Price: About $15.

Elegant Lady's Closet: A crossover-style bodice and a round gown - popular in the late 1790s and early 1800s - are welcome variations. Very small puffed sleeves with the fullness to the back are an improvement on the earlier pattern, and straight, fitted sleeves are excellent for early impressions. The drawstring waist and neckline on the round gown are both period and great for easily fitting a range of figures; on the crossover bodice, the raised back waist and backward-shifted armscye are both quite period.

Caveats: The round gown is meant to pull over the head, and would be much more accurate with an apron-front fastening or a back opening. The latter would be fairly easy to add, though. The fullness of the crossover bodice seems too far to the center front in the made-up example, although that could probably be adjusted to suit. Finished examples here.

Romantic Gown: Nobody else is currently making a woman's pattern of the late 1820s-early 1830s, so kudos to S&S for filling the gap. The darted version, made with a narrow waistband, is most appropriate for silks and wools; the gathered version is a good choice for fine muslins and printed cottons. The short puff sleeve would be for ballgowns only. You could push this pattern back to the mid-1820s simply by raising the waist and narrowing the skirt slightly.

Caveats: Skip the accompanying non-period blouse pattern; a chemisette from elsewhere is a better choice. The front-buttoning version of this gown is not correct; most gowns of this period fastened in the back, and the few that opened in front usually had a placket with hidden hooks and eyes. Remember that skirts of this period should be hemmed quite short by 19th-century standards, at the ankle; a good thing, because the pattern does not seem to account for the fact that the back must be longer than the front to go over the small bustle pad that creates the right skirt shape for this era. Finished examples here.

Price: about $57.

Details: You get 3 different bodices, 2 skirts, and 4 sleeves, plus a spencer with variations, chemisette, petticoat, muff, reticule, and hat. All sizes are in one packet, with alternate DD bust pieces. Sheets of transfer patterns for embroidery are also included. The packaging and instruction-booklet illustrations are charming and inspiring, and the pieces go together very well.

Caveats: Construction techniques, and some garments, are not necessarily period. Most notable: the mock "bib" bodice, which fastens in the back - real bib bodices fastened in the front, under the bib - and the bodiced petticoat, which is a modern shortcut to achieve a petticoat-and-corset look with about a quarter of the work. It looks good, but has a tendency to climb up the bosom after an hour or two of wear - and it doesn't fit large busts at all.

All the dress bodices use a drawstring in the neckline to achieve a good fit. This is period-appropriate for earlier styles, but if you like a smoother look, you'll have to redraw the bodice front.

Examples: Gowns from this pattern by Koshka the Cat, Historically Dressed, and Jennie Chancey.

An early French Empire period gown with a couple of variations. Used to be the best-known pattern, before Sense & Sensibility edged it out. I haven't made it up myself, but I've seen dresses made from it successfully.

Price: About $15.

Details: Dress with gathered bodice and gathered, gored skirt; fastens in back only with drawstrings at neck and waist. Includes 2 sleeves and an optional train. The directions are said to be clear, and the pieces go together well. This is a highly period-accurate style for French Empire in very fine cottons; also good for a lace or gauze overgown, when combined with a colored silk undergown.

Caveats: This is a poor choice for calico day dresses - it is a high-end style. You must wear at least a shift underneath this for day and preferably a "slip" or full petticoat. Otherwise, line it and add hidden hooks and eyes to the back. Also, the all-drawstring bodice construction provides virtually no bust support. Unless you're tiny, wear a corset or equivalent underneath. Also, I hear that it's very difficult to try the fit as you go; you essentially have to put it all together before you can try it on. Examples: Here is the dress on the Folkwear site (note that it has been hemmed too short for the mannequin).

Period Impressions patterns are supposedly drawn from period sources but drafted for modern bodies. Some are more effective than others. For some reason, just about all of their patterns have sleeves that are too large. In general, they tend to create quite flattering garments of varying accuracy.

Price: About $16.

Bib-Front Muslin Dress: This newer pattern produces a true bib-front gown that is very charming indeed. I particularly like the back. The sleeves are a little unusual - slightly full and pleated into the elbow-length cuff - and I would consider substituting a straight sleeve instead, whether short, elbow-length, or long. It can be made with far less fabric than the pattern calls for, especially if you reduce the volume of the skirt in back, and still have a period-appropriate result. Definitely make a muslin first! Also, the instructions include "modern" and "authentic" directions, but the "authentic" directions of flat-felling all the seams are totally unnecessary unless you are making the gown out of a sheer muslin. If you can't see through the fabric, ordinary seams are perfectly correct. Overall, people say it goes together well.

Examples: Very nice bib-front gowns here, here, and here. This pattern can be hard to find for sale; here is one option.

1809 Day Dress: I have used this pattern twice. The construction isn't period, but the result is quite attractive. It goes together pretty well; the gathered center-front panel is flattering to the bosom, while the close-fitting bodice lining reigns you in even if you don't have a corset. The optional lower sleeves can be tacked in for day, removed for evening wear; they have the correct over-the-knuckle length, too. The train is very attractive, although not very practical.

Caveats: Extremely full skirt is best for very early Regency; you can use about half of the recommended skirt fabric, keeping the front ungathered, and be right for post-1805 and you'll look slimmer. The puff sleeves are huge; cut a couple of inches off the bottom of the pattern while maintaining the curve, or pinch up the extra volume into poufs. Also, the long-sleeve pattern is, for some reason, too wide to fit into the bottom of the puff sleeve. You'll have to cut it down lengthwise. Also, you have to choose size 6-8-10 or 12-14-16 or 18-20-22, which is annoying if you're between ranges or want to use it for more than one size of person.

Examples: Here's one I made (with a few adjustments), and here's several at GBACG's Pattern Review (scroll down halfway).

Price: About $10-$15.

Gown with Overdress: Suitable for day or evening gowns from the late 1790s through about 1805. The dress has a gathered bodice and short tulip sleeves; the overgown has a fitted bodice and cutaway skirt. Here is the original pattern cover, which shows some construction details not visible on the current cover - assuming they're true! Finished examples can be seen halfway down this page. Available in S-M, L-XL, or Q.

Riding Habit: This is in three pieces: a jumper, a jacket, and a "blouse." The jumper-jacket combination is typical for riding habits of the period, which were worn not just for riding but for traveling, since they were usually made of wool and more hard-wearing than ordinary gowns. The modern "blouse" terminology rather than "shirt" is a warning - I see nothing period about that part of the pattern. However, substitute a different shirt (or chemisette) and you have a very useful-looking pattern.

Bib-Front Gown: Day gown for late 1790s through about 1810.
This gown has true bib-front construction, although I'm told that the construction could be more period-correct, and the sleeves are far too big. I used to recommend this because of the paucity of bib-front gown patterns on the market. However, there are better choices now. Here's the earlier pattern envelope. Choose S-M-L or XL-Q.

Early 19th Century Gown: Day/evening gown for 1808. I have never seen this gown made up, but it appears to have an odd neckline. Includes optional chemisette for day wear. Without being able to see what it really looks like, I'd give this one a miss - the design seems peculiar. The original pattern cover shows only a little more detail. Choose S-M-L or XL-QUEEN.

Price: About $10-$16. 1800-1820 Open Robe: This pattern seems to be based on an extant example I've seen illustrated in books. Can be made with a rounded or squared front panel fastening and in different lengths. The construction looks very period, but not particularly difficult. It's a great way to change the look of an existing gown, or elevate a plain one to evening status. I will say that although it claims to be for 1800-1820, these weren't really much worn after about 1805. You can see this gown made up on the Mantua-Maker site. Multisized Petite-XL.

1805-1812 Regency Frock: Gown with ruched bodice for day or evening. I would place this style more in the range of 1810-15, definitely a product of the Sir Walter Scott-influenced Romantic impulse of the mid-Regency period. I have never seen a bodice constructed quite like this one, with four cased drawstrings; it should easily fit a wide range of figures, but where's the historical precedent? You can see this gown made up on the Mantua-Maker site. On the whole I would be inclined to go with other patterns. At least it's multisized Petite-XL in one package.

I've received many frustrated reports about this pattern, and about Old World Enterprises patterns in general. Pieces are drafted wrong, instructions are poor, and patterns aren't really period-correct anyway. Save yourself the pain and skip this one.

Price: About $13.