I made this dress for a school dance last winter. I didn’t decide on my fabric until just a couple days before the event. I had to work quickly to finish in time, which I did, thanks to my mom and my sister! I did make some short-cuts–the dress had no back closure until a [...]

One of my customers purchased this gown at auction a few years ago and sent me detailed photographs so I could study the drawstring closure and short sleeve/undersleeve combination. I didn’t end up making the drawstring bodice in my Elegant Lady’s Closet as gathered as this one, but I absolutely love this look. You’ll note [...]

Dear Mrs. Chancey, Thank you so much for your wonderful patterns! I have been making Regency gowns from your pattern for some years now and I have so enjoyed them! I made this dress in January to wear to a wedding shower. It is now one of my favorite things to wear! Caroline F. Stunning [...]

Hi Jennie! I’ve enjoyed your patterns for seven or eight years now, but I’ve never been able to get my show and tell submissions to work (I’m not at all techie). I love the new site, and how easy everything is! Here are some pictures of the romantic era outfit I made about five years [...]

Regency fashion is beautiful and elegant. I have wanted to attempt a dress from that era for ages, but being a novice sewer, I never even considered it. After reading many blogs and visiting this site several times I gave it a go.

This breathtaking gown is in the collection of the wonderful Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia, which boasts one of the largest historical costume collections in the South. I photographed this during a visit in 1998 to file away.

We have a lovely consignment shop in our small town in Alabama that often sells vintage clothing. The owner said I could feel free to share her images with a link back to her site, so I thought I’d show off this wonderful 1950s party dress she recently sold on eBay. I wish I’d had [...]

Back when I used to sew professionally, I often received requests to reproduce gowns seen in portraits or fashion plates. This is a gown I made in 2001, savoring every moment of this delectable project! My customer asked me to copy the gown and the chemisette with standing “ruff” collar seen in the Regency portrait [...]

This confection of a dress was sold by Vintage Textile. I’d never seen a dress with a large floral print like this from this time period, but I really like it. From a distance, the effect is one of a soft pink blush. It is only on up-close examination that you see the flowers. Breathtaking! Can’t you just picture afternoon tea on the lawn beneath the shady oak? Love it!

There are so many fun ways you can alter your gown bodice to make it uniquely your style! Below I’ve illustrated two additional ways to change the look of your gown. The first method creates a fitted bodice with darts under the bustline. The second gives you a more “fan”-shaped bodice with the gathers in the center. I strongly recommend that you play around with a muslin bodice or two first until you achieve the exact fit and look you want. You might want to try different neckline treatments while you are at it (I’ve done a bodice with a “V” neckline and darts).