This is the "tea gown" I made using the 1909 Edwardian Gown pattern. I made it all out of lace and then used a chemise pattern to make an underlining.

This is a fun, easy-to-wear shirt dress pattern design for girls ages two to 16. The 1940s shirt dress that emerged during WWII was a practical, utilitarian garment without frills that used less fabric but still had a distinctively feminine shape to it. As the style morphed over the coming decade, it became one of the most recognizable icons of fashion history, worn by everyone from glamorous Grace Kelly to thrifty TV housewife Donna Reed. The New Look ushered in fuller skirts and feminine frills, and, while the more angular look of the 1960s pushed it out of the limelight for a while, it was still a wardrobe staple on into the 1970s and right up to the present. My favorite versions, by far, come from the decade of the 1950s and have inspired this pattern with its fuller skirt.

(Looking for the paper version rather than the ePattern? Purchase from one of our many retailers worldwide! Please note that Patterns of Time carries my entire line and is well stocked.)

Thank you for the e-mail guidance on fitting my stays. I am delighted with the results. Here are pictures of me in the short stays and chemise. Also pics of Regency Society of Virginia ladies on a recent outing to James Monroe's home near Charlottesville, VA.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this weekend's giveaway by checking out Kristen's lovely items on Etsy and Instagram! I held a third-party drawing through Random.org, and Sandra G. won the pouch. Congrats, Sandra! Kristen will be shipping your cute prize out to you soon, and I hope you enjoy it!

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.

Our county fair is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year. There are many special centennial classes plus a heritage day to dress up in a period costume form the last 100 years. Combined with my children's homeschool formal and some beautiful taffeta on clearance provided me with a great excuse to make a 1910s Tea Gown as a formal gown.

One wonderful accessory my late grandmother left to me that I wish I’d taken better care of was a pair of classic 1959 “cat” sunglasses. Those shades were of a heavy bakelite-style plastic and looked great with vintage dresses or just about any outfit. Alas, the plastic (while thick) was brittle, and one day, as I bent over to retrieve something I’d dropped

Hello, Jennie, My daughter made the 1780’s Girl’s Portrait Dress and loves it. She’ll be wearing it to her piano recital later this year. (Her name is Waverley, and she’s 10.)  I just realized you have a Show and Tell section. That’s really neat to see others who worked on the same pattern and to

My daughter and I began volunteering at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie this past summer. The Regency Crossover dress and stays are the first clothing projects that I’ve undertaken mostly on my own. The hardest part was the fitting. Apparently I have wide shoulders, so with your assistance

Hello from Wiltshire, UK. I have sewn mostly soft furnishings for the past 10+ years, but despite this I really wanted to make my daughter’s First Holy Communion dress. I first found the Portrait Dress via Pinterest and then tracked down Sense & Sensibility patterns. Reading the blog and seeing other people’s creations on ‘Show

Hi Jennie, Last year my self and my family went to a Regency dance. I made all 3 dresses and open robes. I used the Elegant Lady’s Closet and the original Regency Gown pattern for my daughter’s dress. I used the Elegant Lady’s Closet to make the open robes with modifications. The dance was held 

I so enjoyed writing about my paternal grandparents in Part I and Part II of this series, and I promised to share at least one more post about my grandmother's beauty regimen. Well, as I got thinking back over my memories of Mimi, I realized there were actually quite lot of things to write about, so I've got at least three posts before I'll finish off. Today's will be my grandmother's general philosophy of loveliness. It's one that rings true with me all these years later, and I think its wisdom is timeless. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past that still resonates today!

My husband and I went to a pioneer ball, and I made all of our clothing for the event even down to his tie and my head ornament (made of salvaged antique lace). I originally bought the Regency pattern to make two brides maids dresses for my wedding in 2008. I was really excited to break out the pattern again, this time for myself!

I was just checking out my usual Etsy shop (Midvale Cottage) for 1940s and 1950s dress patterns and stumbled across a link to your wonderful website! I bought [the 1940s Swing Dress Pattern] and downloaded it....

When I decided to make the flower girl dress for my daughter for an upcoming wedding, I had a definite vision in mind. It didn't need to be period specific, but I wanted to coordinate the style with that of all the bridesmaids. After searching oodles of patterns, the Girl's 1780's Portrait Dress best fit my vision.

My sister is having a English Contry Dance, and she said that I had to make my own dress, so well, here it is. I must say my sister is the best teacher and helper with sewing in the world!

I thought you might be interested in pictures of the Swing Dress I recently finished. I made it for a murder mystery party set in the 1940s, but it's such a nice versatile dress I forsee it getting a lot of normal wear in the future, too.

I made two Regency dresses for my daughters to wear for my sister-in-law's wedding. They are 11 months, and 2 years old. Sizes one and 1 and 2 fit perfectly, though they are both on the small side. I used a 100% cotton from Wal-Mart. I made both dresses with the "drawstring" look. I really like how easy they were to put together and to get on and off. I also think the gathering across the bodice made the cotton a little dressier for a wedding.

I have always been inspired by vintage fashion since I was a young teen and thought the clothing so glamorous and practical compared to modern fashions today. As a young woman I wanted more dresses in my wardrobe, so in 2010 I sewed up Jennie's marvelous swing dress pattern for the first time. Since then I have completed two swing dresses from the pattern and always get compliments when I wear them.

My boyfriend and I went to New York Comic Con last week and cosplayed as the Luteces from the video game Bioshock Infinite. The game is set in a somewhat Steampunk, Edwardian utopia, and when I started researching for these costumes four months ago I knew right off the bat that I wanted to use your Beatrix Walking Skirt pattern.