Costumes, Couture, and Custom Fit: A Conversation with Brooks Ann Camper
6/2/202655 min
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Today's guest is Brooks Ann Camper, custom garment expert, educator, and all-around joyful maker. Brooks Ann's path into sewing was anything but traditional. After discovering sewing (and irons!) as a senior in college, she went on to study costume construction, work in Broadway costume production, create couture bridalwear, and eventually develop her own approach to custom-fit garment sewing. Brooks Ann shares how her background in costume production shaped the way she thinks about fit, patternmaking, and the creative process. Along the way, she reflects on her journey from theatre and couture bridalwear to teaching sewists how to create clothing that truly fits both their bodies. Whether you're interested in pattern drafting, fit, couture techniques, or simply hearing the story of a creative career built stitch by stitch, you'll find plenty of inspiration in this conversation.
Show notes for each episode: www.thestraightstitchpodcast.com
My website: www.janetszabo.com
See my sewing projects at: www.janetszabo.com/blog
E-mail me! janet@janetszabo.com
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First 90 secondsJanet Szabo· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Welcome to The Straight Stitch, a podcast about sewing and other fiber arts. This is episode 125, and my name is Janet Zabo. I'll be your guide as we explore all things sewing. I had a busy week getting the garden in and finishing up from plant sale stuff, but I did manage to eke out a little bit of time at the end of the week to sew. I am still working my way through my pile of woven fabrics and making tops for myself. I made one out of a rayon batik, and then I made another one. I made another Scout Tee out of some black cotton lawn fabric from Robert Kaufman. And I commented on my blog the other day that it might seem to be fairly simple and boring sewing to be knocking out a bunch of tops. The patterns aren't that complicated. A front, a back, a couple of sleeves, and either a neck facing or a binding. But what makes that so special to me is that I am making tops that fit me perfectly, either