Going Back to 18th Century Fashion // I'm Making a 1770s Round Gown

[@roxiepoe9586]

I am so sorry that you have been ill! Please, please, please take great care to fully recover. (I have lost too many people to post covid problems! Morbid to bring it up, but I value you!) ... and the dress is so cute!

[@Sabatuar]

Fig Leaf Patterns has round gown instructions included with their Italian gown pattern.

[@SaucySeamstress]

JP Ryan's Robe a la Anglaise pattern has instructions for a round gown.

[@curlyclaire2]

Please make yourself a decent pair of stays that fit well and are comfortable. Choose a fabric for the outside that you absolutely love and is easy to hand stitch, and pick a lining fabric that is just insane and makes you smile. It will be easier to motivate yourself to make them, and they will make you smile everytime you see them. Pace yourself after the covid, glad to see you looking healthy, my voice was weird for a month afterwards. 😊

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

My voice is the only thing that is having lasting effects, too - it's so weird! And yeah, I know I just have to sit down and force myself to make them.

[@lindagoesel3815]

Glad you're better. Looks like this will be another adorable adult doll dress. Loving it. ❤

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Thank you!

[@liav4102]

I told people on the company call that Tuesday’s were the happiest day (inferentially because of said call) but new Lady Rebecca posts are what really makes me smile

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Aww thanks! ☺️

[@sleepycalico]

made me giggle.

[@suzzanahbessette6989]

My motto is always flat line a fabric with any give to it. Bag lining will make the pieces even further off and can be uncomfortable to wear, let alone fix.

[@hilmaallen1302]

So glad that your recovering unfortunately it can take sometime for some people.

[@autumn7143]

I’m glad you’re not having to hard of a time with COVID. I hope you’re well soon.

[@lesliethaggard3018]

Really looking forward to the rest of this out fit as I am making gowns in the Revolutionary era to celebrate Constitution Week September 17-23 by going to elementary schools in garb hoping to spark some interest in the kids.

[@mikuhatsune184]

I am sorry you got Covid and am glad you’re feeling a lot better now. I am also glad it seemed to be a more mild case. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with that again later. As for your sewing project, I am VERY excited to see you make this round gown! The 18th century is my absolute favorite for clothing and I also love how you’re making American Girl doll clothing, so seeing you make Felicity’s gown is perfect! Though you’ve likely already finished your gown by now, I thought it would be good to mention for future projects how that neckline issue can also be solved with a drawstring. I have seen several extant garments dating to around the 1780s which use a drawstring from the shoulder strap to the center front to bring in the top edge. It is typically hidden by trim, but an example from the MET in printed cotton without trim shows the drawstring channel stitching clearly. That example also includes a front with a small squared off point on the bottom, making it not quite a perfect point but still very pointy overall. Other examples with very pointy points from the 1780s often use hooks and eyes on the center front to get around that issue. One example of a very pointy gown with hooks and eyes and a drawstring top edge can be found in Patterns of Fashion by Janet Arnold if you have it and are curious. Also, try to rest more if you can since you are still recovering. Schedules are good, but your well-being is better, so please take your time to rest if you feel you need to 🤗

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

I didn't realize they used drawstrings during that time, so yeah, that would definitely help. And I realized (after it was too late, of course) that most of the extant round gowns seem to have that squared off point - that's definitely what I should have done!

[@kayta84]

Its good to hear you are feeling better!💜 the dress is going to be so gorgeous! And don't frett about making to many aprons, there is no such ting! Love me a good apron😊💜😊

[@shamancarmichael5305]

The American Girl universe is making you work for this one! 😁 It will be worth it though, it'll be so cool to have a different Girl cosplay for each day at the Con!

[@laurenragle5228]

I swear, 18th century geometry is perplexing. I finally (after several mockups) managed to get my Redthreaded stays where I wanted them. Petticoats are a breeze. But my bodice? I can't even. The back will be great one minute and the sides / front are like "lol, no". So I completely relate to you in this video. Currently, I'm getting ready for a tourist trip to Colonial Williamsburg (no, not dressing up this time because of my bodice woes). Because of my bad knees, I'm working on making a caddy for my rollator. 😊 It's going to be the first time I play with quilting on my machine, so I'm pretty excited. Just a little accessory to prepare me for going back to more historical accessories. Good luck with your Covid recovery! When I had it, it mostly just made me sleep all the time - which was annoying.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

I think one of the bodice issues I'm finding is that it can do easily sit too far back or too far forward on the shoulders, completely changing the fit. Though of course, that doesn't explain how the final bodice was seriously so much larger than the mock-up, so who knows? Have a wonderful time in Williamsburg!

[@theplussizecostumer]

I don't have it myself and I could be wrong, but I believe the American Duchess book has a pattern for the round gown. I have a suggestion for a less fussy way to sew the skirt to the bodice, that is if you haven't sewn it on yet. I suggest using 1-inch twill tape, or a piece of 2-inch wide interfaced muslin, and sew a very narrow waistband to the skirt with the tape or muslin. Then on the lining of the bodice, mark the waistline and whip stitch the skirt to the lining at the waist markings as if the skirt had cartridge pleats. You'll have to turn under the hem of the bodice separately and may even have to tack the back point down to the skirt so it doesn't flip up. But then this way you don't have to try to figure out how to fit the pleated skirt into the curved point of the bodice.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

The one in that book is 1790s. And I did something sort of similar, except without any sort of waistband at all. You'll see in next week's video. 😉

[@MyLady120]

I made panniers last week. The only thing it was okay only that the fabric wasn’t thick enough for me. But I made a medium size. I love your work. I’m learning how to adjust my bodice’s when I do them. Thank you so much for your videos. They are truly helpful. And believe me, it has been an encouragement. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@sandiemable]

Awe, sorry you're sick, darn covid! Keep getting lots of rest. Loving these projects, Rebecca! That bodice fit so well...how the heck did it get so big? This is what I find so interesting; watching you whip fabric into shape. I could watch you for hours. I do hope you feel better soon. xoxo's Sandie🤗

[@WatchedPlot]

Just wanted to say that that shade of pink looked really good on you! Hope you feel better soon!

[@gracesw9906]

this entire american girl inspired series is really making me sooo incredibly happy. american girl is the reason i'm into american history, and historical fashion in particular. i remember when the outfits for the historical dolls came with cards that explained some of the names and functions, like what a stomacher was, and why some of felicity's skirts had open sides. (the christmas gown has velcro at the sides for closure, and for inserted pockets!) your series is tapping into a need that i didn't know that i had! it makes me want to wear a nellie o'malley inspired one. she was my first doll and i still look like her.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Oh my gosh, yes please do a Nellie outfit! Her pink dress is one of my all time favorite AG dresses. And I loved those info cards - I totally remember learning about 18th c undergarments that way!

[@Hiker_who_Sews]

Sucks that you got CoVid. Missing the first days at your new production must be hard. I'm really looking forward to seeing your pictures and video from Comic Con. You're the best for taking me along... that is, if you feel up to it, of course. I know your job as a performer means you need to treat your 🎵voice with extra kindness.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Yep, I'll be doing a comicon vlog! I also have a video coming out this Saturday where I'm taking you along to our local Ren faire! ☺️

[@lesleyharris525]

Hi, glad to hear you're feeling better, the dolls dress is going to look so cute 😍.

[@denisebennett3144]

Glad you’re feeling better.

[@alegnalavieenrose8120]

Hope you feel better soon. Lots of love from The Netherlands

[@kirabowie]

You sound much better than you did last week, like you've got more energy which is good. May you continue to improve so you can have a great time at Comic Con! 🙂 I'm picturing the finished gown in my head and I like what I'm seeing! In other words, I can't wait to see the finished gown!😊

[@Diniecita]

I feel like you do the content that I would do if I actually had time! This is awesome!!

[@marynimocks6791]

It will all work out! Feel better!

[@michellefridman6997]

Absolutely loving your American Girl Doll series, and even more excited that you’re doing Felicity! I have the Scroop Augusta Stays pattern (I’m just working up the courage to make them) - maybe you can make those! I’ve heard great things about that pattern!

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Thanks! That's the one I'm planning to make, once I ever decide to actually sit down and do it!

[@dillonnapier1239]

I think the neckline issue occurred 1. Because the stays don’t entirely fit correctly 2. I feel like the stays neckline is too low 3. I feel like you bust coulda been pushed up a tish more ¿? (If you wanted to keep the completely conical shape) But hiw you fixed it is probably just the best option! I would also maybe add some light boning on the back and side seams just to make sure everything stays flat and doesnt ride up!!

[@christineb5232]

Sorry you were sick tanks for the tip on the point in the front I have been trying to figure it out for a while with the new dress I'm working on. Also my husband had it and he used honey vanilla chamomile tea with extra honey it worked out for him. Make sure you use it in hot tea and not cold tea

[@ThildasBeinhaus]

Get well soon!

[@dancooper-jones]

here here!!! I will happily join you on the Victorian corset soapbox! I hate stays. making, wearing, looking at them most of the time cos I just stand there thinking "you should change this, why didn't you do that, should I throw myself under a bus and remake them"... etc. the answer to the last question is always no, and often a hell no. so I will join your Victorian corset revolution😆.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Right? I'm so glad I'm not alone on that!

[@dancooper-jones]

@@LadyRebeccaFashions I'm just watching your 8 corsets video and how they affect the same body. I would just like to reassure you that I have the same problems with my underbust. my rib cage is so big that it's annoying and I'm so self conscious about it. but I wonder if it has something to do with being naturally busty, and the body just needing the extra support for the weight it has to carry there. I don't know, but i feel better if I think that way!

[@barbaraleaweaver-mercado1820]

Fig Leaf Patterns. 112 'Italian' style. Gown with a faux petticoat. Instructions for original Round Gown included.

[@TruFlyFox]

The bodice is a very flattering cut on you. I know you picked it apart but it looks great.

[@nataliestanchevski4628]

This is hard to explain without using my hands or drawing it, but a pointed bodice with an overlap will have a shape like a V or arrow at the point of the side that goes under the overlap. More like an equilateral triangle than an acute triangle. The centre front will be the point of the arrow and the "under-lap" will angle up mimicking the angle of the overlap. So the length of the edge of the under-lap fabric is shorter/higher/closer to the bust than the point at centre front. If that makes any sense at all lol.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

That makes total sense!

[@firecracker3911]

Love Felicity!

[@hazeluzzell]

Sorry you got the lurgy. It was inevitable really. 2 airplane journeys breathing recycled air, and a stuffy crowded hotel. Every journey is a calculated risk these days. Thanks for bothering to make the effort for us x. And…we got a rant!!

[@annerogers6895]

I'm sorry to hear you got covid. I got it last month. Even though I'm recovered my voice is taking the longest to come back to normal. It takes at least 6 to 8 weeks to getting back to normal. But my voice was still very bad. So I got medical advice and I finally found the things the worked. This is long but this is what works for me. Take anti inflammatory meds/supplements, cut out all acidic foods and drinks for the time such as tomatoes, oranges, lemonade, chocolate etc, don't drink caffeine like coffee and certain teas. Do drink throat coat tea with manuka honey in it. I hate this tea but as soon as I did start drinking this with the honey it started healing the fast. Manuka honey you can find in heath food store and is not cheap but this is the best healing honey try to find the unfiltered one if you can. Don't take lozenges I know this ones doesn't make sense, but I was taking it I was taking it all the time but the throat was not healing when I switched to tea it started to really heal. Make sure you drink lots of water too. Don't sing or hum for a while but do try to talk in your normal voice if you can without straining your voice and rest it if you can. Try not to talk or save your voice the idea is to keep the vocal cords active and normal. Also not to clear your voice for that with scratch and irritate it more in the long run. Again I hope you feel better soon. I'm really happy to see the Felicity dress being made!

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Thank you so much for the tips! My voice is the thing that's not back yet either (and I still have some ear pressure). It's so weird!

[@rivergalen4020]

Laughing Moon 114 is a round dress. I don't own it so not sure if that's what you are looking for.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

That one is 1840s, actually!

[@barbzulis8342]

Burnley & Trowbridge in Williamsburg, VA. may be able to help you with the round gown search.

[@jasmynedenney3016]

Hi, just want to give some observations of mine. :) Round gowns came about in the 1790s I believe and were shaped much more like Regency gowns. Scroop Patterns has the Angelica Gown pattern (which might have been the one you mentioned) that is what you were looking for I believe. It is a variant of the Italian gown from the 1770s. Also, the book “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking” has both the round gown and Italian gown patterns. Hope that helps some. I can’t wait to see the finished gown too!

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Round gowns existed earlier too, but they did eventually evolve into those 1790s dresses.

[@cassmacdonald-perfectlyimp2486]

I thought the JPR Anglaise is adaptable into a round gown?

[@barbaraleaweaver-mercado1820]

J. P. Ryan published one in 2004 which I made two years ago, warning: instructions printed very small. If I made this again, I would enlarge them.

[@RockyMountainHoosier]

Rocking Horse Farm has one as well RH 285 but might be out of print.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Good to know! It does seem to be out of stock though.

[@nurmihusa7780]

Of COURSE you prefer Victorian corsets - you ARE the bustle QUEEN. They are your natural (form) state! Teehee!

[@silmarlfan1]

have you ever heard of Mariah Pattie. she's got a cool pattern method for making 18th century stays and bodices. check her out!

[@TiciaM]

"Modesty in a normal modest sense says no," preach

[@liav4102]

Could the flatlining have stretched the fabric somehow?

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

I don't think so. I'm not sure how it got so big!

[@merlestegeman28]

Hay Rebeca, a completely unrelated question. I have EDS and been advised to ware compression underclothing. And been thinking of making myself a corset. I’m a experienced seamstress. But have no idea what type of corset fits a modern stile and a primarily sitting or laying down live. Any tips?

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Ooh, that's tough. I tend to find that if I sit too long in a corset, they get uncomfortable! You would definitely want it to be very short below your natural waist so that it doesn't bother your legs when sitting.

[@merlestegeman28]

And what style? With breast cup’s or not? I was thinking of a lace up back with cords instead of boons in the back so its more comfortabel when laying down. Or am i thinking the wrong way? Tanx for helping btw.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

@@merlestegeman28 yeah, if you're laying down, cording is probably more comfortable, but at the same time, you're always going to want boning on either side of your grommets, or else your lacing area will collapse. Go with synthetic whalebone there at the least (and probably a tiny bit of it on the sides and in front)

[@jocrabtree4047]

Thats the stays you used for amalia.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Thanks! I thought they were!

[@barbzulis8342]

Please take care of yourself with all the COVID stuff! BTW - You've been getting some bizarre comments from a porn site or something...better block them as fast as you can!

[@beckybanta126]

Yes, they are appearing. Grrrrr.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

Yeah, they come up with every video, and I always have to go in and delete them. I'm working on it now!

[@beckybanta126]

@@LadyRebeccaFashions Certainly not ur fault. Lately have been appearing in my texting, sometimes twice a day. What a waste h a bother. 🤯

[@sannabengtsson3044]

Which one Working class en stor kontrast

[@samanthakessel7285]

Well I didn't catch covid, but I did catch a nasty cold... Still getting over it...

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

I hope you feel better soon!

[@samanthakessel7285]

@@LadyRebeccaFashions thank you! I have now almost completely lost my voice! Totally not problematic when taking food orders in a nursing home!

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

@@samanthakessel7285 oh no, I hope it comes back asap!

[@sannabengtsson3044]

Du kan också märker states ju sån Macbee

[@barbaraleaweaver-mercado1820]

One more source for Round Gowns: The American. DUCHESS guide to18th Century Dressmaking, page 179-191 and that's all I have. Hope these are helpful for your future projects. I love your work.

[@LadyRebeccaFashions]

How did I miss that? I have that book! 🤦‍♀️