ARTICLES

Get Paid for Your Original Quilt Designs

• The Right Style for the Right Magazine
  Some magazines are geared more towards a certain type of quilt such as traditional, foundation pieced, appliquŽ, easy or artsy. Identify the magazine that is best suited for your quilt pattern. Check the Guidelines for submission, which are generally accessible from the magazine's website. Read and follow them carefully.
  
  Make it easy for the publisher to say yes. Submit a packet that includes all patterns and instructions and is ready for publication. The more professional your submission looks, the more confidence they will have in your pattern.
  
  
• Think Ahead
  Magazines work on issues six months in advance. So while you are constructing your Easter table runner - they are planning for Halloween. If you submit a spring pattern when they are thinking Christmas, it may not capture their attention as much as a holiday tree skirt.
  
  
• Document Your Project
  If you are just at the beginning of your project, this is the time to take notes that will make writing your pattern much easier. Keep track of how much fabric you use. Photograph the various stages of your project. Take notes regarding the order of assembly.
  
  
• Pattern Organization
  Spend some time reviewing the magazine and to get a feel for how tthe pattern should be organized. Generally there is a short intro that gives some insight into how the artist develops a pattern. Is it based on a pattern your grandmother taught you, inspiration from a trip to Europe, colors from your garden? Create a personal connection to you, the quilt artist. Give your pattern a name and let the reader know how big the finished project will be.
  
  Next, make a list of materials that includes fabric requirements identified by basic color and/or pattern as well as cutting instructions for the project. Evaluate your cuts and make sure to present them so that fabric is used efficiently.
  
  
• Instructions
  • Written instructions walk the reader through completion of your pattern. This step was the most overwhelming to me at first. But once I sat down with pencil in hand, the instructions just flowed onto the paper. And why not, we've all invested plenty of time reading instructions.
    
    
  • Drawings are an important part of your submission. If the pattern utilizes templates, they will need to be drawn to scale with dimensions. Your computer may have a simple drawing program on it, or you may be more comfortable with pencil and graph paper. If so, you are not alone. Publishers recreate drawings in-house for most of the patterns that are submitted to them. Consolidate your drawings as much as possible. One thing I hear from all publishers is that they have limited space for pattern drawings.
    
    
  • You will also need an assembly diagram. Your written instructions will likely tell the reader how the quilt is assembled, but a visual is an important reference. This diagram helps the reader see in what order the blocks and border are assembled. Again, refer to diagrams in a current issue. This will help you see how to organize your diagram.
  
  
  
• And last, but not least, you will need to submit a basic color photo of your quilt. This doesn't need to be anything fancy or staged. Once your pattern is accepted, the publisher will request you send them your quilt so they can take their own photographs. Drop it off on your way to meet friends. That way you can say, "Sorry I'm late, I had to send a package off to my publisher."

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