American Quilter magazine offers inspiring, educational, and engaging content to a diverse, multigenerational audience of quilters across print and digital platforms. American Quilter magazine is a premier publication created for the Members of the American Quilter’s Society (AQS).

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for overseeing the development and timely delivery of the print and digital distribution, including leading the editorial team in developing each issue, managing the editorial production workflow, and maintaining the brand’s aesthetic standards and technical quality.

Beyond traditional publishing expertise, the Editor-in-Chief must maintain current knowledge of quilting trends, including industry leaders in fabric, patterns, notions, tools, and machines. This role balances current trends with a respect for quilting history and heritage, including knowledge of notable contributors to the industry’s growth.

Key Responsibilities

Editorial Vision & Community Listening

Content: Plan, curate, and oversee the editorial lineup for each issue, including lifestyle articles related to historical information that continues the quilting legacy, trending quilting methods and techniques, topics of interest about the industry (people and products), along with quilt designs to pattern that represent trending, historical, and /or innovative designs.
Trend Forecasting: Actively monitor the broader quilting community, including quilt show attendees, online communities, and quilt guilds across the nation, to capture the cultural pulse of the industry and translate these insights into timely content.
Talent Acquisition: Identify, recruit, and contract established authors, trending designers, and undiscovered talent from the quilting community.

Workflow & Production Management

Team Leadership: Foster a collaborative environment across internal AQS staff and a network of remote freelance contributors.
Project Oversight: Establish production schedules, maintain project-tracking documentation, and mitigate delivery risks to ensure all deadlines are met.
Design Collaboration: Partner closely with graphic artists and layout designers to ensure the visual aesthetic matches the high standards of the AQS brand.

Technical Quality & Pattern Accuracy

Line Editing & Proofreading: Act as the lead editor for all textual content, ensuring a consistent tone, engaging prose, and adherence to American Quilter style guidelines.
Technical Vetting: Oversee the review of instructional content, ensuring pattern calculations, diagrams, and construction guidelines are accurate for readers.
Asset Management: Coordinate the logistics and secure delivery of quilts for professional photography, instructional diagrams, and step-by-step imagery.

Cross-Functional Brand Collaboration

Event Integration: Collaborate with the AQS QuiltWeek show team to capture contestant stories, highlight show content, and promote quilter engagement in the AQS events from within the magazine pages.
Cross-Promotion: Partner with the AQS Executive Director and Sales team to support AQS QuiltWeek, SEAM, sponsorship commitments, and advertising objectives.
Financial Administration: Oversee the freelance and contributor budget, execute timely contracts, and process payment requests.

Candidate Qualifications

Experience: 5+ years of editorial leadership experience, preferably within a craft, hobby, or lifestyle publication.

Industry Knowledge: Deep familiarity with quilting history, traditional/modern block patterns, and the current landscape of fabric manufacturers, machines, and tools.

Quilt Literacy: High level of comfort navigating the broader quilting community, including quilt show attendees, online communities, and quilt guilds across the nation, to capture the cultural pulse of the industry and translate these insights into timely content.

Skills: Exceptional copyediting, project management, and cross-functional communication skills; strong eye for photography and page layout.

American Quilter's Society

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Editor in Chief AQ Magazine