Monday, December 4, 2017

Reading or Sewing?

I love my sewing magazines.  They are a source of information, ideas and colorful pictures of other peoples' art.  I get three that lean mostly toward art quilting where I get to see what the supremely talented sewers are creating.  They are my creative stimulation.  I also get some other magazines that provide intellectual stimulation. "Archeology" has many designs from ancient cultures as will as great articles about them.  Mosaics are just quilts in stone.   Love them all.


Unfortunately I don't have room to store them and I have found that when I keep the whole magazine I never know where to find the article for which I am looking.  Sometimes I read a magazine and keep it for two or three months, then go through it again.  Ultimately they are all destined for the recycling bin, but not before I cannibalize them, pulling out articles that I believe I will at least look at again.  I staple an article together in one corner and slip it into a plastic sleeve that goes into a three ring binder.  They are readily available when I am in need of instruction or inspiration.


I also keep a library of books, but rarely buy a new one.  I try to read through a potentially helpful or interesting-sounding book from the library before I buy it.  I have been very glad I did on several occasions when the title was tempting, but the contents did not live up its promise.  Actually, I have donated quite a few of mine to the local library for their book sale.  Some techniques no longer interest me or have gone out of date with the arrival of new methods and tools.


TIP:  There is no point cluttering up your space with things you never use anymore, especially when you work in limited space.

What did we do without the Internet?  There is so much out there to admire and learn.  I have paid for a few Craftsy classes and am not averse to viewing some of the many YouTube productions.  I have learned a lot, incorporated some and discarded others.

A favorite, which I have watched often without cluttering up my sewing room.
So, which do you prefer:  sewing or reading?  For me it is no contest.  I love to read for pleasure and education.  I love to sew just about anything.  I learned to do both in first grade.

Sew some happy seams this week.  I wish you the opportunity to read about something new to you.

6 comments:

  1. Mardi - I saw that video several years ago, but now that I have some 'experience' under my belt, I plan to go back and put ALL those tips to work. Learning from the master. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Good idea about the magazines. I get the two you showed and can’t part with any of them. Thank you for reminding me about that video. I too saw it a while ago and need to revisit. Do you listen to audiobooks when quilting? I read a lot more books listening than reading the old fashioned way.

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    1. I do listen to audiobooks when I sew. If I can't find one I like I listen to music.

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  3. I do the same as you, tearing out articles from magazines I want for my library. With my typical OCD need for organization I go one step further and alphabetize them subject, such as facing, binding, and stencils. So much easier than pawing through years of magazines trying to find that article on the best way to face an irregular edged quilt.

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    1. I also keep a box with alphabetical folders on lots of sewing subjects. The notebook is for machine quilting ideas for the most part. I love leafing through it.

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    2. Oh wow! I don't know if I could choose between sewing and reading. I am certain that I do a bit of both everyday. Like you I have a few quilting subscriptions, but I surely do not limit myself to just those. Nope, I read every magazine that comes into my house and we have two families with varied interests. I have a couple of binders, but I find I rarely use the material in them, so I'm thinking of letting them go. (Did I say that out loud?)

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