Now, that you have seen the inner workings of a fabric company....I thought you may also be interested in how a quilting magazine works and how it decides  what content to put in its magazine.  I have been talking with Brenda Groelz, editor at Quiltmaker magazine, and she has agreed to answer some questions and tell you a bit about the process that goes into creating a quilting magazine. 

Plus, Brenda has invited QuiltersBuzz readers to submit quilting designs for publication...So, you can get published in a magazine and get paid!  How cool is that! Read about the design contest rules here.

So here is Brenda:
How do you decide what patterns to put in Quiltmaker? Where do the ideas come from?

We strive for a balanced mix of patterns in Quiltmaker, something simple for beginning quilters and something challenging for those who’ve been at this for a while. You’ll always find at least one pattern each that includes piecing, applique and foundation-piecing. We provide a variety of bed sizes, from crib to king, as well as wall quilts and other small projects such as table runners, tote bags or luggage racks.

Some of our quilt designs come from well-known quilt designers. We enjoy presenting their beautiful patterns to our readers. However, Quiltmaker is unique among quilt pattern magazines in that we create at least half of the quilts that appear on our pages.

We have our own group of home sewers and quilters who work for us on a freelance basis. Those designs come from two sources, our Reader Design Contest and our own staff. We hold a quarterly judging session, in which our staff identifies designs that we feel Quiltmaker readers would enjoy making. Those designers become finalists in the contest and the designs are filed in our Idea File for future issues. Once chosen to be made and published, the designer receives a payment of $150 for the use of her design.

I’d like to encourage your blog readers to submit designs to us via email bgroelz@ckmedia.com or snail mail:Quiltmaker, 741 Corporate Circle, STE A, Golden, CO 80401. I’ll bet they’ve got lots of great ideas.

How long does it take to put out a magazine?

Believe it or not, we start working on an issue about 9 months before it comes out. That means I’m thinking about Christmas in March and April and I’ve already picked out my Halloween quilt designs in January. We plug in the fabric choices as late as possible, so that the fabric that appears in the magazine is fresh, but this is a problem for any magazine. It’s one reason we work closely with fabric companies. They send us their newest fabrics and we choose quilt designs that show them off. One of the best parts of working at Quiltmaker is our access to the beautiful fabrics that are available in this country.

Tell us about your career path to becoming editor at Quiltmaker?

I’ve been quilting for over 30 years, ever since I graduated from college and went out on my own. I always knew I wanted to edit a national quilting magazine. I was an English major, taught grammar to junior high kids, then got married and raised three kids of my own. Along the way, I started my own quilt pattern business, wrote a couple of books, and taught and lectured nationwide. Once my kids were off to college, I applied for a job as an assistant editor at McCall’s Quilting magazine. The editor-in-chief position opened up at Quiltmaker and I’ve been here three years.

This is the best job in the world. I work with quilters every day, both here at the office and on the phone, dealing with fabric, book, notions and sewing machine companies. I see fabric before it appears in quilt shops. I get to try new sewing machines, which are loaned to us for review. I spend my day working with quilt patterns and talking to some of the best designers in the industry.

One of the added perks comes because I work in the same building as the Quilters’ Newsletter staff. They bring in the best quilts from all over the world for photography and we all get to see them hanging in the halls. Many of these quilts would never be patterned, but they’re wonderful to look at. Every day is an inspiration. The only problem? You want to go right home and sew.


I heard you’ve taken Quiltmaker readers to Hawaii and Japan, where will QM travel next?

Quiltmaker is traveling to the Tokyo Dome Quilt Show in January, 2008. I fell in love with Japan and Japanese quilters when we went last year and can’t wait to go back. I’ve got a quilting friend from Japan who serves as our interpreter and our Japanese travel agency is well known in Japan for “knowing what quilters like”. We meet with Japanese quilters, eat traditional foods, shop and sightsee. It’s an awesome tour. You can check it out at quiltmaker.com/tours.

As you look around at quilting today, what excites you?

I love the fact that at the same time that quilters are banishing the “quilt police” from their lives, the quality of the quilts gets better and better. I’ve been quilting since 1976 and attending quilt shows nearly that long. You would think that you’d become jaded, that nothing would impress you. But, the opposite is true. The quilts in the national quilt shows are outstanding. They’re pieces of fabric art. My personal favorites are pictorial quilts, the ones that tell a story. But, I’m also blown away by an incredibly pieced and quilted red and white feathered star.

At the same time, I’m excited by the new quilters, the ones who are putting together their first nine-patch baby quilt. I’m excited about the new fabric designers who have appeared on the scene and the youthful freshness they’re bringing to this industry. I’m excited by longarm quilting. I can piece or applique my top and have a professional finish it for me. It makes me more prolific.

Have you spotted any trends quilters should be looking out for?

I’m preaching to the choir, here, but technology has entered quilters’ lives for good. More and more sewing machines are sporting computer screens. Longarmers are stitching out digitized designs. Machine embroidery is phenomenal and offers so much to quilters. And, of course, blogs are where it’s at with quilting.

I was a member of one of the first group of online quilters back in 1989. I paid long distance rates to download email lists because there were no local sites. I got off quickly, read and answered the messages, then got back on the phone to upload my responses. Many of us who used to talk together in those days have gone on to make quilting our profession in one way or another.

The internet was this terrific way of connecting with like-minded people and today blogs are providing a way to not only talk to each other, but to share photos and tips. I love perusing them to see what quilters are up to.

At Quiltmaker, we’re working on a website upgrade that will allow us to share even more with our readers. I hope to be blogging soon and Gina has offered to help me get started.

Thanks, Brenda, for the insight.  I hope some of you “indy” quilters will take on the challenge and become quilt designers and submit your ideas to Quiltmaker!  And check out the latest issue, QuiltersBuzz and other blogs are mentioned.

(Photos and graphics thanks to Quiltmaker magazine)