Victoria

Ashley Werner

Creator & Director of Confident Patternmaking

Hi! I’m Victoria. I’m a heart-led entrepreneur, plant lover and former organic farmer, an amateur astrologer and herbalist, and mom to my nearly two-year-old daughter Paloma. I’m also trained in the Italian tradition of patternmaking and tailoring.

In 2020, I completed the 600-hour Master course in Womenswear patternmaking at Istituto di Moda Burgo, one of the top fashion schools in Italy.

Since then I've worked with hundreds of students to develop made-to-measure patterns for their dream designs. This has exposed me to an incredible array of different design and troubleshooting scenarios. I've observed patterns in the patterns (forgive the pun!) that have allowed me to develop my own methods and formulas for pattern drafting.

My story starts back when I was farming. My income as a farmer had very physical limits—it was capped by how many crates I could load into the van to take to market!

One day I was out in the field harvesting and bunching kale with a podcast in my ears.

The podcast was an interview with an indie pattern designer who was talking about selling digital sewing patterns.

In that moment a new path forward opened up for me.

I was blown away by the idea of digital products.

The idea that I could create a digital pattern once, and sell it over and over again felt like the holy grail to me, a farmer schlepping vegetables out of the field to earn my keep.

I knew intuitively that there was a promising future for me in patternmaking.

And I know from the success of so many of my students that patternmaking holds a promising future for you, too!

Meet your instructors

Jessica Capalbo

Hi! I’m Jess, your patternmaking mentor!

I’m a sewing pattern designer and someone who loves to sew clothes! In January of 2023, I took a leap of faith and enrolled in Victoria’s Confident Patternmaking course. Just a few months later, I launched my very first PDF sewing pattern, the Tapioca Trousers!

With Victoria’s guidance, I became a full time pattern designer, teacher and a mentor to folks just like you who are starting out on their patternmaking journey.

I’m passionate about making sewing and designing clothes more accessible to anyone who’s interested in learning. Whether you just want to design clothes for yourself or you want to start your own pattern line, you’re in the right place. I truly believe that with hard work and the right guidance, you hold the skills to make all your pattern making dreams come true.

Nat della Selva

Hi, I’m Nat!

I’m the classroom TA for Confident Patternmaking and Grading, here to support and guide you on your patternmaking journey.

In 2022, after graduating from art school with my BFA in fashion design, I stumbled upon Victoria’s course one day on Instagram. It felt like the missing link I needed to bring my dream of becoming an indie pattern designer to life. I jumped in, and within just a week, I was learning to translate my paper pattern making skills into the digital realm.

Fast forward to today, and I’m living that dream! I run my own sewing pattern company, Neighborhood Patterns, freelance as a pattern maker and grader, and teach sewing classes at my local fabric shop in Columbus, OH.

As your TA, I’m here to be your biggest cheerleader. Whether it’s answering questions, giving feedback, or sharing tips, I can’t wait to help you grow your patternmaking skills and create beautiful size-inclusive designs.

between you and us?

There’s never been a better time to be a patternmaker.

We can work digitally from anywhere in the world, and change people’s lives with our designs.

The world of inclusive fashion is rapidly growing, and now is the time to learn what you need to know and hit the ground running!

Since its debut in 2021, Confident Patternmaking has sent a shockwave through the sewing world.

So many new, innovative, and inclusive designers have debuted as a result of my program that it’s changing the industry.

Together we’re normalizing size-inclusive patterns that center our unique body shapes and proportions AND our unique styles.