My Empire dress > with my hands

This empire dress was super quick to make, especially since the pattern was almost identical to the dress I made for my daughter. This was no wonder since I bought my dress pattern from the same Sense & Sensibility company.

This Regency gown pdf pattern comes in sizes 6 to 26. I made the size 10 which is also the same size I used to make my stays. It fitted perfectly with no adjustments needed at all! The only thing I would have perhaps changed was that the hem could have been about 2″ or (5 cm) longer at the front. Right now it works and it is easy to walk in, but I think that it may be little short for taller people or for an evening look.

The fabric caused me some trouble. I first bought this white cotton voile with tambour embroidered flowers but the started second-guessing my fabric choice. I ordered another fabric: 5 metres of block printed cotton voile from Amazon.co.uk but that fabric never arrived even though I paid for expedited shipping. Well, as I needed the dress for today, I couldn’t wait and went back to my original purchase.

There was no way I could do any hand-sewing this time. I started the dress on Thursday evening and finished it on Friday. The only thing I did by hand was hemming and fastening the lining to the empire seam – and the buttonholes. I am aware that the button closure wasn’t that common at that period but I didn’t have time or energy to narrow the bodice back for a simple tie closure.

The neckline and the sleeves looked a bit naked without any embellishments so I added a bit of lace to decorate them.

Finally, I think this dress works, even though the embroidery is a bit loud for a Regency/Empire period. I tried my best to pattern match the bodice and the sleeves. I even unpicked some annoying bits of red thread from the areas near the seams!

All in all, I am very happy with this sewing pattern and the resulting dress. In fact, I still haven’t taken it off! For anyone interested in sewing a Regency or Empire style dress, I can recommend this pattern.

My Empire dress at the lily-of-the-valley forest.

Today, I donned my bonnet and filled my picnic basket with goodies. Together I and S went to take part in Historical picnic arranged by ‎Société Helsinki or Helsingin Herraswäki. The weather was lovely and we had so much fun! Most of the people we met were newcomers who didn’t know many people so it was easy to start chatting. S charmed people with her bouncing curls and managed to persuade people to share their yummy treats with her. Apparently, my selection of treats wasn’t enough! One lovely lady taught her to make flower wreaths and soon there were wreaths everywhere!

I am pretty sure we will take part in this kind of events in the future, too!