As we work through each of the many magazines available for us crafty types, with new titles out all the time as we seem to allow ourselves to embrace the make do and up-cycle way of things, perhaps enjoying the simplicity that is removed from anything electronic (apart from some yummy sewing machines, perhaps – but more on that another day), we’ll share with you our favourites.
This month I was grabbed by the first issue of Homemaker, so new that Hobbycraft had not sorted the barcode yet! And what a treat, truly. At £4.99 an issue we expect our magazines to be worth it – that’s several bars of Galaxy or two fat quarters (on a good day).
Homemaker, for me, is worth every penny, each page packed with ideas, tips and crafts to work with. In this one issue there are a dozen things I will do, several more for my daughter to join in with, and plenty of ideas to explore taking my own crafting to another level.
This one is worth it and I’ve subscribed already, something I rarely do this these days – that fiver needs to go a long way). Each issue comes out every other month, which feels a long time, but to be honest there is so much to do in one magazine that you need the time to work through it. Plus this time of year most of us are busy making for the festive season (this first issue is full of ideas for that, of course).
The current issue includes some interesting interviews, sections on home making (roman blinds, felting, quilting, wallpapering, cushions and no end of Christmas ideas), baking – mostly for Christmas, and mostly at a level that is not beyond those of us with two left thumbs!, styling, some craft porn (not really porn, of course – in case anyone was envisaging knitted models in unexpected positions!), oh just all kinds of things – really, on practically every page there is something of interest – even the adverts are lovely! My favourite being for the new Singer sewing machine – never did I imagine I’d lust after such an item, but look! How lovely is that for those of us fans of vintage and crafting? Sigh…
Anyway… Really, this is a lovely magazine, and while I may not have tried all of the titles available to us yet, this one is definitely a regular. Their website is nicely designed but I’d like to see more there, to be honest – though it does include full size templates of project in the magazine – that is good.
What we’d love to know, of course, is your favourite magazines – which should we try next?
Babs
