I buy quilt magazines every now and then, but because they are nearly all imported they are really (REALLY) overpriced. I do not mind paying a small bit if it is going to give me great ideas for quilts, show me fabrics and colors that I love or suggest new smaller projects that may be fun. However, when I do splurge and buy one that stinks, I am truly disappointed that I wasted the money. So I ask you, my favorite Fluffy Sheep, what magazines make your heart flutter?
Last night I cozied into bed with this disappointment. I bought it because I liked the colors of the quilt on the front and I thought it may give me a bit of insight into string quilts. I am an easy sell.
This could not have been more of a let down. This is not stringy at all, but instead they tell you to buy stripy fabric, cut triangles, make squares and piece them together. What!?!? This yellow and aqua you see on the cover are the brightest, happiest colors in this whole issue. Everything else is a shade of brown or wine. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
I need help, please! Will you please suggest the name of a magazine that you love? Where do you find new fabrics and color combos or are introduced to new designers? Have any of you read Making or Stitch? Do you like it a whole, WHOLE bunch? Thank you guys so very much for your suggestions
I need help, please! Will you please suggest the name of a magazine that you love? Where do you find new fabrics and color combos or are introduced to new designers? Have any of you read Making or Stitch? Do you like it a whole, WHOLE bunch? Thank you guys so very much for your suggestions
20 comments:
This is why I generally avoid magazines. For the price of a few magazines you can usually get a decent book from Amazon. There is far too much traditional in many of the ones I see in news agents. Too many smaller projects you can get free in blog tutorials anway.
Ha ha I was just going to write what isisjem wrote but she's said it very well, so Same As Above for me!
Cindy, I like Stitch, it gives me inspiration for colours, projects and is a good magazine to just look at. I really like the Australian magazines, Handmade, Australian Patchwork and Quilting. They are a little bit different than a lot of the american magazines. A lot of the British magazines have the same articles in each of them so I've given up buying them.
I've had the same experience and I don't really buy them anymore, although I found this one called MAKING which I think it's quite different form the res. It's not about quilting but crafts in general and lots of sewing. I won an issue of STITCH and I really like that one too. I think Isisjem is right though, sometimes it's better to buy a good book. Try book depository.co.uk, they have free delivery.
I hear you Cindy! Why do they always include quilts in wine and brown? Is it still popular? Are people still using these colours? Ughh. Perhaps we should start our own magazine? An online one, with contributions from around the world? There is nothing like the feel of a magazine is there and the smell! I have no recommendations for exactly the same reasons as you. Will be interested to read others` replies though!
I, too, was disappointed by that issue of the magazine. After I read it, I gave it away. My one mag subscription just expired and I'm not going to renew. I tend to buy special interest editions of magazines that have quilting or goody projects that I like-- and those I tend to book mark and savor. Also, I sometimes sign out the 1 quilting magazine that they have at our library, or buy old outdated issues on sale at my LQS. I like Stitch, too. I'm not familiar with the British or Australian publications. I agree with isisjems advice. Another, you could do a magazine swap with friends.
One additional note: I subscribe to an e-newsletter from Interweave, and they frequently have sales on books and back issues of magazines (including Stitch). Just this week I purchased 101 Patchwork Projects & Quilts for less than half price (but then they got me on the shipping costs!). Its from the makers of Quilting Arts magazine-- check out . They also have digital editions, but I personally prefer to have the real copy of a very good magazine. Let me know what you think.
ROFL buy stripey fabric!! I've never seen a quilting magazine that is even 5% as good as the blogs we follow. I just forget about it. I get Making and Sew Hip, they both do lots of little makes, bags,etc and they have all the pretty pictures of new fabric I want. Every once in a while they do quilts too!
A note from a former magazine junky....they all suck these days!!! Seriously, if you seen my magazine stash (which closely rivals my fabric stash) you would go bug-eyed. Magazines used to be good in the 90s not so much anymore. It seems magazines are stuck. Mark Lipinski has a decent one called Fabric Trends but that focuses more on fabric than projects. Every time I find one I like (ie: Quilters Home) poof its gone. I don't understand. If we like it why is it gone. BTW Mark Lipinksi started that one too. I don't understand why it's so hard to create a more modern colorful magazine! There is a digital magazine that is decent called Fat Quarterly but I want to hold something in my hands (to curl up with as you say). I have a couple of subscriptions that were gifts but when they are done I won't extend them. They are all rubbish. Well, as you can tell this is a serious soap box for me. I wish some magazine editor would ask me this question because I could go on for hours! I mean really, don't blogs give them a clue???
Well, you asked!!! hehehe
I don't bother with magazines apart from Fat Quarterly but I wish I could sit down with a hard copy to flick through!
There's more than enough to keep me happy in blogland and on Flickr. Sometimes I have a look at Fat Quarter Shop's 'Coming Soon' page to remind myself of the 'must have' fabrics that I'll need my pennies for!
Oh, not a quilting magazine but a new, crafty one - Mollie Makes. Nice to flick through but not sure I'll continue after cheap subscription ends!
Ugh, I agree - there are a lot of magazines that are pretty boring. And definitely not worth buying.
For the overseas magazines which are sometimes a little better, I recently discovered the back issues section at the Cotton Patch - some of them are reduced! But of course there's postage to pay.. still, it might be worth it from time to time.. :-)
http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/acatalog/Magazine_Back_Issues.html
I refuse to buy the magazines available having been disappointed a number of times. No matter how good the cover the content is always crap. So traditional and dull for most of it that I would rather not quilt than make stuff like that.
Ever since I found blogs and Flickr I have found all the inspiration I need. That's a small fortune saved!
I don't buy magazines apart from the very occasional (one or two a year) Australian homespun/P&Q but only if there's a project I absolutely love and after I've flicked through it I'm satisfied that there's at least an hour of reading in it (and I'm a quick reader so there needs to be a fair few articles!). I'm constantly disappointed by the projects I see in other magazines - full of projects I'd never want to make using muted colours and very short articles. My suggestion would also be Fat Quarterly - I don't get it (no money!) but it looks a lot more up my street than other magazines.
Oh dear! I have quite a bit of stripey fabrics left from my Kaffe quit and was thinking of doing something like that! Looks like a pattern from one of his books.
I had a code from FoQ for a sample issue of Fat Quarterly and was really impressed with it, worth taking a look. I wouldn't subscribe as I don't have the money, it's online rather than paper so that's not so appealing either. They do give info about what is in each issue too so you could pick and choose which ones to buy.
I so agree - I have been getting Molly makes - quite cute but not detailed or complicated enough - blogs are doing it for me now! Get FQ - great but also want it in my hand!
Now tempted by the Japanese ones but so expensive!
Oh my goodness you asked the wrong person - I buy way too many to even read - when my subscriptions end for some, I am not re-newing!
I do love Making and Mollie Makes, Sew Hip seems to be a regular buy too, but there are too many clothes and toys, so I really should stop!
That's not much help is it!
I think I'm like the fifth person to mention it, but Fat Quarterly might be up your alley in terms of bright, pretty inspiration pictures. :)
Quilting magazines are rough right now!
I do like Stitch but there's not always a lot of quilt inspiration in there..I do take an idea from another project and transform it tho'.
American Patchwork Quilting is hit or miss..I just go to the store and look at each issue.
I haven't looked at Fat Quarterly yet but I know I should.
If you come across anything awesome let me know!
I find most of inspiration on the 'Net. The only quilting magazine I have ever subscribed to is "Quilting Arts" (US) but no longer subscribe. On Thursday I looked at a magazine called "Homespun" in my local library. They also have "Handmade"(both Australian magazines). I prefer to seond my money on fabric and thread and just use "free" resources for inspiration - the Web, my quilt group and the library!
I usually don't buy them. I look through them or I check them out from the library. Can you return the magazine? Sometimes you can return them with in a certain amount of time..
Post a Comment