I am delighted to announce my next public gownmaking event will be at Paxton House, near Berwick-upon-Tweed in the Scottish Borders, over the first week of April. Cait Burk (a fellow student on my Dress & Textile Histories masters program) and I will be making a long sack gown live and in person.

The ‘Sackback Status Symbol’ project is an exciting part of Paxton House’s ongoing mission to represent women’s history more fully at Paxton.

This live, in-person event presents the making of an iconic 18th century gown of the type that Paxton House mistress, Penelope Home, wore in the 1770s. Penelope and her husband Ninian Home spent much of their time in the Caribbean where they enslaved African people on their sugar and cotton plantations in Grenada and Mustique. Cotton dresses in the long flowing “Sackback” style were both fashionable and popular due to how comfortable they were to wear in the warm, humid climate.

Over the course of the 5 days, Cait and I will demonstrate how 18th century dressmakers made such gowns, while wearing period costume ourselves.

Join us in Paxton's resplendent Picture Gallery to see this recreation come to life!

This event will take place during museum hours 10am-4pm over the course of five days. We will start making the gown on Monday morning, 3rd April, and will finish with the grand reveal on Friday 7th April. The completed gown will be displayed as part of the 'Parallel Lives, Worlds Apart: from sugar plantations in Grenada to life at Court' costume exhibition at Paxton in 2023.

Entry to this event is free. Guided tours of the house and the 'Parallel Lives Worlds Apart' costume exhibition are also available – book at www.paxtonhouse.co.uk.