Having decided to make a Regency dress, and read about appropriate fabric choices, it seems I will be making a silk ball dress. I quailed at the thought of cutting into something expensive and possibly difficult to sew, so decided instead to select a pattern I could use for a day dress in cotton first.
Which pattern? There are so many available! But all from overseas. I picked the Past Impressions/Patterns of Time 1800-1812 bib front dress, after reading the review here http://www.songsmyth.com/patternsgowns.html#improved but if I did it again, I would buy the Laughing Moon pattern. I have not yet found anyone who has made the Patterns of Time dress to swap notes with, but the Laughing Moon one seems very popular. Anyway, I will review the pattern when I finish for any other future purchasers.
Here is the review of the pattern I bought:
"Bib-Front Muslin Dress: This newer pattern produces a true bib-front gown that is very charming indeed. I particularly like the back. The sleeves are a little unusual - slightly full and pleated into the elbow-length cuff - and I would consider substituting a straight sleeve instead, whether short, elbow-length, or long. It can be made with far less fabric than the pattern calls for, especially if you reduce the volume of the skirt in back, and still have a period-appropriate result. Definitely make a muslin first! Also, the instructions include "modern" and "authentic" directions, but the "authentic" directions of flat-felling all the seams are totally unnecessary unless you are making the gown out of a sheer muslin. If you can't see through the fabric, ordinary seams are perfectly correct. Overall, people say it goes together well."
Now either I ended up with a different pattern somehow, or the pattern designer changed things. For instance, there is definitely no pleating on my sleeves. However the pattern states 8 yards of fabric, and I have cut out all my pieces and still have 2.5 yards left, so that much is still true. And the instructions still say to flat fell very seam. Curious.
I waited a couple of weeks and my pattern arrived. Hooray!
While waiting for it to arrive, I had found some lovely reproduction print fabric online, and bought the recommended 8 yards. Lucky it was on sale or I would never have afforded that much.
In the meantime, I was at least able to start tracing my pattern (in case I need to make it in a different size on another occasion). This was when I hit my first snag. The pattern pieces consistently said "1/2 inch seam allowance" on them, but did that mean I needed to add half an inch, or it was already included? I emailed the pattern seller, and received a prompt answer that the seam allowance was included. Great.
Then I hit the second snag. I bought the pattern in size 6-8-10, as it seemed likely I was one of those sizes, however there was absolutely zero sizing information provided with the pattern or on the pattern sellers website. Not a single measurement about what my size is, or what the finished measurements of the dress would be! Gah. My email to the pattern designers went unanswered. I looked up American sizes on the web and picked size 6 to trace, knowing I would be making a muslin out of an old sheet anyway.
I made a muslin in size 6 and it was so tight round the arms that I made another in size 8. However after some fit advice from a very helpful friend, I went back to the size 6. I needed to adjust the armscye slightly to make it deep enough, but the rest of the bodice fitted pretty well with no gaping and a nice high back. My friend also pointed out that the back pieces were not the same length even where they were meant to be seamed together as curved seams require easing together. Ah, what I thought was a deficiency in my pattern was actually a deficiency in my sewing knowledge (not terribly surprising given my lack of experience). However it still isn't clear to me why the backstrap and bodice front are different widths where they are meant to join. I tried joining them at an angle to allow for the different measurement, but this makes the backstrap wrinkle slightly.
I'm very glad I made muslins of the sleeves. The pattern has all the gathering at the back, between the shoulder seam and back seam. This looks pretty, but the sleeve was not cut full enough, so it pulled uncomfortably flat against my shoulder. Did anyone test this pattern before it was sent out, I ask myself? I tried embiggening the sleeve, for more puff, but think a straighter sleeve looks better with a day dress. So I stuck with the same pattern piece, but adjust the gathering to place some of it at the front of the sleeve. This did make placement of the sleeve in the armscye difficult, as the only notch to help with placing was at the shoulder seam, when I really needed a mark at the bottom of the armscye to help with placement of the underarm seam. The underarm seams on my finished dress are not in quite the same place unfortunately, I doubt anyone but me would notice.
When my fabric arrived, I felt like I was all set to go, before remembering that I would need lining fabric. Several yards of cheap unbleached calico later, all set to go!
And then another pattern deficiency became apparent. No layout instructions. NONE! This doesn't matter for things like the lining but becomes rather noticeable on a directional print when you have accidentally cut out your bib trim or skirt facings in the wrong direction. I managed to get the bib bits right, but cut the skirt facings horizontally rather than vertically as I hadn't figured out where they were going. Lucky I had so much fabric, eh?
So, end of May and I finally have a finished bodice, complete with long sleeves (detachable) and a gathered bib. The bib that comes with the pattern is gathered in two places, but as a less well-endowed lady, I prefer the full gathered effect. I cut my bib twice as long as the lining piece to allow for this (remember to also cut two inches off the lining piece to allow for the gathering that is included in the pattern).
I also decided to trim the wrists of the long sleeves with a band of gathered fabric. Beware, I have the smallest hands and skinniest wrists known to adult kind, and I still find these sleeves tight. Here is my progress so far:
I made one other adjustment, I found when making the waistband that there was absolutely no way I could sew it with a half inch seam allowance and still manage to turn it right side out. I sewed it with a quarter inch allowance, and it STILL took about two hours and some swearing, several cups of tea and my bluntest long knitting needle to get it right side out.
And I would have finished by now except that the pattern is missing a dot and several gathering/pleating marks on the skirt. I am awaiting a response from the pattern designer as to where these should be. In the meantime I have miles of flat felling I can do, and a chemise and chemisette to plan.
