Do you ever wonder if you are obsessed with quilting? I mean, I don’t. I have a well established obsessive habit, that goes way back to childhood. When I’m into something, I’m all in. This tendency has had quiet periods in my life, and periods where my obsession was disguised as education. I don’t think my husband recognized it when we were in college, but once we had kids he sure did. In college I was obsessed with Chinese language and culture, and disguised it as education. No one questioned that all of my classes focused on Asia. That was my major!
Anyway. I know that I’m completely obsessed with quilting. I do it all day, every day, and I miss it when I don’t. I started quilting in 1999, and I have gone through periods where other things in my life take higher priority. Mostly, it was childcare or moving. Every time I go back into my studio after an absence, I feel a sense of peace. Walking through that doorway feels like my soul takes a deep breath and relaxes.
Tuesday morning I woke up with a fully formed quilt in my mind, right down to the hand quilting. This has happened to me before. It’s always a fun surprise. I wake up groggy, but on a mission. This time I know it was my subconscious hard at work after my body finally passed out for the night.
Monday I was interviewed about my business and my future plans. It made me realize that I haven’t been submitting as many patterns for publications as I had intended. I thought about how I needed to spend some more time designing, then I spent the rest of the day hard at work on other stuff. Apparently my brain decided to pitch in while I slept.
This is why I keep a little tiny notebook next to my bed. Jeremy always looks concerned when he wakes me up, and I immediately start scrabbling away. Mostly it is because once the quilt is on paper, I’m very groggy for a bit. The quilt will haunt me all morning until I have a color sketch, even though the minimalist sketch and notes are enough for me to go on.
My next logical step was to consider fabric choices. This project will be made with loosely woven fabrics – Essex linen and Cloud 9 Cirrus Solids are my major contenders. To further that end, I placed an order with Hawthorne Supply Co for some fabric swatch cards. Fabric swatch cards are a little obsession of mine. That and thread cards make me giddy. I love knowing what all of the colors are.
Wednesday morning the cards arrived, which is crazy fast shipping. I squealed, then ran downstairs to ogle all of the flittery little bits of fabrics. Check them out!
My next step will be to decide on which colors I want to use, import those colors into EQ8, and sketch my quilt. I actually may try to do it in Adobe Illustrator this time, because this will be an improv curves quilt, and I’m not sure how to do that in EQ8. Time will tell. I don’t know that this quilt will be a priority project – I have a lot on my plate at the moment, including some really big news that I can’t share yet. (I know, teasing is awful.)
I should have it into condition to submit for publication by the end of next week. If the quilt is meant to be a high priority, it will get picked up by a magazine. If not, the idea that came to me Friday morning might win. I did a test block of that one, and it will get the same treatment – fabric selection, electronic sketch, and magazine submission.
This didn’t come out exactly as planned, but I like it. I have another thought in mind for it, but I need a chunk of time to try it out.
My goal for 2021 is to have a pattern published in every quarter. I’ve got to get cracking, though, because I think they are putting together March issues already, and my last submission hasn’t been picked up yet. I’m also thinking about branching out from the Peak Media Group (McCall’s, Quiltmaker, and Love of Quilting). What are your favorite magazines?
Mc Call’s Quick Quilts
This is so exciting, Jen. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I don’t read quilting magazines right now. The last one I purchased because it had your pattern in it!
Looks like a fun idea! Good luck with your submissions!
Thank you!
I do piecing whenever the mood strikes me, I’m not a daily sewist. The big projects go to a longarmer because the actual quilting is exhausting. In fact, I sent my first quilt to be done professionally to you.
You have detailed an amazing process and a great idea to write down thoughts when they come to you.
The only quilt magazines I have read were vintage ones that I bought in a lot. I scanned in the images (half of the magazine were ads) and thrifted them back.
I remember your ducks!
I think Curated Quilts is lovely as is Love, Patchwork & Quilting. Great idea to have a sketch pad right by your bed. My brain doesn’t work quite that way, but my husband’s is (he woke up and started talking design to me before he was fully awake this morning)! 🙂
I’ll put them on my list – thank you!
I’m definitely obsessed with quilting, and have been since the mid 90’s, but I’m not a designer, I’ve never come up with an original idea. I do see colors and fabric choices though and love the process of putting my stamp on a quilt by changing the colors or textures. I can see a pattern and immediately know what I’d do with it even if I love the colors the designer already chose.. I’m currently obsessed with making La Passion
Oh, La Passion! Good for you, jumping in the deep end! That is one of very few patterns I have followed precisely.
I’m a fairly new reader and have been enjoying your blog. As for magazines,
I subscribe to Make Modern (digital-only from Australia) and American Patchwork and Quilting (put out by Better Homes and Gardens), and its sister publication, where they travel around the country and feature quilt shops and patterns designed by those shops. I occasionally pick up a couple of others like Quiltmaker, but not too often.
Thanks, Ellen!