This morning I received my August issue of BWOF. Of course I'm happy to receive it in the month preceding the actual month it is issued for, I know many of you have to wait longer. But I'm disappointed in the direction the magazine is going. There's too much craft items in my opinion. As long as they're sewing/fashion related I don't have a real problem with that, though those are mostly not my taste, but tastes differ. The last pages of the magazines were always for craft items, and I seldom had a good look at them. Even in my crafting days, they were not very inspiring to me.
But now they have 16 (!!) pages of craft items, about half in the center pages of the magazine, and nothing to do with sewing or fashion. For me they are taking the wrong direction, I'm not very inspired yet by the patterns (but that can change when I pay closer attention) but the amount of craft items annoys me.I hope they don't continue this way.
Tell me, what is your opinion, do you like the craft pages? Are you inspired by these items made from "old" crockery or would you prefer sewing/fashion information?
I'm going to write about my skirt, very sewing related.
serving tray from mosaic and a clock made of a dinner plate
painting a shadow and a decoration object
The worst to me: a candle stand and a lamp base made of crockery
I agree with you...if I wanted crafts I would buy a magazine devoted to crafts...not fashion. I have not received my August issue yet, but I was underwhelmed by the overall preview. There was one dress that stood out, but that was it. Hopefully when I can spend some time studying the magazine I will find inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I don't buy BWOF now, but I used to a couple of years ago and I always skipped the silly craft pages. I would also have been disappointend if they had extended the craft pages back then. I guess there is more money in craft info? A couple of years ago a new Danish sewing magazine came out. I thought it looked promising and had some good sewing patterns, but they very fastly shifted to more craft-oriented articles and I stopped buying it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I like crafts, but I've never seen something in Burda magazine I've wanted to make. Also, there are plenty of craft magazines out there - I'd rather Burda kept the focus on sewing and fashion. I do have to say a lot of these patterns appeal to me, though - especially 124, 114, and 112. As usual, I had to take my time looking a few times before my favorites jumped out.
ReplyDeleteSigrid, I feel exactly the same way you do. In all the years I've been buying Burda (and it's been decades) I've never once looked at the craft section. I always thought the four to five pages of crafts was already too many. If they keep it up I won't re-subscribe. I always thought Anna was for craft.
ReplyDeleteBurda always had some useless and silly craft topics-that´s nothing you. I remember an issue from 2? years ago that had a dress made entirely from dry pasta in it. It was so stupid it was funny. But I don´t care- I just flip over the pages that don´t interest me. Try it, it´s easy;). And I think that Burda has improved a lot, the patterns a still very well drafted, and the designs are not as frumpy and old lady- ish as they used to be. Overall they try to reach younger customers and I think they did well with that. I don´t have the impression that there are fewer patterns because of the increase of craft themes, but I didn´t count them. If that was the fact, then I would be really disappointed, too.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from berlin
Hanna
Arrgghh! I don't want to hear this! I do the odd crafty item (pin cushion etc) in between several huge projects but I do NOT want to see crafty in my BWOF! I subscribe because it is my SERIOUS sewing magazine! I always look at the craft section but I place no priority on it whatsoever....
ReplyDeleteoh no! Say it ain't so, Joe.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy an article about quilting or perhaps, sewn Christmas ornaments. But I have no interest in seeing this "granny chic" trend in home decor being a subject in a sewing magazine. No, no, no.
I doubt if I will renew my subscription. I have plenty of great designs in the magazines collected over thelast few years.
I can browse the internet for home decor inspiration.
Argh. Yeah. I have never cared for the crafts, but didn't begrudge them either. That, doesn't mean there needs to be more. Luckily, there is at least one pattern I'm dying to get my hands on in this edition.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed the trend with growing suspicion. 16 pages? Okay, that's it. They've handed the reigns to some "new" person with "brilliant" ideas on how to "improve" the mag and increase readership. Bah humbug!! If it ain't broken don't fix it.
ReplyDeleteThe whole feel of the recent issues are different and not in a good way. Personally i think their photos lack "ompf" for a better word, and so not inspiring. I'm willing to forgive that and just look at the line drawings, although I think this is detrimental to their goal of expansion. If they use 16 pages for craft, I'm curious; How many actual patterns for clothing are left in that issue? If they want to "improve", may I suggest spending some of those craft pages on great construction techniques with pictures.
I just renewed my subscription but it will be the last time if this craft bs sticks.
Yes I too am thinking that I won't renew my subscription - its currently costing me more than the cover price anyway as sterling was very bad against the pound when I renewed.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there is the same volume of crafty stuff just more prominent. 10 years ago there was a recipe section and I never used that either. Perhaps the number of garments has remained the same?
I mentioned this a few months ago, but 16 pages of crafts that have nothing to do with sewing? Not for me, that's for sure! I was at Barnes and Noble the other day and looked at the magazine section. There were tons of quilting, decorating, jewelry and other craft related magazines including the one, whose name I don't recall, on refashioning clothing, tortured couture? That's what it looked like, certainly not fashion. But nothing like Burda here at all, not even Burda. I wondered when they changed the name from Burda World of Fashion. If fashion is no longer in the name does this mean that fashion is no longer their main focus? I certainly hope not.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first bought it, Burda used to have recipes as well as a lot more craft than it has had in the last 10 years. Of course, in the early days there were far more patterns than there are now, too, including for children, teens, and men.
ReplyDeleteWe won't get August here until about November, so it will be interesting to see the changes. But from what you have posted here, I can't say I'm excited!
oh no 16 pages?! I completely agree, if they are trying to increase their readership that is totally the wrong direction to go. There are a gazillion craft and food mags out there already. It looked for a while that they had abandoned the craft stuff but it seems it's back with a vengeance!
ReplyDeleteI am one who does "crafty" stuff on occasion-- though generally my own sort of thing and not stuff in magazines. I've rarely seen any crafts in BWOF that I wanted to make since my subscription started in March (I have to admit that I did like a couple of the teacup things, but my mom and I are big tea people, and I would have liked it better with funkier crockery.) But I do hope this isn't the direction they're taking it in-- I bought this mag for the sewing patterns, and would much rather have more of that! Or, if not more patterns, more techniques or the "sewing classes" they do, to help me learn my way around their instructions better. (Long-time sewer, so far only made one BWOF and I'm still trying to figure out their instructions style.)
ReplyDeleteI am not enthused about the crafts either. There are plenty of craft magazines but not many fashion sewing magazines available. What a waste of space to have 16 pages. I began my subscription in March. They immediately got rid of the exclusive design section and ramped up their crafts. A craft magazine is definitely not worth the subscription price, so if they go this direction I will not renew.
ReplyDeleteBeccaA
I DO quite like their fabric crafts, and I also like the fact that some of these are designed as first sewing projects -- possibly a way to get other family members interested in trying their hand at sewing. And there have been a few other craft items I've found interesting. But blecch to crockery lamps, etc.! Way too 1980's country-style, and it doesn't fit with the rest of the magazine.
ReplyDeleteSigrid, Burda has deleted most of their (solely dedicated craft magazines :-() which is a real shame..
ReplyDeleteSo I guess they will try to combine.
I agree, I don't like that. They should go back to their old ways..
Regards
Sophie
Even though I am nearly the only one... I like the new Burda better.
ReplyDeleteI'm a very occasional crafter so I would never buy a craft magazine, but I get sometimes inspired by crafts stuff I'm finding somewhere, like in my Burda mag. (I'll probably never make some of this stuff as shown in the magazine, but that is not to much different from what I'm doing with the sewing patterns...) And since the crafts have replaced the absolute useless health and wellness articles I am very fine with that. (I don't know whether those articles were in the international issues, but they were in the german one and they were always somewhere between boring and dangerously incorrect.)
And... I'd also like the recipes back... I did use them from time to time.
I know Burda since I was a kid in the 1970th so Burdas without recipes and crafts were just a rather short period to me. :-)
I like it way better now than the last years. (And my "serious sewing magazine is Threads, of course.;-) )
Hi Sigrid! I have been missing in action. And I have to say I am not into crafts - particularly those that look like that. I subscribe to Burda for the sewing only. I hope Burda reads these posts and get the message :)
ReplyDeleteOh no! They are wasting 16 pages!? I wish they expanded into more sewing "courses" instead. That wuld be useful. We won't get the aug issue here until midmonth, but several of the patterns looks very pretty. I also like the two weird dresses in the plus section. I hope they've kept up the amount of patterns? Has anyone checket that out, yet?
ReplyDeleteGry, you mean Kreative Kvinner, right? I agree it has not lived up to its promise. I never buy it anymore. I guess we sewers/sewists are just too small a marked. Though Ottobre seems to do well.
There's only one sort-of craft mag I buy, and that is the gorgeous Marie Claire Idees. They have the most beautifully styled crafts anyone can imagine. I buy it just for the eye candy.
Cheers from Vibeke in Oslo
I agree with you completely. Can the crafts! I can pick craft mags up by the tons at any number of places, but my access to European fashion patterns is virtually non existent. What gets me is the crafts aren't even that good. Those piles of pottery things with the candles have been around for a few years. It all looks like a rehash to me. I think if they were offering something new and exciting it would be different. But, such is not the case.
ReplyDeleteI compared the August 2009 Burda with the June 1995 one here:
ReplyDeletehttp://badmomgoodmom.blogspot.com/2009/07/black.html
The 1995 one had ~5 sweater patterns. I knit, so I like the knitting patterns, especially when they are designed to go with a sewing pattern.
I don't do the crafts in the magazine, but others might.
I was an exchange student in Germany in the 1980s. That's where I learned about Burda.
It is important to note that, in Germany, BWOF/BS is more general interest than it is abroad. That is, people who don't sew may buy it because they like a pattern. They will take the magazine and some fabric to a dressmaker or a family member to sew the item for them.
Those casual newstand buyers may do the crafts.
I don't get Burday, Sigrid, but I tend to dislike the issues of Sew News that are basically devoted to craft items. Most of the time it's like a "What a waste of an issue" for me when I see pillows, nap blankets, etc.
ReplyDelete