I recreated an 1815 Wedding Gown from an ORIGNAL pattern | Regency sewing
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- čas přidán 14. 04. 2021
- When I found this early Regency-era silk gown from a Norwegian museum that included a scale-drawing of the actual pattern for the dress I knew I had to make it. Luckily I found the perfect silk taffeta to go with it. This is how I made the pattern fit me and how I constructed the recreation.
** ORIGINAL GOWN **
National Museum of Norway, Bridal attire, inventory no. OK-14246
www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samling...
** SUPPLIES AND PATTERNS **
Silk taffeta: www.puresilks.us/index.php?ro...
Laughing Moon 126 reference: www.laughingmoonmercantile.co...
** IMAGE CREDITS **
Extant gowns:
Yellow: www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collect...
Red: www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collect...
Brown stripe: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Long-sleeve gold: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Short sleeve gold: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
Blue stripe: hart.amsterdam/collectie/obje...
Purple w/ gold: www.parismuseescollections.pa...
1815 blue and gold gown: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
1796-98 short-sleeve cotton gown: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
1797-98 long-sleeve cotton gown: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
1920 purple puff sleeve gown: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
1818 blue gown: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
1800-1804 gown with train: www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...
1799 blue dress: www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collect...
1800 red spencer: www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collect...
1799 purple dress: www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collect...
1806 English trains babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?i...
** MUSIC **
Courtesy of EpidemicSound.com
** CONNECT **
Follow me on Instagram @dixiediy: / dixiediy
I blog at dixiediy.com
I may not always have time to respond to all comments but know that I do read and appreciate them! - Jak na to + styl
I hope you contacted the museum curator and provided a link to your posting. Especially about the missing bodice pattern piece. Congratulations! 🍄🍄 Take care and be safe 😷
BEESWAX IS YOUR FRIEND! Run handsewing threads over beeswax to keep them from tangling so much.
That and not cutting my thread too long lol
Is not recommended in silk if you want iron it with steam, it can create oily/waxy patches around seams. Just cut thread to elbow length or less to avoid tangle.
Character development; we live to see it!
From disliking regency and thinking it’s unflattering, to reproducing an extant. You did a gorgeous job.
😂 thank you!
Im there myself. I never liked it. Maybe because of the Janeites that I knew.
This one design is extremely ugly, IMO. Dresses you referencing from the period are much nicer. But I do enjoy your video and watch it for techniques on construction 😊
I totally thought 1790s when I saw the dress and was shocked at the 1815 dating. It turned out lovely and thanks for keeping it real on the making troubles. The hat works with the new dress too!
Thanks!
WOW! I doubt I will ever make a dress like that, but I squealed at those ruffles. It's amazing how close you got to the original. SO BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you so much!
Right? Extra cool ruffle
Congratulations, what a beautiful dress you have created, and 'without' a real pattern or instructions. Persistence, ingenuity and a great sense of style, are the key to success in the world of antique dressmaking. Good luck to you, and many more beautiful dresses. Cheers
Oh my god, that scalloped ruffle is STUNNING!!! Thanks for showing how those are made! Your dress is beautiful. So is your baby. ♡
I love this!! i’m 15 and am still very much a sewing amateur, but historical fashion has always interested me and your videos are inspiring me to give it a go!!
Thanks! I hope you give it a try, historical sewing can be really fun
Do it! The Singer Heavy duty machines are nice, and affordable, and cone with lots of attachments. Then later, maybe you can look for a good vintage machine. Keep at it! I wish I had sewn more, but im learning now at almost 45. I'm never buying clothes again. Only making mine, or upcycling. For environment reasons, and I want nicer clothing that will last. Cheers!
Beautiful! I loved that you used a nordic museum piece as a reference. Taking your time with it really payed off.
Thanks! It's nice not to feel super rushed with a project
Note on the Iron: the reason it spouted water was because you are storing it vertically. Try to store it horizontally. In gravity feed irons they need to be stored flat to avoid water sitting on the iron plates. Hope this helps.
Ugh, that's a bummer. For safety I need it not to sit on my wobbly ironing board. Maybe I can build some kind of shelf to let it sit horizontal? Thanks for the tip tho!
That Trim Detail! Brilliant find! And great result!
PS useful search terms on the Norwegian site: Kjole Drakt Antrekk Kåbe Klær (I realise the last two include weird letters, you should get most results from the first three). And there are a few late House of Worth gowns plus a coronation gown to look for as well.
Oooh, thanks for sharing those search terms!
I wouldn't be surprised the dress really is from 1815, but you should ask the museum. Quite a lot of Nordic museums answer to questions. I sent an email to a Swedish medieval museum a few years back and I got an answer to my questions about two weeks later (after it was transmitted to a specialist). (if you add a picture of your dress reproduction, they will probably be very pleased). This seems to be the main email: info@nasjonalmuseet.no you should give a try !
Yeah, it could be from 1815, or as some others have suggested, altered from an earlier gown. Thanks for sharing the email, I might just reach out!
This dress is a masterpiece! The pleating, ruched trim, and unlined sleeves all turned out excellent. I'm inspired by your perseverance with this project and all its challenges!
Thank you so much!! 😊
@@DixieDIY the ruched trimming was my favorite part. Would the gathering technique work with a velveteen ribbon?
@@dcinrb8538 I don't see why not but you might get a different effect which a chunky ribbon vs thin taffeta
I believe it was originally from 1795 and then restyled to the newest fashion... Lots of key sewing style from the previous decade but updated. As silk was expensive, maybe it was a former wedding gown or ball gown worn by someone of the previous generation, just like we do today with our wedding gowns, using our mothers and grandmothers dresses.
How's your iron, still acting out? I had trouble adapting to my fashion school steam iron at first as well 😅
Good idea, it could have been 1795 and been updated later. The dress came in a collection with the orange shawl and some green shoes. I'd love to more about the history of the dress.
As for the iron, I think I have to be more patient with letting the iron properly heat up. That probably caused the sputtering. This iron gets a lot hotter and takers longer to warm up than my old domestic iron and I wasn't expecting that!
That zig zag trim is beautiful I think the gown is amazing
Omg Texas storm flash backs! That hole in your ceiling is super scary! we had fifty million burst pipes but I still can’t imagine that!
That ruffle detail on the back is just perfect! I have never seen that technique before and I'm so glad you shared how to do it. This dress is beautiful, and your perseverance is both admirable and an inspiration ❤️
May I say that it looks fabulous !! You look just like a early regency fashion plate or like you stepped out of one of Jane Austen's books!! 🧡💙
Thank you so much!
Sooo beautifull, the fabric, the back details, the sleeves, the dress.... Great job!
I believe it isn't 1815 fashion, the front looks like it is 1803 tops, but fashions didn't travel as fast as they do now, the bride could be a bit oldfashioned, or it could be her mother's or older sisters' dress adapted for her.
Omg! You did such a gorgeous job on your dress and you look lovely in it! Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much!
I am not a big ruffle person, yet I love the zig zag bias trim. Thanks for the inspiration.
I do belive Norwegians have always been a bit behind the times when it comes to fashion, even looking at more recent fashion trends up until the internet. Norwegians got their fashions through Denmark/Sweden, upper classes first and then years later the fashion reached more distant regional places. You still see people up until 1900 wearing folkdresses that are very 17th/18th century in cut in some paintings, look up some Tidemann/Gude paintings! So I guess this dress could be from some wealthy landowner's daughter in the countryside, who hadn't cought up on the newest trends.
That's a good hypothesis, I'll check out those paintings, thanks!
Absolutely beautiful dress. Thank you for the ‘realness’ of your video - including the stuff ils and the ‘mess’ and the kid! Lol. Makes me think completing an outfit is reachable
Aww, thanks 😊
Such a beautiful gown and how fortunate you were able to find the same looking fabric! The little trim is called ruching. You can also make beautiful fabric flowers with it.
Thank you Susan ❤
It does look very late 1790s... It is gorgeous!
Your commitment to the details is inspiring. I can’t wait to meet you at an event and properly courtesy to you and your talent.
Beautiful reproduction. I specially like the gathered back and zig-zag ruffling.
I kinda always considered those heavily gathered and puffy dresses ugly, until I saw you wearing it. Amazing job reconstructing the shapes, perfect choice of fabric, bravo!!!
Thanks! I kinda felt the same way until I made one
Definitely 1790's not 1800's. This is Regency through and through. Lovely work, you did a beautiful job.
I love how the red necklace you wear pulls it all together. The dress is beautiful!
Once I saw bridal dress I thought,”this is going to be super complex.” And I was right.
Maybe it was a dress that was reworked at a later date to use what was available?? That was done a lot. I would imagine silk would be VERY expensive in a nordic country where it wasn’t made.
Ooh! You efforts are not wasted.
Just lovely.
I loved learning about that scalloped trim. I had never (knowingly) encountered it before. This dress came out great - which must be satisfying after all the ups and downs of making it.
Really lovely. Your attention to detail and your honesty are truly admirable.
I hope the state of Texas’ infrastructure was improved after that horrifying episode.
Holy cats (eye fabric) this looks amazing! :D Love this video. I'm always impressed by your video quality as well as your super high level of skill in sewing. :) PS So sorry your home was damaged in the storm!! Hope ya'll are doing ok.
Thank you 😊 we're scheduled for repairs so hopefully things are back to normal soon
I shit you not, I was looking at this dress just a few weeks ago! Explains why the thumbnail seemd so familiar. 😅 Really fun to se as a Norwegian 😄
How cool! Thanks for watching
Hi,such a pretty dress, I'm always amazed how much all of you dress makers can do, you look lovely.
Thank you so much ❤
that back ruffle trim is just chef's kiss and that fabric is delicious.
Wow!! You did an incredible job replicating that dress. That silk is 👌🏻! So sorry to hear about the damage to your home and your illness. I’m hoping things have improved greatly! Love, light, and blessings to you and yours.
Thank you so much, things are improving and the house is almost fixed!
ooooh, now I know which character from the Austen adaptations you keep reminding me of! Anne Elliot from the 2007 adaptation of Persuasion (and I love that one) :)
The dress is beautiful, but wow, what a pile of work and puzzles to solve! Amazing job!
I nvr thought of using a smocked piece of fabric in that way before (back trim). Awesome! Tx
Lovely work!! That color looks great on you; you look like you stepped out of a period movie!
You are my Fairy Godmother!!!!!! I’m trying to do a dress with a similar closure and couldn’t find anything about how to do the drawstrings 🥴 thank you thank you!
Thanks! I don't know if your dress bodice is like mine but Black Snail has a front-closing drawstring regency dress pattern that has a different type of front lining which I think would be easier to construct than this weird separate-lining style in my dress. Good luck on your dress!
Oh wow, this turned out BEAUTIFUL!! I love this style so very much!! I am in love with the ruffle detail on the back!!! You did an amazing job!! 🥰🥰🥰
I love using silk sarees for my regency dresses.
This is so beautiful!!! Oh my gosh, you had so many ordeals thrown your way in the making of this - I'm glad you're all okay! You turned out a wonderful interpretation of the original and I love the process of figuring out how to achieve the details on it. Bravo!!
Wow, the attention to detail!!!
I didn't realize you were in Texas. I am so sorry about having to go through the freeze and the damage to your house. Hopefully the insurance people are reasonable...
You found the Holy Grail of historical sewing - non-copywrite with a pattern?!! Excuse me while I _squee_ like a teenager at a Beatles concert.
That trim is mind-blowingly good. I love how creative the Grannies were with their fabric. I'm with you on the theory that the dress is older than it's dated to. Unless they have documentation like a wedding registry stating otherwise.
Really beautiful work on the dress. I love the drape and the way it plays with the light.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
Thanks so much! It wasn't enough damage for insurance to cover, which I guess is actually kind of lucky?? The hole in the ceiling is getting fixed next week (after two months!). I wonder if the original dressmaker had some extra fabric scraps left over and wanted to make the most of the material and hence - trim.
@@DixieDIY Or looked at the back and thought 'I need some juz to add that final bit of pizazz". Or however Lizzie Bennet would have phrased it.
Given all the damage people are still digging out from under, I guess that two months isn't too bad a turn around time. Glad the fix is about to happen...
This is just so beautiful. I bet it’s lovely to wear. Also that purple puff sleeve gown 😍
I love that! I truly love how you show every element of the process, even the frustating parts :) very encouraging to me! Thank you! Beautiful work.
Thanks! glad it's encouraging
Love love love your videos. I like your haircut too! Interesting info on patterning.
Super interesting to see how you scaled up the pattern on the computer and how you tweaked the fit on your mock up!
With a bit of ingenuity the dress came out soo beautiful! 😍
Wonderful! Watching more of your videos next! :)
Thank you for watching!
I just fell in love with that ruffle technique...the silk color was beutiful...that teal and orange thread at the back...just OMGOSH!
This is so gorgeous! Thank you for sharing your journey!
That trim is gorgeous! It was so satisfying when you revealed the fully constructed back piece with the trim :)
Back trim is a form of ruching used in place of lace. Hope that helps and that someone else was able to tell you earlier. Thanks for sharing.
LOVE!! 💓💓
That is so cool!!!!!!!!
And you did an amazing job 😍😍😍😍
Beautiful!!!
Gorgeous!
It looks wonderful!
Lovely dress, you look pretty in it, the color suits you.
That was fascinating.
Fabulous as always!
Kudos on completing a beautiful dress. I admire your perseverance in making this dress without pattern or instructions, amazing how you figured it out. It’s lovely.
I am going to agree with the dating of the dress to 1815 for a number of reasons based upon my own in depth interactions with Norwegian culture, Scandinavian culture and as a historical anthropologist.
Although this is a wedding dress, Norway was a very poor country though it was part of Sweden until 1905. To this day its considered to be in bad taste to stand out too much from others, more so in the past. Also the dress would see more use after the wedding as well, so that was taken into account for the design and construction. Yearly trends or fads would date the dress too much, so it had to blend in without too much reworking over time. Then take in individual tastes as well as needing something more overall practical for really cold weather. I've seen discrepencies in northern Scandinavian clothing before in various eras. Its more a matter of adapting styles to the uniqueness of the culture.
I'm very intrigued by the dress and wouldn't mind trying my hand at it but with my own stamp on it. I would sew on the fasion fabric to the bottom portion of the sleeve lining so that when folded up, no lining is visible. I think that is how it was first done up or intended. I use the serger to finish seams and prefer it this way, so that is what I would have done. When doing gathers, I do at least two machine rows and sometimes another two to three to ensure it lays right during construction. Lastly is the one that will have the vast majority cringe, but I prewash silk and wool with Woolite and tumble dry to maximize shrinkage. I've never regretted it and don't mind redoing the sizing as I iron before cutting. Its all to suit me and my life because I know how I'm going to wear and use the garments,
Don't know why I didn't think to face the inside of the wrists with the silk but you're right, that would have been a logical thing to do.
Thank you for your insight on the dress, a couple questions - would you think that this dress might have been remade from an older garment or would it be more likely that the silk was bought new to make this dress? What do you think the social class of the wearer was? Would this have been the nicest dress a farmer's bride would own or is it more of a higher class dress for Norway?
@@DixieDIY I would need to look at the garment in person to determine if it was made from an older garment. Probably was bought new to make the dress. The owner of the dress was probably middle class. If it had been made for a more well to do Farmer's wife, then yes it would have been her best dress. Looking at the outside, the mending is visible in the back but other spots show far more subtle mending. It sure got a lot of wear, which is cool. I tend to like historical clothing made for normal mortals.
There is a difference in how clothes are styled between the classes but the gaps lessens the closer to modern times. Around the early 1800's the gap may have been between 5-15 years in difference for styles.
@@bohemiansusan2897 thanks for this update. I had wondered if some of the wear and tear was due to actual wear or damage over time from storage. Great insights!
I don't know if you've contacted the museum by now or whatever, but honestly the dating doesn't surprise me. From what I've seen in museums here shapes of dresses didn't change much at all.
Very pretty. Thank you for sharing
love the fabric and ruffles!
The ruffles 😍
It's lovely. The trim is amazing.
I love the fabric, beautiful choice😍
so pretty.
You did such a lovely job!! I love it.
Hello my friend I am Thai Nice Video
Just gorgeous Ethel color is inspiring. Next time try French seams for a clean finish.
Beautiful job!
Thank you!
This is such a beautiful gown!! You did an amazing job.
This is beautiful! Very well done!
Thank you!
Lovely work, Dixie! Love the shot 2-tone fabric and all the little gathers.
Ooh love the trim, might have try that on a dress.
love the fabric color and the fullness of the back of the dress, how it sails out(not sure of the sewing term) !!!
Lovely job!! I love your videos and am really glad I found you.
Thanks! so glad you're here
ok THAT is beautiful...like... so beautiful i cant wait to make one for me too 🥰
I felt your struggles!
It turned out so well
Thank you :)
One, you did an incredible job, too, it was a huge labor to pull and resize and tests that pattern but you took it all in stride it seems. Three, that back ruffle is such a cute detail, and I really appreciate you showing us how they did that, because I'm definitely going to steal that for the next time I need an inset ruffle
Absolutely love that silk, the colour is amazing. And those back ruffles really do make the dress. Glad you were able to figure out how to recreate them. I can't even imagine trying to make this using only some photos and an unmarked drawing of the bodice pieces. You are far braver then I am.
I think of all those Regency seamstresses who would have jumped at the chance for a sewing machine.
As well as an iron they didn't have to keep in the fire.
Agreed!
It is just beautiful! I really loved this video! Thank you for showing your steps!
Thanks so much!
So you beat me to it! I love the exact same silk Regency dresses you do, and was just as excited about this one. I'm still stuck at the "tracing the pattern on computer" stage; the last couple of years I have had little time for sewing. (Or following CZcamsrs I rather liked but forgot about. Rectified with a subscription now! :-) )
And you ran into the exact same problems with the pattern that I did. :D
P.S. I have a shot rayon/acetate fabric I intend to use for this one - also a pretty close match. Not silk, but I have about fourteen meters of that one that I bought online for fairly cheap, and after I've had a chance to handle some 19th century silk garments, it's actually not that far off in terms of thickness and hand. Stash for the win!
P.P.S. So, yeah, commenting after night shifts is never a good idea. The main takeaway, of course, is: Thank you very much for documenting the process, this will be fantastic help when I finally get around to making my own version!
I agree with your assessment that the gown is probably earlier. It's beautiful and you did a great job recreating it!
Wow, this is beautiful. And I don't care for these either. What they're good for is that they're versatile and you can accessorize and use them alot. I get why they were popular but they're not particularly flattering
This one is particularly pretty and u did a beautiful job
You did such a wonderful job recreating the original! I love it!
Thank you!! ❤
Wow you are an amazing sewist! I always forget things like adding seam alowance or leaving space for slits and even though its frustrating, your end result is absolutely amazing. Forgoing filming is just a must sometimes if you want to get something done too. This is a spectacular job and I'm blown away with all your hard work
I really love this! It looks SO GOOD! (and not pregnant at all! I hope the weather treats you better.
Bravo for your perseverance! I am absolutely in love with every single element of this dress! The color and the ruffles are just the icing on a very delicious cake. I'd like to feature this video on my Sunday Smiles post. You truly did an amazing job.
Thank you so very much, Laura! ❤
Ive learned a few things from your interesting video. You have a lot of dedication and patience and I was impressed with the final creation. Ive not seen a gravity fed iron before, so that was a new one. Dont mention irons to me, they usually last me around six months! Such a lot of work involved in these dresses, which surprised me and I can see why this was challenging. A triumph and thank you for sharing.
It's so beautiful! Wonderful job. That little touch of ruffle trim on the back is very cool. The patterning was especially impressive to me: I would have started trying to figure out scale on that pattern, given up, and just gone looking for some modern or at least actually scaled historical patterns that were close enough. Big kudos on figuring it all out!
And I'm glad I'm not the only one who looked at that gown and thought it didn't look very 1815. The front and those past-the-wrist long sleeves definitely make it look earlier. It's gorgeous whatever the year, though, and you smashed reproducing it!
Thanks! At first I tried to figure out the size of the paper the pattern was drawn on but I don't think it's a standard size so then I moved on to scaling based on measurements.
About the age of the dress: I'm not an expert in dress history, but I do know that there's a general lag when it comes to aesthetic trends as you go upwards in Europe - as in, the Scandinavian countries are notorious for being late in the game (and consequently also having slightly odd variations of European trends - it's perhaps most obvious in architecture, but I'm sure the same goes for fashion).
When you compared the different types of dresses from the early 1800s, I wish you'd noted where each dress was from. One can't just compare a French dress to a British, for example, and argue their age based on their visual differences without taking the different origins into acount, and the differences will be greater the farther the countries are apart. In other words, the Norwegian wedding dress might very well have been made in 1815 in a fancy and fahionable style for that region.
Ah, good point about location. I believe all of the extant examples came from France, England, or the US. There are some differences in English vs French style but the US mainly followed France. I typically think of France as setting the trends and then it all trickles out from there, although how fast trends would travel, I don't know. Thanks for the insight!
Yes, I agree. I have been researching dress from that era in Spain. There they had a pretty close connection to the French court, but there is a lag in adopting the French styles and there are some significant regional variations that relate to local traditions and the Catholic Church.
Regency era has more variation than we think because we are mainly exposed to the version from England.