I just completed a regency ensemble for Bell Armoire magazine’s ‘Becoming Jane.’ I used several of Jennie’s patterns along with the Janet Arnold book [Ed. note: the open robe comes from the gridded pattern in Janet Arnold'sPatterns of Fashion I]. I was creating an outfit for Catherine Morland, of Northanger Abbey, for a call-for-entries in Belle Armoire magazine. There were seeking entries of garments, jewelry, hats, and the like, that the Austen characters might have worn.

Since I have fond memories of my grandmother introducing me to Northanger Abbey, I had to choose Catherine. I decided to make a walking outfit for her first walk in the woods with the Tilneys. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my outfit makes it into the magazine, but I’ll probably have to wait a while to find out. Nonetheless, I am very pleased with the results. I began with a regency dress pattern and tweaked it a little to make the modifications I desired. After doing research on period garments and on the costumes made for many of the film adaptations, I decided to make a white drawstring dress with a robe to wear over the dress, along with a hat and a reticule.~ Christine

Christine’s whole story is shared in detail on her blog, so be sure to visit. This is an amazing outfit. I especially love the embroidered reticule!