True, it is the dead doldrums of summer. But there is major breaking news in the quilt world and more coming. So read on!

Also, I'm happy to announce that I finally started archiving back issues of this newsletter. I don't have all the issues going back to when I launched in Spring 2008, but May and June are there. Going forward, each issue will be posted on the site within a week after subscribers receive it.

NEWS FLASH: MAJOR MERGER OF QUILT MAGAZINES

We all know the economy sucks and magazines and newspapers everywhere have gone under due to steep drops in ad revenues. There have been rumors for months that magazine publisher CK Media was in trouble, followed by reports of layoffs at its various titles. These are some of the most beloved quilt publications around, from the long-lived Quilter's Newsletter to the fun, new kid on the block, Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home. Personally, I subscribe to both of these as well as other CK titles like McCall's Quilting and couldn't bear to contemplate their demise. In all, CK Media put out 9 magazines with a combined circulation of about one million.

The news is mostly good. Earlier this month, CK Media was acquired by New Track Media LLC, a publishing company based in Cambridge, Mass. that already owns such high-profile quilting properties as QNNtv, Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting and the Keepsake Quilting catalogs.

There's been grumbling over the subsequent firing of more than 20 CK Media employees, from editorial staffers to management and back-office types. I can see why New Track wouldn't want to keep circulation, accounting and other such functions in Denver and Salt Lake City when it's got these departments elsewhere. But I also understand why this mega deal might make some folks nervous. The lion's share of quilt magazines are now owned by one company. That's a lot of eggs in one basket, so let's take a look at whether that basket is sturdy.

New Track Media is part of the portfolio of a well-regarded private equity company called Boston Ventures that specializes in media and communications. But the key player here is New Track's CEO Stephen Kent. As a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, I know there are investor groups full of meatheads who buy up assets willy nilly, with no passion for the products in question and no more than greed as a strategic plan, but I don't believe that's the case here. I had an opportunity recently to put some questions to Stephen Kent about the deal, so I'll share his responses.

First off, Kent is a savvy, Harvard-educated guy who formerly spent 5 years as CEO of F & W Publishing, a publisher of hobby and special interest magazines, books and book clubs that grew to $250 million in annual revenues from $65 million when he began. So he gets the publishing business and he knows how to grow it. He founded New Track in 2006 and since has acquired Keepsake Quilting, Fons & Porter and QNNtv, among other properties including the magazine Sky & Telescope.

In defending the staff cuts, Stephen Kent told me: "We believe that the entire group (at CK Media) was at risk before our transaction, which is to say that we feel like we protected most jobs while having to reduce some." Going forward, he says, quilting is now the biggest component of New Track's business, and thus he is committed to "seeing the category grow and helping it do that by serving quilting enthusiasts in the best ways possible... The objective is to do more not less, so eliminating publications is not in our plans."

I was eager to ask Stephen Kent about the Quilting in America survey, a popular census of quilters which has been published every 3 years since 1993. The last survey came out in 2006 from CK Media, so 2009 would seem to be time for an update. "The former ownership let this slip, presumably due to cost," he said. "We are now trying to figure out if we can make this happen. If at all possible, our intention would be to continue the research." So, there may or may not be a 2009 Quilting in America survey announced at Quilt Festival in October, but they're trying.

It's impossible to predict how this company will change these publications going forward, but so far things look promising. For one, this deal puts two powerhouse talents in the same company: Mark Lipinski and Jodie Davis, president of QNN, who will debut their new quilt TV show, Quilt Out Loud, on the web later this month. (For details go to www.quiltoutloud.com). Also, Angie Hodapp was just named editor-in-chief of Quilter's Newsletter, taking over from Jan Magee. Angie is a young, passionate and very able editor who understands the high-tech tools of today's quilters, so this bodes well.

Bottom line: I think we should all celebrate this move because it represents a humongous investment in the future of quilting. These are smart people and they clearly think quilting is going to continue growing. Let's surpass their expectations, shall we?

COX QUILT SHOP INDEX DECLINES AGAIN

Maybe the April uptick was a fluke and not a trend. My economic indicator based on the sales results of 10 top quilt shops has fallen again. The June number was 622, down about 3% from May's 643. And the June figure is down 14% from the 725 of December, which launched the Cox Index. (As the regulars know, each shop provides a number between 1 and 100 with 100 representing their best sales ever, and the numbers are combined to create the indicator: 1,000 would mean each shop exceeded record sales that month.)

This month, one of the most successful shops I know in North Carolina reported a 35 because sales were down again more than 30% from a year ago. Of the 10 prominent shops, only 4 reported a figure between 70 and 85, meaning sales were up nicely from the previous June.

The two most successful shops in the June index were Pennington Quilt Works in New Jersey, my local shop, and the famed Stitchin' Post in Oregon. I know the Stitchin' Post is a great shop but they were also helped by the big annual outdoor quilt show in Sisters, which happens every July. The Pennington shop has been very savvy in creating and promoting classes and clubs that fit the times like their Stash Club (use up what you have) and their Spa Days ("Treat yourself to all new fabric!")

COMING SOON: WEBZINE ON QUILT TRAVEL

Jim West has been in the cruise business for decades and his impressive resume includes multiple books on cruise travel and his own show on TV's Travel Channel. Although Jim's large and growing firm Travel Alliance handles cruises for many special-interest groups including Catholics, honeymooners, scrapbookers, gardeners and beaders, he clearly has a warm spot in his heart for quilters. His Sew Many Places subsidiary handles cruise travel to just about every exotic location quilters want to tour, including Bali, Ireland, China and Africa, often hosted by accomplished teachers like Kaye England and Jinny Beyer. As reported earlier in this newsletter, Jim is adding short domestic quilt trips to his roster.

But being a restless sort, he's always looking for new turf to conquer. Next up for Jim and Sew Many Places is an ambitious quilt travel publication which will be available only online. Titled QUILTPOSIUM: Living and Traveling With a Quilter's Eye, the webzine will naturally include a wealth of detail about his upcoming quilt cruises. But Jim has also signed up 24 regular contributors, many of whom are well-known teachers and quiltmakers, to write about their passions. Like Alex Anderson and longarm quilter Matt Sparrow. I've also been asked to contribute to the publication, and an article about my own quilt travel adventures will appear in the premiere issue.

Intrigued? I can't share more because Jim is keeping this under wraps until the official debut on September 1. Subscriptions will be free, but you must register online to see the content. I'll be able to link my September issue to the new publication, but you can register by early August at www.quiltposium.com.

LATEST ARTICLES

One of the best perks of being a member of SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Associates, is receiving the excellent quarterly magazine, the SAQA Journal. I was asked after my 19-city book tour for The Quilter's Catalog last year to contribute an article on promoting quilt books in a crowded market. That story appears in the Summer issue of SAQA Journal. If you aren't a member, I recommend both the publication and the organization, which are packed with advice about becoming a successful professional in quilting. See www.saqa.com for more.

Also, for my fellow groupies of Mark Lipinski and his Quilter's Home magazine, look for me in the August/September issue, on page 14. A few months ago, Mark and I had lunch with our mutual quilt pal Liza Lucy, co-author with Kaffe Fassett of many great pattern books. Mark came flying into the restaurant and announced he had half a page to fill in the next issue and he planned on milking our lunch for material. Talk about pressure to be lively and informative! See how we did and check out a great issue that includes some surprises, like a beauty makeover of a famous quilt teacher.

ADVENTURES OF A NEW QUILT SHOP

I've been following the owners of a new quilt shop in Missouri since meeting the charming mother and daughter who own it at Quilt Market last fall. I'm delighted to report that Sarah Galbraith and her mom Jenny Doan, a longarm quilter, continue to be wildly successful. They hired three (non-family) employees this month and are getting ready to remodel the shop to open new rooms for classes.

They had some scary moments at the Missouri Star Quilt Company in past months after Jenny broke her leg, but they soldiered on, bringing in one of Sarah's sisters to continue the customized longarm jobs while Jenny healed. Now Sarah says her mother is finally free of the "boot" that kept her hobbling, while many of the programs, classes and web specials they started are taking off with customers near and far.

One of the smartest moves Sarah made was to start teaching pre-teen girls in what she calls Stitchin Chicks classes, which also bring in the parents. The shop is in a tiny town, Hamilton, with a population of 1,000, so the Missouri Star Quilt ladies came up with a "mobile unit" to teach classes and sell products outside the shop at locations like community centers and nursing homes.

Sarah and Jenny have also been smart to build their identity on the internet, adding helpful tutorials for beginners (they just upgraded their video equipment) and advertising their Quilters Daily Deal on the site. Check out their progress at www.missouriquiltco.com.

See, I told you there was news!

I'll be taking off the month of August to catch up with both my family and my UFOs. I look forward to seeing you in September, but if you have questions to ask or news to share, drop me a line.

Quilt on!
love, Meg