Sound Familiar?

• You can make a tile repeat, but you are never quite sure it is the right repeat for the product. • A seam shows up after you send the file, which is the least convenient moment a seam can choose. • A brief asks for a two-way half drop at an 18 inch repeat, and you nod along while quietly opening a search engine. • Your sell sheet says floral pattern because you are not sure what else it should say. None of that is a talent problem. It is a decision and vocabulary problem, and both can be learned.

Decisions, not button clicks

This course teaches the logic behind every structure through slide diagrams and examples. You learn which repeat or layout to choose and why, then build it in whatever software you already use.

Every video stands on its own

Each video defines its own terms and covers its topic in full depth. Videos run as long as the topic needs, so you never have to go looking for the missing piece afterward.

Diagnosis Built In

Clinic videos show you flawed tiles and layouts and ask you to name the fault before it is revealed. You learn to spot problems in your own work before a buyer or printer does.

From Brief to Spec

Part One ends with reading a brief into decisions and writing a complete sell sheet description: motif, layout, repeat, scale, tile size, drop, direction, coverage, and colorways.

A Workbook for Every Video

The Part One PDF workbook gives each video a quick reference and an assignment with space to work.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

[see curriculum below] There are six modules within Part 1 of this course: Module 1, Welcome and Foundations (Videos 1-3) Module 2, Repeats in Practice (Videos 4-7) Module 3, Layouts in Practice (Videos 8-12) Module 4, Lattice and Symmetry in Practice (Videos 13-16) Module 5, More Structures (Videos 17-22) Module 6, Direction and Specification (Videos 23-24)

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

Who This Course Is For • Beginning designers who want to learn pattern structure from the ground up. • Designers who can make a repeat but want to know why one structure works better than another. • Designers preparing work for licensing, print on demand, or client briefs who need specs a buyer or printer can use. • Anyone who watched the free YouTube Series 7, Surface Pattern Architecture, and wants the full depth. Who This Course Is Not For • Anyone looking for software tutorials. This course does not teach software. You build your work in whatever program you already use, as your assignment. • Anyone who wants pattern styles and their history. That is Part Two, Style. • Anyone hoping for a quick overview. These videos take the time each topic needs.

Meet Telva Chase

Telva Chase is the founder of Telva's Toolbox and has been painting since she was 12. Her path into surface pattern design began in 2019, when she sold her watercolor Ocean Meets Sky at Portland's Saturday Market and Columbia Sportswear went on to use it in its women's running gear line. Her watercolor patterns now sell on Spoonflower under Truffle Art Design, and she is the author of The Solopreneur's Guide to Surface Pattern Design, Volumes I and II. Before design, Telva spent her career as a Chief Information Security Officer, where vague specifications cause expensive problems. She brings the same habit to pattern work: decide on purpose, check your work, and write it down so someone else can use it.

Curriculum

4 Chapters · 15 Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 1 - Welcome to Part One & Workbook Download

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 2 - Tile | Ground | Scale

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 3 - The Four Checks

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 4 - Full-Drop Decisions

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 5 - Half-Drop Decisions

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 6 - Brick Decisions

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 7 - The Seam Clinic

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 8 - Spots and Blenders

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 9 - Stripes

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 10 - Borders and Their Fields

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 11 - Tossed

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 12 - Allover vs. Open Ground

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 13 - Diamond and Diaper

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 14 - The Ogee

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Video 15 - Mirroring and the Damask Style

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I need to know a particular software program? No. This course does not teach software. Videos explain the logic of each structure through slide diagrams and examples, and you build your own work in whatever program you already use. Do I need to watch the free YouTube series first? No. The free YouTube Series 7, Surface Pattern Architecture, is a helpful introduction and is the first item in the Video 1 assignment, but every video in this course is self-contained and defines its own terms. How long are the videos? Each video runs as long as its topic needs to be taught in full depth. Every video ends with a five-item assignment. Is there a workbook? Yes. The Part One workbook comes as a Word document and a PDF, with a quick reference and assignment for every video. What is the difference between Part One and Part Two? Part One teaches structure: repeats, layouts, scale, direction, and specs. Part Two teaches style: more than 30 pattern traditions, from plaids to toile, plus a capstone collection. You can buy either part on its own or both together. How long do I have access? There is no expiry date for this video series. You are guaranteed at least 2-3 years. Should the platform have to be discontinued, for whatever reason, you will receive an email with the particulars. What is your refund policy? All sales are final, and refunds are not offered once you have access to the course. If you purchased the wrong part, contact me within 7 days of purchase (send an email via the contact page at telvastoolbox.com) and I will switch you to the other part. If you are moving from Part One to Part Two, you pay only the difference. This policy also applies to bundles, upgrade coupons, and Black Friday purchases.

Stop Guessing at Pattern Structure

Choose with confidence, catch the seam before the printer does, and write a spec someone else can use.

$297.00

Enroll now