Costuming Pride an Prejudice - The Dresses

Meet Mrs. Phillips,

photo credit: Clara Stark

Also known as my little sister. 

Yep! This year my younger siblings' home school group play is Pride and Prejudice! And my wonderful mother is coordinating the costumes.

 Upon hearing this bit of news from home, I briefly mourned the fact I wouldn't be home to see the play and help costume it. (This big sister, currently in Malaysia, wants to know why teleportation hasn't been invented yet?) Then I started talking costumes with my mom. Over the past 3 months we have had multiple video chats and a long-distance phone call or two (wifi was non-existent for me in Cambodia) to discuss the costuming of this play. (Not to mention the daily text conversations) 

Now, it is not uncommon in the home school group plays for moms to make their children's costumes. So, my mom's first order of business was to make resources for this task available to the mothers. She decided a basic regency dress pattern was needed.

McCall's M7530 fit the bill. A modern drawstring/elastic waist dress pattern, it promised to be easy to adapt and easy to sew.

The sleeves got slightly altered, the waistline got raised, and my mom put the pattern to the test by making my little sister's "Aunt Phillips" costume.

The dress turned out great! Exactly how my mom had envisioned it! So, she went on to suggest the same pattern to other moms and then made 2 more dresses herself for some of the other actresses.

This blue and white dress, modeled here by my sister, will be worn by Elizabeth Bennett in the play.

I think my mom did an excellent job adapting the pattern to have an over skirt for this dress! For just a little something extra on stage, she also added a navy blue ribbon sash and ties in the back.

Following the completion of Lizzy Bennett's dress, my mom had gotten the hang of the pattern and been bitten by the sewing bug! (I tell you, sewing, especially costumes, is addicting!) So she volunteered to make another dress. This green dress will be worn by Lady Lucas.  

Now, the play is in a little over a week, so it's costume crunch time! My mom tells me the dresses are all done. She just has some accessories and gentleman's costumes to finish up.

Check back here in a week or so, as I'll be sharing the rest of the costumes once my mom completes them. Caps, lace collars, bonnets, fichus, tailcoats, and waistcoats coming up! 

I'm quite proud of the costumes my mom has made and coordinated for this play, and I can't wait to see more pictures (and hopefully a video!) once the play opens!

To see what I'm up to this month (since it doesn't involve costuming a play) check on my World Race blog! I'm currently in Malaysia - my 11th and final country.