Straw Hat Workshop 

March 10
9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

$65/member, $75/non-member  

The Charleston Museum welcomes Natalie Simmons of the Carolina Millinery Company for a hat workshop designed to help you get ready for Easter, Derby Day parties or just the bright Carolina sun. Participants will learn the basics of straw hat blocking using traditional hat blocks, as well as methods for finishing the brim edges, sewing in a sweatband and trimming a hat. Budding milliners will leave the workshop with a completed hat. Curator of Textiles Jan Hiester will give participants an exclusive look at stunning straw hats from the Museum's collection as well as the special exhibit, Seasonal Fashion: Charleston in Springtime. Supplies are not included in the workshop fee, but may be purchased at the start of the workshop from the instructor; materials will range from $20 to $100 depending on hat (several styles will be available) and trim selections.

The Charleston Museum once again teams up with Blue Heron Glass for a workshop that translates textiles into glass. The program begins with a guided tour of Seasonal Fashion: Springtime in Charleston with Curator of Textiles Jan Hiester. This exhibit displays beautiful silk batiks by Anna Heyward Taylor (see piece at bottom of release) and silk art embroidery that reflect the botanical themes enjoyed by artists and needleworkers of Charleston in the early 1900s, as well as garden party fashions of the 1900s - 1920s.

Participants then travel to Blue Heron Glass in West Ashley to learn the basics behind the science of fusing glass (melting compatible glasses together) to create a 5"x7" botanical panel evocative of the batiks and embroidery seen in the exhibit. All of these techniques can be used in many fused projects in the future. All supplies provided; transportation is not.

Have you been meaning to knit socks but weren't sure how to tackle the project? Tamara Goff returns to the Museum to teach all the basics of sock knitting - how to knit in the round on double pointed needles, the finer points of sock construction, how to "turn a heel," kitchener stitch grafting for the toe and how to knit socks for any size foot from any yarn. During this two part workshop knitters will make cuff-down socks on double-pointed needles and gain the skills they need to knit socks that are fun to make, fun to give, and fun to wear! Supplies not included in workshop fee; material list available online. 

Tour of Fashion Plates: Illustrating History's Latest Styles, 1760s-1920s 

March 1

10:30 a.m.

FREE for Museum members and FREE with admission ($10/adults, $5/children, under 3 free)   

Join the Curator of Textiles for a special look at historic fashion plates. These illustrations appeared in many publications, such as Godey's Lady's Book, Les Modes Parisiennes and Ackermann's Repository of Arts. For many years, these images would be the arbiters of elegance.

Tour of Charleston Couture

March 23

2:30 p.m.

FREE for Museum members and FREE with admission ($10/adults, $5/children, under 3 free)  

Join the Curator of Textiles for a look at the Museum's latest original exhibition, Charleston Couture. The exhibit showcases over fifty fine garments and accessories from the 1770s to the 1970s. Charleston Couture will include true haute couture garments brought back by privileged Lowcountry residents from their travels, as well as high style pieces made by local dressmakers. Also to be presented are formal fashions worn by notable Charlestonians, as well as elegant ready-to-wear evening wear sold in fashionable Charleston stores.