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![[ElectricQuilt.com]](../../../../Imgs/EQ_lb.jpg) My EQ Account Newsletters Floppy Gazette Join InfoEQ Subscribe to EQ Mailings Fun Stuff Classes & Tutorials Downloads & Freebies Message Forums Contact Us |
 Volume 9, No. 1, Summer 2002 View Other Floppy Gazettes |
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CONTENTS: Announcements - Ask EQ - Free Stuff - Works For Me - Show & Tell - Quilt University - Printing on Fabric - Quilters' Colors Patriotic Pin - Tips For Printing On Fabric - Linda Franz - Betty Ensz & Laura Jane Quint - Create a Coloring Book. An interview with
Linda
Franz
Author of Quilted Diamonds: Jane Austen, Jane Stickle & Friends
What's your quilting background? How did you decide to write your book? Tell us what it was like to write your book. Why did you decide to self-publish? How did you find a printer? What were some other things you had to learn as a publisher? Tell us about the Quilted Diamonds quilt featured in your book. How was EQ4 involved? Tell us about the CD with EQ4 patterns from the book. What's next for you? (PLEASE DON'T SKIP THIS ONE!)
A. My first bed quilt, In Time of Friendship, made with 144 Dear Jane blocks in my own setting, won Best in Show at the Vermont Quilt Festival in 1999; First Place Traditional Amateur in Paducah (AQS) in 2000; and also First Place, Judge's Recognition and Viewers' Choice at our guild show in Naples in 1999.
I have about eighty diamonds ready for my third bed quilt. I am still in the early stages of the design. (PLEASE DON'T LEAVE NOW. THIS GETS BETTER. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU LEAVE!) My mother introduced me to sewing, and her Singer sewing machine, before I was old enough to go to kindergarten and I have enjoyed sewing clothing and home furnishings for many years. I had no exposure to quilting at all until I took a beginner's class in 1993. I did not know anyone who quilted, and I signed up for my first class on a whim. It was advertised as "lap quilting." I was interested only if I did not need a big quilting frame. After my beginner's sampler, which brought my dear friend Mary Althaus into my life, I made a few small projects, but my quilting life really started when I joined Brenda Papadakis's Dear Jane Internet List in January 1998. Since then I have made two bed quilts, both of which are entirely hand pieced and hand quilted. I still enjoy my sewing machine for clothing and small projects. I hand piece small quilt blocks on the go, and then use the sewing machine to set them into blouses and tote bags. (Monkey is a hand piecing snob, and he wants to tell you all the advantages of hand piecing.) My husband, Russ, and I are Canadian and spend the winters in Naples Florida. Rather than carrying a big stash back and forth I have tried to work on one thing at a time, and to use only two fabrics in my big projects, so I don't have to carry a heavy stash. The most important influences on my quilting have been friends on the Dear Jane Internet List, and friends in the Naples Quilt Guild in Florida, especially Mary Althaus and Gail Stewart. (EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A HURRY, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO!)
A. I almost did not take the first step. I left it up to other people! In the spring of 2000 I took some of my diamond patterns to a gathering of online Dear Jane quilting friends in Shipshewana Indiana. The response was very positive. By then, I was a DJ Goddess (a quilter who finishes a Dear Jane quilt) and I was quilting the diamond quilt. I had a reputation on the Dear Jane list for my hand piecing and scalloped binding directions (27 easy steps including chocolate) on my web site. Some friends said, "You should write a book." Russ liked the idea, and I enjoy writing. So in July 2000 I sent my patterns and an outline to only one publisher---AQS. I doubted I would hear from them for a long time, if at all, but knew I would not be happy with myself if I did not try. AQS sent me a contract within a few weeks, and since my patterns were ready, and I could deliver the manuscript quickly, they promised an early release date-a little less than a year from receipt of the manuscript. That was really exciting. It was fantastic to know that the professionals who I admire could see potential in my patterns and ideas. Q. Tell us what it was like to write your book. A. I enjoy quilting, but writing Quilted Diamonds was even better! Writing the book was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had. My education and interests made it irresistible, and this opportunity with AQS was a dream come true. While I was writing, I also did all of the photography (another joy in my life) and simple ideas led to others in the most satisfying way. I enjoyed every minute of the process of getting words on the screen. I felt passionately about it. I was totally immersed in Jane Austen's novels while I was writing, and I got a big kick out of using her words in the text, and to name the diamonds. I will give you one example, of many. One of my favorite Austen quotes is in the chapter on appliqué. I organized the lesson with a "trouble shooting" section at the end---what to do if your stitches show, or the background puckers, or whatever. There are ten or twelve suggestions, including chocolate. In the earliest manuscript, the heading was "Appliqué Trouble Shooting." One morning, after weeks of focusing on the novels and the book, I changed that heading. I remembered Mr. Darcy's first shocking proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, in Pride & Prejudice. She thinks he hates her, and she has some other mistaken ideas about him. He is deeply in love, despite adverse circumstances, and cannot restrain himself. His passionate opening words are, "In vain have I struggled! It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." The heading Appliqué Trouble Shooting is now "In vain have I struggled. It will not do." I still cannot type it without smiling and remembering the first time that thought hit the keyboard. There are many examples like this, and I hope they will make you smile. The Austen-tatious quotations on the back cover? That was a brainstorm. Even if hand piecing diamonds does not appeal to you, please enjoy the back cover! I shared the experience of writing Quilted Diamonds with online friends, and without their encouragement and interest, Quilted Diamonds would never have been published. Brenda Papadakis (Dear Jane) kindly wrote the foreword. Now, it is absolutely fabulous to hear from quilters who are reading or re-reading Jane Austen's novels because of Quilted Diamonds! That is the best! (MONKEY IS WORRIED THAT YOU WILL LEAVE BEFORE YOU SCROLL DOWN TO THE LAST QUESTION!) Q. Why did you decide to self-publish? A. I did not want to self-publish. Period. I wanted a national publisher's expertise and marketing reach behind me. Unfortunately, my book design ideas did not match the needs of AQS. They were very kind when things were not working out, and we are on friendly terms, but last August it became clear that my manuscript was too long and involved for the project they had in mind. I asked to be released from the contract, rather than compromising my vision for the book, and they graciously agreed. Uh oh! NOW what? I bought an Adobe design package in October 2001 (not that I knew how to use it!), intending to lay out the book pages to attract another publisher-and avoid any misunderstandings about content or book length from the start. Graphic artists like my sister, Alison Murchie, and quilting friends like Judy Meyer and Carol Honderich, assured me that I could use page layout software without any training or experience---except what I had learned using EQ, of course! Starting with the manuscript, my digital photos, and my patterns in EQ, I was able to lay out the entire book by Christmas. The almost-finished product was rejected by two publishers, one of whom did not even acknowledge receipt. Self-publishing finally seemed to be the only option. Besides, Russ had invested almost $20.00 in Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual---which I highly recommend---so there was no turning back! Our manual is well used. [Editor's note: see a preview of Linda's book here.] Q. How did you find a printer? A. Online! I e-mailed several printers (listed in the manual) who specialized in digital color printing in the US, the Far East, and Canada. I looked at other quilt books to determine the paper, cover stock, binding and quality I wanted, and every printer quoted on my little job quickly. I was amazed at the personal attention and service that printers could provide to a small first-time publisher. Friesen's of Manitoba, Canada had by far the best price, eh, and their service has been fantastic. The success of Quilted Diamonds so far is partly due to the superior product they provided. They even delivered a few weeks ahead of time! I am still recovering from the turmoil that created, because we really were not prepared to "go live" with the web site and handle the first orders. Even now, I am scrambling to keep up, and I find it convenient to blame it all on Friesen's. Q. What were some other things you had to learn as a publisher? A. There were hundreds of little things-overwhelming when you look at it all at once, but not bad--one step at a time. There were many times when I was working on a hard problem (drawing an illustration or laying out the pages), and I would start to wonder about the "next thing." For example: I wonder if I could add a few more pages? (No-only increments of 16 pages, for the needs of the printer.) I wonder how I get an ISBN number? (Easy. It's in the manual.) I wonder how I get a bar code? (Online.) I wonder what the price of the book should be? (It's a mystery.) I wonder if I should make my EQ patterns available on CD? (Yes, yes, yes!) I wonder if we can afford this? (Yikes.) I wonder if it would be okay to put Monkey in the book? (Yes.) I wonder how many books we should order? (No problem. NO ONE knows, so you are no worse off than the experts.) I wonder if one of our friends has a forklift? (Nope.) I wonder who distributes quilt books, and whether I can get the book into quilt shops. (Yes!) I wonder how I get "lindafranz.com" and, for heaven's sake, what IS a "web host" anyway? You get the idea! Most of the time, the best answer was to remember Scarlett O'Hara, who is nothing like Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and decide to "think about that tomorrow." You can only do one thing at a time. More and more, quilters and monkeys are going to find self-publishing to be a good option, especially if they can do some of the photography and layout themselves. What I did was probably not possible only five years ago. Now, digital printing is accessible; information is readily available online; quilters are active on the Internet, so there is a way to reach the market; and, digital cameras, computer monitors and software are all better and less expensive than before. There are many factors that make self-publishing attractive, but it is a tremendous amount of work. If you don't actually enjoy the process, it is not worth it. You must be passionate about your idea. The advantages are that you keep control of the title, the book design, the cover art, the number of pages, the price, and you might be able to produce the book more quickly than a publishing house could, or would. (Do you know how many quilt book authors do not like the covers of their own books? I didn't.) The things I like the least about self-publishing are the clerical stuff, accounting (yuck), and SHIPPING, and Russ is wonderful at all of that. Being a publisher is a full time job and I miss having time for interaction with quilters online. Retirement was pretty nice. Hmmmmm. I wonder…if we can afford to use a Fulfillment Service? (Self-Publishing Manual, page 333.) The single most important factor in self-publishing is to have a supportive partner. A Monkey is also an asset. Q. Tell us about the Quilted Diamonds quilt featured in your book. A. The book, Quilted Diamonds: Jane Austen, Jane Stickle & Friends, is about Love & Friendship, a quilt with a medallion setting inspired by the Jane Austen Quilt, and diamonds inspired by traditional, square quilt blocks like those in DEAR JANE by Brenda Papadakis, and other collections. The quilt is founded on friendships I have made on the Internet at dearjane.com. These friendships are more precious than any quilt. While making In Time of Friendship (my Dear Jane quilt), I realized that one of the amazing advantages of hand piecing with freezer paper templates was that I could draft and hand piece almost any design. That led to the idea of re-drawing the Jane Stickle squares into diamonds. There is a photo of Love & Friendship on my web site. It is entirely hand pieced and hand quilted, with a scalloped binding. Blue and white. More than 5800 pieces. 84 x 92 inches. 12-14 months. Q. How was EQ involved? A. I drew the original diamond patterns for Love & Friendship with a ruler and a mechanical pencil. I had EQ but I had not learned how to use it! I gave photocopies of my pencil drawings to my friends, and their interest prompted me to learn how to draw the patterns in EQ so I could print them more accurately, and share them. EQ teacher Robert Carter, of Quilter's Fancy in Toronto, showed me the advanced drawing tools and some simple EQ techniques in an hour or two, and I was able to accurately re-draw my first 112 diamonds with EQ that weekend. (EQ is addictive!) Some diamonds were harder to draw than others. The more I learned about EQ, the more I respected it. Penny McMorris of EQ gave me encouragement and advice while I was working on the book and the CD booklet. She and her staff reviewed the booklet for me, and recommended a CD manufacturer. Electric Quilt asked for nothing in return for their advice and assistance, or for using EQ on the packaging, and I am very grateful. I say this even when Penny is not actually interviewing me. From the QD EQ CD booklet: If you are new to EQ, promise yourself to take advantage of all the resources available to you! You will never stop learning new things with this powerful software, and that should be a joy, not a frustration! I have learned from reading the mail on the Info-EQ list. Sometimes I did not know enough to ask a question, but a few words from Barb Vlack, Fran Iverson Gonzalez, Penny McMorris, Sheila Williams, Patti Anderson, Suzanne Sanger, or another contributor would make something clear to me. Q. Tell us about the CD with EQ patterns from the book. A. The Quilted Diamonds CD for EQ includes drawings of all of the diamonds of Love & Friendship, so you can color, edit and resize the diamonds, and print them. An instruction booklet is provided for printing and using the patterns. This Quilted Diamonds CD is not sold without the book. YOU MUST HAVE ELECTRIC QUILT SOFTWARE TO USE THE QD CD (EQ4 or EQ5). Several quilters have asked whether they NEED the Quilted Diamonds CD. The answer is NO. You can just buy the book. It has all the patterns. HOWEVER! There are some great reasons to buy the CD. It is like buying any quilting tool (a ruler, templates, a cutter, a needle threader, etc.). Depending on how you like to quilt, the CD might be worth the extra $10.00 to you. In Jane Austen's day, the equivalent of a Palm Pilot personal organizer was "a little bit of ivory, two inches wide." Ladies penciled their shopping lists and other notes on thin ivory tablets, which could be erased with a damp cloth. Despite this technical inferiority, I have looked to Jane Austen for advice about the QD EQ-compatible CD, and I think she would recommend EQ and the QD CD. For a complete description of the benefits of using EQ with the diamond patterns, please visit my web site. In addition to design freedom, convenience, flexibility, paper piecing possibilities, and an introduction to EQ software, the CD is cute. This is really the very worst reason for buying the Quilted Diamonds CD, but that's okay. The CD label looks like a fabric quilt block. It is a very high tech CD-ROM made with some kind of space-age plastic but it looks as if you are putting a little round quilt block into the CD drive. Cool, eh? It is not a good reason for buying the CD, but it appeals to Monkey and to me. Jane Austen was a master of comic irony, and I think she would have been charmed by it. Q. What's next for you? (THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION. FINALLY!) A. Next, I am going to be a movie star ! Well, actually not, but I am going to Hollywood! Well, actually, to Burbank California! To tape Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson!!! In June! Oh! Oh! Oh! The part about Simply Quilts is true, but this is a ridiculous question, Penny. Next time, let's make this Question # 1, okay? This is May. As recently as December we did not know we would self-publish, and we did not expect to have the book in time for my classes in Paducah in April. We did not foresee the popularity of Jane Austen, EQ and Quilted Diamonds in Europe. We certainly did not predict selling our "lifetime supply" of books in three months. We underestimated the number of books we would need and have already ordered a second printing. With these deplorable forecasting failures on my resume, it is probably not a good idea for me to answer this question, beyond my next meal. Life after Simply Quilts? Some quality time with my dear Russ--- and my computer keyboard---catching up with online friends-----and yes, playing and designing with EQ5! I have an idea for another book too. MONKEY AND I BOTH THANK YOU FOR SCROLLING DOWN! AND THANKS TO MY FRIENDS AT ELECTRIC QUILT! For more, read about Linda on her Web page. Electric Quilt Company carries Linda's book and CD on our Other Products of EQ Interest page. CONTENTS: Announcements - Ask EQ - Free Stuff - Works For Me - Show & Tell - Quilt University - Printing on Fabric - Quilters' Colors Patriotic Pin - Tips For Printing On Fabric - Linda Franz - Betty Ensz & Laura Jane Quint - Create a Coloring Book. |
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