Karin Hellaby

Author of Magic Pillows, Hidden Quilts

Karin Hellaby's teaching center and shop, Quilters Haven, is located in a 17th-century timber-framed building in Suffolk, England. In 1998, Karin won the Michael Kile scholarship - International Retailer of the Year from Quilts Inc. We talked with Karin her about her new book about "quillows" -- pillows which open up to form a quilt.

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Q: Karin, how did you get the idea for your book?

A: As I am a shop owner with between 400-500 different book titles on the shelves, I do get a feel for any gaps in the quilting book market. Many customers requested a book on quillows, and we did not have one to sell them.

I thought I would take the quillow a few steps further by developing attractive pillows that could hide quilts, but were not attached to the quilt - hence the wrap around pillow and the slip in pillow.

My students are much more technique rather than project orientated, so the book has many quick techniques to make quilt tops in a day. After all, you don't want to hide that heirloom quilt, that took months to make, inside a pillow.

The really interesting designs 'happened' once I had drawn the technique blocks using EQ4 and could then alternate two different blocks. Obviously I could have taken this further, but the book then had hundreds of design combinations and yet was still simple enough for anyone to try.

Q:These look like great gift projects because they’re simple designs. Is this part of their charm?

A: Yes, they are not intimidating designs. Everybody loves receiving a quilt as a gift and to be able to wrap it into a pillow is a bonus. As all the quilts are explained in the two sizes -- lap andmini quilts -- you can choose which size is appropriate. All the math needed to make the three pillows is there in the two different sizes.

Q: How did you use EQ when planning your book?

A: I used the EasyDraw tool to draw blocks such as my Easy Pineapple, Log Cabin, Attic Window and Mitred Squares. I adapted Snowball and Nine-Patch blocks to fit my size specification. Several of the Nine-Patch variations were from the block library.

EQ4 really came into its own when it came to alternating the blocks I had stored, and coming up with some amazing new designs. The colour tool was used to take one quilt design and show how it can be made in many different colour combinations to excite the reader.I did not use the fabric scanning facility as I wanted the students who were testing the book to come up with their own fabric choices for the patterns that I had created.

Q: You self-published this book, and it’s your second book. Can you tell us why you like self-publishing? Any words of wisdom for others who might like to publish their own book?

A: Self-publishing is a real challenge, as you spend a great deal of time finding the right people and tools to make it all possible. You have to make decisions at every stage, but they are your decisions as you are paying for everything.

The reason I enjoy self-publishing is that I have enjoyed the challenge, learnt a tremendous amount about the printing world, and have had control over my book. So often I hear authors have handed over manuscripts, and what comes back as a book is not what they had envisaged in the first place.

I also make all the decisions on where and how it is to be distributed, and can make sure that it is never out of print. I was able to print in two different bindings - perfect and wiro. I know that my students enjoy a book that lies flat with a wiro binding and yet a distributor and many book shops prefer the perfect bound version.

As a teacher I knew that toned diagrams helped anyone with slight dyslexia ( and there are many who have no idea why they can't understand diagrams). As a student I can't bear having to turn pages to follow techniques, so mine are arranged on facing pages with the text kept at a minimum alongside.

Words of wisdom..... if you want to be famous go to an established publisher, as they have the marketing department to really promote you. If, like me, you want to help three sons through college and believe you have a good book, then you might (and only might) make more money self-publishing. If it all goes right, there is a tremendous amount of self-satisfaction.

Q: What was the hardest part of self-publishing?

A: The frustration of finding out how to do it and the funding.

Q: How did you find a distributor in the U.S.?

A: I have ordered goods for my store, Quilters Haven, from Quilters Resouce for a long time and got to know Bonnie and Mike well. Other British authors who self publish were using QR as their distributors so I knew that it worked.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I am working on Sew a Row Projects which will be a companion book for my first book Sew a Row Quilts. When I was asked to teach at the Houston Quilt festival I devised three projects based on my first book. Many asked for the patterns. Rather than sell individual expensive patterns, I am putting them together into a small book which will be better value for money. In the UK customers equate the price of three patterns to the purchase of one book and the book wins nearly everytime. My biggest problem is knowing when to stop! I have a whole lot of projects in my head and trying to limit them to 12 or so is a problem!

CONTENTS: Announcements - Ask EQ - Free Stuff - Works For Me - Show & Tell - Quilt University - Hidden Block Quilts - Tessellating Fish - Designs by Alene - Karin Hellaby - Mischele Hart & Ann Castleberry - Color Printing Tips - Electric Quilt Computer Lab