This past February, I traveled down to Mt. Dora, FL, for their fantastic annual Jane Austen Festival. My lovely friend and fellow costumier, Audrey Russell, and I put on a presentation on Regency fashion the first Friday afternoon of the festival, discussing the shift in women’s (and men’s!) clothing from the 1780s into the 1790s and 1800s.

Mercy A. enrolled in my Regency Gown class in 2022 and has just gone to town with making one gown after another—then altering the pattern to create overdresses and more. I am so proud of her work, which she shares here!

I love it when long-time customers send me links to what they’ve been up to, and this one totally takes the cake. Laura and her friend, Michele, decided to recreate looks from the new “Emma” film, and WOW!! The historical eye candy is real, folks!

WWD contacted me a few weeks ago to talk about a new trend their editors had spotted due to the massive uptick in viewers of Regency film and television adaptations over the last year. They’d christened it “Regencycore”….

This very talented seamstress just reached out to share what she had made with my patterns, and I was bowled over! I always cheer hardest for beginners, but I hardly think she fits that category any longer. BRAVA, Adina! This is simply spectacular work!

I first saw Ang Lee’s beautiful adaptation of “Sense & Sensibility” on the big screen in 1995. It immediately became a favorite that I have watched countless times since its premier. I love all the costumes in the film, but the one that struck me most from the first viewing was Marianne’s beautiful nightgown/wrapper, which Kate Winslet wears in two key scenes. I am so pleased I’ve finally managed to pull together all my in-progress photos, plus a video I made to walk you through the steps!

I am absolutely delighted to announce that Sense & Sensibility Patterns will be a vendor at the Jane Austen Festival July 12-14 in Louisville, Kentucky.

21 years ago, two customers, harp-playing sisters who loved to wear beautiful gowns while they performed, dropped me a line to ask if I'd consider bringing out patterns for some of my designs. At that point, I'd been filling custom sewing orders for about 18 months, mainly catering to the Regency/Napoleonic groups in the D.C. area by making day dresses and ball gowns. I'd also fallen in love with Regency fashions for everyday wear, finding them an excellent match for my expectant silhouette in 1997! But, while I designed patterns for my customers and myself, I hadn't considered publishing any of them. After all, that was what Big Companies did, and how could I possibly compete in a market that was positively flooded with patterns?

Just returned from the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England... and I received so many compliments on my dresses and Spencer. I referred everyone to Sensibility.com!

I got my sister and myself tickets to an upcoming Regency ball. And I hadn't a clue what I was going to wear. Anything that I would choose would have to be altered (losing 30 lbs. will make your entire wardrobe not fit anymore). Now would be an excellent time to see if there was any hope for that light green damask crossover dress.

Amanda has now produced a simply charming coloring book, featuring 25 of Jane Austen's most famous quotes in whimsical settings with delightful hand-drawn ink illustrations.The 8.5" x 11" book is printed on smooth white 65# paper, which is excellent for colored pencils, pens, markers, and even light watercolor washes! To celebrate Amanda's achievements, I am hosting a giveaway of a copy of "She Coloured," and I've also got a special coupon code you can use in Amanda's online shop!

Check out these wonderful Regency ensembles Katarina made after 25 years away from sewing! Imagine mother-daughter outfits to wear to a castle!

Thanks a lot for this great pattern. I have never before done anything from this period, but both the underwear and the crossover gown pattern went together like a dream. The dress looks so nice, you hardly notice that it is made from an old Ikea curtain and three old pillow cases ;-) Since I live in Germany I used your e-pattern option, which even work easily on my Linux.

Kristen over at andBEeverly on Etsy has offered a special giveaway for my customers: a cute Pride and Prejudice zipper pouch! It is 9 x 5 inches and features Lizzy and Jane on one side and Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley on the other.

I made this dress based on the drawstring pattern, size 20 . I am Dutch and in European terms it would be a size 46. Although I made a judgment error (double layered the bodice, and the two fabrics combined are too stiff), I am still quite pleased with the result. The colors are a bit ‘serious’ for the period, however, I fell in love with the fabrics and simply had to use them.

This is my second gown from the Elegant Lady's Closet. I bought a wonderful Indian Ikat weave fabric from Ebay and it suited the style perfectly. Next time I may make the sleeves a little wider and longer, but it turned out so much nicer than my first dress which was a round neck. I think the V neckline is more flattering to well-endowed ladies. I am also wearing my very comfortable Regency stays underneath, but I can't show you that! The hardest part is simply finding the right sort of fabric for these dresses.

This is my first attempt at a Regency dress. My 3rd daughter has wanted one for a while and she asked for one for her 8th grade graduation celebration at school. I had the Simplicity version of the pattern, but I also followed the instructions here on the site for some parts of the sewing process.

Suzi Clarke and I are so excited about everything we've packed into next year's England tour! We'll be revisiting some of our favorite places from the 2010 and 2012 tours and adding a couple of new items, including a full-dress Titanic-themed dinner in a sumptuous private dining room. We've got wonderful guest speakers

A few weeks ago I attended the Jane Austen Festival in Canberra, Australia. Some of the dresses were specifically made for the event, but I had a few dresses already as my sisters, a few friends and I regularly have Jane Austen Days in which we dress up, watch a movie, eat Regency food, etc.