Laughing Moon Sewing Pattern 117- Ladies’ Ball Gown 1840-1863

1840-1863 Ball Gown with 2 bodice variations and 5 sleeve variations.
This dress has a dropped shoulder typical of the time period. It comes with
both a princess seamed bodice and a darted bodice. The neckline is a wideboat
and there are lower-cut options as well. View A is an 1840’s ballgown with
plain, straight sleeves and an applied bertha. View B has a flared sleeves and
bretelles and is great for the 1850’s. View C has a double puffed sleeve,
which can also be made as a normal puffed sleeve, and a flounced, tiered
skirt. View D has a flounced sleeve and a detached bertha, and View E has
pleated sleeves. Both have piping at the armholes, waist and neckline. The back
can be closed with either hooks and eyes or laced shut with eyelets.

This dress was copied from an existing ball gown dated to the mid-1850’s in the collection of the author.
This style would have been worn from 1840 to 1863.

Appropriate Fabric for this type of dress include silk taffeta, silk faille, silk moire’,
sheer cotton tarlatan. Polyester can be substituted for silk if you are comfortable
using synthetics.
Pattern pieces are printed on very sturdy paper in full size. Sizes are easy to distinguish due to color coding of the cutting lines for each. This new format for Laughing Moon is one of the finest pattern offerings we have ever seen. It is worth every penny.