12 pm.

In this class, designed for sewing beginners, you will learn how to make basic alterations to a paper sewing pattern, how to cut out your fabric, and how to sew a “shortgown” (a simple top worn in the 18th and 19th centuries) using machine and hand sewing skills. A mid-class lunch will offer time to eat delicious food and talk about the history of fashion and dressmaking. You will leave the class with a semi-finished shortgown in your size, a pattern, and the skills and tools needed to complete your garment. Sarah Jean Culbreth is a seamstress and textile historian. Her experience as a curator and conservator has informed her design and sewing practice, incorporating historical silhouettes and details while highlighting moments of modernity through fashion history. Sarah Jean holds a BA in Apparel Design and an MA in Fashion and Textile Studies; she has worked at many museums including the Brooklyn Museum and the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.