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Brooks Ann's DIY CUSTOM DRESS FORM eBook is now available!
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Custom Sewing eCourses
for the Sew-Curious
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.
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SMARTY PANTS is a new eCourse exclusively for Skirt Skills alums.
Get some new experience under your belt by creating your own custom-fit trousers and jeans.
→ Already a SMARTY PANTS member? Login here.
- 25 Days of Instruction
- 50+ Videos (12+ hours!)
- Small Private Classroom
- Personal Support
- Self-paced options
- "Forever" Access
NOTE! Skirt Skills is a prerequisite for Smarty Pants. You must complete Skirt Skills prior to registering for Smarty Pants – you will not be able to begin the course without your prior work from Skirt Skills.
Follow-up Course!
REGISTRATION OPENS:
Not yet Announced
Work with the optional 6 week schedule OR anytime at your own pace with forever access.
SMARTY PANTS build your skills beyond skirts!
"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!
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 or pens
- tripod
- 2nd mirror
- poster board
- dotty paper
- wrist pin cushion
- industrial push pins (if you have a pinnable top table)
- lint tape roller
NEW ITEMS
for Smarty Pants
We will use:
- Your completed custom Skirt Block from Skirt Skills
- Your completed custom Skirt Block Mockup from Skirt Skills
- A Flexible Curve Ruler 36″ or longer*
- 6 rubber bands (a few different colors can be helpful)
- A long L-square (16″x24″ works nicely)
- French curve
- Needlepoint spiky wheel
- A sleeve board
- Lots of muslin or mockup fabric (multiple mockup trials should be expected)
- NEW ADDITION FOR 2020: 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” tried aluminum foil (as I suggest in the Supplies Video), but discovered and preferred using 16 gauge jewelry 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 weeks 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)
- topstitching thread
- jeans needles
- jeans button
- jeans rivets
- fusible interfacing
- 1/4″ cotton twill tape
- hand basting needles
- wax tailors square
- Fray Check
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Watch the SMARTY PANTS Tools & Supplies Lesson:
Important Beta Discoveries:
Bendy Ruler Alternatives: Though the “flexible curve ruler” seems to be much more accurate and helpful than DIY versions, students who couldn’t find long enough “flexible curve rulers” tried two DIY alternatives to the “bendy ruler”: rolled aluminum foil and 16 gauge jewelry wire. The consensus was the jewelry wire worked best!
Sturdier Block: I did not enjoy using “oil cloth,” which I had purchased (and demoed) for transferring my block to something thicker. I recommend using poster board instead. I also did not end up demonstrating how to use the “clapper” pressing tool (or most of the optional jeans findings, such as rivets, though I do share bonus links, if you are jazzed to try them.)
NEW ADDITION FOR 2020: You’ll also need a large piece of cardboard/foamboard or thick paper (at least as big as your body’s “saddle”) and something to cut it with.
REMINDER! This is a beta course. Everything is subject to change and experimentation!
(Though subject to change) The next 6 week session will likely begin in October 2021.
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 complete Skirt Skills prior to registering for Smarty Pants – you will not be able to begin the course without your prior work 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.
Brooks Ann so obviously likes what she’s doing which makes it so fun to learn from her.”
Follow-up Course!
REGISTRATION OPENS:
Not yet Announced
Work with the optional 6 week schedule OR anytime at your own pace with forever access.
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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