Designer Guidelines
The CGOA Pattern Line
The Crochet Guild of America invites crochet designers to submit original designs for possible publication in the CGOA Pattern Line.
CGOA welcomes submissions of original patterns from all crocheters, including those who have not previously had their designs published.
Our payment scale is competitive with industry publishers. The CGOA Pattern Line is sold through yarn shops, catalogs, trade and
consumer shows and the CGOA website. This pattern line promotes crochet by introducing crocheters everywhere to the excellence in
design available through CGOA's designers.
What are we looking for?
Crochet is hot, hot, hot now and we want our line to contain the best of the best! Designs selected for addition to this line include:
- Wearables, with a great combination of attributes that include being enjoyable to make, fun to wear, and ranging from classic design to hip, young and fresh.
- POSSIBLY a few home décor items but they must be exciting. Probably not afghans unless something is really WOW different and wonderful.
- Accessories using all the fabulous yarn textures available to us right now.
- Designs that are well thought-out and well-designed.
- We are currently not looking to add more baby designs to the line.
How can you increase your chances of getting your design published?
How can you increase your chances of getting your design published?
Research wearable crochet, not only in crochet publications but also in the ready-to-wear market. There are many, many wonderful crochet designs showing up in mainstream fashion catalogs lately. Peruse a few to get a feel for what today's consumer is looking for. Both beginning and advanced crocheters are looking for patte rns that will help them get a fashionable, up-to-the-minute or classic look without spending a fortune, not to mention the gratification of being able to say “I made it myself!”
Think in terms of the crochet consumer, and what is on her mind when she goes to a yarn store to buy a pattern and some yarn. She is about to invest not only her money, but more importantly, her valuable time, to make something wonderful. Our job is to make sure that experience is as wonderful as we can make it - with fabulous designs and clear instructions.
How to submit a design for consideration:
- Submissions are accepted by email only unless other arrangements are made. Please send a color image of completed item, or of swatch and sketch, along with information on materials and tools used. Images should be in JPEG (.jpg) format and no larger than 500k.
- If your design is a garment and you are sending a photo of the finished item, please photo it on a person.
- If you have a web portfolio or other site containing more of your work, please send urls along with your submission.
When your design is selected:
If your design is selected for publication, we will send you a purchase agreement. CGOA buys first rights only, which means CG OA will own
the right to exclusively publish the pattern for as long as it remains in the CGOA line. After your design goes out of print, all rights revert
to you.
Along with your signed contract, you will be asked to send in the completed item, instructions including all relevant charts or diagrams, schematic drawings for garments, a small sample of the yarns or threads used, yarn labels, and any other pertinent information. Be sure any yarn you use in your design is still available, and please note in the pattern if a yarn company has provided yarn for your design so we can properly credit them.
Instructions should be sent in electronic as well as hard copy format and submitted as a text-only or Microsoft Word document. Drawings and diagrams may be hand-drawn - don't let that stop you from submitting! We will recreate them electronically.
Please double check all math, and write your wearable design patterns in a variety of sizes according to CYCA's garment sizing standards. These can be found at www.yarnstandards.com. Be sure to include gauge information.
And last but not least, please include a couple of paragraphs of biographical information about yourself. This is your chance to promote yourself as a designer, so mention accomplishments, skills, specialties, or anything else you'd like to say. Depending on space, we will try to fit it in. Please limit your bio to 75 words.
Sample Instructions Format
SIZE: Dimensions of item.
If garment: Actual chest/bust measurement for all sizes and finished (garment) chest/bust for all sizes. Finished length for all sizes
MATERIALS:
Name and weight or size of yarn or thread; fiber content; yds. and oz. or grams per skein; color nos.; total number of skeins required for
each size; hook size(s); all other material or equipment required. (Be sure that the named yarn/thread is currently available.)
STITCHES USED:
List all sts used including pattern sts with instructions for working special pattern st(s).
GAUGE:
List number of stitches and rows to measure 3 or 4 inches.
NOTES:
Any special information regarding out-of-ordinary techniques, garment construction, use of bobbins, etc. (list bobbins or other equipment
under materials).
INSTRUCTIONS:
Double spaced. Include all relevant charts, graphs and schematics with hard copy, and with electronic copy if possible.