Cassandra Stays: Your Perfect 1770s Fit

Friday, July 31 - Sunday afternoon, August 2nd 

Join Amber Mendenhall Welch of Virgil’s Fine Goods to construct your own pair of Cassandra Stays. Based on several existing stays in collections dating from the late 1760s-1780s, the Cassandra pattern melds modern body shapes with the intricate historical layering, construction techniques, and silhouette. This class will dive into proper and comfortable fit, altering your pattern, and period construction techniques & modern alternatives. Students may choose either View A (back lacing) or View B (front lacing), with straps or without and the binding method. To maximize instruction and fitting time, channels will be sewn by machine— however period appropriate hand-stitching techniques will be taught & practiced during class. 

This 2.75 day workshop will include:

  • Review of images of historical examples 

  • How to achieve a proper fit

  • Adjusting your paper pattern for your body 

  • Construction techniques used to make your favorite new pair of stays. 

Students will work on their stays throughout the weekend, leaving with a pair that can be finished at home. Please be prepared for “homework” on both Friday and Saturday nights! A full supplies list will be sent upon registration.

This workshop is an INTERMEDIATE LEVEL 2. Participants are expected to have good hand sewing skills and experience in creating an article of 18th century clothing using a pattern, and have fitted that piece of clothing. Please read more about our current Workshop Levels here.

Workshop cost of $450 includes: 2.75 day workshop 

Class size will be limited to 10 Participants

 


*CANCELLATION POLICY

Because of the nature and enrollment limitation of our workshops, we regret that we are unable to give a full refund for a cancellation.  If you cancel 30 or more days prior to the workshop, we will refund your fee less a $50 cancellation fee. If you cancel less than 30 days prior to the workshop, we will have to charge the full amount of the workshop unless we are able to fill your slot, in that event you will be charged only the $50 cancellation fee.  In the event of the workshop being cancelled we are not responsible for any costs by the attendee for cancelled reservations.