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On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about creating a digital magazine with the founders of Make Modern Magazine.

Make Modern is Australia’s only modern quilt magazine. It began in 2014 when a group of passionate quilters had a dream of producing a magazine for quilters, by quilters, filled with beautiful patterns and articles to inspire quilters to make more modern quilts! Six years on and Make Modern magazine is read by thousands of quilters in over 70 countries around the globe. Each issue is 100+ pages jam-packed with modern quilt patterns designed by a huge team of international quilters, articles to inspire and teach you something new, and interviews with your favorite quilt designers.

This episode is sponsored by Craftsy.

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Whether you’re new to making, or looking to advance skills in a favorite hobby, Craftsy is the place to learn. With over 1,500 classes, there’s something for everyone, from knitting and sewing, to baking and cooking, gardening, embroidery, quilting and more! Visit CraftsyOffers.com today and get a full year of Craftsy Premium Membership for just $3! That’s 97% off the regular price! Start turning ideas into projects you can be proud of. 

Make Modern is a digital magazine.

We begin this interview with each member of the Make Modern Magazine team, Lara Motta, Kristy Lea, and Jane Kelly, introducing themselves and explaining how they got into quilting. Next, we talk about how they met one another and came together to create a magazine. The staff is all based in Australia but is spread out quite far from one another and works remotely. We talk about the tools they use to collaborate online.

Next, I ask how the team defines “modern quilting.” The magazine comes out six times a year. We talk about what each issue of the magazine contains. Listen to learn what the team is looking for in an article and a quilt pattern. Make Modern is a great place to get published! They pay all contributors and we talk about why they made the choice to compensate their freelancers. We also discuss why the magazine is digital and why there aren’t any immediate plans to create a print version. In addition, we talk about why the issues are delivered as PDFs rather than on a platform like Issuu.

“Kissing Arrows” by Amanda McCabe was featured in issue #28 of Make Modern.

Listen to hear how many subscribers Make Modern has currently and to learn who their typical reader is. You’ll also hear about their advertising model and how they have set up recurring subscriptions using SendOwl. The subscription model has changed a bit over the years and it’s interesting to understand why they’ve made those changes, creating an annual all-access level. You’ll also hear the advantages the team experiences from being located in Australia when the majority of their readers are in North America and Europe.

Humblebee Cushion by Mandy Murray is in issue #38 of Make Modern.

And, of course, I ask Lara, Kristy, and Jane to recommend great stuff they’re enjoying right now. They recommend:

  • Keeping up with the modern quilt community on Instagram
  • Listening to audiobooks, including a great one called American Dirt
  • Pre-cutting all your scraps into squares so they’re ready to use in your next quilting project

And we have some exciting news! The Make Modern team is generously giving Craft Industry Alliance podcast listeners a free issue! Check out issue #40 for free (a $10 value) and get a taste of the magazine.

Keep up with Make Modern on their Instagram and subscribe to the magazine so you can enjoy the next issue!

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