Preparing Reading Material for The Days Ahead

 

 Sooo, what's new with you? Here in the foot heels of the Allegheny Mountains we are having some early leaf drop. I am not ready, not even a little bit. I know many are looking forward to the chill in the air and the brisk afternoon walks, but I am not. I do like the colors and idea of Fall but the dark gray days of Winter are then looming and it is that, the leafless days, the lack of green, the short days that I object to. Anyway, whine, whine, whine. It's a gift cultivated over decades. 

   

I have a collection of magazines that I have only glanced through but they are good ones. This selection, Victoria, is a standby. Talk about inspiration for the coming season! The new one, Mary Jane's Farm, is a departure for me. I discovered this in a gift shop at the hospital while waiting for a family member in surgery. It was a long day and I really liked the wholesome content. I had that copy, now several years old. Ironically, an offere arrived in the mail a few days later. It was a sign, I ordered it and this arrived just the other day. It is in the pile on the footstool in my bedroom. Evening reading. 

And then, drum roll please, is Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher. Each issue is a collectors edition. I did receive this in 2015 1n3 2016, I let the subscription go and regretted it. Then I heard it was out of print, but nooooo, still alive and well and I am on it. I haven't made anything yet, I don't need to, but I do need to read about it, and see the pretty pictures. And Threads, well, Threads is a must have for me. I have years and years worth of this one, what an amazing reference it is.

Block is one of those newer periodicals that offers a story or two, lots of patterns and fairly easy projects with Jenny Doan's signature style. Always a great read with lots of inspiration.

Please notice the jacket on the model on the front of the Threads magazine, It's a quilt, yes, a quilt. I know someone who makes amazing jackets from quilt blocks.

These are the projects in this issue of Block.

Each issue of Threads has a close up view of a piece of vintage clothing. In the content, the design features are explored and used in a modern interpretation.

Just look at the projects in this one.

I found the article on half-baked breads very interesting. I may try this. It reminds me of the frozen bread dough one used to see in the grocery store. I'm not sure if it is still around.

And truly, this is one of my favorites of all time. I have been getting this one since the first issue. I met the owners at one of the Three Rivers Quilt Guild Shows. Interesting aside, they are first cousins to one of my dearest long time friends. She is also a quilter. Primitive Quilts and Projects is full of ideas, every single issue and often a series project that spans several issues. Fantastic.

In Her Studio is one of those super inspirational tomes that I scan periodically for ideas. Loaded with ideas from multiple artists, this one is a keeper.

It is actually a coincidence that I used a Band-Aid for a book mark! I laugh now, it's marking a page featuring hand embroidery. Surely there is a really sharp needle involved!

I often roam the bookstores or Joann's and just look for magazines that might interest me. Sometimes I just buy one to see if it fits my needs because let's face it, these darlings eat up a lot of bookshelf space. I only keep what is special to me. I hope you are reading and searching for inspiration. When you stop searching you wither and become bored. Get ready for the season, have plenty of reading material and fabrics and thread so that you can be productive in your spare time. I have kitted up one new crochet project, some Christmas wool felt items, as well as some new notebooks to jot down ideas and plans. It's what I do.