Welcome to Hand-Sewn Gathers:
Stroke Gathers and Whipped Gathers.
In this skill-building course we will do a deep dive into historic hand-sewn stroke gathers and whip gathers! You will make two samples to hone your skills- a sample cuff based on a 19th-century shirt and a whip-gathered ruffle based on my study of 18th and 19th century millinery (aka accessories). Practicing these two techniques will deeply enhance your historical sewing practice and make your modern creations more beautiful. If you are recreating historical garments, stroke gathers are seen across time on shirts, shifts and smocks to control the gathering at the neck, the arm band, and the shoulders. They are also used in other accessories, such as aprons. Comparatively, whipped gathers historically are used to manipulate fine, delicate fabrics into fine ruffles on caps, bosom ruffles, neck and elbow ruffles across the 18th and 19th centuries.
Practicing these techniques will enhance your hand-sewn literacy when studying historical pieces. Confidently identifying stroke gathering versus whip gathering. As a modern maker these techniques will bring more beauty and more opportunity for hand sewing into your modern sewing practice. Let’s learn to hand sew from the past, to be more present so we can stitch a better future.
Class set up: This course uses close-captioned video instructions to guide you through the process of making a stroke gathered sample and a whipped gathered sample. This course is pre-recorded so please go at your own pace. Videos are all under 10 minutes so you can do this class in bite size chunks or devote an afternoon to sewing. Please remember you can pause, replay as much as you need to. Each video is close-captioned. You will see the “CC” icon on the bottom right hand side of the video. Click that button to turn them on or off. If you are in need of extra help I offer private virtual hand sewing lessons. Email me at sewncompany@gmail.com to schedule a session.
About your instructor: My name is Sarah E. Woodyard (S.E.W. cannot make that up!) and I am the founder of Sewn Company. I am a hand-sewing scholar and a firm believer in hand sewing preservation. Before the 1830s all clothing was constructed with needle, thread and human hands. I served a seven year apprenticeship at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation where I became a Journeywoman Milliner/Mantua-maker and hold a M.A. in Material Culture from the University of Alberta. To learn more about me click here. I like to do at least 15 minutes of hand sewing a day. It clears my head and brings me back to myself. I hope you will cultivate a hand sewing practice to remember what you are capable of, remember you are human and remember what your hands can do.
Let’s get stitching! If you have any questions you can email me at sewncompany@gmail.com.