Saturday/Sunday, February 7th-8th, 2026, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: San Marcos, California
Susan Lazear’s Home – maximum of 6 people

And an optional Boot Camp, Friday, February 6th, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

We are pleased to offer our Winter Workshop this upcoming year.  Want to learn more about your software? Maybe escape the snow while you are at it?

The Pattern Path: Navigating the Design Process
Walking Through the Design Process: From Concept to Finished Pattern with Garment Designer

The goal of our 2026 workshop  is to introduce and guide you through the Design Process; From Concept to Finished Pattern.  Whether you sew or knit, the approach is the same.

Explore thinking creatively and logically as you plan and build a garment pattern. You will be delighted to discover that it is not rocket science.
Rather, it is learned series of steps that you can exercise again, and again; getting faster each time you develop a new pattern.

Our workshop will begin with various exercises that will teach you how to look at an inspiration garment, analyze it, and then develop a plan which includes style details and measurements. You will then build the pattern in Garment Designer. The first pattern will be a simple style for a standard size. We will provide the inspiration for this one.  After you have completed that, we will then move on to making decisions of how to adapt that pattern for your own personal measurements and you will then alter the first pattern to suit your body. Once you have this under your belt, you will then move on to your own unique project, working from an inspiration image or garment through to a developed pattern.

Click here to download the flyer and registration form. Sign up for the workshop here in our web store, and then download and complete the registration and send it to susan@cochenille.com

Boot Camp

During the Boot Camp, we will walk through the process of taking the 36 measurements you can input into Garment Designer and then walk through the process of entering them into the program. We will also review using the software.

This is designed for:

• people who are new to the software
• those wanting a review
• those who want assistance with taking their Measurements and entering them into Garment Designer

San Marcos is near San Diego, California.

We can assist people in locating hotels in the area.