Garment Designer Workshop (North!)

Well, it finally got done, my workshop for Cochenille’s Garment Designer application for patternmaking for knitters and sewers. In attendance were three wonderful women (pictured, above, in my studio) Sonja, Marthe and Cathy. It was ‘Ladies… start your laptops’ and away we went. This was a workshop for newbies who had purchased the software but now wanted to know where to start and how to really used it.

I have been using this app for years in my knitwaear business so I took them through my method for setting up for making a pattern for me to use on my knitting machine. Starting with checking gauge, what to show in the window, using decimals, metric and so on. Then on to the fields where you can write any info you need for reference to appear on your printed pattern, making and/or checking the sloper behind the pattern, on to setting up the page to print it out for ease of use.

We expored the ‘click and drag’ options for tweaking the pattern to our heart’s desires beyond basic fit. We expored all the extras in the two design sets – different collars, front closings etc and when the mind boggled, eyes going square and we were starting to get overloaded we headed up the road to Tim Horton’s for our lunch. The fresh air and sustenance was much needed to take us through the afternoon.

There is so much to this application that I didn’t get to the design games or looking at Stitch Painter! I had the girls look at one of my designs, however, and then create the pattern for it.

I got to share with the ladies photos from the Design Retreat last September in California and from my UK trip to see 1850’s knitting frames .

Before we parted company we partook of Sonja’s contribution of Rhubarb Pie!! Unfortunately Cathy had left but it was a welcom bit of ‘sweet‘.