Super wonderful news!!!! 
After pleading and pestering (and just maybe a teeny tiny bit of a
threat) my favorite dress company is making a couple of great new period
accurate mid-19^th Century dresses. 
Recollections has come out with style number 90501 with bishop sleeves
and style 90502 with coat sleeves.  They
are both calico with period accurate dropped shoulders, piped armholes, four
dart front, three piece back, round neck, and covered buttonholes.  And they come in sizes XS to 4XL!  If you do not sew these dresses make fabulous
entry level work and day dresses.  The
dropped shoulder was popular from the 1840s to the late 1860s so these dresses
are great for any reenactment during that time such as the California Gold
Rush, the 1850’s, and the Civil War.  And
the prices are unbelievable for a ready made accurate dress!  During the month of May 2009 only the price
is $109.05!  What????!!!!!  After May the price goes up to $179.95.  So if you don’t sew, or don’t want to sew a
new dress for your upcoming reenactments, place your order with Sacramento City
Dry Goods now!  (At the moment, delivery
is running 3 to 5 weeks.)   And for those
of you who reenact the 1870s through the 1890s such as SASS Shooters, take a
look at styles 4800, 70654, and 90395.  Again,
these are wonderful day or work dresses for unbeatable prices.