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Friday 27 March 2015

Simply Sewing Magazine

Website link: www.simplysewingmag.com


What's it about?
Hold on to your bobbins and measuring tapes fashionistias and seamstresses! It's arrived a craft magazine focused purely on fashion sewing to feed your need for expanding your wardrobe. This magazine is full of modern patterns to ohh and ahhh over. I came across this magazine at the last Knitting and Stitching craft show at London Olympia on the 7th March, Over by the centre of the main room there was a stall dedicated to magazine subscriptions. This magazine had an offer on for 3 issues at £3.00 with the first issue free, and a free tote bag.  You're free to cancel after you have received the offer, but I am sticking with this one. The offer is still on I believe, if you head to the website using the link above.

Who is it aimed at?
This is purely a personal view,I'd say any seamstress who has a high interest in fashion sewing over home decor sewing (which many of the major craft sewing magazines tend to focus on). If you're after pure fashion this is the one for you.  If you're after learning about tricks of the trade related to clothing construction and fabric know how this is the one for you.  I would say that this magazine is ageless too as anyone could adapt patterns to personal choice. I would say that the magazine (based on issue one) has projects that are mainly intermediate level (dresses for example) and a few starter projects that are simple like a fabric handbag and a head scarf.

What's exciting to reading in issue 1?

  • Interview with fashion blogger and avid fashion sewer Tilly Walnes from Tilly and the Buttons
  • An upcycle project on how to revamp a baggy T-shirt into a nice fitted Peplum shaped top- very chic
  • Lauren Guthie's '' dress to impress'' pretty Peter Pan or standard collar dress with a free download of the pattern!  link here: www.simplysewingmag.com/downloads/simply-sewing-issue-1-templates/
  • A great article '' know your fabrics'' this was a great read to refresh your memory on how different fabrics drape and a good buying guide. Top tips on darts and invisible seams
  • An article by  Portia Lawie, who in every issue takes an item from a charity shop and refashions it. This issue it was a pashmina scarf refashioned into a top.
  • A guide on how to buy a sewing machine.  With an up close look at the new limited addition range sewing machines from John Lewis for just £100.00 bargain! link and pictures below. I've got my eye on the this beauty in the colour Egg Duck but it's out of stock.... May be it's a sign my husband bought me a new machine  for Christmas around 3 years ago I don't actually need a new one.   Can you have too many sewing machines?
www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-jl110-sewing-machine/p527345?colour=Duck%20Egg

When is issue 2 out?
It landed on my door mat this morning :) This is a monthly magazine.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed reading issue one from cover to cover.I feel I made a great choice in subscription to feed my cravings for fashion sewing, learning and continuing to grow as a seamstress in my sewing ability and techniques. I would highly recommend it to all fashion sewers.



9 comments:

  1. I did have a look at this magazine and thought it seemed encouraging for beginners but was not something that I personally would find a lot of use. At a cheap price it would be nice to flick through and it is tempting to try the offer but, for myself, I think I can get a lot of what there is in the magazine off the internet and blog sites or haunting my local library for new sewing books so it would not make it worthwhile for me to subscribe once the offer ran out. That said, some magazines have monthly special offers for subscribers that are worthwhile. Do you know if they do this?

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  2. Another comment- does anyone else have a magazine they would recommend and why? I sometimes buy a magazine that seems to have something tempting to offer as a one

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  3. Continued from above as comments suddenly refused to allow me any more comment. Re Sewing World I found It was getting repetitive and I no longer wanted to add more patterns , free traceable patterns came with each issue. Do people find it difficult to find sewing magazines in the shops, I often have to chase around to find a Burda Style to see if There are any patterns in it to tempt me to buy it. And issues of Threads seem quite rare where I live.

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  4. I agree with Kelly that it is really nice to see a magazine that focuses on fashion sewing. I did buy Issue 1 but similar to Barbara I found the projects a little too simple. To be fair I didn't have the magazine very long as my cat spilled a vase of water over it, but I also didn't rush out to buy again.
    I really liked Portia Lawrie's article though as I do like to up-cycle charity shop finds.
    I tend to buy Burda Style, Love Sewing, Stitch, and Sew and Home, although the last one does fall into that trap of way too many homewares and not enough fashion, (guess there is a clue in the name right?).

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  5. Yes, fair point Barbara internet and library could be just as helpful. I am hoping as the issues progress I see more advance projects too jenny. I think for me it's the act of collecting a series of magazines from start to finish in an area I love ❤ made me subscribe too. I tried to build a collection of Burda style but I found it hard to locate, and also quite pricey where do you guys buy Burda? Jenny I will take a look at your other recommendations

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    1. I confess that I have about fifty magazines that I have collected through the years and I will not throw them out as they are great to flick through in moments of ennui to get ideas and inspiration. Sometimes you come across something you had completely forgotten about. This happened to me today. I bought some more knitting wool at Excel on Friday

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    2. Heck, no one nobody comments, I keep getting locked out half way through my comment. What I was saying was that , once I looked at the wool when I got home, I changed my mind about the pattern I was going to make with it and flicking through old magazines produced the perfect pattern. This happens with fabric I buy as well,.

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  6. Portia Lawrie has a great blog that is very useful for people wanting to try out crafty projects. It is makery.uk.

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    1. What a coincidence, that's what I call serendipity! I read some of Makery.uk's blog posts just last night - I also hang my pdf patterns up on trouser hangers. I like Portia's giant pin cushion and put that on my to-do list that lives only in my head. Maybe I should write some of this stuff down...

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