This week WeCrochet shared their Call for Submissions for their Winter 2021 collections. (You can check it out here.) A couple of years ago a crochet friend of mine shared a similar call. I was a new-ish designer and thought it would be good practice to prepare a design submission. Well, I was delightfully surprised when they offered to purchase the pattern! (That was the Diamond Bucket Bag in Issue 2 of WeCrochet Magazine.)

I love working with WeCrochet and sincerely love how open they are to working with indie designers! By sharing this call on social media, they are opening themselves to more work as they are sure to receive more proposals that they have to review. Yet it will give so many more people the chance to work with them.

This is long and I broke it down into different sections, but I want to share about my process in submitting a crochet design proposal. Hopefully it will help you as you prepare to submit your own proposal.

I want to offer this little disclaimer: This is my experience with WeCrochet. I haven’t submitted to any other publications. I also don’t work for or speak for WeCrochet. Given that… here we go!

The Brief

WeCrochet’s call for submissions is a comprehensive brief – exactly what they are looking for. My biggest recommendation is to read the brief! Many of the questions I have been asked already are answered in that document. Here are a few of the important things in there:

New and Not Completed: The designs I propose are new – meaning not published anywhere else. WeCrochet pays you for the exclusive rights to the design, meaning it can’t be anywhere else. They are also not completed. Sometimes things like yarn type and colour or size of garment may need to be changed. So if you pre-make it, you may need to re-do it!

Submission Requirements: I think I may do a whole post on this. I use it as a checklist when creating my proposals.

Timeline: The timeline for the collection is outlined in the document. For this specific collection, submissions are due Jan 27. WeCrochet will contact approved designers by Feb 10 and final patterns are due March 9. Not listed there is that you will have to wait for the shipment of yarn support as well.

When I’m submitting a design , I review other projects on my plate to make sure I can make my sample and write the pattern within the timeframe.

Collections: My favourite part! Each design submission, WeCrochet includes information on 4 different collections. Each collection has a write up, information on the specific types of projects they are looking for, yarn suggestions, and the Pinterest boards!!

My Process

When submitting a design proposal like this, you are not creating for yourself, you are fulfilling the request of the publication. You may have an idea for a fur cape, but if there is no mention of anything related to a fur cape in the brief, then don’t submit it! With one exception, every design I have submitted to WeCrochet was an idea that was completely inspired by the brief – not one that I’d thought of before. Here’s how I do that:

Collection the Speaks to Me: While my goal is always to give the publication what they request, that doesn’t mean my own style doesn’t come into it! Every one of these design calls I’ve opened have had a collection or two that speak to me. The name or the images spark something and it matches my aesthetic. So I forget the rest and focus on one collection!

Note the Types of Projects & Yarn Suggestions: I read the whole collection page and specifically note the types of projects they are looking for. Keeping those in mind I head to the…

Pinterest Boards: I grab a notebook and cup of coffee and do a deep dive into the Pinterest board for the collection I’m interested in. They’re not crazy big boards, but I go through them several times. I note the specific images that I love and the elements I see repeated throughout the board. I might even save a few specific images. Then I ask myself the following questions:

• What elements can I create with crochet?
• Can I put a certain pattern or element into a different type or project?
• What is the essence of these images that I could capture?
• Is a style/idea/project type jumping out at me?

Sketch & Swatch: Once I have gone through those, I usually have a couple ideas. So I’ll sketch and swatch (with similar yarn if I don’t have the same one). This helps me figure out what it could look like. Sometimes I do this right away, other times I give it a few days for the ideas to mature a bit in my mind first. By this point, I usually have my design idea.

My Design Proposals

I create my design proposals in Canva. I actually use the same template every time. Here’s what I include:

• Generic name for project.
• 2-3 inspiration images – usually from the Pinterest board
• Bullet point information on the design details including: construction type, size of finished item, features or embellishments, specific stitches that will be used.
• Sketch & picture of my swatch.
• Yarns I have in mind – sometimes I have a specific yarn, other times I give some options. (I usually include the colourways I have in mind too.)
• Info about me including my contact information.

After My Design is Chosen

I quickly want to touch on the process after my design has been chosen so you get an idea of what may happen for you. Here’s what happens with WeCrochet:

• WeCrochet offers a contract.
• I order yarn support for my own sample.
• WeCrochet sends a style guide, abbreviation chart, and template to write the pattern in.
• I make my sample and write out my pattern in the template.
• I send in the pattern by the deadline and keep my own sample. I usually include a picture of my sample.
• WeCrochet sends payment within 30 business days of your submission deadline.
• WeCrochet arranges a tech edit, then has the pattern tested, a second tech edit and final layout of the pattern. I am part of each step. They send the tech edits and I approve each edit. I am in contact with the pattern tester the whole time and re go through the testing process together. Then I review the second tech edit and final layout! This process lasts over months.
• The sample made by the pattern tester is the one photographed and used for the magazine and website. WeCrochet chooses the yarn colours for this sample as it usually coordinates with the rest of the collection.
• The pattern is published with my name as designer and I provide pattern support for anyone who makes the design.

There it is! Gosh – I hope this helps! Obviously this is a tell-all and I haven’t really held anything back. So if you still have questions, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to help.