• Regency Spencer Jacket •

I *finally* finished my spencer jacket! The reason it took so long was because I had no buttons. And I simply must have the perfect buttons for what I'm making. To me, the buttons can make or break a garment. Therefore, when I pulled out my little two-pack of these buttons, I knew they had to go on this jacket. So two full weeks later, we went to Joann, and do you think they had them in stock? Why, of course not! These were the one kind of all the buttons that they had none of. Was I defeated? No. I went online and bought them straight from Blumenthal Lansing for the same price, with free shipping. That made me happy, except for the fact that I had to wait yet another week for them to arrive. It was, however, totally worth it. I love my buttons, and I think they look really well on this jacket.

This project wasn't originally intended for the HSF, but when I was looking through the Historical Fashion and Textile Encyclopedia, I noticed that osnaburg was on the list, and decided to nominate it.

The Challenge: Terminology

Fabric: Osnaburg from a local shop, and American Made Brand cotton

Pattern: Butterick 6074

Year: 1811-1820 (?)

Notions: Buttons, interfacing

How historically accurate is it? Quite, I think. The only thing that isn't would be the fusible interfacing

Hours to complete: 5? That's pretty much a wild guess. It did not take very long as it was an easy pattern

First worn: Today, for pictures.

Total cost: $25. I got the osnaburg for $1 a yard!! 

This jacket reminds me of Kitty Bennet's jacket in Pride and Prejudice:

Since the deadline for the HSF is tomorrow, we had to go out in the 85 degree weather and pretend it was fall. I even decided to go heat-stroke style and wear my chemise AND my petticoat. Was I warm enough? Um, yes. If it keeps me this warm in the fall, I will be quite content.

This was definitely an easy pattern. Even though the whole entire jacket is lined, it came together very fast. I am really happy with it - the length, the shoulder width, the sleeve length and everything is just about perfect. The only problem I had was that you cannot iron osnaburg. Can. Not. Thankfully, I discovered that on a scrap and didn't melt it all over the iron. The good part is, it ironed and pressed very well with a damp press cloth, and it washes up almost wrinkle-free.

I changed the pattern only slightly, making it a complete button closure rather than one button at the top with a buckle at the bottom. Other than that, I actually made it like the directions! Yay!

My current project is a fall dress like Lily's. I can't wait!

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Photography by my mom.