An 1818 Blue and White Regency Ball Gown

A late Regency ball gowwn made of Swiss voile and cotton net from Farmhouse Fabrics and trimmed with blue silk taffeta from Fabrics and Fabrics in the garment district in L.A. The pattern for the bodice is the 1820s ball gown in The Cut of Women's Clothes and the skirt is the 1820 skirt from Period Costume for Stage and Screen. The sleeve pattern is from Period Costume for Stage and Screen as well.

I'm wearing it over my Regency corded corset, shift, pantalettes and a bodiced petticoat made from the same patterns as the bodice.

The dress closes with hooks and eyes at the waist and neck edge with a drawstring at the neck edge as well. This closure does open a tiny bit in the middle, but is a period method of closing bodices.

Just a few more views of the dress.

A detail of the unfinished bodice trim. The bodice trim is based on a dress at the Museum of Costume at Bath. To make the trim, first I drew each of the shapes in pencil on my silk taffeta then sewed bias piping on those lines. Then I cut the designs out, folded the edges under, and sewed them to the bodice.

To finish the trim I put a silk covered wooden button on each place where the designs crossed.

To make the sleeves, I cut the sleeve pattern out of both silk taffeta and net. I then bound the edges with silk taffeta cut on the bias, so the silk part of the sleeve was completely finished.

I then gathered the edges of the voile sleeve and top stitched them into the base sleeve. The edges were left unfinished.

The finished sleeve on its own and attached to the bodice.