Linda Ohrn-McDaniel, assistant professor in the School of Fashion Design, is holding a pattern-making workshop for students in New York City this summer.

The total cost is about $3,500 for the workshop and housing. Two students will share one apartment, though the cost may go down if three students are put in an apartment together. Students will also be required to pay for materials.

The workshop is being held from June 11 to 29 and is open to anyone with pattern-making experience. Students will learn about techniques for draping, which involves putting fabric on a form and transferring it into a pattern. The workshop will cover all skill levels.

Ohrn-McDaniel said she initially aimed the program at Swedish students but recently decided to open it up to Kent State students as well to get more participation in the program.

“I am from Sweden originally, and I wanted to make a connection with Swedish students,” she said.

The workshop will give Swedish students a chance to get to know about the fashion program at Kent State and allow them to see the kind of work done at the school, Ohrn-McDaniel said.

In Sweden, draping is not used as often as it is in the United States, Ohrn-McDaniel said.

“To be able to focus on it for three weeks would really give students a chance to explore and learn the basics of it,” she said.

Because this is a workshop, there is no class credit for it. Interested students can talk to Ohrn-McDaniel about the possibility of making the course an individual investigation for credits, she said.

“The reason why it’s a workshop is to make it easier for Swedish students (international students) who participate,” Ohrn-McDaniel said.

The Swedish students attending the program are either enrolled in a design school or have graduated from one in Sweden.

Students will also sightsee while in New York City, which will include visits to design studios and a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The experience will give students a chance to see how people from another country deal with fashion, Ohrn-McDaniel said.

This is the first time Ohrn-McDaniel has held a workshop. She said one challenge she has faced is marketing the program to Swedish students.

“In Sweden, people don’t pay tuition to go to school,” Ohrn-McDaniel said. “So when you’re asking them to pay, plus the cost of flying over and living in New York, it’s hard for them to pay.”

There is no deadline to register for the workshop yet, but it is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students interested in attending can contact Ohrn-McDaniel at (330) 672-0188 or [email protected].

Contact fashion reporter Kristen Kotz at [email protected].