Regency Outerwear II

The days leading up the Jane Austen Festival this year were very cold, so at the last minute I decided to make a new spencer as the one I already had did not go with most of my dresses. I thought I could get it done in time (ha ha) because I had a pattern that fitted me already and sufficient materials in the stash. I chose neutral fabrics so the spencer would go with as many dresses as possible: leftover suiting for the lining and the leftover gabardine from my Viking outfit for the outside.

Mum cut the pieces out for me while I was sewing my orange dress. She also came up with the idea for trimming, based on this dress in Fashion in Detail. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t even start sewing the spencer. Happily, the weather cleared up for the festival so I didn’t need it. It also proved fortunate that I didn’t get the spencer done because with my new stays I was a slightly different shape and my perfectly-fitting spencer pattern no longer fit perfectly. Having more time for this project allowed me to fit it properly and to draft a collar pattern, because I didn’t really want to make the same spencer twice.

 I'm so pleased with the collar.

The sleeves are trimmed with plaits of rouleaux. I would like to have had the same trim on the bodice but there was no fabric left.

Trim inspiration.

I wanted this spencer to fasten all the way up the front so I had to choose a method to close it. I settled on self-covered buttons and loops. I kept the drawstring at the waist from my last spencer because it worked very well in ensuring the spencer fits nicely.