MATERIALS: The Regency Gown pattern may be used for either a day dress or a ballgown, depending on the fabric and sleeve type you select. (Long sleeves are for day dresses and come down to the knuckles when hemmed.) For day dresses, cotton, muslin, voile and fine linen are a few good choices. If you are not striving for a more period-correct gown, you may wish to use challis, crepe or another type of rayon blend. These fabrics hang very nicely. For ballgowns, silk, silk blends, batiste and voile all work well. I do not recommend taffeta, satin or other heavy materials, since they do not hang as nicely and wrinkle very easily. For lining, see my recommendations under the last step of this lesson. Please note that if you intend to add a train to your dress, you will need to purchase more than the recommended fabric allowance. How much will depend on how long you want your train. Half a yard makes for an elegant, sweeping train. If you want to get really dramatic and go for the early Regency look, add 24 inches to the yardage requirement. There is no need to purchase extra lining material, since the skirt lining acts as a petticoat and will not be as long as the train.

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