A wrinkled dress changed the trajectory of Brooks Ann's career. It all began her senior year at Centenary College, where she was a theater major. She had been cast in a play and was behind the stage when the head of the department, “a brilliant, but grumpy old man,” noticed her dress was wrinkled he sent her off to iron it. When she confessed, she’d never ironed before, he assigned her—against her will—to work with him in the costume shop for the next production. “I unexpectedly just had a total blast making costumes with the grumpy old man and I found out that I really like sewing.” 

On a whim, she applied for an internship at Yale School of Drama, and much to her surprise was accepted. It was there she created her first dress, a big fancy bustle dress with a huge collar and lag mutton sleeves. While there, she discovered her love for pattern-making and sewing. After completing her internship at Yale, Brooks Ann received her MFA in costume production at the University of North Carolina. (2:33 - 14:45)

Although she loved her time in New York, she realized that neither she nor her boyfriend (now husband) were the hustle and bustle type. Upon leaving, she took a brief hiatus from sewing. Then, at a Thanksgiving dinner, her husband’s sister got engaged. She got so swept up in the moment, she offered to make her wedding dress. Then she made another, and another, and another…including one for her own wedding.  Suddenly realizing she was now a wedding dressmaker, she put together a portfolio of her designs and made herself a website. In 2009, she started a blog and really got into the sewing community. (22:14-32:58)

For the past nine or so years, Brooks Ann has been teaching and blogging, where she develops her own easy-to-follow, beginner-friendly methods for creating pattern blocks. Her blogs are about custom sewing. There’s no fashion formula. No fashion textbooks. She shows people how to sew for where they’re at, with no sizes, no pear or apple ranges. She loves the puzzle-solving, the detective work, and the fact that she’ll never stop learning new things. The best part?  Through her blogs, sewists can go on that journey with her. “It’s a place where everyone can just be themselves. So it's really empowering. And it's pretty magical.”  (33:00--44:49)

So what’s next for Brooks Ann? Building a dream studio from a broken-down 1920 farmhouse that’s on their property. This story and the many others she shares in the podcast are fascinating. Have a seat and take a listen. 

The best way to get in touch with Brooks Ann is to go to brooksann.com, and link to her blog. From there, you can also link to her other three websites and her bridal website. You’ll also find her at brooksanncamper@Instagram.

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

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