Regency Inside-Out

This is by far the simplest garment I think I've ever made.  It has no lining, drawstrings and gathering to adjust fit, and mostly geometrical shapes.  The gown was draped in a B&T workshop, but I've adjusted the pattern for my second muslin gown and will probably do the same for the taffeta.  It's all made from a brown cotton muslin with a small stripe running through it.

The fronts run straight over the shoulders, extending to the back similar to 18th century gowns.  The center front piece is just a long rectangle gathered to the underbust band on bottom and drawstringed on top.  Getting the band measurement correct is really the most specific part of the whole gown.  The front area of the skirt is left flat, some gowns don't start pleats until the half-way point.

Sleeves do have a fair amount of head on them (curve on top), but being gathered in at top and bottom it's more for volume than allowing for movement.  The cuff here is fitted snugly to the arm to keep the "poof" up.  You can choose to drawstring the hem instead.

The back I fastened with hooks and eyes, using the drawstring which starts in the front pieces to tie the very top off.  You can see where the front pieces attach, not terribly far back.  Again, personal choice.  My next gown has a much more severe diamond shape to the back pieces.

I used the underbust band to finish off the edges inside.  The seams I felled, but since the fabric wasn't prone to fraying I left the armscye and the skirt seams raw.  Small eyelets in the front rolled edge and on the left back neck allow the linen tape to exit the channel unnoticed.

There's no easy way to photograph it, but you can see at least one skirt seam here.  The skirt is made of four pieces.  The front angles out toward the hem, the two side pieces have one straight edge at the front and a more severely sloped back edge, the back piece is rectangular with an opening slit cut in the center back.  It's just one way to do it, you can use as few or as many as you would like in reality.  The top needs to be smaller than the hem unless you want to look extra poofy and there needs to be some angling out at the hips (or pleating over the sides).  I don't recall measures of this gown skirt or the other muslin, but I'll be sure to keep track on the taffeta.  Some of it depends on the fabric width.

I threw together a pair of long sleeves the morning of the event.  I simply measured the sleeve band and my wrist for width (loosely at the wrist so the hand can fit through).  It flares out 1" after the wrist to fit long over the hand.  Very simple shape with only one seam which quickly whips to the permanent sleeve bands.  Making it on the diagonal allowed for a tighter wrist fit.