Fave Cross-Stitch Magazine

[snow_lotus]

 Hi, fellow stitchers,

I have a huge weakness for cross-stitch magazines! I discovered them about ten years ago in Barnes and Noble. Many of them there are published in the U.K., and I am in the U.S., so the price can be rather high. I have still purchased several over the years. Recently I found them on Magzter for my iPad for about a fourth of the newsstand price, and I just bought the August 2017 issue of Cross Stitch Crazy. CSC is definitely my favorite, since Quick and Easy Cross Stitch was discontinued years ago. Plus, the overseas magazines in the newsstand often come sporadically, and past their season. I love my e-copy of the magazine, and I can print out the patterns from my iPad as I use them.

Does anyone else buy the cross stitch magazines, either on the newsstand or online? I was just curious about your experiences with them, and your favorite magazine, if you have one!

Comments

[angrboda]

I get CrossStitcher via subscription. Not an e-one, because a) I don't have a tablet computer and b) I just generally prefer a real magazine if possible. It's something to do with the feel of the thing. (weirdly this doesn't bother me with Kindle books) I know of one place near where I live where I could buy them, but as you said foreign magazines are expensive (UK magazines. I'm in Denmark.). I discovered, though, that if I bought a year's subscription it was WAY cheaper. Magazine only gets to me a couple of weeks after it's actually come out, but it's worth it.

I used to get Cross-Stitch Collection, which I liked better, but sadly that one has closed and subscribers to it were transferred to CrossStitcher for the remainder of their subscription. I was really bummed when I first heard that.

Those are the only ones I've had. I did really prefer Collection, but a large part of that is simply because it was the one I had first and I generally don't much like change. :)

[sally_maria]

I used to buy a lot of them, back in the days when I had much time to stitch (I'm in the UK, and worked in a shop that sold them, so the temptation was pretty high :-D). I still have a folder of patterns I pulled out for future use and a pile of my favourites, but I stopped buying when I realised I wasn't doing anything with them, just hoarding them.

[word_geek]

I used to get a few because one of my friends subscribed and for the first few months, for reasons unclear, she was getting two copies instead of one. So I got the spare.

I am in the UK, which helps, but generally I don't get them because I have far too much stash as it is and a lot of their patterns require that I go out and get the threads (or have them in) and I don't. Fabric yes, but threads in every colour, no.

I'm too lazy to rethink the colours for every pattern I do, outside of fairly simple colourways.

Conversely, my other friend bought a set of all the DMC colours, stitches really fast and every day*, and she loves the magazines.

Also, the cover kits are really stingy with the threads, just to warn you. Sew sparingly with them.

H
*this may have changed since she moved out of London, got a house of decent size, and had a baby. But last I heard she had a sewing room and a section of the loft set up with bookcases for all her kits, so I doubt it (she is the queen of stash, courtesy of several years going to the big knitting and Stiching show at Ally Pally and spending the entire day there. I run out of steam and spending money well before the end of the day).

Still jealous of the sewing room. Even with kids, she may get to keep it, since 2 bedrooms in outer London and 2 salaries=5 bedrooms in Stoke on Trent and only one salary.

[retsuko]

Another CSC fan here. I love the adorable Margaret Sherry patterns, but I cannot find any compilations of them over here in the US, so I will admit that I buy that magazine probably more than is good for my wallet. *sighs*

[dianec42]

I have several nearby Barnes & Noble branches and craft stores (Jo-Ann and Michaels) that sporadically carry Cross Stitch Crazy, Cross Stitcher, The World of Cross Stitching, and (very rarely) Cross Stitch Gold.

I stopped regularly buying Cross Stitcher when they changed their style. I subscribe to The World of Cross Stitching and occasionally pick up Cross Stitch Crazy.

I love looking at Cross Stitch Gold and I keep getting subscription offers in my mailbox, but the projects are so big I know I'll never do them.

I don't mind that they come in past season. The seasons repeat every year, it gives me an 11-month head start!