When it comes to retro maternity style, I may not be an expert, but I think sheer experience has to count for something! I've lived through two decades of maternity wear, beginning with my first pregnancy in 1996, when I was just starting out as a seamstress-for-hire and making lots of Regency gowns.

This maternity Regency gown was made with your pattern. It's entirely hand made and embroidered.

Hello! I have migrated all my patterns into Squarespace’s Shop platform, which means you’ll need to pop over there if you’d like more information about this pattern.

Modifying my Regency Gown Pattern is extremely simple. I've shown in my Diary of a Dress how to add a train, make an overskirt and add other fancy embellishments to a ballgown. The purpose of this section is to demonstrate how the bodice can easily be changed to button up the front rather than down the back (especially nice for nursing mothers!). I'll also include instructions on how to modify the skirt front for expectant moms.

I've gotten a lot of neat stories and photos from customers over the years, but this one has to take the cake.

A slim afternoon dress with tucked bodice and stitched-down pleats. The loose jacket looks very much like 1930s maternity fashion, which was styled to cover the "bump" in the later stages of pregnancy.

I just finished up my first attempt at the Elegant Lady's Closet drawstring dress. I was SO happy with how easy it was to put together, fit, and with the finished result. I can't wait to make more! Thank you, Mrs. Chancey, for such a wonderful pattern that can be used for maternity and nursing!

I thought you might like to see a few pictures of my finished dress. I did all the outside stitching by hand and the rest by machine. Though I'd thought about adding trim, I was running out of time and decided

  Lisa helped her sister create this drop-front version of the Regency Gown from my pattern and writes, I completely fell in love with your drop-front adaptation, and I have two dresses all most finished for myself. The fun one is one I helped my sister draft out, and she sewed it to wear to