Magazines
 

All the magazines are now being enclosed in a wrapper. I can see the point, no one wants a magazine with stuff missing, dirty, or articles torn out. However, why can't they put a small image index somewhere where you can see what is inside? Right now, I'm looking for small Xmas ideas, it will say Christmas Crafts on the front, and if you do buy the magazine, it's a full sized quilt! I hate buying stuff I don't want. I have no objection to buying the magazine for a pattern I do want.

Is there a list of web sites anywhere where you can get a pictorial preview of what's in each magazine? I found McCalls, they did a nice job of showing the index. Others just seem to have the articles printed with no picture. I found more but no real info. Just looking at the magazine sites that showed up in search wasn't a lot of help in most cases.

Like I said, I will buy the magazine if it has what I want. Some mags have gossip, recipes for cookies and other articles I'm not interested in. Nor do I care if the pattern was supplied by someone well known in quilting circles, or just a reader submission. I also don't need articles about what to have in stash, I have my own ideas, I will fix up the sewing room my way, so that's another piece of info that I don't want.

It would be nice if they put one open copy out, like a tester. Maybe suggest it to your store manager.

In my area, it's not uncommon to see magazines with the wrappers torn. Especially if the magazine has a free booklet or cd enclosed. :(

Ditto what BellaBoo said! Down here after some of the clerks at the cutting table have measured the last of the bolt and marked and wrapped for remnants, many of the women mostly will take it apart decide they don't want it and throw it back into the remnant bin. I saw this happen at a Hobby Lobby. Also saw (at the same store) a women take the wrapper off and stuff the remnant into her bag. She did not get out of the store with it. When she got to the check out the cutting clerk followed her up to the cash register and handed the wrapper to her. There were words and the woman was arrested for shop lifting. Over a half yard of fabric that was priced at $3.00. She had 2 children with her.

There are so many free patterns on the internet, I never buy magazines anymore. There are tutorials, YouTubes, blogs, newsletters. I save them on my computer, so I can print them out any time I want. Or there are sites like ePatternCentral.com and Annies where you can see, purchase and download patterns on your computer. I found that I probably wanted one or two patterns out of a magazine, so I was buying something and saving 4 or 5 pages and throwing the rest away.

I have several subscriptions to mags but have not made a single quilt from them.
Usually run into a quilt to make online so mags are just eye candy. I do like the Missouri Star mag Quilting Quickly.

I never buy a magazine wrapped in plastic, either. If I can't see what I'm buying, I don't buy it. :thumbdown:

Perhaps magazines are not the way to go for you, as there is too much extra stuff in them that you don't want (even if you could see what was inside, and found a pattern you wanted). Why not try just looking for single patterns, either on the internet or at a quilt shop?

I rarely buy magazines wrapped in plastic for exactly the reasons given here. I need to have 2-3 good projects in a magazine before I will buy it. If I can't see what's in it, I am highly unlikely to buy it.

I'm with Weezy Rider. I don't want all that other garbage that many magazines have. I have no use for those magazine that just highlight specific quilt shops, unless there are some excellent ideas for quilts in/from that shop.

Plus, I really don't need to be buying more. I have enough magazines and books and individual patterns to keep me busy for the rest of my life.

I don't buy quilting magazines off the counter anymore. I used to see a magazine I really liked, get a subscription and then I they didn't have another quilt that I would make...... argh!! I get more ideas off QB than I do magazines and usually I can figure out how to make the quilt.

I feel the same way about quilting books. I have a ton and many of them I don't use...... never used. I guess I should sell some here.

I have let all of my subscriptions run out, but occasionally I will see a magazine cover that captures my attention. Even though I never use the patterns, the pictures do inspire me.... be it the design or the color combinations. Actually it's just good eye candy for a day that I am not actively working on a project.

It would be nice if they'd put a mini picture on the back cover of each project in the magazine. Cooks Country does this on the back of each of their issues, and it's nice to be able to see at a glance -- and locate -- what's inside the magazine.

That would be such a great idea!I only subscribe to one magazine now, and occasionally buy a magazine off the shelf but haven't noticed that many that are wrapped and always look through first to make sure there will be at least a few projects I like. Maybe all the wrappers is the way magazines are going.

Well, I just made the mistake of buying a magazine that I couldn't see what's inside it, there was a cd added and that prompted me to get it. After reading these posts I will be more careful before buying a magazine.

Magazines are upwards of $10.00. I can buy an entire quilt book off amazon for less than that!

Magazines here are around 6 dollars. I do enjoy buying a magazine now and then , because I have not bought fabric ,patterns for at least a year . I never buy any other types of magazines either . I also refuse to buy one that you can not see what is in it due to the plastic . An occasional magazine is a treat for me but I also want to see what I am buying . We all should e-mail Fons and Porter , they are the ones that do this the most .

Well, just what was it you were wanting to make? Maybe we can help you find a good pattern for it.

I was thinking and remembered a few web sites that have small projects , one is "All Free sewing" I get e-mails almost daily from them sometimes 20-30 projects each. I know there are other freebie sites but cant think of them . Oh Craftster is another , not craftsy but Crafster it too is all free .

Has anyone written these concerns directly to the magazine.

I've tried complaining about other products, but a lot of places, to even post or send an email to customer service, you have to register. Once some companies have an address, they sell it. What annoys me about this - I get 2 quilting catalogs I don't want. Told CT didn't want any info, and the other is Keepsake, whom I never bought anything from.
Even though bulk mailing is fairly cheap, they could honor your request about no mail, and give the regular customers a price break.

I do have throwaway mail accounts just for spam, but it's still a pain.

This month's McCall's Quick Quilts has table runner with matching place mats for one, smallish wall hanging and you could turn any of the quilts into small wall hangings or table runners, I was thinking of making the mittens one into a place mats using blue fabric for January.

You might request in "Searching for" used magazines with Christmas Craft ideas in them. Many times you can get several magazines "used" for the cost of one magazine new.

For the last several years I have not subscribed to any of the quilting magazines. I found all the patterns and instruction I wanted on the internet. There are very good videos and instruction that don't cost anything. The magazines are overpriced and for the most part I don't care for the recent patterns or the "mush" fabrics that run into each other until you can't tell one from the other that they use for their pictures. When we moved I took 40 years worth of magazines to our local thrift shop and haven't missed them.

I just rip open the plastic if Im that curious it may be wrong but I get to see if I want it or not and so does the next person

I subscribe to 2 magazines that have articles as well as patterns. Some of the magazines on the shelf just have patterns that are older quilt blocks that have been around for decades which are presented as new just to show off new fabric lines. I avoid those. I give my magazines to a friend. When she is done she gives them to a charity shop where they sell fast.

I received this newsletter for the first time today: http://home.yourway.net/. I haven't poked around the entire site, but did find some wonderful Christmas ideas. Take a look. I did note there were two or three trees, one was red feathers?? (not sure if feathers or not). Anyhow, take a look, you might find something of interest.

I have several quilt mags that come in the mail. I will probably let them run out. I'm do mostly applique now and these magazines very seldom have applique patterns. Most of the pieced quilt patterns I see in them I wouldn't make anyway. UGH! My opinion.

I think they're hurting themselves by not giving the potential buyer some clue about what's in there. If I see something on the cover that looks useful and appealing to me it might make me want to buy it. Vague/general descriptions just don't do it. I need visual bait, and I'll bet most crafty people are like that.

The problem is that in recent years a lot of magazines seemed to have dumbed down. They recognize that most of their readers don't have time for big, complicated, time-consuming projects, and the thing about the quick and easy ones is that many of us look at these things and think, "I don't need a pattern for that!" Most quilt designs are based on old, old blocks that would be public domain. Copying the exact design, with the same fabric and same size would be stealing, but using the old-timey block in your own design that was inspired by something you saw would not be. So it is easy to understand the quandary a magazine editor faces when it comes to showing too much about what's inside. Having to compete with all the free patterns and inspiration on the Internet makes things harder yet.

I just can't imagine a great future for printed resources. Many of the magazines are already offered via Internet. If you are considering one, you could check their website for more clues about what's in it. You may be able to buy just the one or two patterns that interest you rather than the entire magazine.

It sounds like you just want patterns, without the fillers! It's fun looking at the quilting magazines but I confess, once I leaf through (unless I bought the issue for a specific pattern) I rarely look at them again. There are so many ideas and patterns available on-line you may have just as much luck finding what you want without the expense. Lately it seems the cost of these magazines just isn't worth the content. And don't forget this board! If you can't find a good idea by asking here, well, you might want to design your own. Good luck and let us see some pics of your finished project.

I take most of the quilting magazines but have found more ideas here on the board that I am going to use this year.

I let all my subscriptions run out and swore I wouldn't get anymore. Then I saw Quilt it Today which was a lot cheaper and so far there has been one or two patterns in it that I would like to make. Lots of times, the magazines are inspirations.

I would never buy a magazine in plastic. I agree with everyone else who said they want to know what they are buying. I've also decided to let all but one magazine subscription expire. I prefer traditional quilting. I'm just not into the modern fabrics and patterns. I'd rather go to Wal-Mart and look through a magazine to decide what to buy. In the past six months, out of the four subscriptions I receive, I've only saved one pattern. What a waste!

When I first started quilting, I subscribed to 4-5 magazines. I have let the subscriptions "die" except for one. It is enclosed in plastic. Before that, I would get the magazine - beaten up, torn corners, etc. I think the publisher probably had complaints about the terrible condition the magazines would arrive in and started enclosing them in plastic. Maybe they enclose all in plastic - even those placed in stores for sale. Just a thought!

Good for you! This was probably not the first time she 'taught' those children stealing was ok.

I don't buy magazines because you can find everything on all the sites on the web.
Magazines have so little in them anymore, more advertisements than anything else.

I too dislike the plastic wrap magazines. I don't make many projects from magazines, the resources online are bountiful! Unfortunately I can't control myself at the holidays and I noticed almost all of them are in plastic this year. I often go to the magazine's webpage to see some of the projects that month.

I've seen posts about some of you getting unwanted magazines and a bill for same.
I'm really hesitant now about joining any mag forum. I like astronomy and subscribed to Sky and Telescope for years.
Just went to their site to make sure they didn't send me a new subscription, and there is NO WAY TO DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT! The online mag comes from Zinio which is a pain. I think one of the online quilting mags uses Zinio. Google pulls this nonsense, too, just to pad results, I think. If you can't delete an account, then the site's account total keeps accumulating and doesn't tell the real story.

I did find one mag that had a quilted nativity ornament set in it. It was Quilter's world, and no, it wasn't wrapped.

All the usual gifts like tissue holders, glasses cases, small bags, I don't know anyone who uses or wants them. The ladies I worked with had the same opinion I did - a roll of toilet paper works very well to blow your nose. so I'm looking for the more unusual quick gifts.

My local library has digital subscriptions to a couple of quilting magazines, so I'll often go online to check them out before I head to the newstand. They also have have hard copies of a couple so I tend to stop by and flip through them while they are current, and make a point of requesting them once the next issue is out. (because you cannot check out the current issue.)
But to be honest, I don't think I've EVER made a project, large or small, from a quilting magazine. The photos are fun to look at, and I enjoy the articles.

I admit it...I love mags... love to pull a stack out and browse.