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May 2025
Webinar: Garment Designer: Working with the Extras Menu
Monday, May 12th, 2025 – 9 a.m. PT Click here to purchase.Designing garments is step one, but accessorizing that garment with the right 'add-ons' is what makes it unique. In this webinar you will learn how to use all the items in the Extras menu to add Collars, Cuffs, Pockets, Edgings, and Additional Shapes to the body of your garment. Learn the lingo of styles, how to plan and place them, and how to build them. Fashionable inspirations will be…
Find out more »Webinar: Understanding Fit Preferences
Monday, May 19th, 2025, 9 a.m. PT Fit Preference Example Learn techniques and measurements that will help you to understand how you like your clothing to fit. There is magic to the knowledge in that it will guide you to creating clothing (sewn/knit/otherwise) that you are comfortable wearing. No more surprises. Whether you are creating your own patterns with Garment Designer, drafting by hand, or are altering commercial patterns, knowing your fit preferences will help you make wise decisions. Handouts…
Find out more »Webinar: Unique Color Design with Stitch Painter
Wednesday, May 28th, 2025, 9 a.m. PT Web – 139 Click here to purchase Stitch Painter is a grid-design tool for any textile person who creates on a grid. Whether you are a knitter, weaver, crocheter, beader, needleworker, or other, you will want to see all the creative things you can do with the software. Susan will demonstrate a variety of techniques such as creating gradients, experimenting with color rotation, FAST design techniques, building sophisticated motifs/patterns. You will see a variety…
Find out more »June 2025
Retreat: Fashion, Textiles, and Silk Painting in Lyon and Buxy (Burgundy), France
Fashion, Textiles, and Silk Painting Lyon and Buxy (Burgundy), France June 2nd - 12th, 2025 Silk Painting in Burgundy Vintner Home in Buxy Burgundy This year we are combining our days of exploring Lyon with days of textile and garment design and Silk Painting in Burgundy with textile artist Nadja Lancelot and Cochenille's Susan Lazear. Our France retreat will begin in Lyon exploring its deep silk and textile heritage. We will have a variety of appointments and excursions. Of course,…
Find out more »Webinar: Let’s Make a Skirt (with Garment Designer)
Friday, June 20, 2025. 9 a.m. PT Web 158 Skirt example Everyone should have a few favorite skirts to wear. Not only do they make us feel a bit more feminine, skirts are cooler to wear in summer heat. Let’s Make a Skirt will cover the development of skirt styles (and variations) including straight, A-line, gore, flared, tiered, layered, wrap, and more. Learn how to add a yoke, flounce, kick pleat, pockets, and other skirt accoutrements. Also learn which styles…
Find out more »Webinar: Smarty Pants
Monday, June 30th, 2 p.m. PT Web-136 Legging Pattern In this Webinar Susan will show you how to think outside of the box while patterning non-traditional pants in Garment Designer. Learn new and creative ways to achieve stylish, unique, and even some funky styles when patterning in Garment Designer with Professor of Fashion and owner of Cochenille, Susan Lazear, as your guide. Leggings without side seams, two-panel pants, and other atypical bottom variations will be discussed. To purchase the webinar,…
Find out more »July 2025
Webinar: The How and Why of Prototyping Your Ideas
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 10 a.m. PT Web-154 Prototyping in 1/4 scale Garment Designer provides you with a creative tool to advance your design. In this webinar we want to share with you the various approaches you can take to test out your ideas. Are my proportions, right? How do I sew this garment? How can I add more interest to the piece? Is this pattern doable? These are all questions we ask ourselves as we push forward with our…
Find out more »Webinar: Basic T-Top, Progressive Fit Series #1
Basic T-Top, Progressive Design and Fit (1st in a series) Wednesday, July 16th, 2025. 2 p.m. PT Web-170 Comparing sizing of two tshirts The Progressive Design and Fit webinars are designed to aid users in the following way: Taking accurate measurements Choosing the right fabric Building a Pattern in Garment Designer Using a reference garment Testing Fit and the accuracy of your measurement Sewing Techniques. As we progress through the series you will add more measurements and test greater levels…
Find out more »Webinar: Knitting 1,2,3. Step-by-Step with Garment Designer
Knitting 1,2,3 Step by Step Thursday, July 24th, 2025, 11 a.m. Web-135 Design your own knitwear or crochet projects! If you are a knitter (or if you crochet), you will want to use Garment Designer to its fullest. In this webinar Susan will show you how to use Garment Designer to design a knit project. This webinar will help you master the Shaping Instructions, generate shaping charts for regular, top-down, bottom-up, sideways and diagonal knitting. You…
Find out more »Webinar: How to Measure Garments and Use the Knowledge
Tuesday, July 29th, 2025. 2 p.m. PT Web-167 Measuring Chest Width Did you know you can remove a lot of guesswork with fitting and pattern making if you understand where you are heading. So, why not let your existing clothing tell you the things you need to know. There are key measurements that provide great insight. In this webinar, Susan will demonstrate ‘live’ how to measure key areas of tops (sleeved and sleeveless), a skirt, and pants. Various techniques and…
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