I'm super excited to start working on my mantua for the late 17th/early 18th century dance demo in May. I've looked at my linen and I don't like any of the color combinations so I am ordering a different color for the mantua. The petticoat and stomacher are going to come from some linen in my stash. I also have some ribbons that will look really ( Read more... )

With the move to the new house and the holidays and life in general, I have had to put costuming on the back burner temporarily. This weekend, David and I started unpacking/oragnizing the sewing room and the fabric/costume storage room. It isn't finished yet but it is moving along very nicely. On Sunday, we went to the store because I wanted some ( Read more... )

The ball last night was a LOT of fun!! We had an amazing dinner and lots of dancing. While all of the food was good, the star on top of the tree, so to speak, was a vegetable pie which came from the Jane Austen Cookbook. I hope to have this at EVERY gathering. It was gorgeous! Megan ( mlsdesigns  ) made it. Yum! The dancing was great and we had a couple of ( Read more... )

I was having a try on this evening and decided to take some pictures. I still have to hem it, but it is otherwise finished.

( Click for photos... )

I put on the sleeves tonight and I realized that I hate how it looks with sleeves. So.... I've decided to make my Regency ballgown sleeveless. It is certainly not the usual style, but there are ballgowns which exist from that period that are sleeveless. Jessamyn has a picture of one on her website.

So that's that.

The bodice is finished except for the sleeves. The skirt is finished except for the hem. I have pinned the two together and will baste it in the morning to check that it hangs straight before stitching. As I mentioned earlier, I had NO desire to sew this thing but the ball is coming up in 2 weeks so I had to get going. However, I am REALLY REALLY ( Read more... )

Despite the lack of sewing inspiration, I have done a good deal on the Regency ballgown this weekend. The fabric has a tiny bit of stretch to it and that combined with being so slippery, I've had to be very careful with all of the steps. One thing that is slightly frustrating is that the hem is totally wonky. I am not sure what I did but the front ( Read more... )

I think I burned out my sewing fuse with all of the hustle before the Victorian festival. I need to make a Regency ballgown and I am having the hardest time getting motivated. What is strange is that I found a GORGEOUS fabric which usually motivates me but I am just blah about the whole thing. I started working on the bodiced petticoat this past ( Read more... )

The linen I ordered arrived yesterday. The sunshine is a brighter yellow than the swatch implied, but I still think it will work well for the lining of the pelisse. The daffodil which appeared to have a brownish tone on the computer screen, is actually very yellow. It is the same tone as the sunshine only a bit paler. Still pretty though. The beige ( Read more... )

I'm so excited! I've found a Regency dance group convenient to us. The group is called Regency Assembly and is based out of Birmingham. That is about 60 miles from us. They hold a dance class on alternate Mondays as well as Balls on occasion. Their next ball is in May, but I seriously doubt I will have an outfit ready for David by then. It might be ( Read more... )