Friday, July 1, 2011

A Very Small Regency Gentleman

One week to go, and all I have left is to make my ball gown before then. I can definitely do that - dresses are pieces of cake - so, I can relax a bit, breathe a little more slowly and deeply, and enjoy seeing Mr. Munchkin stomp around in his new gown.

I thought his gown would be quite easy to make. And, in some ways, it was. But now that it is finally done and hung up and ready to be packed for our trip next weekend I look back upon the past 24 hours and shudder. Talk about tiny pieces! The bodice was soooo small. The fabric was so light and sheer, and I was ghastly afraid of the fabric shredding while the needle I used to finish the seams seemed too big. At last, however, it was done.

The bodice pattern was draped right on him, and the sleeve a basic short sleeve of the period, similar to the sleeve I used for my white gown. The neckline and sleeve hems are gathered with a drawstring. There is also a drawstring at the waist, to adjust the fit.

The skirt has a few pleats at the side front and the rest is tightly gathered at the back. There are 2 tucks and a small ruffle at the hem, just like on his pantaloons/pantalettes/drawers/things.

Malachi seems to be happy with his new dress. He came with me to the fabric store on Monday and helped me pick out this fabric (he got to choose between white, and this) and watched me intensely while I fitted him, and was extremely interested in seeing me sew it up. Whilst I was working on it David and Judah would come it at times and ask me if I was making a "shirt for Daddy" or "a skirt for Mommy", etc. and Malachi would always savagely reply, "No! It's MINE!"

If I have time I may make the pinafore. But maybe not. I love the gathers at the waistline of the bodice and a pinafore would cover those all up. Who wants that?

Love,
Sarah

9 comments:

  1. Huggable! Can't wait to meet him next week!

    Goodness, it's been a vast hurricane of sewing up there; I can almost see lightning at north-by-nortwest.

    Very best,

    Natalie

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  2. This whole post is so adorable that I just can't stop smiling!

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  3. Wow, your work is amazing ;) :) Plus, I learned something because I didn't know that little boys wore dresses in the Regency period. have fun at the event and take lots of pics. Happy 4th of July weekend to you and your family. Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

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  4. Oh my goodness....seriously, could he get any more adorable?! I know this is cliche, but when I saw that first photo, all I could think was the he looks like he stepped right out of a fashion plate. I mean it....spot on fantastic job! Bravo!

    Oh, and I found Carson a walking stick at a local antique shop! I have no idea how old it is, but it looks very "Federal" to me.

    EEeee! So excited to meet you guys next weekend!

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  5. Stunning! He looks like a painting.

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  6. Ah, this is fun! You're doing so well with the Regency wardrobe for your family - so let's hope your own dress will turn out equally great!

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  7. That is the most adorable thing I've seen in ages! He looks so perfect, I think I prefer children in Regency styles over Civil War styles, it just looks so *right*. :-) What a wonderful job you did, good for you!
    Paris

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  8. He looks wonderful! Can I ask what patterns you used for the cap, frock, etc? You are probably one of those terribly clever people who can draft your own things, but I thought I'd check :P

    Just found your blog and I just love it. Thanks for the inspiration!

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Thank you for your lovely thoughts!