Regency Wardrobe Update

I have gotten quite a few things done since my last post! I finished my short stays, designed and made my bodiced petticoat (minus the hem, and few things left to be desired), and today I started my gown mock up (which may actually end up being a gown in itself).

Regarding the stays, I ended up not covering the ends of the boning with caulking because I found the rounded and spray painted edges to be more than sufficient. Today I did end up taking out the diagonal boning under the bust because I found it too cumbersome for the natural regency look. I left the casing in it because that alone provides some structural support and shape. The only thing I regret doing in not making the straps long enough. I could of fixed this problem by simply making the straps tie in the front (like most stays do) but frankly I was afraid to cut the thing up when I was so close to finishing. They still do there job, but have a tendency to slide up if you raise your arms. Oh well, I know for next time.

As I said, the bodiced petticoat leaves something to be desired. For the most part it came out how I pictured it, minus the bodice being too long for the higher waisted regency look and the back being slightly too wide at the top (resulting in gaping). Considering this will be under some layers I am not too worried. After I get the gown done, if I need to change something, I'll worry about it then.

I started the mock up today with a sheet I got from a thrift store. It is 100 percent cotton and moderately thick (not at all like the muslin or batiste that regency dresses were made out of). It also has this classy stripped pattern that is part of the cloth and is the same color. Looking at it now, I think it will work quite nicely as a dress or even an open robe. It's nice to know that all the work put into the mock-up may not be in vain. The most challenging part so far has been the sleeves...which I never in my life have made, let alone without a pattern. Hopefully I will be done with it tomorrow and then I can move on to doing the final planning for the gown. Did I mention I have a beautiful, thin, cotton, royal blue print fabric that I plan on using?

Regency Short Stays

I am almost done with my short stays. I was planning on being done by now, especially considering it only too me about two days on and off to come up with the pattern and piece it together. The most tedious part is preparing the final boning. I have to cut each piece (which I have already done), file and round the ends, sanding them down, spray paint them, and cover the tips in some latex/silicone caulking. If I really wanted to be lazy and I didn't care about the possibility of future rusting, I could totally bind the edges and be done with it right now. But, considering all the time I have put in, I really want to do it right the first time around.

I am already mentally planning the bodiced petticoat and how I am going to piece it together. I have yet to decide on what kind of closure it will have, but I know it won't be buttons. From what I have read, buttons are not the most authentic closures for either regency gowns or underthings. I have pretty much decided that the gown will have tie closures in the back, so I really don't want to have similar tie closures in the back of the bodiced petticoat. If I did, it will not only add awkward bulk to the back, the gap would show through all the way down to the stays. I know I will have a gather under the bust of the bodiced petticoat that will tie from the inside. If I also add a gather to the top edge I might not need an opening at all and I would just gather the edges after I slipped it on. But, first things first, I need to get off my but and finish the stays! Wish me luck.

Planning A Regency Wardrobe

I have to decided to start my historical wardrobe in the regency era. I'm starting there not without reason, of course. Firstly, in order to start in the Victorian or Edwardian era I would need to buy more supplies, supplies I can only find online! Secondly, Regency era fabrics, namely muslin, are a lot cheaper and easier to come by. Thirdly, regency dresses and undergarments are a lot simpler to design and the patterns are a lot simpler to work with. Because of the high waistline, the only fitted part of the dress is the bust area, compared to the elaborate bodices of the Victorian era. There also aren't any bustles, crinolines, bum rolls, or cages of any kind that have to be factored into the equation. Yay!

So, a regency wardrobe it is! My plans so far consist of a chemise, short stays, a bodiced petticoat, and then a thin linen, batiste, or muslin dress. Depending on how see-through and thick the fabrics turn out to be, I might have to add a second petticoat that either falls right under the bust or at the waist.

Now, the only regency patterns I have have are Simplicity 4055 (based off the Sense and Sensibility pattern), and Butterick 6630 (which is very costumey and historically inaccurate). I also have simplicity 9769 and 2890 (which are Civil War era underthings) that I will use for the basis of my chemise. I plan on making the bodiced petticoat by following the sense and sensibility pattern provided by the website (http://sensibility.com/tips/how-to-make-a-regency-bodiced-petticoat-from-the-regency-gown-pattern/) which employs the simplicity dress pattern 4055. Similarly, I plan on using the 4055 bodice pattern to make the short stays, which I will base off of the simplicity 4052 boned short stays (which are also based off a Sense and Sensibility pattern).

Grated, if I do follow through with this plan effectively, I will have to add other pieces to my ensemble, such as a bonnet, stockings, shoes, perhaps a spencer and maybe even a fichu. But, until then, lets see how far I get.