With this pattern, you can create a wide variety of dresses for day and evening–plus a jumper that can be worn over a blouse made from my Romantic Blouse pattern. This pattern was inspired by the PBS production of “Wives and Daughters,” which motivated me to look into extant gowns from this transitional time between the Regency and Victorian eras. I owe a great debt of thanks to Janet Arnold’s detailed sketches in Patterns of Fashion 1.
- Sizes 6-26 all included in one envelope.
- Illustrated instructions make construction easy!
- Options for long sleeves and short sleeves; darted, gathered, or pleated bodices; front or back closures; and five different necklines.
- Instructions for creating a period correct nursing dress–perfect for nursing moms!
- Period fashion plates included to inspire your creations.
- Pattern appendix explains how to adjust the bodice front for ladies sized D and DD.
- Photo Instructions online (coming soon in PDF format).
- Click to download the Romantic Era Dress Pattern yardage chart.
- Also available for instant download as an ePattern in PDF format!
The photos on this page show several different outfits you can make from this pattern (you could easily make a dozen different styles by mixing and matching necklines, sleeves, and bodice treatments). The pattern is rated “intermediate” because of the fitting techniques involved, but a patient beginner should be able to navigate the instructions without too much trouble.
Note: If you purchased a copy of this pattern prior to December, 2007, click HERE for corrections.
5:31 pm
What sort of underthings would one wear with this lovely pattern?
10:11 pm
You would need a chemise (available in my Regency Underthings pattern), a set of longline stays (available from The Mantua Maker), and one or two petticoats (which you can actually make from the Romantic Era Dress pattern itself). Hope this helps!
7:35 am
Beautiful dresses, Mrs. Chancey! I love your new site too!
7:46 pm
How difficult would this be to sew? From a 1 being the easiest and a 10 being the hardest?
7:42 pm
Hi, Johanna! I’d list this as a 5–an 8 if you choose to hand-gauge the skirt to the bodice. If you’re a total beginner, I recommend starting with the “Beatrix” skirt and progressing from there. The original Regency Gown pattern is fine for beginners if you know how to use your machine and can do basic stitches. If you are still uncertain, you can always take my online class for the Regency Gown to get your feet wet.
12:11 pm
Well, I have sewed ever since I was seven, and am 13 now. I have made a few normal jumpers for my sisters and I, with lining too. So, do you think I could handle this project?
5:51 pm
Hi, Johanna! Yes you could definitely tackle the Romantic Era Dress if you can sew jumpers and have used lining before. You’ll have no troubles at all.
2:38 am
This is beautiful, I love the colours, so pretty.
10:07 am
What time, exactly is the Romantic era?
10:50 am
Thanks for asking, Dulcie! It bridges the gap between the Regency and the Victorian eras — so roughly 1820-1837, though the styles hung on until around 1840.
7:10 pm
Does the pattern include a 5/8″ seam allowance?
11:31 pm
Yes, it does.
Seam allowances are included in all my patterns and mentioned on the yardage chart and again in the pattern notes. Hope this helps!
6:07 pm
Really, a beautiful dress, espacially for everyday!
11:03 am
I am new to your site and am on the hunt for a new dress pattern for myself as well as our three (soon to be four) year old daughter. I like the last dress here with the high neck line and little bit of puff in the sleeves for me. I am in my earily 30′s and a little on the heavy side of things, does the last dress in this patter pack look silly on the “older” ladies? And would I be able to calm the puff out a bit? I am pretty new with puffed sleves and have never lined a dress before. Thanks so much.
1:23 am
Hello! yes, you can easily narrow down the puffs. I show how to do that in my “How to Resize a Pattern” tutorial. The “Leg o’ Mutton” sleeve is already pretty narrow and flattering. It’s the ballgown sleeves that are huge balloons.
5:21 pm
Hi Jennie! We just recently attended a Civil War re-enactment locally and I fell in love with all the ladies and their dresses! Costumes there were quite pricey, but they were all correct for the period. I wondered if this pattern would be appropriate to make my own. I know the Romantic era of fashion only goes up to about 1840, but it seems if I cut the skirt a little fuller and add the hoops it could work. What do you think? Thank you!
12:22 am
Hi, Annie! Cutting the skirts fuller would be a start, but you’d also have to change the sleeves completely. You’d want the fittted sleeves of the time period rather than the big, leg o’ mutton sleeves or balloon puffs. The neckline also needs to come in all the way to the neck for day dress, though the wide bateau neckline is fine for a young teenaged girl. Hope this helps!
8:09 pm
Hello Mrs. Chancey!
I absolutely love this pattern! Wive and Daughter is one of my favorite movies! Two questions for you: first of all, may I ask, do you have the downloadable yardage chart for this pattern available? Secondly, I have sewn your Regency chemise, stays, and ballgown with as minimal problems as a 14 year old sewer has
, and was wondering about the amount of effort that I might expect to expend upon this project? 
I noticed you said that it was about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, and an 8 if I would choose to hand gauge the skirt to the bodice. Not that it is necessary to know, I’m just the curious type!
Thank you so much for your time with these rather unimportant questions!
7:07 am
Hello! If you’ve already made chemise, stays, and ballgown, you will have NO trouble with this pattern at all. It’s about the same difficulty level as the Regency Gown unless you plan to hand-gauge the skirt. The yardage chart link is at the bottom of the bulleted list in the pattern’s description. It won’t work if you have pop-ups disabled, because it is a PDF download. So just enable pop-ups for sensibility.com, and that will allow you to download the chart. Hope this helps!
8:35 pm
Okay, thank you! I noticed quite a few women at the reenactment with the full short sleeves and the bateau neckline but the fabric was usually finer, as they were preparing to go to the ladies tea. The ladies wearing the daywear type dresses had full sleeves, too, but were much wider than these and were about 3/4 length with what looked like shirt sleeves underneath reaching their wrists and at the neck was a collar. Hmm….maybe this would be more reconstructing than I’d like to tackle. I don’t suppose you’re planning to unveil any Civil War era patterns, are you?
7:05 am
Sounds like they were wearing ballgown bodices for the tea. For great Civil War Era patterns, I recommend PastPatterns.com. You’ll find exactly what you’re looking for there!
1:07 pm
Thank you so much for your prompt reply!! Now I see where the yardage chart is! I look forward to using this pattern
Thanks!
7:25 pm
This is just the pattern I’ve been looking for! Do you suppose that by shortening the bodice a bit and making a nice full skirt this dress could be made to accommodate pregnancy as well as nursing?
5:18 am
Yes, indeed, Emily! That will work nicely.
8:01 am
I was thinking about getting a pattern for an everyday dress.
Would it be possible to make a dress like the last one without it being a nursing dress?
And would it be an option to do the last dress shown with short sleeves?
Thanks!
9:17 am
Hello! No need to use the nursing option at all. All views make up as regular dresses, too. And you can use any sleeve option with any bodice. Have fun sewing!
3:12 pm
I’m new to your site, but I see just the dress I’ve been looking for. How long will the time to mail to Canada be if ordered today?
10:23 am
Hi, Peggy! All orders placed on weekdays go out the following morning. Orders placed between 10am Friday and midnight Sunday go out Monday morning. Air mail to Canada takes anywhere from three days to a week, depending on where you live. Hope this helps!
10:36 am
Hi Jennie,
Does your pattern come in size 2-4. I am somewhere inbetween. Lovely patterns!
12:01 pm
Hello, Oksana! Pattern sizes are not the same as off-the-rack clothing sizes. If you are a 2-4, then you’ll be closest to a 6 or 8 in pattern sizes. Download the yardage chart to see the measurements that go with each size.
10:39 am
Me again. If this pattern is made like shown on the picture, is a blouse and two pettycoats enough to go under it? Do I also need a chemise and longline stay?
12:02 pm
That is plenty. You do not have to make the jumper version to go over period underpinnings. It will fit over conventional undies. Hope this helps!
9:55 pm
Are all the armholes on your patterns the same? For example, I love the lower waistlines and fuller skirts of the romantic period, but I prefer the long sleeves from the regency period. If I have both patterns, could I use the long sleeves from “Elegant Ladies Closet” in the Romantic dress pattern?
Thank you!
3:04 am
The armholes are similar, though not identical, but if you use gathered sleeves (rather than closely fitted), they will work on either pattern.
7:05 am
I was wondering if it would be possible to wear “modern undergarments” under like a day dress made from this pattern (with the addition of some petticoats). Right now I’m not going for an authentic look
9:12 am
Hi, Moriah! Yes, you can wear modern undergarments beneath this gown without any trouble. I even have “DD” instructions in the appendix for larger cup sizes.
10:09 am
Thanks for letting me know. I have fabric that I think should perfect to make a day dress with but wasn’t sure if I was up to the whole project of dress and stays and petticoats
Thanks for letting me know!
11:46 am
Would I be able to wear just regular (modern) under garments with this dress???
11:51 am
Yes, you can wear a regular bra if you prefer. The fitting instructions will help you to get a perfect bodice over the undergarments of your choice.
11:02 am
The sleeves are very long on me for this pattern. Are they meant to be long and scrunched up a bit, or should they be shortened?
1:12 am
Hi, Sarah! Having them on the long side is correct for the period, but it’s also kosher to shorten them and hem them where you like.
10:52 pm
Hello Mrs. Chancey!
I actually just started cutting/sewing the lining for my own Romantic dress today and it’s going great so far {except for one minor mishap
}. What I was wondering is…the picture above of the grey long sleeved dress…were the sleeves cut down in anyway on this dress? Are they made according to the pattern piece, or were they made a little smaller at the top?
I really like this look and want to replicate it for my dress.
Thank you for a great pattern and thank you for your time!
1:17 am
Hi there! The grey sleeve is the regular long sleeve pattern. The area below the elbow was tailored in a bit for that model, but the top part of the sleeve is identical to what’s on the pattern sheet. Hope this helps, and have fun sewing!
8:11 am
Thank you for your help! I suppose that if the lower sleeve is too big, it can be easily altered to a smaller size below the “puff” at the top…I’ll keep that in mind.
I’m getting excited!
Thank you again.
8:18 am
Hi again! Depending on how rounded your forearms are, you can tailor for a closer fit. Just remember to try on the finished sleeve wrong side out and FLEX your arms after you take in any “excess” with pins. You definitely want to make sure you can still move comfortably in your sleeves. Have fun sewing!
1:00 pm
Thank you for the great advice!
Now to work…looking forward to the finished product!
2:34 am
very nice!! I love how you always find a clever way to show the front and back view
this is a great pattern; I am really anticipating all the options on this dress! Can’t wait to discover some new construction techniques as well!!
-Nicole
10:31 pm
Oh, and your photo instructions are FANTASTIC!!
Thanks for including the large bust adjustment as well, you saved me A LOT of trial and error 
5:12 pm
Hello Mrs. Chancey, the instructions that i received for this pattern give the yardage requirements for your 1910s Tea Gown Pattern, even though it says Romantic Dress Pattern at the top. Just thought that you should know so that the problem can be fixed at the printers.
2:02 pm
Hi, Kelly! We fixed this error at our printer a good while back, but I’m having Heather check what is in stock to make sure the wrong chart hasn’t been switched back in again! In the meantime, I’ve sent you the correct chart via email. Thanks!
5:17 pm
Can you tell me what the five necklines are (more or less)? Thanks!
1:16 pm
Hi, Alison! There are options for a wide bateau (“boat”) neckline, a ballgown (deeper scoop) neckline, a V neckline, a V with collar, and a square jumper neckline. Hope this helps!
12:26 pm
I am sorry for cutting in like this, but I was wondering which of these necklines were used on the dress worn by the lady standing behind the chair in the pencil drawing.
12:39 pm
That’s the default neckline on the bodice front and back pieces. The other necklines are achieved by using cutting overlays to change the standard shape. Hope that helps!
10:52 am
Enamored with Ms. Chancey’s work I keep looking at this dress and pattern with everyday farm work in mind. I’m thinking of shortening it a couple of inches to hit maybe just below my boot tops. I’m ever on the lookout for dresses I can wear while working each day and that would become a middle-aged, overweight lady as myself.
11:13 am
Thanks, Lyric! This is a very comfy and versatile work dress when you make it for everyday wear. Several customers have sent photos of themselves in everyday dresses from this pattern, so be sure to check Show and Tell for examples!
3:15 pm
Are Mantua-Maker’s longline stays the same thing as their regency stays? I didn’t see anything called longline stays on their website. Thanks!
4:01 pm
Hi, Eleni! Yes, I meant the Regency Era Stays. Sorry about the confusion! “Longline” refers to the fact that they go down over the hips.
8:26 pm
How can you use Regency stays for the romantic era? Lace them up less tightly in certain areas or something? Thanks for your help!
7:49 am
Hello, Eleni! The more conventional hour-glass shaped corsets didn’t come into use until the Victorian Era, so longline Regency Stays work fine for the Romantic Era (late 1820s through 1837). I recommend the Mantua Maker’s Regency Stays pattern, though keep in mind it tends to run about two sizes too small. Double-check the fit in muslin first, and you’ll be set!
6:06 pm
Thanks so much!