Sidetracked (Thx Pendleton!)

Took a little road trip & stumbled on the perfect fabric for a little idea I'd been messing with.  That was yesterday.  It must have wanted to be made b/c it's all made up now & very nicely if I do say so myself--right fabric, right price, fabric to garment in less than 20 hours.  It's a gift, so I can't post the photos yet, but I expect it will be well received!

Now back to the regularly scheduled Regency project.

Pattern finished, time to cut

I've been looking at Pinterest posts of extant garb for days.  This one has the lines I like best.

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Collections-online/object.aspx?objectID=object-82460&start=0&rows=1



Photo from Museum of London website

I won't be able to match that hourglass shape because I'm very short waisted. I made up the bodice from a cotton tablecloth & the first fit certainly has an issue-about a 2" gap at the center front waist.  That's why we mockup.  Shoulders look good.  The sides need to have the grain shifted.

First mockup

Regency Coat Pattern

The fabric is in the dryer & half a Pride & Prejudice later I have the bodice pattern cut.  I'm not sure what the fiber content is now, wet it doesn't smell like any natural fiber, but it has a lovely hand.  There's a little stretch to it so I suspect a good grade of acrylic with a pinch of spandex.  Didn't expect that.  I have to be more diligent about mapping steps, but really I don't think about it.  Mostly I freehand the pattern and tweak the fit on a body.  This time I started from a gauze dress I did for a Regency party some years ago, and a commercial jacket pattern that I know fits. 

Here's the back of the dress.

 

And here's the overlay of the dress pattern on the commercial jacket pattern on painter's paper.

Which turns into the new back pattern

 

Attach the missing top shoulder to the front--see the new paper pattern under the commercial.

 

And fill in the gap under the arm.  I've cut a side seam so I can have a seam for fitting.  On the dress I made it one piece.

I'll drape the sleeve & collar once I have a sewn up body.

 

Confirmation from the Universe

No kidding, there I was stopped at a red light thinking about what to line the brown tweed with, when I noticed the car ahead of me.  Mr Darcy indeed!

Regency Time

From the Kyoto Museum collection, a dress that looks like a coat style I love, and a military inspired redingote

3 AM Inspiration no doubt brought on by the ORS posting an event to sail on a tall ship in costume.  Here goes the next project!  In keeping with my resolution to not buy new fabric this year (which will no doubt go out the window Saturday at my friend's studio cleaning sale), I dug out bins and boxes to see what could be done.  The discoveries include 2.5 yards of brown shot silk, a bolt of black/brown wool tweed, a spool of black braid, 4 yards of white windowpane cotton, a bolt of handkerchief linen and some straw hats.  I haven't done Regency for a while so I'll need to do the underpinnings as well. I bought the wool to do "something steampunk" so I think an interesting redingote may fill a double bill.  The windowpane is obvious though white isn't a color I choose to wear.  The silk has possibilities for a day dress if there is enough.  I can stretch it out with something black perhaps.  I need to get this post loaded and get to my "real" job now, but I suspect my brain will be designing all day. I'm sure my boss will wonder why I'm wiped out in the early afternoon. 3 AM. Gaaah!