Cut & Construction of a 1730s Mantua


Get a snippet of the course in this trailer.

Things You Will NEED to Know BEFORE You Enroll !!!


Please read this before you enroll!

  • There is one thing you will NEED for this course but might take a while to source. To correctly pattern cut your mantua gown you WILL NEED a pair of Stays! These gowns were cut to fit over stays which means the drafting we'll be teaching will not work with too curvy a body shape. You can certainly take this course without stays but please note your end product will not fit as you imagine and you will have sagging and puckering around the bodice area.


  • We provide a complete list of tools & equipment in the course paperwork - but for those of you who are wondering - this gown is completely handsewn so you will need a needle, pins, thimble, scissors and a thread to match your cloth. And that's technically it!


  • We will also be pattern cutting so you will need pattern paper and a ruler and pencil. A Patternmaster will make it easier but the drafting can be done with a simple ruler.


You may also have many other questions - if so please get in touch and we'd be happy to answer



Course Curriculum


  First Section
Available in days
days after you enroll

Learn the complex simplicities of these gowns!



I know that might sound crazy but that's been our addiction from the start - what WAS it about these gowns that spoke of simple sewing methods and yet were so hard to study.

On this course we bring you into our journey as we teach you how to recreate this 1730s mantua - in your own size! - and using ALL of the original makers techniques.

It can begin here....


The journey to understanding the mantua-maker's sewing methods can start with this practical but pretty fashion from the 1730s.

The mantua at this point was at the height of fashion - from everyday to court wear, the mantua was truly flouishing. But it is also a gown that has been around a good 5 decades and this means that the sewing techniques we study on the originals are well established and well taught.

Join us as we walk through how and why it was made.

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