SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER

Jennie Chancey loves to sew, but the Chelsea homemaker and mother of seven never thought her hobby would be noticed by a Manhattan-based pattern company.

NYC-based Simplicity Patterns is now carrying patterns designed by Chancey in its fall catalogue and thousands of retail outlets all over the US and Canada.

As a newlywed in 1996, Chancey decided to start a sewing business at home for a little extra spending money. &8220;I love the Regency, Romantic, and Edwardian fashion eras,&8221; Chancey said, &8220;so I began designing my own patterns and making custom gowns for women who found my website online.&8221;

Chancey named her business &8220;Sense and Sensibility&8221; after the Jane Austen novel that was turned into a major motion picture in 1995, starring Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Emma Thompson. &8220;When women watched that movie and saw the beautiful dresses worn by the actresses, it instantly created a worldwide demand,&8221; Chancey said. &8220;I even sold gowns to ladies in Singapore, Iceland, Sweden, Australia, Germany, and England &045; in addition to ladies all over the United States.

&8220;The same scenario took place with the release of &8220;Titanic&8221; in 1997. Everyone loved the dresses Kate Winslet wore, so I created new pattern designs from the Edwardian and Titanic eras. They were an instant hit.&8221; Two of Chancey&8217;s gowns were actually featured on the television show Access Hollywood after two Alabama girls wore them to their high school prom in 1998.

&8220;After the birth of my third child in 2001, I was ready to retire from sewing professionally, so I began selling my patterns only and expanded the line to include more designs from vintage eras.&8221;

With the enormously successful 2005 release of &8220;Pride and Prejudice,&8221; starring Keira Knightley, renewed interest in Regency fashions emerged. The Simplicity Pattern Company decided to carry patterns for outfits from the era and searched for a designer. Their search took them to Chancey’s website, www.sensibility.com. After examining several patterns, Simplicity licensed the rights to produce Chancey&8217;s original Regency gown and undergarments patterns.

She said, &8220;I am very happy that the demand for this type of clothing is high enough to warrant a major pattern company mass-producing these patterns.&8221;

&8220;What I think we are seeing in the revival of these vintage styles is a return to elegance and distinctively feminine clothing. I’m happy to be a part of bringing these beautiful fashions back into style!&8221;