The Corsetry Retreat
The Corsetry Retreat events are held at the beautiful Caer Beris Manor, a grade II listed building in Wales, surrounded by 18 acres of serene parkland. Our upcoming events include a full schedule of workshops with experienced tutors, optional evening talks or activities, a gallery of excitement, as well as time to relax in the historic surroundings, meet with like-minded people, and unwind in the manor’s hot tub or beside an open fire.
Now Booking for October 2026
Who Would Enjoy This?
Our retreats are aimed at people who have some experience of making corsets and want to develop their skills further, or people who are competent with clothes-making on a sewing machine and want to learn to draft, fit and make bespoke corsetry or stays. We will cover everything you need to know for you to leave The Corsetry Retreat equipped with all of the skills and techniques required to make a beautifully fitting corset or Stays. This starts with measuring and drafting to perfect fit, then construction and finishing techniques.
Those of you who are more experienced may find that they want to start making a corset alongside the workshops, if you think this might be the case then you will need to bring along any problem projects if you’d like suggestions for techniques and problem solving without judgement.
There will be 2 tutors on hand throughout the day support your learning and to help troubleshoot your existing projects so please bring along your problem children if you’d like advice on what’s gone wrong (don’t worry they don’t judge).
“Thank you so much again for creating such a wonderful Stays retreat. I’ve had the best time, and might even ask a question on the Patrion now. I’ll say it again, what you have created is pure magic, a safe, creative space to share, learn, love and be yourself is a rare treat in these times. I’m truly grateful to you all for this.”
Janice Whitehorn, Uptight Corsetry
What’s Included in the price?
• Your ensuite room in the manor.
• Three meals a day: a self serve breakfast, a buffet lunch and home cooked evening meals, as well as light refreshments.
• A full schedule of workshops from two experienced tutors who will be on hand for guidance throughout the day.
• A gallery of garments: corsets and or stays.
• Swap table for the exchange of materials and embellishments.
• Use of the manor’s hot tub, extensive gardens and the communal areas.
• All fabrics and materials needed for the workshops including coutil, boning and busks, binding, flossing threads and eyelets.
New 2026 Events
January 2026 – Extra Long *PAST EVENT* – As part of our XL event we will also have a selection of exciting guest speakers offering a range of talks and demonstrations.
March 2026 – Alumni Gathering *SOLD OUT* – As part of our alumni event we will be inviting past attendees to recap on the construction methods taught at past retreats, have dedicated support to continue their corsetry journey, while catching up with old friends in the lovely Caer Beris setting.
October 2026 – The Corsetry Retreat – Our classic corsetry retreat where we will guide you through the techniques for drafting and constructing a perfectly fitting bespoke corset.
November 2026 – Stays Edition *SOLD OUT* – We will guide you through the techniques for drafting and constructing a perfectly fitting bespoke set of stays, whether you are interested in historical accuracy or something more modern.
Tutors - Emma Brackenbury
Emma is an experienced costume maker for film and theatre, working on productions such as Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Fantastic Beasts, Tulip Fever, and Artemis Fowl.
She trained at Huddersfield University studying her BA in costume with textiles and later her MA in creative pattern cutting.
Having a specific interest in structured garments and technical details including corsetry, she is happiest when lost in making beautiful creations. Her current hobbies include devising drafting methods for corsetry stays and cups, these hobbies then feed into the retreat syllabus.
Alongside her freelance work she works as a visiting lecturer at a variety of universities.
Tutors - Elizabeth Moody
Elizabeth (Beth) Moody has over 14 years of corset making experience. She developed a love of period fashion as a child, playing with her mum’s Victorian dress collection, and was introduced to corsetry by fellow Corset Retreat organiser Niki. A hobby soon became an obsession with Beth turning professional in 2012. Since then, Beth has developed particular skills in plus size and fuller bust corsetry. She is an experienced tutor, providing courses at craft spaces in the UK and running non-residential courses from her studio in Redhill.
Tutor - Ruth Watkin
Ruth has been working as a costume maker for over a decade, after training in Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University. Since qualifying, she has since frequently returned to Nottingham Trent to teach on their Costume Design and Construction course as a principal lecturer.
As a freelancer, she has made costumes for many places including West End theatre shows and film productions for Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime.
“I flew all the way from the States with only the experience of sewing face masks and walked away with a beautiful fitted corset. I cannot wait to take the knowledge I’ve gained and progress my journey with corset making. Although I knew very little about sewing techniques and terms every time I looked up there was someone to help me, whether it was staff or other participants. The location was beautiful and the food outstanding. As a beginner sewer I recommend this if you are interested in learning to make fitted quality corsets.”
Liz Palmerston, Performer
Want to ask about booking, or just got a question?
Just drop us a message below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
“I consider myself reasonably competent at Sewing, but never having made a corset before I decided to go to the retreat and pick up some new skills. I was not disappointed! I left the two-day retreat, understanding the basics of garment, drafting and construction with enough supplies to finish my own first corset.”
Drea Lynch, Chartered Engineer
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