Learn how to make an 18th century gown like a period mantua-maker
Upcoming Group Workshops
to Make Your Own 18th Century Gown
Workshop Series - Scotland - Spring 2027
Workshop Cost Per Person:
Long Sack Gowns –– Paxton House near Berwick-upon-Tweed –– GB£375
Mantua Gowns –– Bannockburn House near Stirling –– GB£375
Night-gowns –– UHI Campus, Inverness –– GB£350
Discounts for multiple workshops:
£50 off when booking 2; £100 off when booking 3
Scroll down this web page to read the information that applies to all of these workshops, including HOW TO BOOK.
Then click on each gown below to read specific details for each workshop.
Please note the DATE and PLACE for each.
The following information applies to all 3 workshops
Instructor: Rebecca Olds
Class size: 8 people maximum.
Experience level: No previous gownmaking experience required but students should be confident with basic hand-stitching especially running stitch, backstitch and spaced back-stitch.
All 3 workshops are open to participants aged 16 or over. Any participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is also enrolled on the same workshop. Each attends at full price calculated per person according to number of workshops booked.
Requirements
For each workshop, you will need to already have:
an 18th century style shift,
18th century stays that fit you well, giving the desired shape and support,
skirt supports specific to the gown style you’re making [please see the relevant web page for your workshop], and
bodice lining shapes that fit you well. These can be -
shapes that I have cut for you — see Special Offer below,
shapes cut on you in a Burnley & Trowbridge Co. workshop taught by Brooke Welborn, or
shapes copied from the bodice lining of a period gown that you already know fits you well, for example adjusted from a Scroop/Virgil’s Fine Goods or Golden Scissors/Larkin & Smith 18th century gown pattern, or the American Duchess Isabella Mactavish Fraser pattern.
SPECIAL OFFER
50% discount on shapes cut by me before your workshop!
When booking your workshop, make sure to say you would like to book for shapes as well.
You can see details about this service HERE.
HOW TO BOOK YOUR PLACE ON ANY OF THESE WORKSHOPS
Due to my current transition from doing business as a sole trader in the UK to a registered freelance business in the Netherlands, I am accepting payments only in response to invoices I send out, and no longer through an e-commerce plug-in on this website. Options to pay your invoice will include Paypal and bank transfer but not Stripe any more. This means the booking process is a little ‘old school’ right now – apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, and for how many words it takes to tell you how this will work! If you have any questions about the process, I am just an email away and will make every reasonable effort to ensure your booking is processed as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Here’s how bookings for this workshop will work:
1. Send an email to rebecca@timesmith.nl
with Subject line: 2027 Scotland Workshops
In the email:
Indicate WHICH gown workshop(s) you are interested in attending.
Mantua Gown c.1705-1715
Night-Gown c.1740-1750
Sackback Gown c.1775-1785
Indicate if you wish to book an appointment for bodice lining shapes to be cut for you before your workshop.
Confirm that you have read my PRIVACY POLICY (which explains how the information you give to me will be processed).
Confirm that you have read my workshop TERMS & CONDITIONS (see my payment terms, cancellation and refund policies and more, all upfront)
2. I will send you a Pre-Booking Questionnaire along with my workshop Terms & Conditions, so that we both know what to expect from one another and can work together to ensure you are prepared to make the most of this gown-making workshop experience. Please return the completed questionnaire to me. I will review your responses and then contact you to discuss any questions or comments either of us may have. (This is not a test or audition! We could just hop on a video call to chat through what you’ve told me on your questionnaire, rather than going back and forth by email.)
3. Assuming the workshop is suitable for you and I can offer you a place, I will send you a Quote with the total fees for your workshop (specifying the title, date and location for each) and any additional service you have requested, together with payment terms and a copy of the Terms & Conditions.
4. You will need to confirm in writing that you wish to go ahead and that you accept the Quote and the Terms & Conditions. I then offer you a 14-day period during which you can cancel/change your mind. You can waive or opt out of this 14-day reflection period in writing.
5. If you do not cancel before the 14-day period ends (or if you opt out), I will email you to advise that your BOOKING ONTO THE WORKSHOP(S) IS RESERVED. I will attach a single Invoice for everything in the Quote. The invoice will be in GB pound sterling. You will be able to pay your invoice via (a) Paypal or (b) transfer to my business bank account. A deposit of 50% of your invoice total will be required to confirm your place(s).
6. Once I’ve received payment of the deposit, your BOOKING IS SECURED. I will confirm this to you by email and send you a Participants Pack with all the details you need to prepare and attend, including:
workshop location
main transport links and parking in the area
equipment and amenities being provided
a list of what you will need to bring in terms of sewing tools, notions, etc.
fabric recommendations and yardage requirements.
7. You will need to pay the remaining 50% balance of your invoice at least 6 weeks before your first workshop date. I will send you the invoice for that and advise what that that final deadline is when I confirm your booking, and I will send you reminders if needed.
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Summary of the Cancellation / Refund policy - please see TERMS & CONDITIONS for full details
Cancellations up to 6 weeks before your workshop: monies paid up to cancellation will be refunded in full, minus a £50 admin fee for each cancelled workshop.
No refund is possible for cancellations less than 6 weeks before the workshop start date, unless you are able to find someone else to take your slot.
Failure to pay the balance in time (without having cancelled your booking) may result in your booking being cancelled, your place released to someone else, and your deposit being forfeited.
If the workshop is entirely cancelled by me/Timesmith Dress History, your registration will be refunded in full (without deduction of any admin fee), but we are not responsible for any consequential costs you may have incurred e.g. for travel/accommodation. TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE IS RECOMMENDED.
If the workshop sells out, please CONTACT ME to be put on a waiting list.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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The answer depends on a number of factors.
First and foremost: Do they fit you? Are they comfortable? Are they close enough to the period shape that the gown you want to make can be fitted over them?
My approach is to help you take a look at what you have and what you ultimately want for the gown you want to make in the workshop. I am not going to judge them (or you) by how “historically accurate” your stays may or may not be. They do not need to be perfect. They do not need to be your “forever” stays. They just need to give you the foundation you want, to make a gown you’ll be happy and proud to wear.
The Pre-Booking Questionnaire will ask you to give me some details about your stays and how they are working for you. If you tell me you’re not happy with aspects of the fit, comfort or shape of your current stays, the sooner we talk that through, the more options (and time) you’ll have to make things better, whether that’s through a few small alterations, sourcing a better pair elsewhere, or even making a new pair if that’s what you decide you want to do.
If you don’t have any stays at all yet, but you really really want to take one of my workshops — let’s get this process started so you can be ready! We’ll start with the Pre-Booking Questionnaire and take the conversation from there.
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I hear you on this one. I’m always a bit worried myself that I’m not quite “fast enough”. I’m prepared to bet that you ARE, and that you’re harder on yourself than you need to be.
My view on stitching skills is, it’s better to be accurate than fast. Don’t worry about stitches by the inch; it’s far more important that your stitching can follow the intended stitch lines closely and accurately. Your stitch length may look visibly different as you stitch along, but being able to stitch in a straight line or a smooth curve where you need to, that’s going to be far more important for the fit and drape of your garment. Different parts of your gown will behave differently under stress, such as the back seam or under the arms. So selecting the right type of stitch (I’ll teach you which to use where) and being able to follow your stitch line is the skill to work on. It’s totally okay to draw or mark your fabric to make this easier!
That said, if there are basic hand stitches you feel you haven’t quite got the hang of, I can point you in the right direction to figure them out well before your workshop.
The Pre-Booking Questionnaire I’ll send you will include questions on your stitching skills, so together we can make sure you’re comfortable and confident about hand-stitching your gown.
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Either way, you’re tapping into my research, skills and expertise , but there will definitely be times when one approach makes more sense than the other, for you to get the gown you want.
If you want your gown meticulously made to the highest standard by someone who has been practicing this craft for many years - then commission me to make it. Balance that desire against how much time you have (how quickly you need the finished gown and when I can book you in) and the cost.
Making the gown yourself in a workshop - with my instruction and guidance - you will be paying me substantially less AND getting the bulk of the stitching done (yourself) in a very compressed timeframe. This is the way to go if you have a tight deadline and/or a tight budget. You’ll also be investing in yourself, learning new skills that you may well decide to use again on a future project.
So in a nutshell - short on time and/or money? Book a workshop! Deadline further out and you can afford the best? Book me to make your gown for you.