Regency Gown Progress

Above is the dress I'm attempting to re-create. I saw it a few months ago on Vintage Textile and fell in love with it. I bought the silk to re-create it back in November but never got around to it until this past week. I decided to hand sew the dress to get as close to the original design as I can.

These are the first mock ups of the bodice of the gown. Since the skirt is nothing more than a rectangle that is pleated to the back and a smaller rectangle that is pleated at the sides, I concentrated on the bodice. The lines were very different from my previous Regency gown and I wanted to follow them as closely as possible. After taking in the sides and folding the back so I could get the proportions of the pieces correct, I ended up with this:





The front of the mock up is only gathered with pins which is why it looks funny. I realized after the first mock up that I would have to cut a trapezoid, not a rectangle, for the bib front since it was gathered along the top. This actually is great for me since neckline on me and neckline on my dress dummy are two different things. I can just pull the drawstring and get the desired look easily.


The bib/apron part of the dress is done. I also almost have the bodice done. I really just need to sew the straps (actually, one strap now because I finished one this morning), pleat & add the skirt, and sew up the sleeves. Hopefully, I can finish it tonight!

The dark picture showing the front closure isn't the greatest but I was attempting to show the way the bodice will look once it's finished completely. The lining is done and most of the bodice is. The other picture (the one with my thumb!) is the corner of the bib part of the gown with the attached straps. I wanted to give some scale to the stitches and the straps.
Hopefully, I will finish up the gown tonight. I plan on wearing it to a tea this Sunday! I'd like to have a new chemise before then as well which means -if I really plan on handsewing everything- I need to get crackin'. :-)