This has been the biggest, longest and most difficult pattern development ever! 5 weeks, 20 patterns, 154 pages - more of a compendium of cuppery! I wanted a pattern where the cups are in the correct position so I designed the underbusts/ wire position to be at 5, 6, 7 and 8'' above the waistline. That doesn't cover every body shape of course, so I my have to do more at some point, but for now this is the latest pattern uploaded to Etsy and Patreon.

I am giving Patreon a go - if i can get 22 patrons it will go a long way to helping me draft up and grade the many Symington patterns that Leicestershire county council have made available on their website. It's an incredibly cheap way to collect beautiful corsetry patterns as each patron pays only 5$ for each pattern - I shall be posting them about once per month. Here is the link for further information!

https://www.patreon.com/corsetsbycaroline?ty=h

In 2013 I had made two corsets, one of which had been at a weekend ‘learn to make a corset’ course at my local college in Hackney. I have always made things and was looking for a new hobby and this course ticked all my boxes given that I had always admired corsets and wanted one of my own. I then bought Julia’s e book tutorial (thanks Julia!), worked my way through that, bought supplies, poured over YouTube tutorials (thanks Lucy!) and made my first corset on my own from a Truly Victorian pattern. Soon thereafter I saw the advert for the first OCOC and pondered it a while thinking that I was far too inexperienced to attend. After chatting to Julia via e mail she convinced me that it was not just for experienced professionals, that it was for anybody, and that all was required was a passion and propensity to learn about the subject.

I booked to attend and went along full of trepidation but with a determination to learn from the experience. I learned a few things that weekend;

1. That I loved the art of corsetry;
2. That I was not the only beginner;
3. That I could learn from the people I met;
4. That new friends (giving an excellent support network) could be made;
5. And that there was a world of possibility ahead of me.

The experience made me think, it spurred me on, it created openings and possibilities. In just over two years since this first conference I have started my own business selling on-line patterns, and started taking commissions. Most exciting of all I am coming back to OCOC16 as a presenter where I will be making use of my 15+ years’ experience using  AutoCAD to show how I create digital patterns. I’m also looking forward to having a sabbatical from work where I can push my aesthetic and try and drum up business. And if it doesn’t work out and I have to return to full-time paid employment at the end of 2016? Well at least I can say I tried, I did something very different, and I had a really good time doing it.