Meet Brooks Ann

About

Meet Brooks Ann

Learn how I learned to sew and why I’m teaching YOU!

Meet Brooks Ann

The Custom Process

Curious about what custom sewing entails? Start here!

The Custom Process

Registration Info

Enrollment info, upcoming course dates, and more!

Course Schedule

Praise!

Kind words from students all over the world 🙂

Reviews!
eBook
Courses

SKIRT SKILLS

In Skirt Skills, you’ll be thoroughly introduced to each step of the custom process- while hand crafting the custom-fit skirt of your dreams. You’ll also create reusable tools for your custom sewing future.

Tell me more about Skirt Skills!

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Follow-up Course!

SMARTY PANTS

A follow up to Skirt Skills – get some new experience under your belt by creating your own custom-fit trousers and jeans.

Tell me more about Smarty Pants!

Follow-up Course!

TOP CLASS

A follow up to Skirt Skills – gain some upper body strength as you learn to map your top half and craft custom-fit tops that are tops!

Tell me more about Top Class!
Explore

Custom Couture Bridal Gowns

When I’m not teaching online courses, I’m making custom couture bridal gowns (and pants!) for women of all shapes and sizes.

See the Dresses

Bridalwear Stories

Follow along as I meet my brides and design, sew, and finish each step – with oh, so many photos! Get lost in the details and learn new techniques.

Read the Blog

Like my classmates, I enjoyed Brooks Ann's sense of humor and appreciated her positivity. Measurements are now numbers for me now, not a critique of my figure.

Jennifer

Brooks Ann, with her ever wonderfully encouraging personality, helped me discover the joy of sewing in tasks that I would otherwise overlook.

Allison

The level of support that Brooks Ann provides is unbelievable. You're never left wondering how to do anything.

Melanie

Brooks Ann Camper first learned to sew as an adult working in professional costume workshops. After an internship at Yale School of Drama, and an MFA in Costume Production from UNC, she moved to NYC where she worked as a Broadway milliner for productions such as Wicked and Mama Mia!, and sewing for celebrities from Boy George to Big Bird – including Bernadette Peters, Felicia Rashaad, Kristen Chenoweth, John Lithgow, Sean Combs, The Undertaker, the Rockettes…

When she left New York and started her own business as a custom wedding dressmaker, she began blogging the process as each one-of-a-kind dress was designed and created. She realized that she was getting as much interest from “sewing people” as from “brides” and started teaching her unique methods of custom sewing. She absolutely loves sharing her passion with kindred spirits!

Hi there! I'm Brooks Ann.

And, I approach things a little differently.

I have never completed a garment from a commercial pattern, and I’m not a “math person”. Yet I’ve been creating high-end custom-made garments from self-drafted patterns professionally for 20 years!

In contrast to many sewing teachers, I did not learn to sew as a child. I first learned to sew as an adult while working in professional workshops — where everything was created custom for specific people.

I know relatively little about for-manufacture fashion industry methods or home-sewing methods that use commercial patterns. I skipped all that and I went straight into “couture”. And you can too!

Creating custom garments has its own wonderful specialized process that I find really exciting. I think that if I had learned to sew clothing along more traditional learning path, I might have never stuck with it.

Though I now have a Masters degree in Costume Construction and years of professional experience, (not only in costuming, but with my own custom couture wedding dress business) I’m always learning. I honestly just love what I do! And, I’ve got a down-to-earth, inclusive, nerdy, thoughtful way of sharing methods that I’ve learned and developed over the years. At least that’s what my students tell me! Read more of their words here.

Every body has a unique story. And every custom garment is a learning experience. I’d love to work with you!

Learn more about my unique sewing story:

Brooks Ann doesn’t have you simply ‘follow directions’, she helps you ‘figure things out’.

The biggest difference between this class and the many classes I have taken in my sewing life is Brooks Ann. Her instruction progresses in such a logical sequence that each step makes sense to the learner.

Brooks Ann Camper’s teaching style is absolutely magical. I’ve learned more about clothing construction in six weeks than in the whole rest of my life.

Explore the Coursework

SKIRT SKILLS

In Skirt Skills, you’ll be thoroughly introduced to each step of the custom process- while hand crafting the custom-fit skirt of your dreams. You’ll also create reusable tools for your custom sewing future.