Mimi G

Mimi is an author, entrepreneur, and absolute powerhouse in the sewing world. With a mission to help others live their creative dreams, she’s taught hundreds of thousands of makers how to sew, start businesses, and turn their passion into a lifestyle.

At PatternCon, Mimi will be sharing her journey of working with **Simplicity Patterns**, how she broke barriers in the industry, and why she created the **KnowMe** pattern line to uplift a new generation of designers.

Aaronica B. Cole

Speaking up about the patterns being plus size inclusive and how to gain your power by learning about pattern making. The love of patternmaking and using styling to boost our mood and out confidence.

Tricia Camacho

Tricia Camacho is the founder of Creative Costume Academy and the visionary behind PatternCon. With 20+ years of experience in live entertainment costume design—including Cirque du Soleil—she’s on a mission to make pattern making simple, fun, and accessible for creatives at all levels. Her superpower? Breaking down complex techniques so anyone can draft with confidence.

Jennifer Stern

Jennifer is the owner and designer of J Stern Designs. She has a solid background in pattern design and drafting, as well as fit and garment constructions. Her line of fashion sewing patterns and fit workbooks feature easy to follow instructions. Her specialty is garment fitting, she loves helping you create clothes that fit and are flattering. Pants and jeans are her passion. She shares her tips, techniques and projects on her YouTube Channel and in Zoom Classes.

Brooks Ann Camper

In her Prep School for Custom Sewing online, Brooks Ann Camper teaches individuals a unique way to sew their own custom-fit clothes.

As a former professional costumemaker and couturier, Brooks Ann has developed new patternmaking and sewing methods designed specifically for the solo sewist- embracing the advantages of sewing for yourself and opting out of the “fashion industry”. No sizes. No standards. No charts. No Adjustments-naming-your-non-standard-body-parts. It’s YOU learning to make clothes for YOU- in a way that feels good to you.

Brooks Ann is a “slow sewing” enthusiast who loves delving into the nerdy “why” behind each step- and she loves sharing her unconventional perspective with kindred spirits. She can’t wait to meet new patternmaking nerds at Pattern Con!

Sumalee Eaton

Sumalee fell in love with costumes at first sight and has been tumbling through the world of costuming ever since, first as a professional stitcher in the Florida entertainment industry, then as an accidental costume designer in the Orlando theatre scene. After building an audience of 25k followers on Tiktok with her costume analysis videos, she has pivoted to a new adventure, creating entertaining educational resources for Costume Nerds everywhere. She now hosts a podcast, The Costumer's Journey, which celebrates the vast and varied paths of costume makers, cosplayers, and others who are passionate about sewing and garment construction.

Ruby Gertz

Ruby Gertz is a freelance patternmaker and designer with over a decade of experience working in the fashion and costume design industries. She holds a BFA in fashion design from Pratt Institute and a Master of Education from Widener University, and currently teaches as an adjunct professor in the Fashion Design program at Jefferson University. Ruby has worked on projects that have appeared on SNL, at the New York City Toy Fair, on the red carpet of the Academy Awards, on the stages of The Met Opera, American Ballet Theater, various Off-Broadway productions, cruise lines, and at world-class theme parks around the world. She has also made costumes for indie theater companies, solo performers, music videos, and puppets. Ruby is passionate about size-inclusive design and intentionally seeks out projects and clients that aim to serve the plus-size market.

Shawnelle Cherry

Shawnelle Cherry is the founder of Future Fashion Designers in Mooresville, NC—a school she launched after the 2009 recession nudged her from Hollywood to the Southeast. Before that shift, she spent over 20 years as a costume designer, creating looks for 30+ films and joining the Costume Designers Guild in 2003.

She got her start designing custom evening gowns in L.A., dressing stars for the Oscars, Emmys, and Golden Globes, while crafting hundreds of wedding gowns to pay the bills.

Now, she’s built a joyful creative community of young designers, complete with fashion shows, mac-and-cheese cook-offs, and her signature “Project Sew Way” program. She also shares her sewing love on YouTube and is currently writing a book on her all-time favorite skirt design.

Passionate about helping others chase their fashion dreams, Shawnelle believes success is where opportunity meets preparation—and she’s ready to cheer you on every stitch of the way.

Jasmine Chandler

Jasmine Desirée is a fashion design professor, indie pattern designer, and total sewing superstar! With over a decade of experience, a master’s degree, and her own line, she brings serious skills and passion to every stitch. Get ready to be inspired!

Tina VanDenberg

Tina VanDenburg of Kinship Handwork has been a passionate garment sewist for 18+ years, specializing in knits, and teaching for over a decade. She loves empowering others through sewing, whether it's creating custom pieces or hacking patterns, and thrives on helping people experience the “holy Hannah, I just DID this!” moment. Tina also hosts retreats on Mackinac Island, teaches virtual workshops, and shares her vibrant maker journey through her podcast.

Constance "Conni" Spotts

Dr. Conni is a retired U.S. Navy Commander turned fashion historian and designer. She recently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Smithsonian, studying WWII WAVES uniforms by designer Mainbocher. With a Ph.D. in Apparel, Merchandising & Design and a background in engineering, she blends deep technical knowledge with creativity. Her historical designs have earned national awards and spots in international exhibitions, and she’s passionate about exploring fashion’s past to inspire its future.

Nikki Griffin

Nikki Griffin, veteran sewing intsructor and lingerie makers grew her brand from teaching advanced level sewing, supporting sewists and designers to up their sewing game to the most aspirational garments like jeans, coats, lingerie and tailoring. Nikki has worked in environments like film/tv production, working with designers that pushed the boundaries of aesthetics beyond the fabrics.

Mackenzie
Sholtz

Mackenzie's main focus for the last 25 years has been creating patterns from historic garments and selling the graded patterns under the label of Fig Leaf Patterns®. Creating patterns to fit modern bodies has been a focus on bringing historic drafting to today's sewers. Previously she has worked in the garment industry in San Francisco as a freelance grader and pattern drafter.

Stephanie Canada

I'm Stephanie Canada, part-time YouTuber, full-time mom, thrift shopper, estate sale hunter, and collector of vintage items. I like to find vintage and old sewing patterns, craft patterns, fabrics, thread, cabinets, historical magazines and many other parts of the vintage sewing world of the 1900's. I was originally taught to sew by my mother, but then after a lapse of "that's just Mom's thing" for about 15 years, I picked sewing back up during the pandemic and haven't stopped.

Carol Huls

Carol Huls, President & CEO of DittoForm, empowers clothing and costume makers with custom dress forms that reflect their unique bodies. She thrives on problem-solving, leveraging a diverse background—from working with museum collections to supporting Fortune 500 executives to guiding 8th graders through Washington, DC. Carol credits her success to curiosity, collaboration, and a strong professional network. She believes creativity, innovation, and adaptability are key to both business and life—and she never goes a day without a good laugh.

Mela Hoyt-Heydon

Mela is a union costume designer who also was a professor of costuming and patterning for 38 years at the college level until she retired. Currently she owns Atelier Mela, a millinery shop in Oregon and also works for Walt Disney Imagineering as a designer and maker of set dressings and costumes. Mela is one of the founders of Costume College and Costumer’s Guild Wesr, has taught at USITT, member of Costume Society of America (ex-boardmember)

AmyLeigh Harrison

Amy Leigh is a stitch-loving, tune-humming, costume pro with years in theatre classrooms and costume shops coast to coast. From teaching high schoolers buttonholes (on machines that barely work 😵‍💫) to on-set tailoring for film, she’s done it all—except willingly sew with Rayon. These days, she runs her own studio, teaches local classes, and still gets her hands into the theater world. Her favorite machine? A BERNINA. Least favorite fabric? Anything pleated and synthetic (ugh, Chincha).

Anna
Depew

The history of women is often told through the treasures they made with their own two hands. I was raised in an antique shop and my mother taught me to find the stories of women shining through each loving stitch of the clothes they left behind.

Mrs. Depew Vintage is built around preserving that history through education, restoration work, and reproductions of vintage sewing and embroidery patterns, public domain books, and magazines.

Elyssa Smith

Elyssa Smith is a trauma-informed life strategist who helps creative-minded women break free from the procrastination patterns that keep them scrambling to finish projects. Through her own healing journey, she discovered that chronic procrastination isn't about poor time management—it's often rooted in hidden trauma and limiting beliefs that keep us stuck in cycles of self-sabotage. As host of the "Unlock Your Blocks" podcast and creator of the Ultimate Self-Regulation Method, Elyssa specializes in helping women understand what is blocking them from being their most peaceful and productive, and how to shift these patterns without guilt or shame. Her TEDx talk "Why You Procrastinate - And How to Stop it For Good" has nearly 200k views and has been used worldwide to shed light on trauma-induced self-sabotage.