When I design something, I usually try to crochet the entire thing.  I know that it's probably easier to send in a swatch of the design.  But, honestly, I can't come up with a border to an afghan without having the entire thing in front of me!  Well, that's not exactly true.  I've done it a couple of times, but I'm really not good at it.

So, I'm still working on the sky blue baby afghan I started last week.  It's about half there.  I took a three-day break to work on something else.  I needed to test a pattern before sending in the final version.  Now, that's done and I can start working on the afghan again.

I thought I would tell you about some of my experiences.  These procedures may have changed.  But, this will give you an idea of what you might expect when submitting to companies.

I've sold a whopping three items to Leisure Arts.  I had just broken into the world of designing when they were only about a year away from discontinuing Crochet with Heart magazine.  So, I haven't submitted much to them since.  But, although they've discontinued the magazine, I know that they still publish crochet patterns and I plan on submitting something to them in the near future.  Watch out, Leisure Arts!  

So, I've sold the following to LA:  Thread Treeskirt, Picturesque Posies Afghan and a Black afghan with pastel flowers (no name as far as I know). 

For the Thread Treeskirt, I submitted a completed item.  It was white.  I had carried gold metallic quilting thread with the crochet thread and used a gold ribbon for closure in the back and an accent around the edge.  Although it was very pretty, when the design was published, it had red ribbon and no gold quilting thread.  This was one of my first published designs.  I had no idea that the gold metallic thread would not show up in photography!

Lesson learned:  Even though your design is beautiful, always remember that it has to be photographed!  If the colors don't show, it may not be accepted!  (I am currently re-stitching something in different colors for this very reason as well!)

Next, I sold an afghan to LA called Picturesque Posies.  Oh, it was gorgeous!  Absolutely stunning!   LA didn't change anything.  They photographed it in the same colors I had chosen.  Since the time it was published in Crochet with Heart, it has also been published in one of their Year of Afghans books.

The last item was a floral as well.  There is no specific name for it.  I submitted it in a swatch.  This means that you do just a portion of the afghan; say about 12" x 12".  I did the afghan with a black outline and border and a lovely pink tangerine color flower.  Really pretty.  When it was published, it was a really beautiful black afghan with about three different colors of flowers strewn throughout.  Really, really pretty.

Now, in all three instances, my original work was returned to me.  (Not all publishers return your work to you.  Sometimes it is purchased along with your designing fee.)  So, I received the Treeskirt, Posies and black floral back (although, as I said, the black floral was just a swatch).

Leisure Arts purchased the designs outright.  This means I no longer hold the copyright. 

In addition to the designing fee, I also received complimentary copies of the books/magazines/leaflets in which these items were published.  There was another benefit that I had no idea about, though.  When the Posies afghan was published again, in a later book, I received a copy of THAT book from LA as well.  (Yes, it felt like Christmas.)

Several years' ago, when I was working with LA, I knew that they restitched EVERYTHING prior to publication.  They may choose the same colors you used; they may not.

I have never had any problems with LA and I highly recommend them for your design submissions!

I had thought this morning that I would write about different publishing company experiences.  But, as it turns out, this one took longer than I thought.  I will write about my experiences with another company later.  Stay tuned!