Textile Talks: An Introduction to 18th Century Fabrics

Saturday, March 21st, 9am-5pm

Reading ads from 18th century newspapers you will come across merchants advertising a variety of wares, including a myriad of textiles with names foreign to us but commonplace to the consumer they are directed towards. 18th century consumers would know everything about the fabric listed and its appropriate use. Equating those 18th century terms to our modern day textiles and subsequently knowing what they were used for can be daunting. 

In this workshop Angela Burnley will bring you along into the world of mid to late 18th century textiles with a focus on goods being imported into the American Colonies. Through a series of mini lectures with hands-on components she will introduce students to the common textiles being used by the 18th century consumer, how they were used and the terms by which they were known. Handling modern samples which most closely simulate those original textiles you will learn how they were constructed, what they were made from and what their end purpose would have been. 

In this 1 day workshop participants will:

• Learn about fiber content, weave structure, contemporary name, and end use.  

• Engage in discussions focusing on the textiles available when considering variables such as geography, preference for certain characteristics, cost, and social or religious status.

• Apply this knowledge with guidance to textiles available today to create guidelines for informed fabric choices in their historical recreations.

This course is a Beginner Level 1 and is perfect for anyone with an interest in 18th century fabrics and their application to clothing in the 18th century. Please read more about our current Workshop Levels here.

Workshop cost of $150 includes: 1 day workshop and fabric samples

Class size will be limited to 16 Participants

Registration opens HERE on Wednesday, December 10th at 12:30 pm

*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 $30 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 $30 cancellation fee.  In the event of the workshop being cancelled we are not responsible for any costs by the attendee for cancelled reservations.