Notes:Lining pinned. Right: Back view of lining pinned to bodice.I created this pattern after viewing three extant gowns belonging to museum collections in Virginia, D.C. and Denmark. I chose gowns that really had a more "modern" look to them so that the resulting pattern design would be more wearable and less "costume-y." The gowns I studied all had very high empire waistlines (right below the bustline) and relatively slim skirts, pointing to the mid-Regency period (1810s). This pattern is perfectly suited for early 1800s impressions if you create the extra full skirt back and for late 18-teens impressions if you just add the extra trimmings seen in that time period (ruffles at the wrist, tucks in the skirt, ruffles at the hem, cording, etc.). If you don’t need a costume or would just like to make a dress that works in a modern setting, I recommend making the gown skirt plainer by substituting the skirt back lining piece for the skirt back piece. This will create an A-line skirt without any gathers in the back. If you add about two inches to the length of the bodice all the way around, you’ll also give it a more modern empire waistline. There are many, many ways you can alter this pattern slightly for different looks. For dozens of photographs and tips, be sure to visit the Sewing Tips section!
This pattern may be used for either a day dress or a ballgown, depending on the fabric and sleeve type you select. Long sleeves are for day dresses and come down to the knuckles when hemmed. The short sleeves may also be used for day dresses. Women often wore detachable undersleeves to keep from catching a chill. You may use the long sleeve pattern to create an undersleeve. (See sleeve instructions.)
For day dresses, cotton, muslin, voile, Irish linen and lightweight wool are a few good choices. If you are not striving for a more period-correct gown, you may wish to use challis, crepe or another type of rayon blend. These fabrics hang very nicely. For ballgowns, silk, silk taffeta, voile, organdy and Irish linen all work well. Ballgowns can be trimmed as much or as little as you wish. Regency gowns were often lavishly trimmed with braided cords, ribbon, embroidery, tassels, ruffles or a combination of all of these. The most common places to trim are the neckline, cuffs, waistline and hem of the gown. Fabric piping also looks wonderful at the neckline and waistline.
Pattern Layout:
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are using the older version of this pattern (1998 copyright date), please see the Oops! page for corrections! Thanks!
Here is the suggested layout for the bodice and sleeve pieces on 45" wide material. (The fabric fold is on the right.) The remaining fabric will be used for the skirt pieces. The long sleeve can be placed where the short sleeve is in the photo. (Extra yardage is required for long sleeves. See pattern envelope.)Assembly Instructions:
- Bodice (Note: In the photos, the lilac fabric is the dress lining.)
- A. Pin the bodice back and side back pieces together, matching at the lower back edge. Stitch.
- B. Clip curves and press seam toward the side.
- C. Run gathering stitches in bodice front, following lines indicated on the pattern.
- D. Pin bodice front and back pieces together at shoulder and side seams. Stitch. Press seams open.
- E. Repeat all of these instructions for the bodice lining.
- F. Pin bodice to lining, right sides together. Stitch from back opening all the way around the neckline to back opening, leaving 5/8" free at the bottom of each back opening.
Left:
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Optional Undersleeves for Short Sleeved Dress: If you plan to make detachable undersleeves, you will be finishing your short sleeve sleevebands now, so you can ignore the sleeve finishing instructions found below. Zigzag or narrowly hem the raw edge of your shortsleeve sleevebands. Turn the sleeve band to the inside so that it covers the sleeveband seam allowance completely. Press. Now fold the sleeveband back out and mark four to six evenly spaced horizontal buttonholes on the part of the sleeveband that will be folded inside. (In other words, you will be placing buttonholes beneath the fold line made when you pressed the band.) Make the buttonholes, cut them open, then fold the sleeveband inside and whipstitch it in place over the seam allowance inside. You will now have four to six buttonholes inside the each sleeve around the sleeveband. Cut out two undersleeves, using long sleeve pattern but omitting the cap of the sleeve. Stitch sleeve seams. Turn! under a narrow hem along the top edge of each undersleeve and stitch. Using the buttonholes you made in the sleeveband as a guide, mark where you will place four to six buttons around the outside top of each undersleeve. Sew buttons in place. Now your undersleeve will button into the sleevebands and will not slip down (as undersleeves with drawstrings are prone to do). Go ahead and try on your bodice with the undersleeves buttoned into the sleevebands. Undersleeves should come to the knuckles, but they can be hemmed shorter if you prefer. Mark and hem each undersleeve to the appropriate length. Remove undersleeves and complete the rest of the gown.
Optional Skirt Back Addition for Extra Fullness: If you wish your dress to be even fuller in the back, first cut out the skirt back piece, cutting the center back open all the way to the bottom, since this will become the side back seams. Next, cut an additional back panel. Simply lay the center of your back piece on the skirt fabric (to determine proper length), and cut a rectangular panel on the fold to the width desired (no more than twelve inches from fold, or it becomes difficult to gather.) Now cut a placket opening in the center back fold, following the marks indicated on the center back pattern piece. Sew this new panel to the skirt back pieces at the side seams. Run gathering stitches as indicated on the pattern, leaving 1" for the placket closure. The rest of the pattern directions are the same. (Important note: These instructions are slightly different from what is in your pattern. The pattern instructions call for you to use the skirt bac! k lining piece instead of the skirt back piece. This is a mistake! If you want extra fullness, you need to add to the skirt back piece. Thanks!)
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Notes:
Even a brief study of portraits, sketches, and original gowns from the Regency era reveals that there were almost as many different neckline and bodice treatments as there were women to wear gowns! The variations are fascinating to study and fun to reproduce. My Regency Gown pattern was based upon extant gowns from three museum collections and several key portraits from the mid-Regency period. I chose a neckline treatment that was not as extreme as some styles and therefore more wearable for today. I also chose one that was easy to sew for beginners and intermediate costume enthusiasts alike. But a single neckline is just a starting point. If you want to create an entire wardrobe of day and evening dresses for all seasons, it’s time to expand your horizons and add some additional bodice options to your repertoire!
It is very easy to use this supplement to change the look of the basic Regency Gown bodice. The new necklines given here will provide you with up to four different looks: a high jewel neckline, a gently sloping neckline, and softly gathered versions of each. [Note: The D/DD bodice front piece has both the high and sloping necklines drawn on it. The latter is in the form of tiny dots. You will use the same back neckline for both the high jewel and the sloping front necklines.] With these new cutting lines, you’ll be able to create cozy winter dresses as well as a variety of basic day gowns suitable for at-home occasions and visiting. The high jewel neckline is intended for use with long sleeves, while the gently sloping neckline will go well with either short, elbow-length, or long sleeves.
5/8" allowance on all seams. For gathered bodices over size 14, plan to add 1/4 yard to the basic yardage requirement given in the original pattern.
Instructions for Modifying the Original Pattern:
As with all my patterns, I recommend tracing the pieces you need rather than cutting them out. Because these guides are meant to be used as overlays, I advise using sheer interfacing or tracing paper. The long dashed lines show the original cutting lines for the basic pattern. Use these to help you line up the supplemental pieces on top of the original pattern pieces. [Note: The side back pieces of the original pattern remain unchanged.] You may want to anchor the overlay with weights or secure it with tape. Once you’ve done that, you can trace a brand new pattern piece that uses the new cutting line for the neckline of your choice:
Instructions for Making a New Bodice:
Once you have your new front and back bodice pieces traced, you are ready to follow the instructions given in the Regency Gown pattern to put your dress together (do make a bodice mock-up for a try-on first so you can double-check the fit of the new neckline!). If you are using the new center front cutting line to create a softly gathered bodice and do not wish to try the drawstring option explained below, you will cut one bodice front on that line from your fashion material, then cut the lining on the original center front line. Once you have your bodice pieces sewn together as shown in the original instructions, run two short lines of basting stitches across the center front of the bodice neckline and two unbroken lines of basting stitches across the bottom of the bodice, beginning at the original dot.
Use the neckline basting stitches to gather the bodice to fit the lining when you are ready to sew the lining to the bodice. Use the basting stitches at the bottom to gather the bodice into the skirt front waistline. The finished bodice will have the gathers in front outside, while the lining inside the neck will be smooth (you’ll still need to follow the regular bodice lining instructions for the waistline area). This method is the same for either the high jewel neckline or the sloping neckline.
Optional Drawstring Method:
Many, many Regency gowns closed with drawstrings instead of buttons. Buttons appear on a few early Regency gowns, but they seem to be more common after the 1810s. There are hundreds of examples of period gowns that simply tie in the back at the top of the neckline and at the waistline. Because ladies wore shifts, stays, and petticoats beneath their dresses, there was no fear of exposure should a gap appear between the ties! If you’d like to try this period-correct closure, follow the directions given below.
Additional Suggestions for Gown Embellishments
Overskirts: Adding an overskirt is an easy way to enhance the elegance of your gown. You can use sheer materials, such as voile, organdy or lace, over a colored lining for a more dramatic effect, or you could experiment with an underskirt (lining) in one color and an overdress (sleeves, bodice and overskirt) in another. The dresses illustrated below were drawn by retired paper doll artist Kim Brecklein* from my gowns and demonstrate how an overskirt can be added for a completely different look. I have made several ballgowns with sheer sleeves and the same sheer material over a colored bodice and skirt. The effect is charming.
Trim: Besides sewing a flat ribbon trim around the hem, sleeves or neckline of your gown, you can attach narrow crocheted lace to the inside of the neckline and sleevebands, whipstitching or straight-stitching it in place. Two-the three-inch-wide crocheted lace also looks wonderful sewn around the outside of the neckline and beneath the sleevebands. For those who enjoy heirloom sewing, entredeux is beautiful around the hemline of a gown and in the sleevebands. A ribbon bow at the center front of the bodice (see illustration above left) adds a lovely touch. Once you have finished your basic gown, it is fun to experiment with embellishments. Each type of trim can add a new dimension to your gown!
Further Fun:
Be sure to visit my Sewing Tips section, where you will find photo instructions that demonstrate adding a train to the gown, making the gown button in front, making a drop-front ("apron") bodice and more!
* While Kim is no longer creating paper dolls, I do offer Kim's beautiful "Penelope" Regency doll printed on cardstock. See the the Doll Page for more information.
What About Underpinnings?
If you are aiming for the total Regency look, you will need to create the proper undergarments before you begin on your gown. I have available a Regency Underthings Pattern that will give you a chemise and short stays to go under your gown. I also have available a page of instructions for making the Regency Gown pattern into a bodiced petticoat if you prefer that instead of stays. Go to my Bodiced Petticoat page for directions with photographs (note that you can use these instructions to create a full petticoat to go over your chemise and stays as well--you'd simply omit the darts and boning in the petticoat).
If you are over a "D" cup, I would not recommend my short stays, since they will not provide you the needed support. Instead, I highly recommend the Regency Stays pattern by the Mantua Maker. This pattern is available directly from the Mantua Maker, who also offers the needed busk for the center front. The pattern does tend to run a little on the small size, so I strongly recommend that you make up a muslin toile for a try-on (as instructed in the directions) and that you begin by cutting the pieces out a couple of sizes larger than your measurements indicate.
I've been asked many times about patterns for Regency aprons, and there is one that was created by White Fox Trading Company, but it is difficult to find since White Fox closed down. Regency aprons are truly easy to make and really do not require a pattern. All you need to do is to cut a rectangle of material large enough to cover the front of the bodice (with slight gathers if you wish and enough room for a hem all the way around the top and sides). Next, cut a rectangle the same width and as long as you wish for the apron skirt front (plus room for seam allowances at top and sides and the hem at the bottom). Cut straps wide enough to turn under and long enough to go from the front bib of the apron down to the empire waist in the back. Cut a waistband that will go around your empire waist and either tie or overlap in back. Finally, cut two rectangles for the skirt back that match the skirt front in length and that will just meet when the apron is tied or hooked closed in th!
e back. Sew the straps to the front bib, then sew the front bib to the waistband (matching center fronts). Sew the skirt pieces together at the side seams, then sew the skirt to the waistband, matching center fronts again. Sew the shoulder straps into the back waistband. Finish all the edges nicely (lining the waistband to enclose all the raw seams), and that's all there is to it!
Have fun with all your Regency sewing adventures!
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(Click thumbnails for larger images.)The photos immediately below show the stitching steps for the plain (non-gathered) necklines. Instructions are identical to the main Regency Gown pattern instructions above--only the necklines are smaller as shown.
Lining pinned to bodice.
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Closeup of lining pinned to bodice.
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Sewing lining to bodice.
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Curves clipped.
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Understitching.
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Plain sloped neckline and lining pinned.
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Stitching lining to plain sloped bodice.
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Plain sloped neckline clipped.
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Pressing sloped neckline.
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Plain sloped neckline curve.
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Pinning and gathering high neckline.
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Ready to pull up gathers.
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Gathers pulled up.
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Sewing gathers to lining.
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Gathered neckline sewn and clipped.
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Thank you to Marmee12, who made this beautiful dress to sell on eBay and shared her photos!
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Drawstring neckline pinned to lining.
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Left: Sewing neckline casing for drawstring. Right: Stop sewing neckline casing.
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