- Mark Lipinski

October 21, 2008

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of chatting with Mark Lipinski. This week I’ll be featuring that interview over the course of a couple of days. That dude talks *a lot*! (But at least he’s funny while he does it!)

Mark Lipinski’s Quilter’s Home is a relative newcomer to the world of quilt publications. The first issue of Quilter’s Home (as it was known then) came out in June 2006. Four months later the name was changed to Mark Lipinski’s Quilter’s Home at the suggestion of CKMedia CEO, Dave O’Neil because Mark’s strong and unique personality shone through in every issue. (And people were wondering who that guy on the cover was!) They only started accepting subscriptions (after a huge letter-writing campaign by loyal readers) in November 2007.

MLQH is the only quilt magazine in history currently* with a male editor and also the only one where you are likely to find articles with titles like these:

• Mean Girls – Putting Quiltzilla in Her Place
• How To Keep it Hot Under the Quilts
• Free Stuff for Quilters

As you can imagine, stories like these have caused a ruckus in some quarters of the quilting world. Mark has received letters calling his magazine “pornographic” (due to a fairly mundane photo of a handsome man standing behind a sign that gave Pickle Posse survey stats for whether clothing optional beaches should allow kids under 18.) As Mark pointed out in a later issue – the guy was wearing a bathing suit during the photo shoot. The complainer’s dirty mind filled in details that were not in the photo.

It seems there is at least one negative letter in each issue, but frankly, I can’t see what they are complaining about. There are more deserving targets for this puritanical ire, in my opinion. (If these women are offended by Quilter’s Home, what do they think of something like Maxim?)

Mark is more forgiving. He admits that it bothers him when people disparage his magazine. He puts it out with the help of his partner Jeff Turner and it’s a very bare-bones operation, so he feels protective of it as anyone would and gets understandably angry when someone criticizes his “baby”.

But then he calms down and realizes that not everyone has the same likes and dislikes, or the same point of view. He said he tries to treat people nicely and as equals and with humility and grace. (Even if they don’t always return the favor!)

What Mark Lipinski is doing is revolutionary in the quilting industry – talking to quilters like they are intelligent, independent, adult women and not all June Cleaver clones. We non-clones love Quilter’s Home and wait breathlessly for the next issue. The reason? It treats us like whole people with full lives that who care about more than just quilting. I don’t know about you, but as much as I love quilting, it makes up a very small part of my day. Most days are full of work, errands, relationships, cooking, cleaning, and appointments. Quilting is my escape from all that, but it is not the be-all and end-all of my life, and MLQH understands that.

Quilter’s Home features a bit of everything. As Mark told me, the magazine is just like a TV show only in print. Like a talk show, it features a little celebrity, a little news, something serious, a lot of fun, some how to, some cooking, and goodbye. Mark spent 25 years as a TV producer on shows such as Oprah and The View. He brought this experience and sensibility with him when he decided to put out a quilting magazine.

Mark said that he broke the genre of quilting magazines. He doesn’t think he’s going to go down in history, but he knows that he has created something unique and opened a door that can never be closed again. Quilters who have sampled Quilter’s Home will never go back to a “regular magazine” again.

I have to agree – the day I interviewed him I got two of my regular quilt magazines in the mail and they both came with renewal cards. I am wondering which subscription to cancel, since so many of these magazines just don’t do anything for me anymore. They don’t tell me anything new.

Mark pointed out that when he pitched his magazine idea, he ripped the covers of several magazines and tossed them on the table. The magazine executives couldn’t pick out their own magazines without the covers because they were all so much alike! In this sea of similarity, Quilter’s Home is refreshing and exciting, not only for its wide-ranging subject matter, but for the first-person blog-style writing that Mark adopted (out of ignorance he claims) from that very first issue.

I asked Mark why he decided to start a magazine as opposed to all the other things he could have done in the quilting world, – for example a TV show – that would have drawn more directly on his area of expertise.

He said he chose not to do TV because the typical PBS or HGTV shows are not who he is and not who his audience is. They try to appeal to a woman who doesn’t exist (i.e. the clone of June Cleaver!) Mark understands that because he spends time in quilt guilds and classes with ordinary, every day, real quilters. He knows what we are really like, when we are not pretending to be “good girls”.

Mark himself is a typical quilter. He is as hooked on fabrics and gadgets and patterns as any of us. He told me he owns eight (!) high-end sewing machines and can’t resist buying the latest juicy-looking goodie at the quilt shop.

He feels strongly that he is a quilter first. Before he is a magazine editor, before he is a teacher, before anything – he is a quilter above all. He understands quilters in the way that only a quilting insider could.

He told me that part of what makes the magazine so much fun is that he speaks quilt-speak and goes through all the same thing that everyone else goes through. He’s talking to his own kind.

Scrapbookers, knitters, cross-stitchers, crafters, and rug makers (among others) love the magazine too because we all share a common creative urge. MLQH does not focus just on quilting either. The magazine has featured mosaic tiles, beading, cross stitch, and upholstery along with recipes for food and drinks and advice on love, kids, pets and everything else that fills a quilter’s life.

But as Mark pointed out, once a quilter, always a quilter. Even those who try quilting for awhile then go on to something else eventually come back to it and he wants his magazine to appeal to any creative person who is looking for a “home” with others like themselves.

Next time we’ll talk about Mark’s new adventures in quilting, his new fabric lines, and upcoming retreats.

*Edited for clarification on 10/22/08. Mark chimed in:

I telephoned a quilting editor buddy of mine in the biz who knows Jack Braunstein well (I’ve spoken with him several times but don’t know his editorial history well).  Jack was a co-editor with Chitra but not an Editor-in-Chief.  He also did some wonderful special publications with CK Media (while it was Primedia, but as a freelancer with Beth Hayes at the helm).  He’s also a very nice guy and a talented writer, but I was surprised to find out today that he is not a quilter (not that that matters a fig).

Liz Schwartz was listed as the sole Editor-in-Chief for Quilts with Style.  Stephen Seifert was not.

So yes, there may have been male editors before me, but I remain the first and only male sole Editor-in-Chief (in charge of the whole shebang) of a quilt related magazine in the history of the genre (and the WORLD  LOLOL  — tomorrow, THE UNIVERSE!  LOLOL  I crack myself up, sometimes  LOL).

In addition to his magazine and teaching schedule Mark has created a few fabric lines. Katmandu was the first one. Released by Troy (a fabric company I had never even heard of until Mark mentioned them) and based on Middle Eastern / Indian / Pakistani designs, Katmandu is now out of print. Here is a sample of one of the blenders from the line. This is TRO-912.

His current line is Califon (named after the New Jersey town where he now lives). It was inspired by the flowers in his garden and the colors around his area, from the sky to the trees and other plants. It features distinctive circular and curvy patterns and comes in a gorgeous variety of shades, including a nice graphic black and white with subtle grey.

Here is a selection of fabrics from the Califon line.

The Califon line (already in its 4th or 5th printing and about to be retired) was produced by Northcott Fabrics, which created a whole division just for him – Mark Lipinski’s Home for Northcott.

Mark said he plans to bring new designers into the fold to start creating fabric lines for the division. He and Jeff will choose people who seem to fit with their own sensibility and help them develop their talent. They will hire only new, first time designers to help give them a leg up in the industry.

Mark says that when he started designing fabric he “didn’t know what the hell” he was doing. He and Jeff just winged it and hoped for the best. He now wants to help other new designers develop their craft and put out fabrics in a style that matches his vision for the line.

Mark’s next fabric line, Krakow, will debut soon. He provided a sneak peek of the fabric on his blog. You can see it here http://marklipinskisblog.wordpress.com/. (I couldn’t find a direct link, but just search on the page until you find it!) Krakow was inspired by the Polish pottery he collects and it should be for sale starting in January 2009.Here is a selection of Krakow fabrics. Just look at those luscious reds!

New Fabrics to be Unveiled in Houston

At the upcoming Houston Quilt Market (October 25 through 27, 2008) Mark will unveil a line of blender fabrics featuring about 25 or 30 colors to coordinate with Krakow and Califon. And he is also working on his next new fabric line, Oakdale, named after his hometown of Oakdale, Pennsylvania.

Mark says the secret to designing fabric is just to find something you love and elaborate on it (as he did with the art and flowers and pottery). Not everyone has this skill, but if you do, you may want to contact Mark and give it a whirl!

Upcoming Retreat in Michigan

I asked Mark if he had any upcoming classes or retreats in Michigan and he raved about a retreat he did with the Michigan Quilt Network this summer (2008). He said he had never been to a quilt retreat before and didn’t know what to expect. He was picturing a damp, depressing hotel in the middle of nowhere and a bunch of little old ladies who just would not “get” him and his sense of humor or his approach to quilting.

Instead, he found that the Thunder Bay Resort Retreat Center was comfortable and gorgeous. He said he had a blast, it was fabulous, and he can’t wait to come back! They stayed in small apartments or suites, each with its own kitchen and were served a gourmet meal cooked outside on wood-burning stoves. They even went on a horse-drawn wagon ride through the woods to look at wild elk. He said he had such a good time with retreat attendees that he even hung out with them on his personal time outside of class, which he had not expected at all.

He’ll be here again next August (2009) and has plans to create a whole new class just for the retreat. He said he might design a mystery quilt just for them and was brainstorming while we talked about other fun and unique ideas. I’ve already signed up to go. I can’t wait!

I asked Mark why we should attend his classes in particular instead of the thousands of other classes out there (aside from the fact that he thinks of off-the-wall ideas that no one else ever thinks of.)

He said his goal in a class is to help people have fun and give them the opportunity to be around other people who do what they love to do. Finishing a specific project is secondary. I know that that is a big draw for me personally. Being with other quilters or other creative types of any sort energizes me and makes me want to try harder to improve my skills and learn new techniques.

Mark said that people often take his classes just to see if he’s “real”. Some people actually think he’s a manufactured front man for the magazine – some corporate-paid actor masquerading as a quilter! Anyone who has ever met him or read his magazine would know differently. You can’t fake that kind of enthusiasm and knowledge.

Why so many of us love Quilter’s Home

The genius of MLQH is that it speaks to the whole woman. We all love some celeb gossip. We all have to eat (and drink!), we all have relationships and sex lives and we all want to advance our art, learn new things, and share a sense of community with other readers.

Mark has made that last part – community – easy with the creation of the Pickle Posse. The Posse is named after Pickle Road – the location of Mark’s actual home and studio and is made up of quilters from all over the world who belong to the Yahoo group. It is the place to socialize with other fun, interesting, and open-minded quilters and crafters.

Mark said he wants people to know that he really uses the opinions of Posse members in articles. The Posse tests products for him and are sometimes included in articles when he needs quotes. And just like the magazine, the Posse is not solely focused on quilting. You can ask any question of the group, on any topic at all and have dozens of answers within a few hours. It’s a young, hip, small-l liberal, non-judgmental (and very vocal!) group.

Mark said that people should write to him and say hello. He is open to input from any quilter or crafter on ideas for things to cover in the magazine. Mark said that quilting is the hobby of the masses. We are not solving world problems – it’s not elitist – anyone can do it or teach it. And he is willing to help anyone who wants to take part.

Do you want to write for the magazine? Design quilts for him? Design fabrics for his new Northcott division? Speak up! Step up! And Mark will take you under his wing and help you out however he can. (In the interests of full disclosure, Mark will be publishing one of my articles in the November / December issue of Quilter’s Home. Am I excited? You bet! *Sqeee!*)

You can read more about Mark and Quilter’s Home or join the Pickle Posse at the links below:

Website – quiltershomemag.com
All about the magazine, this site features free downloads of patterns, subscription information and a list of current and upcoming articles, among other things.

Blog – marklipinskisblog.wordpress.com
Keep up with Mark’s life, public appearances, opinions, and latest ideas by following his blog.

Pickle Posse Yahoo Group (membership required)

Join the Posse and express yourself! Get in on product tests and other fun. You can receive messages individually (which will quickly result in e-mail overload as the group gets about 6000 e-mails per month!), in digest format (which means you will get all the messages for that day in one giant e-mail), or if the volume of mail is just too much for you, you can go “no mail” and read messages at your convenience directly on the website.

Upcoming Retreats
Mark will be back in Michigan Monday August 17 through Thursday August 20, 2009 at the Michigan Quilt Network retreat at Thunder Bay Resort. For information on pricing and accommodations, visit http://www.thunderbaygolf.com/retreat-datesinformation-140/ or call 800-729-9375.

If this retreat fills up, Mark has said he is open to the idea of doing a second one immediately after (August 21 through 24). Stay tuned for details!