Monday 4 June 2012

Thanks.......and look out for this piece please.....

Many, many thanks for all the good wishes after my post yesterday.  I normally try to reply to everyone by e-mail (where possible), but I simply don't have the energy to spend too much time doing stuff at the minute. I feel totally wiped-out a lot of the time these days :-(

In addition to this heart thingy, there have been other "bothers" going on too. I will now explain.....

Back at the beginning of the year I got asked if I would do an interview and project for "SewHip" magazine....and also become a regular contributor. I agreed because I know Wendy Gardiner, who was the editor at the time. (She is also workshop organiser for Creative Exhibitions/Twisted Thread so we are in touch re. the Festival of Quilts and Knitting & Stitching Show workshops.)

I duly answered a load of questions....took lots of photos....and produced an embroidered book cover project....all due to be published in Issue 42 (that should have hit the shelves last month).

That lot was sent off in Februrary, and I was already working on the next three projects for Issues 44, 46 & 47 when I had an e-mail from Wendy telling me that she'd resigned as of NOW.....because she'd not been paid since last year.

The next bit of news was that the company AllCraftMedia had gone into Administration.

I must admit I felt a sense of relief, as I was already beginning to feel a bit "under the weather" and was kind-of glad not to have to finish another 3 projects.

I would, however, like to have my other work back so that I can use it elsewhere.

Herein lies the problem!

SewHip has been "sold" to another company...which seems to be the same outfit as ACM...but calling themselves "craftmagazineshop.co.uk".

This whole affair is quite a mess, with (possibly) fraudulent activities and lots of missing projects and people not being paid...

...see these Ravelry threads (after making yourself a cup of whatever and grabbing a packet of biscuits)...

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/friends-of-the-group-once-known-as/topics

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/friends-of-the-group-once-known-as/2166068/351-375#352


Anyways, the long and short of it is that I can't get my project item back....

...the contract with ACM is no longer valid....and the "new" company SHOULD NOT BE ABLE to publish the project WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

So.....

...if anyone sees this embroidered book cover project in ANY PUBLICATION - ANYWHERE.....

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY!!!


I spent a lot of time doing it, and don't want some inscrutable (and useless) would-be magazine publisher to gain from selling it on.

It seems that there are many talented designers out there who have been bitten by Kerrie Allman's "companies" - KalMedia and AllCraftMedia, both of which have gone bust and then been reincarnated under different names, but are still run by the same inept crowd of jokers.....

....also, subscribers who paid money for magazines and other items that they never received.

Watch out for CRAFTMAGAZINESHOP.CO.UK ...

...and if you see them coming....

...run like hell in the opposite direction....

..and certainly don't hand over anything to them!!! :-((((


Now I'm off for tea and biscuits....