A Peacock Colored Regency Spencer

During the recent snowmagedon I kept warm by working on A Peacock Colored Regency Spencer. It was made from lovely wool that must have been delicious. 

Project Inspiration

I wanted to use up some peacock colored wool that I have had in my stash forever. So I turned to Pinterest. 

This lovely wool and silk spencer features wonderful satouche details.  Alas, I did not have enough wool for a collar. 

A beautiful pink worsted wool Spencer. 

A beautiful felted wool jacket. 

The Patterns

As I didn’t have enough wool for a front lapped jacket I decided to make a scooped necked Spencer. I combined two patterns. For the bodice portion I used Black Snail #0119 and raised the front neckline by an inch. For the sleeves I used McCalls M7493.

Moth Eaten Wool

This piece of wool had been lingering in my stash for about 5 years for two reasons. The first was that it was just one yard (but thankfully it was 60″/152 cm wide ). The second was that it had been nibbled in several areas. 

Even with careful placement of the pattern and fussy cutting there were still moth eaten holes on the center back and along the sleeves. 

So I got creative and covered the damaged areas with beading. 

This is NOT A Historically Accurate Detail

While I was able to find wool Spencers with satouche and rouleaux trim details I could not find a single antique wool Spencer with embroidered or beaded trim. Such a design detail seems to be reserved for silk or muslin Spencers. 

A Peacock Colored Regency Spencer

While the jacket is not historically accurate it sure it PRETTY!

I couldn’t resist wearing it outside during our recent snowfall. 

For this photoshoot I paired it with the heavy linen gown and silk bonnet I recently made in celebration of Jane Austen’s birthday. 

My mitts were made by my dear friend Kirstyn of Finishing Touches Costuming. 

For the most part, with all my historical layers (chemise, petticoat, chemisette), I was pretty warm. 

Every now and again the wind would come whipping through and that was a bit shocking ~ LOL!

This waistline of this dress sits a bit lower than the Spencer which I didn’t love. 

For the museum outing and lecture I decided to pair the Spencer with my dress that features Mameluke sleeves. 

Earlier in the week I had been feeling under the weather so I sat quietly and made a new silk tam and reticule. 

What elevates the tam is this glorious green ostrich plume. It was purchased from Timely Tresses. I also took the time to hand curl each individual barb. This is done with a small paring knife using a very careful motion that is very similar to curling ribbon. 

There are several reticules available in my Etsy shop. Let me know if you would like to see some tams added there in the future. 

My sweet friend Susan also attended the event. I want to make the dress she is wearing next!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a sweet Valentine inspired tea. 

Laura