I have returned from my travels to the UK where I presented at the Oxford Conference of Corsetry on digital drafting. I’m not the best presenter in the world so it was a huge thing for me to do but I got through it though and I hope I have enthused a few corset makers to give digital drafting a go.

There were some great presentations from industry experts – Barbara from Royal Black, Marianne from Pop Antique, Laurie from Laurie Tavan Corsetry and Gowns, and Karolina Laskowska brought (and talked passionately about) a selection of vintage corsets from her Underpinnings Museum. I took the pink cage corset that some of you have the pattern for along to be photographed as part of a special Underpinnings Museum exhibition.

The focus on the Sunday was business and of course the model shoots. I had two models this year as this is always a part of the weekend that I love. I’m waiting for the professional photos but here is one I took with my new camera of the lovely Miss Tosh in the high-waisted pencil skirt (May 17’s pattern). Miss Tosh performed for us and gave a fabulous after-dinner talk about the history of burlesque.

The standard of corsets that you see at this conference is incredible and very inspiring. I always leave with a mixture of emotions – wanting to get home to create better, more interesting designs, but also feeling like the bar is set so high now in modern corsetry that how I possibly compete? We’ll see – it takes take to become brilliant. I’ve been at it 5 years - I wonder what the next 5 will bring? If you have considered attending this event I can thoroughly recommend it, so start saving now – the next one is in summer 2018.