Cotton Sari Regency frock

So, I've been CADDing all over the place lately.  In addition to finishing the "Bee" Vest I made my husband yesterday I also finished up another project the day before: a new Regency frock.  I'd bought a lovely sheer printed cotton sari from the Bohemian Belle who picked up a bunch of them on a recent trip to India.  I used a combination of draping and the Mode Bagatelle Regency Wardrobe pattern and this is what I ended up with.  I think it goes really well with the big honkin' "Bright Star" style hat I bought from Mela and I plan on making a bright red Spencer out of a small remnant of linen I have in the stash to tie the whole outfit together.  I know the bust looks a little wonky but I, uh, fill it out a bit better than this dress form does and there are a few threads yet to be snipped, but you get the idea.

 cottonsaribodice cu

There were some tricky aspects to this project.  One was that the pattern of the paisley's only ran one direction so I had to use the fabric long ways if I wanted it to be right side up.  But since I'm 5'9 this would have made the skirt far too short.  Luckily I'd taken a class Mela had taught for the Costumer's Guild West on making Regency Gowns out of saris and I knew that the answer was to cut the border off the top and add that to the bottom, I did this for nearly the entire length of the sari, save for a small bit I saved for the bodice and sleeve patterns and actually ended up with a triple hem decoration as you can see below.  This created both a wider hem decoration and added length.  The design at the end of the sari I cut apart to make the trim for the sleeve hems, under bodice and neckline.  When I was finished I literally had a tiny handful of fabric left - super efficient!
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Comments

  1. I absolutely LOVE the triple hem design!!! Never thought of that! and I LOVE the insert in the front bodice!! Great job!!

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