a collar I drafted out of a book (I’m sorry, they are at work and I am at home, I will add the books I used later). I also altered the back, by adding some length to make little tails, like on a frock coat. Also used books for inspiration, but didn’t copy exactly. The spencer has ties at the center back that wrap around to the front and tie. They keep the back snugged down. The center front of the main ribbon closure has a hook and eye to keep it shut.

The tape ties are attached under the rosettes at the back.

Here is the whole ensemble, with the reticule, and the hat I trimmed.

The hat trim is pleated, then all the corners of the pleats folded in towards the center (which is slightly off center…oops! I now have a design element on the side instead!)