The magazines have changed greatly over the years. The old ones used to have a lot of detailed articles on techniques and always seemed to feature at least one stunningly original quilt. Now the emphasis seems to be on pushing specific product lines of fabric. Fabric is featured in relatively simple quilt patterns.
I used to love Quilter's Newsletter Magazine and envied those who had every issue. When Bonnie Lehman was the editor, it was a great magazine. Nowadays it is still on glossy paper and colorful, but the content is just not worth the money to me.
I have let all of my quilting subscriptions lapse and will buy an issue on the newstand only if it contains a quilt I really like and might want to make some day -- maybe half a dozen per year.