Meeting with Publisher

Next installment of my Colourque book..... When recently in Paducah I met with Nicole Chambers, editor of my new book with AQS. What a lovely lady she is and very down to earth. She has published her own books and patterns, has her own publishing company, teaches and vends across the US and now has taken up this challenging position, even if it means living in a little one bedroom unit for now.....

We had a 3 hour discussion on the content and layout of the book and many changes to my original manuscript were made. I now am not having the large gallery of quilts showing and explaining the extended versions of the technique - we are saving those for later. I have to design and make 3-4 smaller projects which would be suitable for stores to run smaller workshops or kits and for people who think the large baltimore quilt would just be beyond them. this is all in the name of widening the market the book could be attractive to. This actually means a lot less work for me and allows me to try to get it finished by the end July deadline in order for it to have a chance of release in Spring 08 (US time)...

So I have already stitched a mini version of the Baltimore blocks I will frame for a wallhanging and a small design for a small cushion. I have also coloured 20 times the same design to do some more intensive and logged testing of everything feasible someone may do with their colourque'd quilt or piece....

and I have started on the text and layout for the manuscript....

til then......

quilt for a cure quilts

These are the two quilts Tracey and I have done in conjunction with Lloyd Curzon textiles and Universal magazines for the Quilt for a Cure project for 2007.

This is Wisteria Rambling which I designed, pieced and Colourque'd. Tracey quilted it with a feather design which I then coloured. It will be in the September issue of Quilters Companion with full instructions. Many stores will be participating with fabric kits with some proceeds going to Breast Cancer research. The participating stores will be listed in the magazine.

This one is Wisteria Girls and will be in Homespun Sept issue. It was designed and quilted by Tracey. It was pieced, the stitcheries designed, stitched and coloured by me...

and all of it was done in about 5 weeks before we had to go away.....!!!

hugs, Helen

Merrans Huggle Hearts

On Saturday I am giving two presentations at the Quilted Crow in Liverpool St Hobart. I am just showing my photos (assuming I get my laptop back and work out my new projector) of Paducah and US Trip and other goodies I collected on the trip. Whilst chatting I have asked participants to stitch a huggle heart for a dear friend of mine and her daughter. Merran, a healthy normal active 9 year old was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and struck down immediately turning their lives upside down. She and her family will be spending the next 6 months in Melbourne at the Childrens Hospital and although I know they are getting heaps of support from various charities, cancer support groups, family and friends and we have already made her a Snugglybug rug I am organising these huggle hearts to be made to hang in her room to remind her that we are all thinking and praying for her....

They are a very simple stuffed heart with a little verse or saying of hope, love and support written on in a permanent pigma pen. They will be strung together to hang as bunting or in a long string around her room.

If you'd like to help out with this project - and I am sure she will share them with all the other children she is getting to know over there, then just email me and I'll email you the pattern.

hugs to all

and remember , hug your kids and tell them you love them everyday...... every day is another day and anything can happen... dont waste today....

Lace #2 - Paducah

for all that have asked for a photo of our recent quilt win here it is. This was designed and quilted as a complete wholecloth by Tracey (Browning, Constantine Quilts) and then Colourque'd by me. There were about 100 hours of design and quilting time and about 80 hours of colouring which was very difficult with a two year old to help. I needed about 2-3 hours solid to do a section and dvd's only last so long!!!! hence Matilda did partake in one small patch which Tracey obviously managed to get rid of, or the judges didnt see...

it won the Brother International wall quilt machineworksmanship award - ie. the best wall quilt made by machine.... Very unexpected but very exciting....

thanks so much to all who have emailed with congrats.... you know, there were 8 Australian quilts accepted in the show and I believe most of the quilters were present although I didnt catch up with them all. I have also heard that Elaine Dysons quilt (from TAssie too) won viewers Choice, well done Elaine, and I am sorry we didnt know you were there and arrange to meet up.

We were lucky to have Bronwyn vant hof staying with us - another Aussie with a magnificent double wedding ring in the show, as she had been the year before and knew all the places to go.... and navigated very well I must say.....


must go, lots for today....

H

Book manuscript

Well, I am about to try and get this blog thing happening and will take you through my first publishing experience with a major publishing house as opposed to my first two self published ventures. These two were very successful so I am still trying to convince myself I am doing the right thing here by signing my life to a publisher and losing perhaps some control now but, anyway, here goes.....

How did I start......

Well when it was suggested to me that this (a technique book on Colourque) is what I needed to do, I was offered a deal with a contact I already had in the US. We discussed and brainstormed for nearly 12mths before he decided it wasnt for him and it would be much better for me to go with a major craft publishing house. Now the process had to start all over again.....

the first step is to find publishers you like and attempt to get their contract details and submission guidelines before submitting a manuscript for proposal...

Although I had many of their guidelines it wasnt really easy to find their contract offerings. Because I had the printed pack from AQS (American Quilters Society) and had met Helen Squires, their sales and marketing manager and very experienced and published quilter the year before, I went with what I knew best and started there. Also, they allow online submissions which actually lessened the submission process somewhat. Dont get me wrong though, the submission basically needs to be the whole book already done plus information about me and how I would sell and market the book - a lot of work.....

So, I submitted online and low and behold, within 3 days I had an acceptance!!! Now, I was expecting two years and many submissions later before I had any response, guess it was just good timing!! So the first step was not so hard afterall..... here is a pic of the main project I had submitted for the book with my working title of 'The Art of Colourque' (which by the way is now not the working title but more about that later)... I will write you more soon....hugs, Helen

BTW this is 'Blessed Baltimore' designed, Colourque'd(R) and stitched by myself and beautifully machine quilted by Tracey Browning (my sister) of Constantine Quilts. It recently won first prize two person innovative professional at the Tas quilt Guild exhibition and 1st prize wall quilt at the HMQS (Home Machine Quilters Show) Salt Lake City Utah.