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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

· A Regency Ballgown for Kathryn ·


With a fancy Regency Ball to be attended last December, my friend Kathryn needed a dress suitable for the occasion!

There was a lot of agonizing over what style to settle upon, but one thing was certain- she wanted silk.  She also wanted something very drapey, so we settled on a silk habotai.  The gold color was partially just a result of the fabric available, but I'm so glad that's what she chose!  The color is stunning on her, and is perfect for the style and the setting! :-)


The dress closes in the back with covered buttons.
And just act like you didn't see those machine-sewn buttonholes.  I probably should be so shamed by them that I learn how to make nice hand-sewn buttonholes, but I'm not. Yet.

Maybe that should be one of my New Year's Resolutions- perfect my hand-sewn buttonholes. ;-)


One of my favorite parts of regency dresses- all of those lovely skirt pleats! :-)

I just love this back view!!  So pretty.  I am in dire need of a silk regency dress now.  Like, right now.


The dress is very simple, so we decided that detailed sleeves were a "must".  The sleeves are lined in quilting-weight cotton to add more body and strips of fabric "bunch" the sleeve up.

The bodice is gathered in the front, and has a small drawstring in the neckline to ensure a perfect fit each time.  The waistline is trimmed with large piping, which adds just a touch of detail and makes the dress look more complete. :-)

· Photos by oh, wait... me.  With Kathryn's camera. ;-) ·

17 comments:

  1. That is a most beautiful ball gown!! And a most beautiful lady!! :)
    I just love the details - the pleats, the drapiness of the fabric, the covered buttons, the sleeves. So much prettiness! The piping around the waist is perfect. I need to make my ball gown soon!! Even if I have no ball to go to!! ;)
    Lovely, amazing job as always, Lily!!

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  2. Goodness! I absolutely love that dress! You are sooo talented. :)

    eveofwomanhood.blogspot.com

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  3. That is a beautiful dress! I love the pleats at the back! What pattern did you use?

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    1. Nuala, thank you! :-)

      I was very remiss to not mention the pattern- thanks for reminding me! I used Sense & Sensibility's Elegant Lady's Closet pattern as a base, changing the sleeves and neckline a bit. The skirt is cut from the S&S Regency Gown pattern with extra fullness in the back pleats.

      Hope that helps!

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  4. Very beautiful! The color looks smashing on her.

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  5. Not all regency gowns are beautiful nor do they usually suit the wearer. This one is both lovely as well as perfect for the wearer! I love the tone, as well as the perfect drape of the fabric. Before you mentioned the pleats of the skirt, I was planning on mentioning them; I noticed that you excell in doing perfectly delightful pleats, Lily! The bodice is perfect as well. These dresses look simple enough but I know it takes talent to make them fit so nicely. I'm sure Kathryn was delighted.

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    1. Thanks so much! :-) My perfectionistic tendencies tend to manifest themselves whenever pleats enter the picture..... ;-)

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  6. It's a beautiful dress on a beautiful girl! Lovely work as always, Lily. I like the gorgeous drape of the fabric and the beautiful simplicity of the style.

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  7. This is one of the prettiest Regency dresses that I've seen! It's absolutely lovely. (And her hair is amazing, too :)

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  8. Oh so lovely! You're right about the color too. It's perfect! :)

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  9. This is SO beautifully gorgeous! How crazily talented are you?!!! Those sleeves especially, and the golden colour. The first picture isn't the only one that could fit right on a book cover! Great, great amazing job.

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  10. So beautiful! And I think machine sewn buttonholes can be excused... for now that is. Besides, the rest of the absolutely gorgeous dress makes up for that small "failure". ;)

    Blessings,

    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

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  11. Thank you all so much! This was a fun project to work on, but it's even more fun admire it in action! :-)

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  12. What a lovely dress! And those sleeves! What pattern did you use?

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    1. Thanks, Gabriela! :-) I used Sense & Sensibility's "Elegant Lady's Closet" pattern as a base, with possibly(?) some alterations. I don't quite remember all of what I did, but I'm pretty sure I added some length to the sleeves and then added the bands to "scrunch" them up. :-)

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