Wanted: Canadian Quilt Designers

Hey - that's me!  

Heather, the editor of Quilter's Connection, recently put out a post calling all Canadian quilt designers to send in their quilts & patterns for publishing.  It's Canada's first and only quilting magazine.  There must be dozens in the states - all sold on our shelves.  Imagine that.  So as a Canadian, and as a Canadian quilter, I felt entirely responsible to step forward.

Now imagine this - I have never purchased or followed a pattern ever.  I sew by sight and create by imagination.  The only exception was learning to make flying geese and bear's paw blocks.  Considering I have never even read a pattern through before, how on earth could I put one together?

I picked a small, simply made quilt of mine that has received a lot of good feedback from viewer.  I took my paper, pencil, calculator, and measuring tape... and away I went!  I wrote out my 'how to' step by step, and figured out how much of each fabric I actually needed.  After a couple hours, there it was!  I clicked 'send' and it was instantly in Heather's mailbox.

It took a couple days and there was the reply - "YES.  please send photos and your bio.  We'll add it to our winter edition".  Wow.  I did it!  Of course, first I called my mom.  Then I called my mother-in-law.  : )  Then I told my boys... and my girl...  I spent a whole day snapping photos.  MAN it's challenging to photograph product!  After a bit of back and forth editing, it's all complete.  

I cannot wait to see it!  In the mean time, Pretty Penny is still in the shop.  She seems to have forgotten how to free motion stitch, so Eric at Sew & Home is making her all better for me.  It's all good.  In the mean time, I've written up two more patterns.  I'll divide them up between the magazine and my ETSY store.  I'm feeling so great right now, like more doors just opened up.

~Monika

feeling like celebrating : )