Keys to an Inklingo Shape Collection
(Behind the Scenes)
It usually starts with requests from Inklingo quilters like you.
Occasionally a design catches my eye first (Jane Austen, Lucy Boston) but usually, YOU are the key to the next shape collection.
I may need to get permission from a publisher like Quiltmania first. I have worked with the Jane Austen Memorial Trust and Diana Boston (for the Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses book), Bonnie Hunter, Judy Martin, Jinny Beyer, Sharon Burgess, Sue Daley, and others.
If you are curious about what your key unlocks at Inklingo—read on!
I’ve reviewed my checklists and broken the process down into more than 20 steps for you.
It's nice to meet you!
The first step is to draw accurate shapes, of course. This is often quite interesting.
I do some research to see how the shapes have been sewn in the past. I usually learn something new.
I’m an explorer in the land of geometry.
I use Adobe Illustrator to draw the shapes with and without seam allowances.
This part is fun—a new beginning. Anything is possible.
I was good at geometry in high school but I had no idea it would be such an important part of my life.
Monkey and I are convinced that quilters are going to love printing and sewing these shapes! We are optimistic.
My solemn duty to sew, sew, sew!
It is very important to sew tests.
No wonder I love starting a new shape collection!
At this stage, I print on fabric and on paper so I can design precision corners and add appropriate, helpful matching marks to the shapes.
Of course, I love sewing by hand and/or by machine and getting familiar with the shapes.
While I sew, I start thinking about what layouts I want and what layouts I think other quilters would want too.
It would be easy to stop working and just sew for days but I want to share the fun with you.
Let's play!
Once the shapes are perfect, I need to decide on the layouts.
There are often 3 to 5 layouts for a particular shape to provide a choice of straight grain, layouts for rotary and scissors cutting, and a layout for directional fabric.
For example, the free Diamond Triangle Square shape collection has 4 layouts for the 45° diamonds.
There are 3 layouts for the 90° hexagon for Patchwork of the Crosses with a choice of straight grain—a smorgasbord!
It is important to get each layout absolutely correct because everything builds on this. It is discouraging to realize later that the matches are confusing or the precision corners aren’t quite right, or that anything else went wrong. (It happens.)
s
Think like You
I try to imagine the fabric choices you might make because that helps me identify opportunities for combo layouts.
I also consider bonus shapes and whether there should be more sizes.
For example, the free Diamond Triangle Square shape collection has two combo layouts, one with squares and triangles for the background of a LeMoyne Star.
There are MANY Combos in Inklingo shape collections. (Monkey and I went wild in the Sunflower shape collections.)
Sometimes there are shape collections for many sizes for a design that all work together, like Storm At Sea, Winding Ways,. and others.
"Watch" old DVDs or listen to music
Once all the layouts are finalized (fingers crossed), I create the layouts in 20 colors and a version for the description in the Catalogue of Shapes.
This is very repetitive and mind-numbing so I often “watch” old DVDs while I work.
Miss Marple? (Only with Joan Hickson.) Pride & Prejudice? (Only with Elizabeth Garvie) Rear Window? Love Actually? It has to be something I have watched before.
Keep Calm and Concentrate
I use one of each of the layouts and Adobe Photoshop to prepare the suggested custom page sizes for each layout so you know what size to cut the freezer paper.
All of the suggested custom page sizes fit in an ordinary Inkjet printer (8.5 inches wide), some Portrait mode and some Landscape mode.
This requires concentration. Movie time is over but music helps.
Suggested custom sizes are important because they make it easy for all quilters and designers to determine accurate fabric requirements.
Front Matters
These are the pages at the beginning before the main attraction (the layouts of shapes).
I think of this file as “The Catalogue.” I use Adobe InDesign for the layout.
To me, The Catalogue is everything on the 8.5 x 11-inch pages, including the Catalogue of Shapes, like pages 1 to 74 in the free shape collection.
At a minimum, these pages require getting the ISBN, taking photos of samples, adding tips, and writing descriptions of the layouts.
If I am including sewing and pressing instructions and a gallery of quilts, etc. this can be the most time-consuming step.
I write instructions for sewing and pressing, take photographs, create images in Photoshop and Illustrator, and design worksheets. In some cases, like Double Wedding Ring and Patchwork of the Crosses, Orange Peel, or Hexagons, I do videos too.
If I am doing shape collections for many sizes as I did for Pine Cone or Cleopatra’s Fan, I create a separate Design Book.
You can see all of the design books on the Main Design Book Page. A design book is a big commitment and a big decision for me.
What You Print
I prepare another file (The Shapes) with InDesign for all of the layouts of shapes on 13 x 19-inch pages.
This is usually hundreds of pages because there are 20 pages for each layout with seam allowances plus the pages with layouts for shapes without seam allowances, and sometimes worksheets.
I number the pages appropriately to follow the front matter and create a table of contents to add to The Catalogue.
In the free shape collection, these are pages 75-333.
Tedium Sets In
I’m starting to think I work too hard and sew too little.
Adding links, cross-references, descriptions, page numbers, and suggested custom page sizes to The Catalogue. It’s all boring. It’s all essential.
I try to embrace boredom by remembering how much I want to help quilters print on fabric and sew their best quilts.
Something good will come of this.
Listen to Russ
I print The Catalogue pages and call Russ in from outside so he can read it out loud to me while I review each page on the computer and make any corrections.
I have always loved his voice and he has a good eye. He sometimes has suggestions for fine-tuning descriptions and commas (removing them).
Proofreading with Russ often involves removing exclamation marks!
WWW
Next, I need to use Photoshop to create images for the website and blog.
This includes designing a cover, an image showing all the shapes with dimensions, and photos of examples in web format. The format is different from the photos I have created so far for The Catalogue.
New pages and more cross-referencing. This is more work than Rice Krispie Treats.
Russ can hear me sighing from a long way away but Persistence is my middle name.
Only Monkey appreciates me. Everyone else is taking me for granted, eh?
That reminds me. I need chocolate.
Piece it together
There is one last review before I use Adobe Acrobat Pro to convert the InDesign files to PDFs and combine the PDFs into one big one.
Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
Emma says, “It was a plan to promote the happiness of all.” (Emma, Ch 53)
I say, “Will I ever be able to sew again?”
Monkey Backs Up
I back things up remotely every day but now I package all files in special folders for future reference.
Monkey backs up on an external drive too. Beep. Beep. Beep. (Just like the big trucks.)
Sometimes I do Sudoku while the green bar moves across.
Monkey is essential but I delete unnecessary files.
The Shepherdess & The Monkey
At this stage, there is a long checklist: add Bookmarks, re-check page numbers and links, set View properties, and more.
If you can’t find something, my work is wasted so I want to help guide everyone through hundreds of pages.
NOTE There is no spell check on Bookmarks, so be very careful.
IRL - In Real Life
This is a business, not just playing around, so I need to add copy protection to the final PDFs.
This is why you have to use Adobe Reader and a password to log in to use Inklingo PDFs.
Copy protection is a major expense and creates a requirement for Tech Support but this is not a business without it. Inklingo is how I earn my living.
Real life involves uploading, downloading, uploading again, and recording vital details in all the right places. It’s complicated but we’re closing in on the end, so it is an exciting stage.
I can finally TEST the real thing in my own account.
URL - Virtual Life
I add relevant details and images on a new page in the Shop with all the info for you and set an intro sale price.
There is more website work on other pages too. I add details to the Index of Shapes, the List of Shape Collections, the bio page, and the SSIB page. I update and cross-reference to other website pages as required, always working from checklists.
Needless to say, it seems like forever since I last sewed anything.
Cross-referencing for Virtual Life is complicated and never-ending but the new URL allows Inklingo to reach quilters all over the world.
Quilters need to know what everyone else is making. (See the Shop!)
Who wants to know?
I add and remove email addresses for the announcement to ensure only the quilters who want my emails will get them.
Spam is not my game.
There are Inklingo quilters in more than 65 countries! (I will not remove that exclamation mark.)
Jump
Well, not quite “jump” but when I click Send, it is finally official!
I write a blog post and an email and prepare photos to announce the new shape collection(s).
It is important to verify links and send tests to myself first because this email goes to thousands of quilters. It has to be correct.
This step is sometimes very tedious. It has been a long time since I sewed my first tests but I remind myself of the excitement I felt at the beginning of this process.
The checklist includes adding cross references and checking links and tags, lots of little details like subject lines, headings, and more proofing.
Find You Where You Are
Between 40% and 50% of quilters open my emails but some quilters prefer social media.
I’m tired but I force myself to post photos for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and the Inklingo IO group too.
Creating the shape collection(s) has taken so long that I am at the end of my thread and starting to worry that no one will want my work.
Confidence is at a low ebb.
A Sigh of Relief?
What if no one thinks this is worth $25 or $30?
I can finally heave a sigh of relief when quilters decide to pay me for my work so they can print on fabric and sew their best quilts.
The Last Thing is the Next Thing
I back up everything again on an external drive and in the cloud and decide which shapes I should do next.
And we start all over again, trimming down your list of requests.
You are the key.
I’m hoping my hiatus is soon over. Please keep writing and sending.
Hi Ro, Welcome back! I am pleased to know that you enjoy my emails. Thank you for letting me know.
Linda – I LOVE LOVE reading everything you write!! I do have to say you remind me a little of myself …I write as I speak and have been told I keep writing a novel sometimes as I pass along messages to my guild or write instructions. But then I believe in being thorough – as you also do – if you cover everything, all is good and no one makes (too many) mistakes. You put a great deal of yourself and effort into everything you create and we all appreciate it. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to use your Lucy Boston Inklingo on my background blocks!!! I fussy cut all interior pieces, so I really couldn’t use them for that part, but I needed over 1000 background pieces so your program saved me weeks of work. Thanks so much for sharing your talents with us!
Oh, Monica! This is music to my ears. Thank you very much for leaving such an uplifting comment!
You are amazing! I have always been impressed with the high level of customer support you offer as well as your products. I think I’ve been using Inklingo for about 10 years now, and the quilts I make with your products are my favorites. When a friend found a pattern she wanted to do she said ” I wish there was an Inklingo pattern so I could have the lines printed just like what you are working on now” (I was hand sewing while she browsed quilt patterns) I said, “well, let’s send Linda an email and ask.” She looked at me like I was crazy, thinking that a business wouldn’t bother with a personal email response, let alone take a request. I assured her you had the BEST customer service and that we would absolutely get a response and very likely within a few hours. Of course you proved me right with your exceptional customer service, and we were both grinning ear to ear thinking that someday down the road we might be able to make that quilt she loved using the genius of Inklingo. I share this story to illustrate to your readers that you were serious when you wrote that we are/can be part of the process. (keeping in mind that just because we suggest / request something does NOT mean it will become a pattern – as clearly indicated above, Linda is very, very busy!) Hugs to you for the enormous amount of work you put into each shape collection. They are worth every penny and we are fortunate to be creating with your products.
Wow, Mindy! I love your comment. Inklingo quilters ARE my inspiration. I hope the requests never stop coming! Thank you very much for all your kind words. I appreciate it.
It is refreshing, to say the least, to find someone who uses the rights tools (software in this case) to create their products right the first time. I am a big proponent of using the correct software that is built for and supports the documents you create. I like that you use Illustrator and Photoshop but fell over in my chair when I read that someone was using inDesign. Talk about being able to create pretty much anything in a software package. I have used inDesign since… I can’t even remember… and find it to be my go-to even for a text document – Word can take a backseat. After reading about your process and what you use to make it happen, no wonder I love how well everything is put together and offered with different options. Using the right stuff helps the tedious tasks not seem quite so tedious because you understand how everything works together. I wish more creators used the right software instead of struggling using something not quite meant for the type of material they want. I love how you are embracing your process and know the payoff is worth it. Keep doing what you are doing and ‘Rock On’ being the sole leader in this craft!
Thank you very much, Frances. I am a big fan of Adobe too. InDesign is fabulous. It seemed expensive when I bought the four main programs in 2001 but it was a very good choice. Not only is the software excellent but there are wonderful online courses to learn how to use it. I owe it all to my sister Alison, who insisted it would not be hard to learn it. The rest is history. It gives me a good feeling to know you like my work. Thank you.
I always wondered what the process was! Thank you for sharing this, I am definitely an appreciator of all the “tedious details” you add, like the custom size suggestions. I wish I could sew faster so that I could use all the collections I’ve bought over the years. Confession: I like to log in and browse my downloads and dream about the possibilities. Thank you for all your hard work helping us create our dream quilts. <3
Hi Fiona, You have been an Inklingo quilter for a long time. I love knowing that you browse the PDFs and dream or your next quilts. Thank you for telling me.
Oh my goodness, you Wonder Woman! I was aware you put a lot of work, detail and care into each Shape Collection, the instructions, the videos, the blog, the shop, the emails, all of the excellent customer support, shipping with printed samples and what not, but reading this is… I don’t know. Impressive, slightly depressing, and more. I have to lie down after all this. And when I get up I will check the weather forecast for chocolate-shipping-conditions :-). You deserve so much chocolate!
Annika! You WIN. This is my favorite comment of the day. (And the competition has been stiff.) THANK YOU.
Wow, Linda – it’s evident in every collection that an enormous amount of work is behind every shape but this article definitely shows us just how much! Your level of attention to detail is what makes every collection so valuable and easy to use. We are very fortunate that you invented Inklingo and that you’ve always maintained that quality. This article should be a must read every once in a while. Thank you so much – you’re a quilter’s treasure!!!
Thank you, Cathi. You have been a true supporter since Day One. I’m glad you are an Inklingo quilter!
I am so happy that you’re willing to take all your pre ious time to make these patterns for everyone. I am new to Inklingo and I have been searching for just the right fabric to start my first project
Welcome, Sandy! There is a lot of great info on the website but when you have questions about getting started, please ask. I am happy to help.
I was overwhelmed when I opened the free collection. I thought Linda should be awarded a Ph.D. for all this work she’s given me for free. Every quilt and every quilt block I’ve made with Inklingo is pieced perfectly. Thank you, Linda for all your hard work.
Thank you very much, Sue! You made my day! My whole weekend!