Preparing the Structure of the Class

After I have covered the general questions and aspects of organising classes in my last article, I will now go into detail in this second article and share with you the contents of my own masterclass, how I prepared for the event and how the class actually went in the end. So here we go...

Once the date is set and your class is booked, it's time to start planning the actual contents of your class in detail. To be honest, I was a bit clueless in the beginning, as I didn't know at all how experienced and skilled my students would be, how much knowledge they would have already, how fast they would be with their sewing and so on. Whilst I know each step by heart and can calculate quite accurately how long it takes me to realise an idea, I was well aware that this could be extremely different for my students and so I decided to go the safe route. That means I decided to explain even the smallest and most simple steps in detail and illustrate it with pictures or samples. I figured out that I still could move forward faster, should I realise that my detailed explaining was boring for the participants.

To get started I mapped out a rough timeline with content for each day, which looked like this:

Day 1: Pattern Construction (based on a custom-fitted basic block pattern) + Material Science (special materials for corsets and how to use them),
Day 2: Continuation of Material Science, Cutting the Corset Pieces, Starting Corset Construction,
Day 3: Corset Construction (Front Busk, Bone Casings, Back Lacing, Binding, Modesty Panel, etc...
Day 4: Corset Construction Finishing, Discussing Embellishment Techniques, Feedback, Q&A.

With this rough plan in mind, which was also approved by the institute that hosted my masterclass, I started thinking in more detail what work-piece would be the best choice for realising it with my students during the class. In the end I chose a simple underbust corset, made from spot broche - without any decoration or details but with various options for constructing this piece.

I thought this would be a good beginner's piece, as underbust patterns are the easiest to construct, spot broche is nice to work with and my students could focus entirely on construction technique, without getting distracted by difficult patterns, fabrics or opulent embellishment.
Once this decision was made, I started working on samples for exactly this piece.

Samples would not only provide me with useful show-pieces which I wanted to use during my class, but it would also help me to document each step of construction and putting it into understandable words for my students.
I made notes on how long each step took me, what I exactly did and if I considered it necessery I also created accompanying pictures or diagrams as supporting teaching materials.

In the end I had three underbust samples ready, showcasing three ways of constructing a corset:

• The first was waist cincher with modest waist reduction, only one layer of spot broche and no lining, external bone casings, front busk and loose modesty panel.

• The second sample was a more curvy waist cincher with also one layer of fabric, but double external bone casings, no front busk and a fixed modesty panel in the back.

• The third sample was a longline underbust corset with diagonal seamlines in the front, very dramatic waist reduction, internal bone casings, loose lining, front busk and loose modesty panel again.

I wanted to let my students choose their preferred methods and also their favourite colour of spot broche, so they would have at least some opportunity to customise their corset, even if it was "only" plain spot broche without embellishment.
Apart from visualising each step and calculating the time, making the samples also helped me to calculate the materials I wanted to provide. Which already brings me to the next point on the list – organising the materials for my masterclass.

 

Organising Materials for Your Class

Some of the participants emailed me already a few months in advance, asking what materials they were supposed to bring, so I decided to put a list together detailing what materials and equipment I would provide and what they should bring themselves.

For me it made the most sense to provide all the materials especially used in corsetry and which would very likely not be available in local stores:

• the corset fabrics: spot broché and lining,
• the corset hardware: busks, spiral and steel bones, grommets,
• special haberdashery: waist tape, corset lacing.

Also I had to bring some of my special tools and machines for corsetmaking, which weren't available at the institute, like my grinding machine, the press for setting grommets, an awl, various pliers, etc... 

The students were asked to bring basic materials like thread, bias tape, paper for pattern construction and their basic sewing and drawing equipment (scissors, rulers, tailors chalk, pins, needles and measurement tapes).

To supply an ample amount of materials, I generously calculated 1m of fabric in the desired colour for each student, plus 0.5m of lining fabric, if a corset with lining was chosen. I also tried to calculate the required busks, bones and lacing for the class, but since the students would create a corset based on their individual measurements, I soon postponed that task, as I had no idea which lengths of busks and bones everybody would need.

At this point it came in really handy that my class was split in two parts. That gave me enough time between both course weekends to order the exact amount of required materials for the second part of the class, so I didn't have to worry about it in the beginning. If a class is not split, it might be more difficult to calculate the hardware materials. In that case it might work best, to bring several busks in each available length and to buy continuous boning in rolls, instead of finished lengths.

With the finished list of materials, it was time to decide where to order all the materials from. I contacted several of my regular suppliers and introduced my plans of organising a corsetmaking class. As that meant quite a big material order, I politely asked my suppliers if they would be open to offer a discount in exchange for naming them as good source for materials and introducing them to my students. Not all suppliers may be able to offer discounts – especially small businesses with tight budget – but I still thought it would be worth asking and I got very kind and supportive response from all shops, offering me discounts on bulk orders or free shipping. That was a really positive experience for me and convinced me even more that my suppliers have the most wonderful customer service ever.

 

Teaching Methods

After the material orders were done, I started thinking about teaching methods. What would be the best way, to convey my knowledge and experience in an understandable way, without overtaxing my students or boring them? After some consideration I decided on different techniques for each topic. For Pattern Construction I chose a projector presentation, with a detailed sheet for each step. I thought that this would be the easiest way to explain this difficult but super-important matter step-by-step, while people could reproduce each step on their own paper pattern in front of them.

For Material Science I decided to bring lots of material samples for my students, so they could examine them while I explained the characteristics, purpose and use of each material. Also I brought catalogues of my main suppliers, so we could compare different materials and study the less common ones or the ones I personally don't use. Also, I provided a detailed list with links to all my main suppliers, so the students could contact these shops on their own, in cased they wanted to order supplies for corsetmaking in the future.

For the Corset Construction part I made the already mentioned samples, showcasing different construction techniques, pattern- and design options. Additionally, I brought several of my own collection samples for the students to examine. This way I had real finished products to show. I could illustrate each step on the samples and my students always could examine the to recheck a technique or materials. Also they had the chance to take a closer look at some of my work to get inspiration for styles, materials and techniques.

Finally I wanted to give my students a script with a detailed summary of each step, illustrated by pictures and diagrams. This would not only be a lovely memory after the class, but also a useful source to look up certain details later and a guideline during the class itself - as much for me as for the participants.

 

Communication

After preparing my samples and the beamer presentation, ordering the materials and putting a list together, I thought it was time to get in touch with my students. This was approximately one month before the corsetmaking class. I wanted to briefly introduce myself, to give the students a quick overview of what I had prepared for them and to inform them about the required materials, and explain the finished basic block pattern everybody should bring as a starting point for the individual corset pattern construction.

I think that communication plays a very important part in organising a class, so I can only recommend to get in touch with the participants before the class starts. Some of my students didn't reply, but others had specific questions, which we could clarify by email. Talking to the participants by email also helped me to overcome part of my nervousness of speaking in front of students for the first time. I got to know some of the ladies in advance and it didn't feel like I was talking to complete strangers any more, once the class started.

Which brings me to the next point of my article...

 

How the Masterclass Actually Went

After several weeks of preparations the first day of my class came near and I decided to get to the workroom an hour earlier to set up my equipment, to hand out the materials and scripts and to settle down a bit, before the students were due to arrive. This proved to be a good idea, as I had some troubles getting the projector to work and I also had to get some paperwork for the institute done, which I hadn't been aware of before.

The first students arrived and we were ready to get started. I introduced myself again and then also asked all the ladies for a short self introduction, as I thought it would be nice to get to know each other a little better before diving into the world of corsetry. In the beginning I was still a bit nervous, but since everybody was extremely nice and motivated, I soon felt comfortable among the students and we started with a little intro on the general subject of corsetry and corsetmaking, and then went on straight into corset pattern construction.

Looking back, pattern construction turned out to be the most challenging part of the class. For most of the ladies this was new territory and I was glad that I had decided to explain every little step in detail. In the end I still constantly went around the room and helped each student to complete and perfect her pattern. 

This took quite long, but since I had calculated the time for pattern construction generously, we managed to stay within schedule and had enough time to discuss details. After all that complex theory the students seemed a bit tired, but altogether I was quite pleased with how that first part of the class had gone.

The following modules were more relaxed and casual after that. Everybody was very motivated to get started with her own corset and after the complex part of constructing the pattern, sewing and finishing the corset seemed to be the most fun part for the students.

In the beginning I tried to explain each step to the entire group, using my samples and then let them rehearse it with their own corset. However, this didn't always work out, as some of the students were much faster with sewing than others and already wanted to go on, while others were still struggling with a certain task or were just a little behind with their own work-piece. So I soon ended up circling the room instead of  teaching from the front of the room - going from student to student and discussing their specific questions, explaining a certain step again, or just peeking over the shoulder and giving some tips. At this point the atmosphere became very relaxed, people really delved into their work or chatted with each other while sewing.

After the first two days of the class I was not only surprised how fast time had flown by, but also that we had managed to stick to the schedule more or less as planned. Before we parted, I finished my list of materials for the second part of the class together with the participants and also encouraged them to give feedback and to ask any questions that might occur during the three weeks to the second part of the class.

To my great delight, the ladies really seemed to have enjoyed the first two days and some of them were so motivated, that they asked me for materials for a second corset, so they could practice at home and possibly finish two corsets during the second part of the class. I ended up handing out all extra material I had with me and promised to order additional materials as requested for part 2 of the class. This actually turned out a bit chaotic, as I went home with an incredibly long list of different materials, which took me three days to sort everything out.

It was absolutely okay for me to organise all this additional materials, since my students were all such nice people, but I guess not everybody is up to such an extra challenge. Therefore it might be a good idea to specify in advance, what materials will be provided and if there is the option of ordering additional materials or not. Apart from that, I used the three week break to reflect on my first ever tutoring experience and what I could learn from it for the future.

The second part of the corsetmaking class felt like meeting old friends again and I had the impression, that everybody had a good time.  Luckily all of the ladies could finish their underbust corset and try it on for the first time on the last day of our class. This was one of my most favourite moments from the entire class: A student trying on the new corset – for some it was their first corset ever – and getting a feeling for what corsetry is all about.  

So altogether I couldn't have been more happy with how the class had turned out and I was especially glad, that my preparations had been worth the efforts and almost everything had gone according to plan.

 

Some final tips and tricks for organising classes

Finally I would like to add some extra tips and thoughts about tutoring, which I have learnt from my own corsetmaking class:

• Communication in my opinion is one of the most important things, as already said above. Providing ample information in advance will help the students to prepare for the course. During the class listen to your students and respond to their feedback. It makes them feel well cared for and helps avoiding any problems or misunderstandings.
• Don't hold back information on techniques, material sources etc... It might sound a bit silly to mention this, but I have made this experience myself during some classes I have attended in the past.  Some of the tutors openly said that they wanted to keep some of their professional secrets to themselves, others just didn't answer certain questions I asked and tried to talk around it. I do understand this to a certain point, as it takes ages and lots of hard work to gain all these knowledge and skill, but for students attending your class it may be a big disappointment, if they feel that you are keeping some really important information secret. In my opinion it never is a threat to your own business to answer all questions openly. Transparancy and willingness to share what you know is on the contrary often perceived as good customer service and also gives valuable insight of how you work, how good your materials are and how high your quality standards are. It also might convince people to order from you in the future and it will earn you the respects of your colleagues.
• If you don't have any experience in speaking in front of people and if you feel insecure about it, speech training might help. I took some phonetic and rhetoric lessons myself before starting my class and found it quite useful and interesting. It helped me to make my voice a bit louder and also to preserve my voice through several hours of talking. That's not at all a must though. For some it might be helpful, others who are very communicative anyway might consider it as a waste of time.
• Encourage the participants to ask questions and give feedback. That doesn't only help each student to get the maximum value from your class, it also will help you a great deal to improve your tutoring and organisation of future classes.

I hope I could give a good insight and overview of how a corsetmaking class can be, how it can be organised and held and what students might expect from taking part in such an event.

 

 

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