An In Person Workshop Series with Vanessa Baish The form itself is simple: body, placket, sleeves, cuffs, collar. The myriad combinations of detail, from subtle to extravagant, change the fit, feel, and effect of the shirt. In this series of four classes, students will work from material decisions through finishing details to construct their own basic button up shirt. Vanessa will cover terminology and sewing techniques—including intermediate sewing machine use and hand-sewing stitches for detail work. Students will create a basic moderately fitted shirt with a french placket; long sleeves with a button cuff or short sleeves; a rounded stand collar and optional tie; a yoke; bust darts; and optional pockets. Under Vanessa's guidance, students will also have the opportunity to customize the shape of their collar and add details like ruffles or buttons. Near the end of the workshop, students will learn to add hand-sewn details to make their wearable garments an expression of their hand work and individual creativity! Dates + Time 10 am - 3 pm ET Saturdays, October 17th, 24th, 31st and November 7th, 2026 Location Tatter Textile Library: 505 Carroll Street, #2B, Brooklyn, NY 11215 Materials All supplies will be provided. You are welcome to bring additional materials (like special fabric or thread) that you would like to experiment with or incorporate. Scholarships There is a scholarship spot available for this workshop. Please email [email protected] to learn more. Our Teacher Vanessa Baish works in service of learning of all kinds, currently as a lecturer teaching literature at BMCC and in the public programs and exhibitions department of the Brooklyn Public Library. She first learned to knit as a child from her grandmother and learned the basics of sewing in middle school; she returned to both while in graduate school studying literature. Her thinking and making—wearable artifacts to thread journaling—are text/ile expressions of her love of material.
