Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 July 2022, Hand-Sewn Seaming Techniques with Sewn Company

14:00 ‐ 17:00 BST (British Summer Time)

Online workshop, hosted on Zoom by Sarah Woodyard of Sewn Company

For over 30,000 years clothing has been hand-sewn. Quilting for comfort, hemmed in bondage, seaming for profit or embroidered for enjoyment; hand sewing has stitched together humanity. Rooted in an 18th-century English and American hand-sewing practice - Sewn’s goal is to inspire people to reconnect to your past and your global community with a needle and thread. Owner, Sarah E. Woodyard, is committed to preserving hand-sewn clothing production through live and pre-recorded hand sewing workshops.

Inspired by the labour of historical dressmakers Sarah spent seven years apprenticing at the Margaret Hunter Millinery Shop in Colonial Williamsburg to learn eighteenth-century mantua-making (dressmaking) and millinery. After completing her apprenticeship she became a Journeywoman mantua-maker and milliner. Sarah also holds a Master of Arts in Material Culture from the University of Alberta. You can read her thesis about hand-sewing here. Join Sarah in this exclusive workshop to enhance your historical or modern sewing practice through hand-sewn seams.

Outline of the workshop
In this class you will learn to sew from the past, to be mindful of the present, to stitch a better future. Hand-Sewn 18th-century Seaming Techniques draws on the skills of anonymous mantua-makers and seamstresses and celebrates their labour through the preservation of their skills. This two-day course will be a deep dive into 18th-century hand-stitched seams based on Sarah’s study of extant garments and her hands-on experience practicing the trade of mantua-making. This course is designed for both historic and modern sewists.

The first part of the workshop will begin with a brief lecture about the techniques that will be covered in the workshop. Sarah will then lead you through three seaming samplers:

1. Backstitched seam
2. Seaming from the outside: topstitched seams
3. Running stitches for seaming.

The second part of the workshop will begin with a brief lecture about the techniques that will be covered in the workshop. Sarah will then lead you through three seaming samplers:

1. An Italian gown seam
2. Running-backstitched felled seam
3. Mantua-maker’s seam

Materials and Supplies (not included)
Note: All these techniques can be taught with medium weight cotton muslin or quilters cotton. However, please see below for suggested fabrics.

Backstitched seam:
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5cm x 30cm)
Ideal: Wool broadcloth, worsted wool, silk taffeta, printed cotton or medium weight linen and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax).

Seaming from the outside:
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5cm x 30cm)
Ideal: worsted wool, silk taffeta, printed cotton or medium weight linen and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax).

Topstitched seams:
2 pieces for lining: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5 cm x 30 cm)
Ideal: medium weight linen and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax).

Running stitches for seaming:
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5 cm x 30 cm)
Ideal: worsted wool, silk taffeta or printed cotton and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax).

An Italian gown seam:
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5 cm x 30cm)
Ideal: silk or cotton and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax).
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5cm x 30cm)
Ideal: medium weight linen and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax).

Felled seam:
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5cm x 30cm)
Ideal: medium weight linen and linen thread size 60/2 or 80/2. (if using linen remember wax).

Mantua makers seam:
2 pieces: 3 inch wide x 12 inch wide (7.5cm x 30cm)
Ideal: cotton and thread that complements fabric choice (if using linen remember wax)

Notions (tools)

• Needles - recommend size 9 sharps, appliqué or embroidery needles
• Dressmaking shears
• Small snips
• Measuring tape or ruler
• Fine dressmakers pins
• Pencil

Optional but encouraged: thimble (should fit on the middle finger of your dominate hand. Not too tight but not too loose it falls off)

Cover/top left images: credited to Fred Blystone

Workshop recording: 
The workshop will be recorded and the recording will be shared with you after the workshop. Please allow 7 working days for us to send you the recording.

Workshop Cancellation Policy
All places reserved on workshops are non refundable. However, if you let us know you are not able to make a workshop you have booked at least two weeks prior to the event, we will offer a credit note.

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact Catherine Harris, events@selvedge.org.