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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.
Follow-up Course!
A follow up to Skirt Skills – get some new experience under your belt by creating your own custom-fit trousers and jeans.
Follow-up Course!
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!
When I’m not teaching online courses, I’m making custom couture bridal gowns (and pants!) for women of all shapes and sizes.
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.
SMARTY PANTS
SMARTY PANTS is a new eCourse exclusively for Skirt Skills alums.
Get some new experience under your belt! You’ll get the same ongoing access to the high quality content and support as I offer in Skirt Skills, only this time…
We’ll make ourselves three custom-fit pants blocks while learning to create our own patterns and sew up all kinds of custom-fit pants styles- from loungewear to jeans.
Follow along as I design and handcraft three new pair of pants for myself from start to finish- sharing new mix-and-match construction techniques. Choose your favorite block, design features, and construction methods to start and complete your own custom pants!
Smarty Pants builds upon everything learned and created in Skirt Skills.
→ Already a SMARTY PANTS member? Login here.
8-Week eCourse
includes
- 34 Days of Instruction
- 60+ Videos (16+ hours!)
- Small Private Classroom
- Personal Support
- Self-paced options
- "Forever" Access
NOTE! Skirt Skills is a prerequisite for Smarty Pants. You must be a Skirt Skills student prior to registering for Smarty Pants.
Follow-up Course!
SMARTY PANTS
Upcoming Session Info:
2025 ENROLLMENT OPENS :
Friday October 10, 2025
at ~10amET
2024 ENROLLMENT:
is closed.
Class is currently in-session.
Course Dates:
Orientation starts Thursday October 23, 2025.
Work with the optional 8 week schedule OR anytime at your own pace with forever access.
(There will be a week break in the middle for US Thanksgiving).
SMARTY PANTS builds your skills beyond skirts!
Is this course right for me?
Here are two introductory videos to sample!
"Drafting my way to a garment pattern has been surprisingly less stressful than dealing with the ambiguity of opening the envelope of a purchased pattern..."
My sewing practice is now no longer about how many garments I make, it’s about how each one fits and how much I’m going to wear it. I’m really excited to continue to experiment and create garments that turn out like I see them in my imagination!
What do I need for class?
Tools, Materials & Supplies for SMARTY PANTS
First, supplies from SKIRT SKILLS
In Smarty Pants, we will continue to use most of the tools and supplies from the Skirt Skills Supplies List. Re-visit the list below!
OPTIONAL ITEMS
from Skirt Skills that would be helpful in Smarty Pants
Optional Items:
- colored pencils
- camera accessories
- 2nd mirror
- wrist pin cushion
- wonderclips
- lint tape roller
NEW ITEMS
for Smarty Pants
We will use:
- Your custom-fit Skirt Block from Skirt Skills
- Your custom-fit Skirt Block Mockup from Skirt Skills
- A Flexible Curve Ruler 36″ or longer*
- ~6 rubber bands (a few different colors can be helpful)
- something to use as a plumb bob (or two)
- A long L-square (16″x24″ works nicely)
- French curve
- Needlepoint spiky wheel
- safety pins
- 1″ elastic
- A sleeve board
- Lots of muslin or mockup fabric (multiple mockup trials should be expected)
- Optional: a large piece of cardboard/foamboard or thick paper (at least as big as your body’s “saddle”) and something to cut it with.
*Students who couldn’t find long enough “flexible curve rulers” have used 12-14 gauge copper craft wire as an alternative to the “bendy ruler”.
PANTS MATERIALS
Let's make some pants!
We will add:
In the 2nd half of class, you will need the materials for the pants you will make in the class. During the previous lessons of the class, we will discuss and help pick out and purchase exactly what you are going to use. Here is most likely what you will need:
Here is most likely what you will need:
- Pants Fabric: yardage depends on your design. Just as in Skirt Skills, we will be working with woven fabrics only. (No knits or stretch fabric!)
- Matching thread
- Regular zipper appropriate for your design -and/or-
- Soft waistband elastic appropriate for your design…
Optional Items:
- Hem lace
- Trouser button
- 1/2 chisel and block of wood
- a hammer
- white pencils (if you are using dark fabric)
- jeans needles
- jeans button
- fusible interfacing
- 1/4″ cotton twill tape
- hand basting needles
- wax tailors square
- Fray Check
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Ready to get started?
The 8-week session starts in October.
If you’ve completed Skirt Skills, keep an eye on your email inbox and/or log in to the ALUM INFO & UPCOMING COURSES page on your Student Dashboard for registration details.
If you haven’t taken Skirt Skills, check it out here and join the Skirt Skills mailing list to be notified about the next session of the prerequisite course!
NOTE! Skirt Skills is a prerequisite for Smarty Pants. You must be a Skirt Skills student prior to registering for Smarty Pants – (you will not be able to begin the course without your foundations from Skirt Skills.)
Brooks Ann's construction examples make things easy for a beginner sewer to understand, but include tips and techniques that satisfy even an experienced sewer like me.
Learning to sew for my body is, for me, a great act of self-love. Thanks to Brooks Ann, I finally feel confident that I can design and make clothes that really fit me instead of just accepting what’s on the rack.
This has been way easier than I was expecting. I had never sewn pants or really even seen a pants pattern before this, so I was pretty intimidated by the process. But having walked through it now it is way more straightforward and manageable than I had been thinking. Having all the background from Skirt Skills was very helpful!
Follow-up Course!
SMARTY PANTS
Upcoming Session Info:
2025 ENROLLMENT OPENS :
Friday October 10, 2025
at ~10amET
2024 ENROLLMENT:
is closed.
Class is currently in-session.
Course Dates:
Orientation starts Thursday October 23, 2025.
Work with the optional 8 week schedule OR anytime at your own pace with forever access.
(There will be a week break in the middle for US Thanksgiving).
Explore the Coursework
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.
Follow-up Course!
A follow up to Skirt Skills – get some new experience under your belt by creating your own custom-fit trousers and jeans.
Follow-up Course!
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!
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