Quilt in magazine....but...

[kimmiequilts]

I think that it would be great if Quilter's World received many requests to acknowledge the quilter's for their contributions to the quilts in their magazine! When they do print the quilter's names they are very small and at the bottom of the first page of instructions along with what supplies were used.

If you are so inclined please write them and express your feelings and views on their lack of information on LAer's!

Customer_Service@Quilters-World.com

[Stagecl]

Thanks for posting were to write. It will save me time of looking it up:D

[sewlinzi]

Beautiful quilting - it deserves recognition!

[AbigailE]

Hi Quilters World,

Today’s magazine lists the designer of the quilt pattern, the person who pieced the quilt, the photographer who took the pic, but NO mention of the person who actually turned the whole thing into what it is, THE QUILTER! Please make it a policy to include the name of the person who quilted the quilt, AND the quilting motif.

This will greatly improve your magazine, no longer falling into the QAD substandard status quo of “quilt as desired”. IF that were so easy, more tops would be made into quilts. Really good quilting enhances the quilt and elevates an ordinary into the extraordinary.

Please include the name of the quilter and give credit where credit is due. All articles include the name of the author, would you want your name deleted?

Abigail Eliot

above is a copy of my letter to quilters world.

[cvrchota]

just curious if any of the other quilts mention the quilter's names? although there is no chance in you-know-where that any quilt i did would ever be published, i think i'll write them a letter too... (hmmm... although i did quilt a churn-dash that was 'supposed' to be for the accu-quilt traveling display--don't know if i'll ever see if that's true--oh well)

[Linda G. Craig]

Kim, I too am 100% behind you. I always look to see who quilted the quilt and I study the quilting done. It's beyond me why, in this day and age, they wouldn't recognize the quilter, whether it be by hand or by machine.

[The Last Stitch]

Kim,

I feel your pain. I quilted the KC Star Block of the month a couple of years ago (Circut Rider by Jennifer Dick). Jennifer told me that credit would be in the paper. I didnt get any credit for the quilting until the final block came out. I have also seen the pattern at the LQS and it is the same, no credit given until the final block. I didnt do anything about it. However if I do another quilt for Jennifer I will include in the contract that if published in any form credit must be given. It really stinks to get burnt.

Don

[kimmiequilts]

Abigail, I love your letter, it says it all and in a professional manner! Thank you!

Don, I've been lucky for the most part. I've quilted for 2 authors and all of my quilts have my name with them and some of the Quilter's World quilts do but most do not. I met the editor at Fall Market last October and she was going on and on about how far she drives to get her quilts quilted. She said her quilter was worth the time so I just don't understand not giving credit to the person who made her pieced top into a quilt! It just boggles the mind!

[Bekah]

Kim just adding my voice to all the others that it is a shame you weren't given the credit you so richly deserved. I too will be writing them a little ditty. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[quiltmonkey]

Originally posted by Susanne.Hughes

.....the fact that it is what you put on that quilt is your design, your thoughts, your ideas and your trials and efforts. Intellectually, the quilting is yours.......

Well said Susanne!

Abigail, that's a great letter. Thanks for providing your example. I, too, will write to the magazine.

*************

Here's a copy of my letter:

Hi,

I buy your magazine and enjoy it very much. I always like to see the beautiful fabrics used and the quilting designs that were chosen to enhance the quilt top. As a longarm quilter, I know the sometimes painstaking effort that goes into the quilting process. A lot of blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of thought, time, consideration and care goes into the quilting of these tops. I own a longarm machine and I easily have over $30,000 invested in my quilting machine, tools, thread, books, instructional classes for continued education, etc.

The person who designs the fabrics, the person who designs the patterns, the person who goes to the quilt shop and chooses the fabrics for the quilt, the person who quilts it all together – it’s a team effort by all of these people. They all should get credit.

I hope in the future that you will give credit and recognize the quilter by including the person’s name next to the piecer and/or designer of the quilt, or the person who wrote the story.

Thank you,

Shana clay

[Betsy]

First of all.....Beautiful quilting Kim! Second.....for goodness sakes! It's a quilting magazine and it's high time that the quilter was recognized along with the piecer! Linzi took the words out of my mouth......it's the Quilting that makes the Quilt!

[stitchinsally]

Kim,

Instead of just an e-mail message, you need to be sending a personal letter to the Editor as well as the owner of the magazine expressing your concerns for lack of recognition. It needs to go to a coorporate address and not just a PO Box so, you might need to do some digging for that info. I'm guessing that the customer service e-mail messages don't get quite the notice as a personal letter and/or even a telephone call would.

[kimmiequilts]

Sally you are right, I will do that as well. The publisher is House of White Birches, that one was easy.

With many voices speaking out for acknowledgment of the Quilter's part of the quilt maybe we can forge positive change!

[Judi]

Well said - and I agree too!!! It bothers me if I see one of the quilts I have done, hanging here at a local show, without and mention of who quilted it......

Worse yet though - - is when the piecer lists on the tag that SHE quilted it.... grrrr.... that REALLY gets me going!!! :mad::mad:

[LinneaMarie]

I'd be ticked off too:mad: I did see that quilt and really liked it! I ALWAYS look for the name of the machine quilter.

I'm writing them to complain.

[sjdanley]

Just a PS. Along with the name of the quilter I would also like to see if they did an all over design, panto, or custom quilting and what pattern was it if one was used. As a longarmer I have been looking at quilts with a different eye. I remember seeing this particular quilt and wondering what design was ued.

[AbigailE]

Dear All,

I just received a very thoughtful response to my email to Quilters world. The email address given of Customer service was forwarded on to the Editor. Please know that this reply was given professional and courteous response. She included that the magazine can only print the information that they are given. The assumption is that if no other quilter/longarmer is listed,that the quilting was done by the individual supplying the quilt.

It was tactfully suggested that included in our take in sheet a statement that should this quilt be submitted for publishing that quilters name would be included in the credit. This then gives one the legal backing to make and follow thru with this request.

We want credit, we must ensure that we have taken the proper steps to ensure that we will and can receive credit.

She also noted that many times quilts in contests are made from Quilters Magazine and that no credit is given there either. It is with our understanding of the desire, need and correctness of giving credit to all who work on the quilt that we do our best both to ensure that we get credit and that when we work within our guilds that shows do their due dilligence to make sure that all those aspects of pattern, source, designer, quilter all get proper credit.

We want the change, we become the change we need. I encourage us all to change our intake sheets and have it signed that all showings and submissions of this quilt show us as the quilter with due credit given.

I want all of us to get the credit, and recognition our creative work deserves.

Thank you for bringing this thoughtfull issue to the forum so that positive changes can be made. I've learned a lot from this thread and appreciate your openess to share.

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by AbigailE

Dear All,

I just received a very thoughtful response to my email to Quilters world. The email address given of Customer service was forwarded on to the Editor. Please know that this reply was given professional and courteous response. She included that the magazine can only print the information that they are given. The assumption is that if no other quilter/longarmer is listed,that the quilting was done by the individual supplying the quilt.

So does this mean that the information of who the quilter was...was never given to the magazine. Then shame on the piecer for telling Kim her information had been given and it was the mag's fault for leaving it out.

As far as the other part of this statement, giving credit due to the magazine for a pattern idea. I personally always give credit in a show to the patterns author. Regardless if its a book, mag or a single sheet pattern, I agree that they need to be given credit as well. I always say something to the effect that this quilt is my adaptation of "XYZ's pattern"...so then the reader of the show card will know its their pattern, but I have changed it color wise or in some manner to be my own creation.

[AbigailE]

Bonnie,

I didn't copy and paste the Editors response because I didn't ask for permission to do that, but she did say they publish what information they are given. Hummmm.

I wouldn't have thought to have added that "any and all submission to shows, contests, or magazines must include longarmers name" as being necessary. This thread shows how important that really is.

I imagine that we automatically do add this information because we are sensitive and aware of the issue ourselves. Just as you have pointed out. off the preachy soap box now and scurring away.

[cvrchota]

i received a response from Sandra Hatch, Editor, Quilters World as well.. possibly a canned response as she mentioned she received several similar emails lately and assumed we had recently had a 'meeting'... i sent her a note asking if i could copy and paste her response to this forum... if she agrees, i will do so... it is a fairly lengthy response... charla

[kimmiequilts]

I received the same response and I know that I am listed as the quilter on the Quilt label which is on the back of the quilt and on the pattern. So it's a gray area. The letter seems to have been the same to all of us. At least she responded and says that she is going to address this topic on her on-line editorial column.

Thank you all for writing and as Abigail states if we want the change we must become the change. Letters and diligence in getting out information out is what we all need to be responsible for!

[cvrchota]

here's my exchange with sandra hatch...

-----Original Message-----

From: Sandra L. Hatch <Sandra_Hatch@drgnetwork.com>

To: ctcoconutz@aol.com

Sent: Sun, Sep 13, 2009 1:05 pm

Subject: Re: acknowledgement of quilting

That's fine, but I did make some typing errors! I did not check the copy before I sent it. I have corrected some of them in the message here, if you can use that for your copy and paste. And, yes, you may use my comments.

Sandra

On Sep 13, 2009, at 2:34 PM, ctcoconutz@aol.com wrote:

thank you for your note... maybe i share this message with my group?

it would be a 'copy and paste' to a forum... thank you for taking to time to respond to our concern.

Charla Vrchota

-----Original Message-----

From: Sandra L. Hatch <Sandra_Hatch@DRGnetwork.com>

To: ctcoconutz@aol.com

Sent: Sun, Sep 13, 2009 10:40 am

Subject: Re: acknowledgement of quilting

Charla

Thank you for your thoughtful message. You have every right to be upset. The fact of the matter is that most designers do not supply this information. If it is not given, we assume the designer did it herself. We cannot provide information that is not given to us.

I employ a machine-quilter to quilt my designs. It is considered work for hire. That does not mean I don't credit her, because I do. In our books or pattern books that credit is often at the back of the book. In the magazine it is given in the credits in the materials box. The designer is the person who signs an agreement selling us the rights to his/her design; that is the person who is paid for whatever we have agreed upon in a signed contract.

Perhaps it would be prudent of you and your group (and I assume you met recently, since I received several similar messages) to develop some kind of contract that you have your customer sign that requires them to give credit to you if/when the quilt is hung at a show or sold as a pattern with a photo of the quilt included. This would guarantee that the designer credits your name or business name with the quilting.

I feel that my designs are nothing until they are quilted. I pay more for my quilting than most of the people in my area, and I drive more than an hour each way to deliver and pick up my quilts, even though I could have them done locally for less than half the price and without the drive. I prefer to pay more and take the time because my quilter knows what I like. She knows I don't like dark thread on light fabrics and vice versa, so she changes the thread colors. She knows I don't want a pantagram design going from one side to the other. I want my quilt to be unique and different than any other one. I don't give her any instructions; when she sees my top, she knows right away what she will do for a design. That is worth the extra money and time to me.

Often designers have their designs pieced and quilted by someone else; still, unless they supply that information, how are we to know?

I cannot guarantee anything that will or will not be included in future issues of Quilter's World because as of the end of October I will no longer be the editor. I will however still be doing the technical editing, so I will be reading the materials sent along by the designer. I will check to make sure I do not miss any credits to piecers or quilters, but as I said, the designer might acknowledge the quilter if he/she has a contract stating that specifically.

Similar things happen to quilt magazines and designers. I have actually gone to several quilt shows and seen my own quilt designs made into quilts and hanging in a show without any credit to its source or designer. This is just as much of a slight as what you are writing about, but it happens at every show I attend. I find some quilt that was made from one of Quilter's World patterns with no credit being given. People are not trying to cheat me or other designers or the magazine out of the credit, they just don't think about it.

I do think about the quilting, but unless the designer gives me more information, I cannot supply it. I have to assume he/she designed, stitched and quilted the quilt by themselves.

Please do discuss the idea of having the people for whom you do work sign some kind of agreement to protect you now and in the future.

Thank you for writing to me about this; it is a very valid complaint, and one I will address in my next online newsletter!

Sandra L. Hatch, editor

Quilter's World

[Susanne.Hughes]

I think we can all learn from this, but I still think that the magazine is abrogating it's responsibility. Is it not an editorial job to ensure that articles and information is correct before it is printed? Just because the information wasn't "given" to them perhaps they too need a better checklist for their "intake" of information before it is printed?

The point here is, that no matter how many phrases we put on our intake sheets, we do not have any control over when or where our quilts are used, so can not control what magazines do or do not print. (Applies to shows as well!!) I am afraid that, polite or not, her resonse is what we would call a "cop out"!

Regards,

[smorris]

Hi Kimmie

Something like this came up in Australia a few years ago. A major Aussie mag invites quilters (piecers) to submit their quilt patterns complete with instructions on how to piece, and quilt it. When the quilt had been professionally quilted, sometimes the name of the quilter was mentioned and sometimes not. It worked out that the quilters mentioned also had paid advertisements in the magazine. the mags view was that they would not give free advertising by way of a mention at the bottom of the quilt pattern article as it was unfair to those quilters who paid for advertising.

sue in australia

[kimmiequilts]

Sue I can agree with that policy to a point, but that isn't the case here. The designer has no ad and even though some of the projects in this magazine are from professionals most are not. My friend still works at the LQS where I did until a few years ago. She designs many of the shops BOM's, her own class quilts and often the shop hop quilt for our group of shops. She has recently started a pattern company of her own designs. She is a wiz at EQ and has a memory like a steel trap for details. She is a good person. Might she have forgotten to supply all the info in her rush to get the quilt to them, possibly. But this is several times and I've met Sandra Hatch in person. This was a polite reply to multiple queries. Every letter is exactly the same...

If there is a flaw in the system it has to be corrected and if it's the editorial staff's job to check the facts then there should be an info sheet with all pertinent info required for publication. If it's not filled in then it should be checked, in a world where e-mail keeps you connected in seconds that's just not that difficult.

We will see what direction Quilter's World goes with new editorial people, who knows maybe they will get it all right next time! I'll have to wait to see since I've not quilted another quilt for Gina to have in their magazine.