Go at Your Own Pace! - "London Made, Tabby, and Ticking: Constructing 18th Century Stays in Miniature"

with Christina Johnson

The quality of a pair of stays is determined not only by its cut and fit, but by its construction.  This workshop will demonstrate and discuss 18th century approaches to stitching, boning, and finishing stays.  Students will work through each component of stay-making starting with fabric choices, continuing through assembly, and ending with finishing techniques. Through making a miniature pair of stays students will gain a working knowledge of the concepts and techniques necessary to construct an Enviable pair of stays.

In this workshop participants will:

• Discuss the intricacies of 18^th century English stays construction, including variations in boning and interior reinforcements and where/when they might be used in various 18^th century types of stays.
• Receive two half size stays patterns (late 1760s-early 70s and 1780s-90s) for their mini-mannequin. (The mannequin is not required for this workshop but is recommended.)
• Complete four pre-recorded units of study during the 6 months course access is available. We recommend giving yourself 2-3 weeks for each unit. 
• Unit 1- Prepwork and Cutting Out the Stays
• Unit 2 - Assembly
• Unit 3 - Additional Reinforcements and Extra Layers
• Unit 4 - Finishing Work
• Construct a half-size pair of stays using skills which can be applied to future full-size projects.

This is a LEVEL 2 workshop; good hand sewing skills are required. Participants should  be prepared for upwards of 20 hours of stitching and should have produced an article of simple 18th century clothing (any of the items from our Sew Alongs would qualify).

Workshop Cost: $150.00 includes two E-patterns for half-size pairs of stays (late 1760s-early 70s and 1780s-90s), four units of pre-recorded instruction, two options for virtual Live Q&A session, and 6 months of access to the course.