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Sewing Pattern

Jane Austen Evening and Laughing Moon #138

Dancing is back! Last night I attended the Jane Austen Evening (my second large event in the same month!). Dances were danced, cookies were eaten, photos were took.

I used Laughing Moon pattern #138 for my dress, with long stays (#LM115) and a bodiced petticoat (#LM132) underneath. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with Laughing Moon Regency patterns! They are high quality with great instructions, they sew up beautifully and work together well.

I was aiming for c.1820 for this ensemble, and the pattern worked perfectly for that. It has the slightly lower waistline and the trapezoidal (a-line) skirt emblematic of the decade. I made Renaissance inspired puffy sleeves with sleeve puffs, which were really the only tricky part of the dress, but the instructions laid out the process clearly.

The sleeves get individually faced and turned, similar to bound buttonholes, and then the gathered puffs get whipped in by hand to the openings. I did add an additional flatlining of my thin taffeta after the puffs were inserted, both to act as more support and to protect the underside of the sleeve from getting my hands caught in the openings.

The backside of my main fabric has lots of delicate “floats” from the weave design and I needed a little more oomph to the body of the skirt, so rather than making a separate petticoat (in addition to the bodiced petticoat) I opted to fully line the skirt with more cream taffeta. I honestly hate dealing with how many layers are involved with historical costuming (oops? I don’t think I’m supposed to admit that) and a lining both protects the skirt and simplifies things for me. I prefer lining modern dresses and skirts to wearing slips, too.

Other details: I lowered the neckline of the “low” neckline an additional 1″, shortened the skirt 2″, and added drawstrings to the neckline and the waist. The bustpoint is a little high on me, so if I make this again I’ll lower the dart point 1″ and maybe split the dart into 2.

Wig: Styled by me; Jewelry: Monet; Reticule, Shoes, Gloves: Amazon

Society Dress at CalBal 2023

A couple weekends ago featured the return of the California Balboa Classic! Held in January, this was the last big swing dance event I attended in 2020, so it was extra nice to see it come back. I hadn’t figured out what to wear, though, when Gertie released her new Society Dress on Patreon on January 1.

I’ve *never* sewn up a couple of dresses as fast as I did this time! The style is similar to some of my favorite dresses in my closet, with one notable exception – it’s a knit! On January 1st I literally printed and taped up the pattern and went to Joann for fabric. I made the velvet one first, and was so impressed with how fast it came together that I made the poppy dress too. Being a knit means that the fit is forgiving so I skipped the mockup, and I’m getting more comfortable with my rotary cutter too, which is a big time savings. Both dresses are a straight size 10F/G, with the hems shortened 2″. Both fabrics are from Joann, a stretch velvet and double-brushed poly. I will be making more of these! (Plus working on a new pose, lol!)

Oh! I also competed this weekend! Chris and I competed for the first time since…2017? 2016? It’s been a long time. We placed 3rd in the Pure Balboa comp. It was the only contest we signed up for, and it was SUPER INTERESTING only focusing on Pure Bal instead of getting distracted by all the flash of Bal-swing. I have a new respect for the nuances of the dance now!

Anatomy of a 1920s Pattern

As we approach 2020, there has been a marked uptick in interest in the 1920s. (How many Great Gatsby parties have YOU been invited to for New Year’s Eve? Remember, ain’t no party like a Gatsby party until there is a sizable body count!) I’ve been beefing up on my 1920s dressmaking for a couple years now, and I wanted to share an original pattern with you.

There were variations between the pattern companies, but this Pictorial Review pattern is pretty typical of the era. The pattern is only provided in one size per envelope, and the pattern pieces are unprinted tissue. There is no separate instruction sheet – all the instructions given are what you see on the pattern envelope. There is actually quite a bit of information provided, but it is certainly much less than modern sewing patterns contain!

Pictorial Review Pattern 1973, c. 1924
Pictorial Review 1974, Envelope Back

The front top of this pattern envelope gives the size (Bust 36″), the price, a sketch, and a basic written description of the garment.


Underneath the sketch there are yardage requirements listed for different widths of fabrics and it tells us that the seam allowance for all seams is 3/8″, and then a visual construction guide for the pattern is provided. The pieces illustrated represent all the pattern pieces provided inside the envelope, and there are notes labeling what the pieces are (Front, Back, Sleeve, etc). This construction guide also numbers all the notches which shows how the pieces fit together – notch 3 on the skirt front matches to notch 3 on the skirt back, indicating that those seams will be joined. Less obvious are the armhole notches – notice that the front armhole has notches 11 & 12, and the back armhole has notches 13 & 14. These notches correspond to notches 11, 12, 13 & 14 on the sleeve cap (both the long and short sleeve versions). ALWAYS mark your notches when cutting out your fabric, as this is how you’ll know how the pieces fit together!


On the back of the envelope, it tells us a bit more about the symbols used on the pattern pieces. Large (O) perforations (like on the long sleeve) indicate the grainline. Three (TTT) notches show where to place the piece on the fold (like at Center Front or Center Back). Some of these symbols are more relevant during the cutting phase, and others are needed during the construction phase.


Next up, we have the cutting guide. This shows us, in diagram form, which pieces to cut on the fold, which ones should be cut separately, and the grainline alignment of the pieces on the fabric.


And finally, we have our written cutting and sewing instructions. I’m sure you’ll notice how brief the sewing instructions are, and that none of the stages are illustrated. At the time, it was expected that you would use a separate sewing manual if you needed clarification on any of the steps. Patterns were blueprints for a garment – they weren’t intended to teach someone how to sew.


This pattern showed up in a newspaper advertisement in The Scranton Republican on April 12, 1924. Big thanks to Erin Lufkin to finding this image and confirming the pattern date for me!