Magazine Back Story & Back Issues

You may be aware of the fact that I was the assistant editor for the Quilt-it...today and Sew-it...today magazines published by Valu-Publishing from December 2012 through September 2014. What you may not be aware of is that not only was I the assistant editor but I also designed the magazine from the ground up because these were a brand new titles for the publisher, did 90% of the photography, laid out the magazine to get to press, worked with the copy editor, and designed the covers. But, my job didn't stop there, I was also the liaison with contributing designers and rewrote and illustrated the various projects to fit our format, shipped back the projects, and designed dozens of quilts and sewing patterns for the magazines as well! 

Our small staff turned out a magazine every 4 weeks. In total, 12 Quilt-it...today and 11 Sew-it...today magazines went to press. There were 3 issues that never made it to press because the publisher went bankrupt in August of 2014. 

THE BACK STORY

Before I was approached to take on the role of assistant editor in the summer of 2012 I had been designing fabrics for Paintbrush Studios (Fabri-Quilt). I was well qualified for the challenge of magazine work but had never put my newly acquired skills to the test. A few years before, at age 45 I'd gone back to school to learn Desktop Publishing and Digital Print and earned a certification is both those studies. I was originally hired on to design the magazine and lay out the pages. Well, my one role quickly became more and albeit extremely stressful, I was able to do it all. There was of course a learning curve but on the job training is the quickest way to learn.

I've never talked publicly about those magazine days and my website went practically dead during that duration. My recent experience with my book brought back all the thrills and stress of those days, making me think it's time to share a bit of that part of my life with you. 

My dear friend and editor on both titles was Deborah Hearn. You may remember her as the editor of Quilt magazines and other titles by the now defunct Harris Publications. Deb had such a clear vision for these magazines and I owe much of who I am as a quilt designer, photographer, and pattern writer to her desire to create projects for the beginning sewist and still make them fun and exciting for more advanced sewers. I swear my book Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living is photographed with Deb's voice in my ear. Those photography days were my favorite as we were on the phone all day long! 

In the spring of 2014 I'd hit the burn out phase. My only daughter was getting married in July and I was nearing a nervous breakdown! I made up my mind that I wanted to get back to the slower paced life of a textile designer (it's not really, but in comparison to what I was doing on staff for the magazines it's night and day difference). At spring Quilt Market that year I took a portfolio of designs to show Pat Bravo of Art Gallery Fabrics. I had only one fabric company I wished to design for and that was AGF. My thought was if I don't get picked up by AGF I was going to give up on being a textile designer for good and continue work in publishing and if I did get picked up by AGF I was going to quit as an assistant editor. Well, I was blown away and so excited that Pat liked my work and signed me on the spot! 

So, since I couldn't leave everyone in a lurch and just quit I agreed to stay on until the middle of August of 2014 and train people to replace me on the magazine. So, that summer was really the lowest I've ever been emotionally and mentally and I really think I was having a breakdown--I cannot even describe the amount of stress. So, while I was still putting out magazines I had to train four people to replace me in my one job. And when I say train, I mean teach them how to use Illustrator, format the issues, and fill all my other rolls. There was a wedding, of which my daughter did a lot of the work but it was still a logistics issue at the very least, and I had a fabric line to design for the fall show! Unreal when I think about it all now how I even made it through all that.

Funny thing is, I did make it through all of it and 2 weeks before my quit date the publisher went bankrupt! ARGH!!!!! Well, the experience made me stronger, smarter, but probably not wiser. I wouldn't trade those years for anything and I learned so much.

THE BACK ISSUES

I have limited back issues of the no-longer in print Quilti-it...today and Sew-it...today magazines originally distributed November 2012 through October 2014 by Valu-Publishing. Since I've just added a STORE onto this website I thought I'd use this new feature to sell off my extra issues. There are limited numbers of each issue available and these will only be offered for sale until January 5, 2018.

The projects are beautifully photographed, easy to follow with clear instructions and full illustrations. Geared toward the beginning quilter/sewer but great for all level of stitchers. Each issue is filled to the brim with delightful quilting and sewing projects, tips, lessons, and special features. Only 10 pages of ads per issue and 58 pages of content. Because I was the assistant editor for this title I also created many projects for these magazines under my name or my nom de plume Norah Seels (at least one project per issue). Since that time I've republished many of my patterns as stand alone PDF patterns priced at $8 each. Now you can see what a great value these magazines really are!

Magazines are sold individually at below newsstand price as well as an additional listing of one complete set--sold as a set. See the individual listings. For every 4 individual issues you purchase you will receive a free surprise fat quarter from one of my Art Gallery Fabrics collections as a thank you. Receive 8 surprise thank you fat quarters with the purchase of the complete set.

Shipping to US addresses only

See the individual listings for photos of issue contents. The images posted show a majority of the projects in each magazine but not all are represented with photo thumbnails. Each issue is packed with quilting/sewing projects. See cover image and Table of Contents for total count. 

The magazines have been stored in a dry, light-free, and smoke-free environment. Issues are like new but may show some slight shelf wear.

So, now's your chance to get your hands on these amazing magazines. Don't delay, issues are limited and I'm only listing these in my STORE until January 5th, 2018.

Happy sewing,

Sharon