I recreated this Regency dress from a museum

[@reay1864]

my great great grandmother was a big influence on the re-popularisation of dorset buttons in england after the war and I know from reading the book she wrote on it (the first edition of which has been passed down each generation to me!) and looking through my grandmas huge collection of our familys dorset buttons and they were all kinds of colours and designs, not just white (at least here in dorset)! I really love seeing people making them because they are such a big part of my family’s history and my childhood and yours looked really good! and such a beautiful dress :)

[@DixieDIY]

Wow that’s so cool! Thanks for sharing her story and now I feel better about having real buttons

[@ritad673]

What an incredibly story about your great great grandmother! How fortunate this history was handed down to you!

[@InThisEssayIWill...]

I love your take on historically inspired vs historically accurate (whatever that is), I think saying "Dorset buttons but make it blue" is 100% valid

[@centurycountess4949]

this dress reminds me of a costume in the early or mid 90's film adaption of jane austen's persuasion i cant remember the character's name but it was worn by her sister's mother in law and it was so lovely i think it even had a similar color floral design on the dark fabric. unfortunately this dress is only seen in two very short scenes and sadly not in full length which is the one thing that irks me in historical film sometimes when there's a dress that just captures the eye and they never show it in full length and if it's lucky enough to be displayed in a movie costume museum the surprises in the detail and hard work one can discover that the movie neglected to show.

[@anaisabelsantos4661]

I love the dress, and I would make the same choice on buttons, unless I had no time to make them, then I'd go for mother of pearl.

[@New_Wave_Nancy]

OMG your child's guest vocals were so cute! (And the dress came out beautifully.)

[@jenniferstocker5462]

I love everything about this dress, from the fabric to the buttons!

[@sleepywombat2751]

You do a great job combining modern techniques where they can reasonably be used but not seen with more traditional ones. You also provide enough detail to guide someone else through making the dress. I must confess when I first saw the fabric I thought it looked too modern but the effect on the finished dress is stunningly good.

[@glitterandnaps]

The three drawstrings neckline is so pretty! Your hard work shows, it turned out so beautifully. :)

[@grammykcutter6374]

LOVELY!!!! You did a great job of adapting modern techniques to Regency era style. The fabric is stunning. You look wonderful in the gown.

[@DixieDIY]

Thank you!!

[@elainebye9090]

Beautiful result! I love this dress soooo much. I'm going to have to remember this style when I want to make a regency dress.

[@Neophoia]

the buttons you made are amazing, i really like that petrol green/blue colour.

[@sarahbrooklynstudios7187]

I love that print so much! The neckline is super cool and so are those buttons. Amazing work 🤩

[@angelaross1]

Oh @Dixie, it’s absolutely lovely

[@JessNicoleHandmade]

Such a sweet dress! Thanks so much for sharing it!!

[@DustBunnyHerder]

I really love your fabric choice. It's drafting the bodice front that's put me off copying this dress.

[@DixieDIY]

Thank you, I thought the drafting part would be tricky but it wasn’t too bad. Maybe I’ll digitize the final piece I used and make it a PDF?

[@anniehosking2408]

It is a lovely dress. Gorgeous colour and pattern. I hope you feel better soon.

[@ritad673]

I've got to say I ADORE your videos. Thank you for sharing your creativity! We appreciate you!

[@bcgrote]

The fabric is delicious, and the dress is gorgeous!

[@coreygilles847]

It looks wonderful on you! You did a fantastic job! Feel better!

[@susiecarson]

I like yours better than the original. I’ve never understood how anyone can wear a gown cut that low! Great job.

[@DixieDIY]

I bet a couple things may be going on with the original: perhaps the original wearer that a very small bust, maybe the dress was made intended to always be worn with something filling in the neckline, or maybe the bust line on the mannequins were lower than originally intended and maybe the dress didn’t sit as low on the original wearer?? But really who knows 🤷‍♀️

[@Chibihugs]

What a lovely recreation. I think your buttons were a beautiful addition to the gown.

[@hollythebordercollie2257]

Love it - I also have some of that same fabric but with a white background

[@cynthiadugan858]

I like yours better than the museum piece. It’s gorgeous

[@alexandrawellington8028]

Absolutely beautiful xxx

[@elizabethhatfield2115]

This looks great, Dixie! --Lyssa WA, USA

[@Grace_x68]

This looks stunning. Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate you for the nice background you have created for the dress. It's so refreshing to actually be able to see the dress and not have someone running away from the camera (and me squinting to see the dress). I can't wait for the next video.

[@TealCheetah]

I like your teal buttons.

[@kachnickau]

Very nice dress!! And the button situation you buttoned down very nicely! :) :) :)

[@DixieDIY]

Thanks! ☺️

[@sarahlongshore2605]

So beautiful!!

[@terpinator24]

It's so pretty!

[@CraftsyPenguin]

The dress looks beautiful! And once again, you look like you just stepped out of a very well costumed regency period drama, I love it! I like the small arch of the bodice in the back and the buttons are such a cool detail. Amazing (amount of) work, wow! Hello to the little one :)

[@DixieDIY]

Thank you so much! Will do 😉

[@danicourtnay]

I love that fabric! It was great to see your project come to completion.

[@sarahmwalsh]

This is so beautiful!! You made a wonderful gown and you can absolutely see its inspiration and your design choices. It works wonderfully!

[@DixieDIY]

Thanks so much ❤️

[@TheSerialHobbyistGirl]

This dress is beautiful, Dixie!

[@SauceLadle]

Wow great work.

[@wendynordstrom3487]

Turned out beautifully! Now I want to make one!

[@pv6450]

Another beautiful make. The fabric is so pretty

[@roslynholcomb]

So very pretty. I love that fabric so much.

[@bonniecolleenpappin8807]

That's so cute! Thanks for sharing.

[@susankellam8844]

I LOVE it! That fabric is perfect & such a pretty teal.

[@DixieDIY]

Thank you! 😊

[@tarahankins5566]

So lovely! I absolutely love that fabric :)

[@lizzaturnbull]

I absolutely love it! Beautiful fabric 🥰

[@studious_nonchalance]

Absolutely lovely work! Those Dorset buttons are super neat!

[@DixieDIY]

Thanks! I think the finished buttons look pretty cool

[@PocketFullofPoseys]

It's so beautiful!

[@DixieDIY]

Thank you!

[@Sewingistherapy]

So pretty. Love the colors and print!

[@thesewclubpatterns]

Stunning! Love it, thank you for making this video :)

[@polkadot8788]

You could try deathhead buttons? I've used those before on historical garments. There us several tutorials online.

[@DixieDIY]

Hmm I’ve never heard of those before! Sounds like I have a Google rabbit hole to dive into now, thanks

[@ritad673]

Lol! A "Deathhead Button Google Rabbit Hole" sounds glorious!

[@thedayaftertomorrow5950]

Hey, beginner here! I have a buttericks pattern, which for one makes me nervous, but I’m hopefully recreating the dress it appears to be based on but making it as accurate as possible within my budget. I’ve got a couple months for a deadline because it’s for a big one-time-only event and I’m slightly overwhelmed and nervous it’ll look unflattering. It would be a big investment and I find myself skirting my way around the pattern by creating undergarments and looking for gloves aha. I can’t even face a mock-up! Anyone have any tips for patterns, creating something historically adequate, fabric choice for an evening gown without it being hot or looking too ‘halloween costume’, linings, anything you’ve picked up from sewing… or anything at all really?

[@anne-lenadreikluft8155]

It is so beautyful! And I have book from the "Trachten Kultur Beratung" in Schwaben in bavaria, Germany that talks about threated colorful buttons at least from about 1800. They are named "Posamentenknöpfe", I don't know the english word, I'm sorry. There looking not perfectly the same, but the time is close an they are colorful ;)

[@DixieDIY]

Thanks I’ll try searching that term to see if I can find more info on those buttons!

[@anne-lenadreikluft8155]

You're welcome :)

[@rondaks3757]

Very nice! I really enjoyed this. Now, what will you recreate next? :)

[@DixieDIY]

Thanks! I’ve got a couple recreation (or extant inspired) projects ideas in the works for this year 🤞

[@hannahc5682]

Hold the phone - will you do a short video on how you folded this printed pattern to your size? This detail flew by and blew my mind.

[@DixieDIY]

I might, thanks for the idea

[@bcgrote]

I would bet with that neck ruffle thing, that it was added years later when that style happened after the dress was made. Not unusual.

[@DixieDIY]

Really? See, I was wondering if perhaps this dress had been remade from an earlier gown that maybe had the ruffle edge and they just kept it? I hadn’t considered it would be a later addition

[@Finny_finn_finn]

Hey...just a thought...watching you cut your pattern with your rotary cutter was kinda sketchy...not that it's not a great idea, but perhaps you could try one of the more ergonomic rotary cutters that actually puts your hand in a more natural position and therefore you wouldn't be wobbling and janky with your sharp blade...at least give it a whirl 😊

[@carmendavila272]

Regency dresses are one step away from just wearing a fancy chemise everywhere 🤦🏻‍♀️ Beautiful dress though!!!