Regency Tea: Dress from a blue sari

My friend Beth was hosting a Regency Tea to celebrate the end of her Spring Semester in Nursing school.  Laughing Moon had put out a new bib front gown (Laughing Moon #126), and I had a pretty blue sari in my stash, so I set to work!

Problem was there wasn't quite enough yardage in the sari for what the pattern called for, so I asked my friends over on Live Journal what to do.  Bauhausfrau said to cut off the border (including all the border rows at the end there) and lengthen the fabric.  Genius!

Another suggestion was the make the back pieces less full, which I did as well.  I squeaked by!

I flatlined the sleeves in cotton organdy so that they would retain nice pouf all day, but failed to take any more mannequin photos.

I wanted a "double pie frill" chemisette since it was a daytime event, so between the chemisette in the Simplicity 4052, and the collar instructions in Janet Arnold Patterns of Fashion 1, I came up with this

The gown was done!  Now as a middle aged married woman (omg when did THAT happen?!), I needed a cap.  All the fashionable married ladies (and unmarried ladies of a certain age) wore caps (see more examples here) 

so I picked up the Country Wives Caps of the Upper Crust and made View B "Marjorie".  It made up really fast!  I used some cotton swiss scraps (Shabby Chic sheer embroidered curtains from Target) I had left over from a previous project as I liked the look of the sheer, embroidered caps.

Here's the outfit in action

May I pass you a cup of tea?

Cameo swag necklace by In The Long Run Designs

Fini!