I bought this hand block printed cotton on Ebay some years ago after I fell in love with the colors!  As I had a lot of gigs this year that were 1790’s, I decided it was a good year to make this up.  The fabric has a border along one side so I incorporated that into the hem and the sleeves.  I used the JP Ryan English Nightgown pattern for the bodice.  I altered the pattern to end slightly above the natural waistline.  The gathered front panel is applied on top of the bodice and closes with a drawstring at the neckline and waist.  What would be the normal front of a late 18th century gown pins closed under the gathered section to keep the bodice tight.

The sleeves are from the Chemise a la Reine pattern from Laughing Moon Mercantile.  I wanted long straight 1790’s sleeves but using a one piece split sleeve pattern would make it impossible to use the printed border at the wrists, so I adapted the 2 piece sleeve instead.

Inspirational original dress from Welkom Museum in The Netherlands.

For this first time out the dress is accessorized with a vintage green taffeta ribbon sash.  The ribbon is too fragile to tie and untie so it is sewn with a separate band, bow, and streamers, and pins closed at the waist.

Shoes are “Dunmore” by American Duchess dyed emerald green, and is worn with a reproduction Georgian cross collet necklace by Dames a la Mode.