A Lavender Regency Dress

Hello sweet friends! Welcome to a special edition of Fashion Friday. Today we are celebrating the divine Miss M wearing A Lavender Regency Dress.

A Lavender Regency Dress

Miss M is the absolutely lovely girlfriend of Sweet Guy. She is also set to “graduate” tomorrow.

She and Sweet Guy will be attending UNT together in the fall. Miss M has plans to become a high school art teacher. She is immensely talented and creative!

Simplicity 4055

The dress was created with a cotton vintage sari I found at an estate sale for $3 and Simplicity pattern 4055. It is no longer in print but can be found on Etsy and eBay.

It is a great pattern for beginners. Simple changes such as a long sleeve or making a fuller back make it quite versatile.

Because the fabric is so sheer it was finished with French seams. A large portion of the dress was hand sewn. Can you see my tiny stitches below?  Cotton thread was used. Running the thread over a cake of beeswax keeps the thread from knotting.

The back is finished with covered buttons. The waist is accented with a pure silk ribbon found in New York’s garment district last summer.

Design techniques of sari fabric are often applied unevenly on the warp and weft of the fabric. It was a bit of a challenge to get the design to line up at the sides and hems.

You cannot really see the sheerness of the fabric when standing in the shade.

But in the sun the lightweight linen chemise worn underneath the gown is visible.

The dress, with the exception of the sleeves, is fully lined in lightweight lavender cotton voile.

Congratulations and best wishes to Miss M!

Have a lovely day,

Laura