Today I am feeling the pressure of  “so many tasks and projects, so little time”. There’s my Assistant Editor tasks– 2nd edit on Quilting Bee, 2nd yardage for the 2011 mystery quilt (did I just write 2011?! Ack!), design the free Christmas pattern, make samples, database the contracts for Dec/Jan, archive Aug/Sept, work on our website, answer reader’s questions, process submissions… the list goes endlessly on, and on, and on.

Then there’s my personal list: finish priority quilt for Ami Simms, who was generous enough to stop by our offices on Wednesday with her wonderful crew and update us on the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI, www.alzquilts.org), work on the borders for my version of Delta Dawn, start the next baby quilt, practice my hand applique, oh wait! re-introduce myself to my husband (”Hello Handsome, remember me?”), play with my dogs, work in the yard, go to gym, make several appointments, call my Grandma… whew!

In spite of everything so crazy, I L-O-V-E my job, I am happy, and I wouldn’t trade my life with anyone. Still,  I can’t be the only one running around like the proverbial chicken. How do you manage to get everything you want to do done?

Piece!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Joli

Ever thought about what it would be like to work as an editor for Quilters Newsletter? Well, now just might be your chance! QN, the quilting industry’s longest-standing magazine, is seeking a full-time associate editor to work  with us in our office in Golden, Colorado. If you have a passion for quilts and for writing and editing, we want to hear from you.

Description

The ideal candidate for the position of associate editor will have excellent verbal and written communication skills, editing skills, and intermediate to advanced quiltmaking and pattern-drafting skills. This position requires a positive attitude and the ability to produce high-quality work while meeting strict deadlines. The general editor will work closely with both the editorial team and the art team to ensure that every issue of Quilters Newsletter exceeds readers’ expectations.

Essential Duties

• Research, develop, write, edit, and proofread with accuracy all assigned features and patterns for QN, meeting all deadlines.
• Work with authors/contributors to assure that submitted material remains accurate, clear, and true-to-voice throughout the editing and layout process.
• Analyze finished quilts, determine yardage requirements, and write instructions for quilt patterns.
• Use the Web, email, printed materials, and interviews to research and check facts.
• Initiate new content by providing ideas for articles, patterns, and Web-based items.
• Thoughtfully and accurately edit and proofread copy written by contributors and other staff members.
• Meet all deadlines.
• Perform clerical duties as needed and maintain accurate records, database entries, and contracts.
• Represent QN by traveling to trade and quilt shows to establish relationships with readers, contributors, and advertisers.
• Represent QN on the Web by engaging with readers through various social media outlets and contribute regularly to the QN editors’ blog.
• Resolve customer service inquiries related to assignments.

 Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, or related field
• Editing experience
• Intermediate to advanced quiltmaking and pattern-drafting skills
• Math proficiency
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other basic computer applications
• Proficiency in the online environment, including social networking
• Ability to self-motivate and work independently
• Ability to adapt to changes in priorities, workload, and workflow
• Ability to exercise good judgment and to solve problems creatively

To apply, send a resume and a letter of interest BY MONDAY, JULY 5, to submissions@qnm.com. Write “Associate Editor” in the subject line.

Here’s a quilt I’m making with my staff picks block., featured on page 43 of the April/May 2010 issue of QN. Has anyone made a quilt with a QN staff picks block? I showed you mine, now show us yours!

Saturday I attended Brini Maxwell’s Crafts for the Masses: Tassel and Pom-Pom-athon. The event was part of Denver Public Library’s Fresh City Life. DPL has partnered with local businesses to offer free and almost-free public events, workshops, and classes. Denver locals can choose from KnitFlix films, Street Food cooking demos, the Summer Beatwave music series, DIY crafts, and more. Cyclists can even learn basic bike maintenance on the Acoma Plaza. And oh yes, let’s not forget those pom-poms. If you don’t know Brini Maxwell (I didn’t) go to www.brinimaxwell.com. to meet the style maven. This event was summer-day-camp fun with an emphasis on CAMP! Hooray to DPL for reinventing the role of the public library, and a shout out to all the sponsors of Fresh City Life, especially the very hip Fancy Tiger.

I’ve had two nice letters now from readers who wanted to know how to draft and construct the block pictured on page 44 of the June/July 2010 issue. The block is called “Double Windmill” and can be found in the EQ6 block library. I’m attaching a PDF of the EQ6 printouts (templates, rotary, block diagram) so that you can make a 12″ version of this block. Download the Double Windmill block pattern. (Can you tell I photocopied the page out of the magazine, then cut it up and glued it to the first page to show how it goes together? We’re all about the high-tech around here.) Just remember to set the page scaling to “none” before printing the PDF. 

Speaking of how it goes together, those funky five-triangle units are constructed first, and then are stitched around that itty-bitty little center patch. The first unit goes on with a partial seam. Then the next unit CLOCKWISE to that one goes on. Then the next unit clockwise, then the last. Then you go back and finish that partial seam so that the first unit is now completely stitched to both the center patch and the fourth unit. Voila! The circle is complete. Last, stitch on those corner trianges, and you’ve got yourself a 12″ Double Windmill block.

We received the following question from one of our readers yesterday. Vickie asks: “I wanted to see if someone could tell me where/if I could get the patterns for the quilts that include Australian Stitchery from ‘Stitchery from Down Under’ in the June/July 2010 issue? I can’t seem to locate a website for them. Are the patterns available?”

The answer is that, yes, some of the patterns are available and were designed by quilters/stitchers other than those mentioned in the article. We regret having omitted this information in that issue and are printing a clarification in our October/November issue. And since you asked, I’m happy to post that information here, too:

Stitchery and Nine Patch by Julie Donovan (http://juliesquiltgallery.blogspot.com) was adapted from a pattern by Veronica Johnson (Georgia’s Flowers, American Patchwork & Quilting, Vol. 6, No. 8, 2006). The Secret Garden by Carrie Pippens was an adaptation of a design by Cheryl Goss (http://willowberrydesigns.typepad.com). Written in Thread by Carol Richardson was adapted from a design by Barri Sue Gaudet (Bareroots pattern #114, www.bareroots.com).

There are so many talented stitchers in Australia, many of whom offer patterns for their designs. Click on the blog links above to start your search for a pattern that speaks to you!

Happy quilting!

Hey, everyone! I continue to get emails from a few mystery fans out there who are working on Delta Dawn. Several of you have written to let us know (and some of you are wearing your grumpy pants!) that the templates on the PDF on our website are a different size than the ones we printed in the magazine. Probably true, but here’s why:

When you print any PDF that has size-specific material–templates, applique patterns, quilting motifs, etc.–you have to make sure you TURN THE SCALING OFF in the print dialog box. Depending on your system’s default settings, you might be allowing your system to shrink the page to fit inside some predetermined/default print margins. So, in the print dialog box, look for the drop-down menu next to “Page Scaling.” You’ll have a few options there–my system has six (I’m on a PC with XP). Open the drop-down menu and choose “None” before you hit print. Your templates should be the correct size to yield 3″-finished units. But measure the printout to be sure, and always make a test unit/block before cutting into all that expensive fabric!

Also: I’ve had a couple people write to tell me that the C’s (part 2) should be cut at 3-1/2″, not 3-7/8″. Well, no. The C is a half-square triangle (HST). When you cut a square in half diagonally, you get two triangles. If you want both triangles to have 1/4″ seam allowances all around, you have to add 7/8″ to the cut size of the square. Therefore, if you want the short side of the HST to finish at 3″, you need to add 7/8″ to the precut square. If you’re still skeptical, draft the finished-size triangle on 1/8″-grid draft paper, and then draft 1/4″ seam allowances all around. You’ll see right away where the 7/8″ comes from! By the same math, if you cut your squares 3-1/2″ and then cut them in half diagonally, your HST units will finish at only 2-5/8″. Yikes!

OK, so I’ve decided that I’m running away from home. I’m moving to New South Wales to work for Kathy Doughty at Material Obsession. Why, you ask? Because I simply can’t get enough of her quilts. And Sarah Fielke’s, too. If you haven’t seen the pattern books these Aussies have coauthored, then you’re missing out. They are…

Material Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots (2009)

Material Obsession 2: More Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots (forthcoming in 2010)

Kathy and Sarah’s approach to design–they plug ultra-mod colors and fabrics into super-traditional patchwork patterns that they sometimes complicate in the best possible ways–is so simple it makes you want to laugh in a “why didn’t I think of that” kind of way. I love, love, love traditional patchwork patterns, and I love, love, love bright, jewel-toned fabrics. It’s just that when I go to the quilt shop, that’s so not what ends up in my basket. I guess that’s why we all end up making quilts that come from our own visions, our own hearts. Do you have a favorite quilt designer whose quilts look nothing like yours?

By the way, look for the pattern for Sarah Fielke’s North by Northeast (below) in the Feb/Mar 2010 issue of Quilters Newsletter. A really fun quilt by Kathy Doughty will be patterned in our Oct/Nov issue, and another Sarah Fielke quilt will “star” (to give you a hint) in our Dec/Jan 2011 issue. We are so blessed to work with such amazing talent!

North by Northeast by Sarah Fielke

Hi, Everyone! Well, it’s been…what…five months (OK, six months) since we’ve been posting to this blog. I know, I know. Shame on us. Well, we’re back!

So what’s been going on at Quilters Newsletter?

First, I just got back from quilt market in Minneapolis. What a blast! Not only is Minneapolis one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited (no kidding–have you seen the architecture there?), but it’s even more beautiful when it’s overrun with quilters. And overrun it was–what an extremely successful market. The aisles were packed and business was getting done. Glad to see first-hand evidence of the economy bouncing back up.

Right now, we’re all hard at work on our October/November 2010 issue–the issue that will be available when fall quilt market rolls around. So while the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming, we’re knee deep in brown, orange, and yellow…leaves…turkeys…

Entries are starting to roll in for the FEATHER THIS quilt block design challenge. What fun! So many creative people out there. The deadline isn’t until 6/15, so there’s still time to enter. See our home page for entry instructions.

Also, did you see that we have a new free pattern posted? It’s designed by QN editor Joli Sayasane, who calls it Le Chemin de Jardin, which, she tells me, means “The Garden Path.” And I trust her on that–she spent some of her college years studying in France. Very cool. The colors remind me of sherbet on a hot summer day. To download the pattern, click here.

Another gem has been restored to QN’s web site – Nancy Brenan Daniel’s tutorial on creating your own Feathered Wreath Template.

http://www.quiltersnewsletter.com/articles/feature10