A black and silver American Girl Regency dress in the works…

I had hoped to get this Regency dress finished today, but it didn’t happen. So I guess this post will be a “work in progress” and hopefully I’ll get it finished and showcase the big reveal on Thursday’s post.

If things go the way I hope they do with the rest of the sewing on this dress, it should be very pretty. It’s made from a black and silvery stretchy velvet like fabric. If you know what Panne velvet is, it’s similar to that. I’ve had it in my stash for quite a while and didn’t know what to make from it. Last night I decided on a Regency dress. I hadn’t ever made a Regency dress out of any fabric like this… with so much stretch and fluidity. It was fun, but at the same time it had its challenges.

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The first thing I did was pick my model. Yep…it’s Eden again. With her black hair, I thought she looked the best with the fabric draped around her.

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I cut out my pieces and constructed the bodice.

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A little more sewing and Eden has a fitting.

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How about some sleeves… they were a pain. I didn’t make them long enough and barely had enough fabric to turn up a casing. I could have taken them out and cut a longer sleeve, but the thoughts of using a seam ripper to pick out the seams and the serging stitches…especially in this stretchy fabric wasn’t something I wanted to do.

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…and I just had to see what it was going to look like with the skirt held up to the bodice…

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Once the skirt was attached, it really started to shape into a pretty Regency dress. I wanted the train to be the longest one I had ever added.

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…but I was having trouble getting the back seam to line up straight and hang perfectly vertical. I took out the back seam 3 times trying to get it right. Each time I tried to straighten it up, it took part of the fabric away, and it shortened the back train just a bit.

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Once the back seam was finally figured out, it made the train much shorter than I had hoped. Oh well… so I moved on to other things…
How would I decorate this dress? A black ribbon in front that hangs down from the middle?

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Perhaps 2 ribbons tied into bows at the sides?

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Maybe a black braid trim just under the gathered bodice?

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What about a black bow at the back? Perhaps some black fingerless gloves? I’m hoping Rebecca can come up with a pretty necklace too!

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I’m thinking the rest of the dress should go smoother than the first part. You’ll have to come back tomorrow to see how it all turns out! I certainly hope you like it when it’s all finished.

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

4 thoughts on “A black and silver American Girl Regency dress in the works…”

  1. I have that type of fabric in my stash and, although pretty, it looks like a pain to work with…you have patience, Jeanne. Can’t wait to see your finished dress. It’ll be beautiful, I am sure.

    1. HI Cindy,
      Well, I don’t know about patience… maybe, but I think it was more determination to just get it right! I don’t know why it was so hard to work with… I guess I’m just used to sewing with cottons more.
      I think the hardest part is over with though… we’ll see if I have any more stories to tell for the rest of the dress.
      Thanks Cindy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. I love the way the skirt flows from the empire waist…and the train is rounded just perfectly! It’s going to be stunning!

    1. HI Kathie,
      Well, I wish I could say that train was still that long in my first pictures, but it’s not. As I kept pulling the back seam straight, it kept using up the length of my fabric so my train got shorter and shorter each time I had to revise. It’s still an okay train, but now I have my sights set on figuring out a new pattern for a train that is as long as what I first envisioned.
      Thanks Kathie, hope you like it even though it’s shorter…
      Blessings, Jeanne

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