All posts filed under: Miscellenia

Evening dress, 1810-1815, silk, Rueil-Malmaison, châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Preau, M.M.2014.7.1

Rate the Dress: Regency ruffles and really green

Published by The Dreamstress

After two weeks of dresses that were very much one colour, I was determined to choose something a little more polychromatic this week. But as they say, the best laid plans… Last week:  a sunshine yellow and flowers robe a la anglaise General reaction to the dress: “Yes, yes, that fabric! And oooh, that back pattern matching! But…umm…not so happy about front non-matchingness. And the stomacher just isn’t doing it. But oh, that colour is so cheerful, and that fabric is so gorgeous, so…” The Total: 9.4 out of 10 Yay for yellow! This week:  a very green 1810s dress, I was determined to choose a Rate the Dress that didn’t feature such a single, strong, colour note. And then, when I went searching for the right thing, this dress chose itself. What could I do? Other than the colour, the aspect of this dress that instantly struck me is the hem treatment, with a ruched edging, as well as a gathered ruffle with piped centre. The hem treatment, with its slight variation in shades …

A simple Regency petticoat

Published by The Dreamstress

I’m still catching up on my historical sewing from 2018, but don’t get too excited, because the bits I haven’t blogged really aren’t that exciting. Like this petticoat. It’s useful, it’s helpful, it’s generally nicely made, but exciting? Not really. I based the pattern on the width of my fabric + the dimensions of the skirts in a couple of dresses ca. 1810 in Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion and Cassidy Percoco’s Regency Women’s Dress. I figure petticoat dimensions couldn’t have been that different to skirt dimensions. I have a problem with anything with narrow straps sliding off my shoulders because I have sloping shoulders and scoliosis, PLUS I’ve had a problem with Regency petticoats wanting to pull down in the back with the weight of gathers, so I solved both with this one by angling my straps to the centre back of the petticoat. The drawstring gathers, while I have no idea if they are accurate, allow it to be a little more adjustable to the person wearing it. I intend to wear this …