Skirt Skills for adults with a passion to learn to create custom clothing for themselves. No previous pattern drafting, design, or garment sewing experience is required. Though having basic skills using sewing, measuring, and drafting tools will be helpful, Skirt Skills is an Intro course appropriate for motivated beginners as well as more experienced makers looking for a new approach or a fresh start. It was designed as a comprehensive beginner course for women with non-standard figures, but all skill levels and bodies are welcome.

Unsure if you’re a good fit? I encourage you to also read the dozens of student testimonials from absolute beginners to those with decades of experience and/or email me directly: email@brooksann.com.

(Though there’s no limit to where this journey will take you,) Probably not. This intro curriculum teaches how to make one-of-a-kind custom clothing for yourself. Fashion methods or advice on sewing for others are not included.

To learn more about custom methods vs. fashion methods, check out this blog post.

Yes and no! Many former students have successfully customized what they’ve learned in my courses to create custom clothes for other individuals. My business and blog are about sewing for others, but this intro course does not include sewing for bodies other than your own. It’s all about you.

One of the (many) advantages of sewing for yourself is that you have 24/7 access to your body and your personal preferences. I developed the methods in my intro eCourses with this specifically in mind, as a focused way to walk you through my custom processes for the first time. Exploring someone else’s body and personal preferences, while simultaneously learning so many other new things, will likely be more advanced and time-consuming. Staying focused on yourself as you get started has lots of advantages!

Nope! Learning to sew from sizes/commercial patterns is a different process (one I never learned!). 

No matter your sewing skill level, everyone will enter the course as a beginner.

True beginners often have the advantage to progress to success more quickly, since more experienced makers can spend as much time “unlearning” as learning.

The next intro session will open for enrollment December 28, 2024 and open for Orientation on January 8, 2025. Enrollees can work along with the optional 6-week schedule or at your own pace. Access does not expire.

Due to the personalized nature of the course, space is limited and the course could sell out quickly. (The fastest a session has sold out was in only 20 minutes!)

Sign up for the mailing list to stay informed and to be notified as soon as dates are announced and registration opens.

The full comprehensive 6 week course, with 28 days of instruction, 15+ hours of videos to keep, limited class size, a community of classmates, lots of options for different learning styles, very personal support and feedback, and unlimited ongoing access has a tuition of $395.

Sign up for the mailing list to learn about possible earlybird discounts, coupon codes, or exclusive offers.

Skirt Skills is a virtual course and you can participate from anywhere at any time! Though nothing happens “live” at a specific time, I aim to provide as close to an in-person experience as possible with added benefits of working at your own pace in your own space. You choose when you want to share or keep to yourself. The classroom is always open and your classmates will likely be from all over the world.

Questions can be answered and puzzles can be solved anytime privately with me via email and/or in our private Collaboratory Group (hosted by Mighty Networks. It’s kinda like a Facebook Group- but not on Facebook). I will also be available for 1:1 Skype/Zoom/FaceTime and In-Studio Office Hours as needed during the course.

Access to the course content and teacher support does not expire. Use the 6 week schedule as motivation OR customize your own pace and take as long as you’d like. In custom sewing, slow and steady wins the race!

Each weekday, Monday through Friday, you will receive an email with a link to view new lessons in the online classroom. You can log in, view, and download the lessons at any time. Once a lesson is published, enrollees enjoy unlimited ongoing “forever” access. You are more than welcome to work at your own slower pace, without following the optional daily 6 week schedule. Take all year, if you need to!

 All you will need is an updated computer or device with high speed internet access so that you can stream (or download) videos.

If you’d like to interact with your classmates, group conversations will happen in our private “Lab”. The Collaboratory Group (which is our own private group powered by Mighty Networks) is a supportive learning resource that I’d love for you to be a part of, (like a Facebook Group-  not on Facebook!) but joining is completely optional. 

There will also be optional Office Hour opportunities to schedule 1:1 video chats with me on Skype/ Zoom/ or FaceTime, if you need extra help through the lessons. Check the websites of these companies for their computer/tech requirements.

You will receive a couple of hours of content from me each week of the optional schedule; an average of 35 minutes of pre-recorded video per weekday over 6 weeks. Some students will work through the content more quickly, and others will spend more time. Nothing is required and setting your own pace is highly encouraged, but if you’d like to keep with the optional schedule, I would think you’d want to set aside at least 4-8 hours each week to complete the lessons, experiment, and practice – approximately the same amount of time you’d spend in a similar in-person course (minus the commute).

With unlimited ongoing access, you are more than welcome to work at your own slower pace without following the optional daily 6 week time frame. Take a year, if you need to!

Nope. You’ll learn to use your body and your mind to draft your own custom-fit patterns. I want you to gain the skills to make choices and complete the full start-to-finish process, without having to rely on someone else’s work in order to create yours.

I’ll be a resource as long as you need me and then set you free to take control your own wardrobe!

I hear ya. I am not a “math person”, so the methods I’ve created for Skirt Skills eliminate the need for a lot of the calculations/ fractions/ formulas/ charts that you may have encountered in other drafting systems or sewing projects.

We will not use any standardized numbers. We will use critical thinking, common sense, and non-standard methods for our non-standard bodies. It’s actually not that hard and can be a lot of fun!

In my blog post “Two Myths of Learning to Make Your Own Sewing Patterns”, I discuss this further.

I’ve created a list with everything you will need for the class. You may find that you already have a version of many of the tools we’ll use. In both the supplies and the techniques, I’ll often share professional options as well as easy DIY alternatives. You can also watch th video lesson discussing the tools and supplies and what we’ll be doing with them.

If you have questions about supplies, email me:  Email@BrooksAnn.com

In our first lesson, we will discuss fabrics. During the first few weeks of the course, while we are designing, drafting, and fitting mockups, I’ll share fun “Fabric of the Day” videos. As the course progresses, you’ll have time to shop, order, or choose your skirt fabric from your own stash with guidance from me and the other students.

No. Though you may have noticed that I offer an eBook about creating a custom dress form, in Skirt Skills (and its follow-up courses), we will be learning Flat Pattern Drafting techniques to create a custom fit.

I plan to teach Draping (patterning using a custom dress form) in a future course. You can find my ebook on creating your own body double dress form here.

Not specifically, though you will be learning the foundations (and gaining the course prerequisites) needed to create these custom garments in the future.

In Skirt Skills, you will get a comprehensive introduction to all of the processes and basic techniques for custom garment creation by learning Flat Pattern to create Skirts. I offer follow-up courses that build upon this foundation for custom Pants and Tops. Each set of lessons builds upon the one before as you slowly take your sewing and patternmaking skills to higher and higher levels.

If you aren’t a “skirt person”, (you may be surprised when you try one that truly fits you and/or) keep in mind that the skirt block will be the custom-fit starting point for the top of your pants and/or the bottom of your tops and dresses!

But more importantly, you’ll be learning and practicing all the steps of the custom process during Skirt Skills.

NOTE: Skirt Skills is the Intro course and the prerequisite for many (if not all) of my future courses. Smarty Pants and Top Class are only offered to those who have completed Skirt Skills.

It’s great to have someone to physically help you take your measurements and help with fitting, especially if you have physical limitations that might prevent you from putting your body in awkward positions.

That said, I know that it’s not always possible to rely on someone else. The methods in Skirt Skills will be shown with Do-It-Yourself options and I can be your “virtual” buddy, along with everyone else in the class! Email me. Skype with me. Stop by the studio. Share in the Group. It is great to have buddies!

All of the videos and course materials will remain on the private Course Site indefinitely and, as an enrolled member, you will have unlimited ongoing access. The videos and worksheets are also available for you to download and store offline. No worries if you happen to be traveling or end up being too busy while the course is running. Review portions of the class over and over every time you make a new skirt for years to come!

The Group can also remain active and connected for as long as members want to continue to share and support each other. Previous Groups are still active with members enjoying the intimate sewing community they’ve created!

Email me at Email@BrooksAnn.com

I’d love to hear from you!