All posts filed under: Scroop Patterns

The Scroop Henrietta Maria dress with elastic waist thedreamstress.com

The Woodwold Henrietta Maria

Quite a few Henrietta Maria’s got made as I finalised my pattern, and many of them got left in the PHd pile, finished except for hems. (fess up, who else gets to that part and just can’t quite I make it happen…?) I’m slowly reducing the PHds, and adding the Henrietta Maria’s to my wardrobe. At this point my Costume College packing is going to be entirely Henrietta Maria dresses and historical frocks! Every time I finish a Henrietta Maria I love it more than the last one, and this one is definitely no exception! This is the Scroop Henrietta Maria with an elastic waist (tutorial here), in a poly crepe chiffon (it’s a very high quality polyester, and, thanks to the weave, breaths well). I’m calling it my Woodwold dress, because the print reminds me of the description of the amazing wrought-iron gates of Woodwold in Robin McKinley’s Spindle’s End. There are even tiny roses hidden in the print! This is one of those prints where no matter how you arranged the fabric, it …

How to add an elastic waist to the Scroop Henrietta Maria dress thedreamstress.com

How to add an elastic waistband to the Scroop Henrietta Maria dress

Published by The Dreamstress

It’s the tutorial you’ve all been waiting for! How to add an elastic waistband to the Scroop Henrietta Maria dress. It’s not hard to do: you mark your waistline, sew a piece of elastic in a circle, and sew it on while stretching it to fit the dress. You’ll need: A piece of narrow 1cm/3/8″ wide elastic as long as your waist measure A Henrietta Maria dress, finished except for hemming. Chalk or fabric markers for marking A french curve (helpful, but not necessary) Put your dress on inside out: Pin or tie your elastic so it sits snuggly and comfortably at the line where you would like it to sit on the dress: Using chalk or a fabric pen, mark the line of the elastic, front and back: >>> Tip: You can just use the waistline marked on the pattern, but trying it on and marking ensures the elastic will sit exactly where you want it. Take the dress off, and use a french curve to draw over your marked line, smoothing out any …

Henrietta Maria in black

Published by The Dreamstress

I have made lots of versions of the Henrietta Maria: linen dresses that I put on every day in the high heat of February, crepe tops that are my go-to pairing with jeans, and pretty chiffon frocks for looking summer dressy. But this particular version may be my favourite. It’s the Henrietta Maria dress in black wool-viscose crepe, with a bit of extra length to the hem, and slightly bigger tucks in the sleeve hems, so that I can push the hems up over my elbows and they will stay. I actually finished it in December, at the start of the ‘get Henrietta Maria perfectly pattern-ready’ marathon, and it’s done its fair share of wardrobe duties since then. I’ve worn it with a narrow black or brown leather belt to business meetings, and with black satin sashes to anniversary dinners with Mr D. It glams up for cocktail parties with a sparkly gold belt (shown above), and lends an air of artsy sophistication for public speaking with a velvet sash. It’s the perfect little black …