I finished a spencer to go with my Regency day dress this spring. The blue cotton pique was picked up at the scrap swap at Figments & Filaments last year. I used the pattern from the dress for the bodice back and sleeves, and just extrapolated the rest. The dress has a drop front bib, so I was able to work with the under bits which overlap underneath the bib.
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| Decorated with a total of twelve completely non-functional buttons, as well as a few bits of folded fabric tubes sewn down over the back seams to add a bit of interest. |
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| Ruffled collar holds its shape with two rows of piping along the edge. Or perhaps a couched cord would be a better way to describe it, as it's not encased within a seam. |
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| Detail of the non-functional false cuffs (and fabric texture). |
I turned the sleeve inside out so I could show off how that nonsense was put together. The seams at the armsyce and bottom of the sleeve puff are bound with cotton tape. The puff is supported with a crescent of silk organza and the band is held up with two tapes, further assisting the poofing.
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| Sleeve head, inside out. |
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| I can't decide if it's too much ruffle to wear the chemisette AND the spencer. I suppose I could always sub out for a fichu if I want to tone it down a bit. |
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| The flash really brings out the shiny in the dress fabric. I haven't the foggiest what the secondary content of the dress is, and have absolutely no fabric left to play with. I guess the world will never know. |
And for the Historical Sew Monthly Challenge:
What the item is: Regency Spencer
The Challenge: Protection
Fabric/Materials: blue cotton pique, linen, silk organza.
Pattern: heavily modified from the Laughing Moon Mercantile bib front dress pattern.
Year: 1810-ish
Notions: fabric covered buttons, hooks with hand stitched loop closures, cotton twill tape.
How historically accurate is it? 8/10
Hours to complete: maybe 20
First worn: in a 'done enough' state for a costumers' guild outing to see Pride + Prejudice + Zombies, but in the finished state, right there in the dining room.
Total cost: The fabric came from the scrap swap at a local costuming convention and the lining is from my own leftovers, so the only really cost was the button forms. All told, maybe $6.
