So I haven't made an announcement yet, but I will be teaching (in-person!) at PatternCon 2025 in Charlotte, NC this August! (-screams anxiously.-)
This is an inaugural event that my patternmaking teacher Tricia (Creative Costume Academy) has been dreaming of starting, and it's finally happening this year. It's going to be a two day convention of sewing folks and pattern enthusiasts, with workshops, lectures, vendors, etc, etc.
So what am I going to be doing??
I'm offering two workshops:
1) Sloper for Costumes and Cosplay
YES, I am finally distilling my entire "how I make costumes from a sloper" method into a 3-hour workshop. I'll be walking everyone through my analysis and R&D process, and leading exercises to show people how to apply these practices to their costuming. It's A LOT.
2) Bust Support Through the Ages
Another opportunity to channel all the research I've done for TT videos into something fun and informative-- a time traveling trip through 2000 years of bust support in Western fashion! I'm starting in Antiquity and ending in 2025. This one is just a lecture/stand-up comedy routine but. Again, a LOT.
I haven't really talked too much about this yet, but ultimately, I would love to lean into teaching/speaking engagements, so this is a big opportunity for me! I tried to pick topics that were versatile so that whatever materials I develop (slide decks, scripts, activities, etc) can be repurposed for other mediums (Youtube videos, online courses, webinars, etc). Trying to work smarter!
So here's what I need from y'all...
If you showed up to either of these sessions, what would get you excited? What questions do you have about these concepts and what would you hope to learn/take away from the experience?
Tell me below or email me directly! I would love to hear your opinions.
And YES, I will be filming both sessions and making them available for Costume Nerd Club members 😇
If anyone is interested in attending PatternCon, it's August 16-17 2025.
You can purchase tickets here.
(It's a pretty penny but worth it if you are in this place in your journey)
How exciting for you! I think this type of workshop would interest me if I was attending! Specifically the sloper aspect and how I know it's beneficial to creating more specific patterns and fits for my body. The individualization is what would interest me greatly as that is hard to do with big-store patterns. I think some of the questions I'd have would be like: "What material works best for making your own sloper?" "Can slopers be adjusted easily with weight gain or weight loss?" "Can you adapt a sloper to be used in conjuction with say pre-set patterns?" I don't have much experience with like bust adjustments or providing bust support to my costumes yet, so I'm not sure I'd want to participate in that workshop. However, I think I'd be interested if it was after the sloper workshop? It fits into the idea that Bust Support is like the "next level" or the next step in understanding good costuming, if that makes sense. I hope that you have a great convention and you're a good teacher and inspiration - your TikToks are really valuable. Have fun at the Con!