Regency/Federalist Period Garments

Dresses

1810s Black Linen Dress, 2013
This drop-front dress is made of linen, from a pattern I concocted myself. It's quite heavy and fancy (with a short train!) so it doesn't get very much wear. With the right accessories, it can be a nice upper class day dress, or a somber middle class best dress. Black in this case is really more of a fashion color, rather than a mourning color – linen wasn't one of the prescribed fabrics for mourning. To keep a dress as black as this would actually have been a bit tricky for ladies of the period, which elevates this fairly simple garment to a higher level of fanciness.

detail, drop-front interior

1800s White Embroidered Dress, 2012
One of my only back-closing dresses! This is a daytime dress for a fairly well-off lady. It's actually made of a repurposed embroidered tablecloth. This is sort of in the spirit of historical dresses made from kashmiri shawls, though I've never heard of one made from a pre-embroidered item. (In the 18th century pre-embroidered yardage was a thing for men's waistcoats, but that was more like, draw the pattern piece and then make all the embroidery before cutting it out, which comes out looking the same as a vest embroidered after it was made up. I don't think its comparable.)
This dress is quite cool in summer, but I find the back closure super annoying, since I need help getting in.

With matching slippers!

1800s Striped Dress, 2015
This dress is made of printed cotton, which reminded me of the botanical roller prints which were the first cheap-ish printed fabrics available. I believe they were first available in the early 1800s. This fabric was a remnant, so the narrow skirt and short sleeves are basically just dictated by the amount of fabric I had. The center front closes with two drawstrings, but because the bodice is not very full, the closure tends to gap. When worn with an apron that's not a problem, and with the right sort of fichu, and a couple pins to secure the front opening, this dress could also be dressed up to a morning outfit for a well-off lady.

1795-1810 Yellow Dress, 2015
This is a yellow day dress for a middle class person. Its made out of a set with a tablecloth and 7 napkins (I don't know why 7, it was a yard sale find.). I think it's linen; there's a woven-in pattern that's vaguely botanical. I made this because most middle class ladies tended to wear long sleeves during the day, and I realized all my dresses were short sleeved! The front closure is very adjustable, with overlapping lining pieces and two drawstrings.

lining is pinned before drawstrings are tied

Early 1820s Christmas Dress, 2016
This dress was specifically made for the Manse At Christmas event in 2016, because they were aiming for a year of 1824ish. It's made out of a tablecloth and napkins set from a yard sale. The plaid/stripes is honestly more 1980s than 1820s, but the idea of using a plaid fabric is historical enough. This is one of my few back-closing gowns. It closes with covered buttons! The puff section of the sleeve sits over a fitted lining to keep it puffed (though it collapses weirdly in, so there's still a pattern error somewhere). Most of the seams and edges are piped with tiny piping, cut from the red sections of the fabric and extensively pieced. The front is trimmed with tubes of self-fabric.

front trim, and piping if you look closely

Other Outerwear

1780-1820 Short-gown, 2012
This short-gown is made of a single flannel pillowcase. I was intending to make it for 1770s period wear, but due to the small amount of fabric it came out kind of short - which suits it very well to an 1800s short-gown! The pattern for short-gowns, especially for the lowest classes, did not change that much over the course of those 50 years - it mostly depended on where one wore the apron.
The bottom set of ties are uneven because a cat ate one.

Apron, OR Apron Rigging system, 2016
Wearing an apron really completes a lot of workday outfits, but keeping an apron up at the empire waistline is a pain. Some historical dresses had buttons or something to hold up the apron strings in the back, and some aprons had straps. Since I use my aprons for a variety of different periods, I make a couple of detachable straps, which have loops to slip onto the apron strings in back, and then pin onto the apron front.
Historically accurate? I don't know. Very handy? Absolutely.

front with pins just visible

back with loops just visible

Underwear

1805-1840 Corded Corset, 2013
This was made based on a pattern which I borrowed when I worked in the costume shop at school. I think it was a big name pattern, but I've forgotten it now (and my pattern copy is done in brown paper so).
This is a full-length corded corset suitable for much of the first third of the 19th century. It has a wooden busk down the center front, but all the rest of the stiffening is provided by cording. The cording is some kind of nylon string that I got really cheap at a surplus store. Its probably a bit stiffer than cotton or hemp cord, which I think would be more period correct.
The shaping on this is done with hip and bust gores, but generally it isn't strongly shaped. It does provide lift to the bust, although that's basically impossible to see on my small chest.
The back closes with spiral lacing.
It's one of my favorite corsets, because it provides good period shape and posture, and it's really comfortable. And I think cording looks snazzy.

1810s Invalid/traveling corset, 2016
Based on/inspired by a pattern from Kleidung Um 1800, and others (fyi, that blog post is written in German and English; English is in italics. Lucky me, I read both!).
This is a very lightly boned corset with just a busk, and adjustable straps and bust cups. I was looking for a simple corset pattern which would be adjustable and comfortable, for friends who I bring reenacting, just to give them the snugness of a corset and the light posture correction. I saw the pattern from a number of costumer's blogs, and those ladies were praising it's comfort, comparing it to normal bras. I think they're right, that the support and flexibility are very similar to modern bras. Alas, for me, this isn't an advantage – my small bust doesn't need supporting, and this corset's flexibility means that it does not force me to have good posture as much as my others. Other people who've worn it have called it comfortable. It also just adds to the feeling of being Fully Historically Dressed while also being a really adjustable garment.

1795-1825 Petticoats, 2012 & 2016
Under empire-waist dresses, high-waisted petticoats are required. The simplest way to do this is to add straps to a skirt, more or less. A lot of historical petticoats have whole little bodices on them, but these ones have plain straps.
The black one is historically dubious, given its color. It buttons under each arm with two little buttons.
The white one (which is newer) is made from a thrifted nightgown, of very tightly woven cotton. It closes in the back with a drawstring.

1800-1830 Chemisettes, 2012 & 2016
These are meant to fill in the necklines of dresses for day-wear in conservative New England. The lace-collared one is older, as evidenced by the reworking/ frankenstein seams near the bottom. Originally I constructed it to be a little round of fabric which was just tucked in to the dress neckline, but it became obvious that it is way easier to have the ends secured under the dress - hence, the drawstring around the underbust. I think this is period-plausible.

Headwear

1800-1810 Day caps, 2015
These caps were a carryover from the day caps of the 18th century, and many women still wore them when working or with daywear, to protect their hair and/or to reassure their neighbors that they weren't too fashionable and frivolous. They're quite handy as well to work around uncooperative hairline pincurls, since the frill sort of fills that space visually.

1820s Day Cap, 2016
Made to match my 1820s dress. This sort of cap makes a huge difference in getting the period facial silhouette of the 1820s, because the crazy ruffles. I don't know if "flattering" is quite the right word, but it certainly completes the look. This cap was a little slapdash, so the ribbon ties are too short, and sewn on by machine quite obviously. The whole ruffle is edged with lace, since the outfit overall was on the fancy side. I think the crown of the cap was a teeny bit too small, because it tends to creep backwards off my head.

1805ish Wool winter bonnet, 2014
I wanted a hat that would keep my ears warm and also shade my eyes, because I really hate when the sun glares in my eyes. This bonnet was just the ticket, and the crown is full enough that anything I do with my hair actually fits inside it.
The brim is stiffened with 3 layers of felt, sewn while bent so they hold their shape. The outside is made of wool and the inside of cotton flannel. I trimmed it with ribbon and fabric flowers.

1812ish Summer bonnet, 2016
I needed something that wasn't of wool and could be worn in warmer weather. I also opted for a deeper brim because sun is more annoying in the summer.
The brim is stiffened with two layers of cereal-box cardboard with fabric glued over the top. The crown is two layers of weirdly thick and fluffy cotton muslin. It's trimmed with lots of ribbons and lace.

early 1820s Stovepipe bonnet, 2018

I started the pattern for this in costume lab in college, but it took me ages to get the angle right between the crown and the brim (I'm still not sure it is). I think the trimmings may in fact be restrained, compared to other bonnets from this period.
Made of buckram, with a layer of flannel and then silk. Interior lined with cotton. Net gathered inside the brim for texture.

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