Using Saris & Shawls to make Regency Garments

Exactly a year later and the summer heat has me thinking about saris again. The paisley shawls that I found for a shawl dress will have to wait for cooler weather, but the silk saris have a lovely handle in this hot weather.

Pinned the sheer silk sari pieces, face together, to the blue lining,
stitched 1cm seam.

Kept the arm hold and waistline seams open.
Turned it through, pressed and then sewed a 1cm casing channel.

Front and back, turned through and pressed.
Being careful to press on the lining side because of the gold trim.

Pinning the two face together so the fashion fabric is a little longer than lining.

Hand sew the fashion fabric together with a very tiny fine backstitch.
When you lay it flat it looks like this.

The most important step is to cut the bodice and sleeves first... then use the rest for the skirt. I flat line the bodice (attach a piece of cotton fabric to each pattern piece and use as one piece) on the straight of grain with cotton and use tiny french seams - do not flat line the skirts. Use a chemise & stays or a boned bodiced petticoat underneath. I use the decoration around the hem and sleeves. Silk saris are best for evening or ball gowns, cotton ones for daywear. Make sure you are getting a full sari of at least 5-6 metres or you will run short of fabric. A shorter amount can be used to make a sleeveless pelisse or overdress. When purchasing a sari online please note that craft silk or art silk are acetates, not silk. Also, it is easier if you are a short person - otherwise be prepared to drape until it meets your satisfaction.

The next two pictures are from a previous post showing seams in an antique regency dress in my collection.

Over time I have been collecting links to Regency-era garments made from Saris and Shawls. There are many images of shawl gowns in my Pinterest folder.

Dress made from a woollen paisley shawl

• Gown made of cotton sari http://www.manchestergalleries.org/the-collections/search-the-colle...
• Gown made of silk sari http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/g/gown-made-from-a-shawl/ 
• Fashion Plate http://213.215.47.131/maciet2/map_zoom/prepare_visu.php?im_pos=15&collection_name=M5053MA_214X02X&collection_id=188 
• Silk net gown in the Musée Historique de Tissu de Lyon. http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/reddress.jpg
• Fashion plate 1810 http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/co...
• Shawl dress http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/co...
• http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%...
• Fashion Plate 1801 http://dbase1.lapl.org/images/casey/full/01/rbc0068.jpg
• Tunic1806 http://dbase1.lapl.org/images/casey/full/01/rbc0179.jpg
• 1809  http://dbase1.lapl.org/images/casey/full/01/rbc0262.jpg
• 1810 http://dbase1.lapl.org/images/casey/full/01/rbc0282.jpg
• Dawn's images http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/DLuckham/Regency%20Dresses/r...
• Suzi's images http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Sistersuzi/1806ParisianSummer...
• Coat http://www.costumes.org/history/regency/ackerman1809to1828/promenademerino.jpg
• Overdress http://picasaweb.google.com/101938061106280749419/PrideAndPrejudiceResearch#5381911946177924210 
• V&A dress http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O13827/jacket/
• V&A dress http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74453/dress/
• Percalee Importee http://s269.beta.photobucket.com/user/DawnLuck/media/Fashion%20Plates/sari1.jpg.html
• 1810 http://s269.beta.photobucket.com/user/DawnLuck/media/Fashion%20Plates/sari2.jpg.html 

Apologies if any links are broken - if you find any broken links or have any further links to share please use the comments box below.

Regency Seams

Looking closely at the side back and shoulder seams you can see that they have not been sewn together in the manner you might see 18th century garments, particularly frock coats. In these garments you see a two layers (fashion fabric and lining) sewn face to face with a piece of fashion fabric, then the seam is ironed towards the single piece of fabric. Over this seam and single piece of fabric is laid a piece of lining, the seams tucked under and then whip-stitched to the existing seam.


I'll have to do a little demo on how I think this seam is done, but essentially I have the two fashion fabric layers together in the middle, with the two lining layers on each side. You sew from side to side, only three layers sewn each time. Its very complicated to describe but easy to do.

[Edited on 24/12/2013 - I've just found an excellent demo at http://stay-ingalive.blogspot.de/2011/03/how-to-do-weird-running-whip-stitch.html ]

This is an example I made (my blue regency dress made from a silk sari)