I made a Regency era Spencer jacket:
It's made of a very dark green polyester fabric with a low-pile nap, almost like a shaved velvet, but the fabric isn't nearly as heavy as that. I got it from a friend who was de-stashing, so I don't know what it's called or where it came from. I knew it was enough for this Spencer, though, and that's all I needed.
I used a polyester coat lining to line the inside of the jacket. It was cheap and on sale to boot, and since I was using a polyester, non-period fabric on the outside, I didn't feel the need to go big on the inside.
I used Laughing Moon #129 for this, although I switched things up a bit: I used the neck ruffle from one view along with the back ruffle from another view. I wanted RUFFLES EVERYWHERE. I don't even know what's wrong with me - I'm not a ruffles person. Anyway, I've had problems before with non-standard patterns from the internet, but I'm happy to say that this pattern worked really, really well. The instructions were clear, the pattern pieces were marked very well, and I didn't hit any snags or gaps in understanding as I went along at all. I will definitely be using LM's patterns again.
I thought the dark green would look lovely against blue, so I draped my dress form in a length of sheer blue cotton that I have...and then I realized my walls in the sewing room are blue, too. I feel like it makes the whole photo look washed out and discolored, but I promise, the color in the pics is true. I'm considering repainting that room, though. This has been a problem before.
Incidentally, "Spencer" jackets were originally a tailless men's jacket meant for light outdoor wear. They take their name from George Spencer, 2nd Earl of Spencer, who, it is said, had his tailed coat altered after the tails were burned by coals. Because Spencer jackets were originally modeled after menswear, many were designed with structured collars and lapels, or even accent you'd find on military dress like bars, braids, and epaulets. None for me, thanks. RUFFLES.
My jacket won't be worn with the dress I made in November. The greens are just too different, they look horrible together. But I am planning another Regency dress as soon as I can manage it, as well as an open coat and a hat. Soon!
P.S.: this was the first real trial run of the new sewing machine, and it worked PERFECTLY. It was a dream to sew on, so smooth and powerful and quiet. My only complaint is with the thread lock function where it locks down the thread at the end of your seam. It's SO SLOW. But other than that, I really love working on this machine.
