Sewing enthusiasts the world over gravitate toward anything related to their passion for sewing and needlework. Magazines aimed at people who sew have been around for decades and are geared toward sewers at all skill levels.

Some sewing magazines focus on specific sewing techniques or clothing styles. Some concentrate solely on children’s clothes or clothing for women alone. No matter where your sewing interest lies, there is a sewing magazine for you.

The Burda Plus Magazine (German) in its British edition is an all round magazine for the urban woman. Get the most gripping features on relationships and careers, with expanded reporting on fashion and beauty, health and fitness, published with glamour and guts.

Threads

1. Vintage Burda; Easy Sewing Patterns. Easy Simplicity Patterns; Very Easy Vogue Patterns; Easy McCall’s Patterns; Easy Butterick Patterns; Easy New Look Patterns; Easy Kwik Sew Patterns; Beginner Sewing Patterns; Easy Burda Patterns; Women’s and Plus Sizes; Petite. Fit For Petite; Custom Fit. Amazing Fit; Custom Cup Sizes; Custom Fit.
2. Burda Moden and BurdaStyle two magazines worth the purchase. I know plenty say get only one but for my money I would not miss an issue of either one. To miss an issue is to miss the plethora of current fashion ideas which transform my wardrobe into the individual statement that says me. Do yourself a favor and find your style inside.

The most widely circulated sewing magazines published in the United States are:

• Threads: published by arts and crafts specialty publishers, Taunton Press. Although Threads shines the spotlight on sewing fundamentals and garment construction, we recommend this magazine for the intermediate or advanced sewer.

Their true focus is on clothing design, the nuances of certain fabrics, techniques for custom fitting, home dec sewing, embellishments, enhancing the machine embroidery experience. Threads also features a reader’s closet, where readers share their own sewing tips and tricks a well as showcase their own work. $32.95/6 issues/year.

SewStylish

• SewStylish: Like Threads, SewStylish magazine is published by Taunton Press. This magazine, however, is more for the beginning sewer. According to the publishers, SewStylish is the magazine that gives the home sewer the “basic training to unleash your creativity.”

Someone who is new to sewing will find that SewStylish is excellent for the beginner to find sewing tips and suggestions to help build their sewing skills at their own pace and not feel overwhelmed by information that is beyond their ability to master the techniques being discussed or to understand the sometimes confusing sewing jargon. $6.95 single issue.

• Sew Beautiful: The publisher is dedicated to teaching and inspiring home sewers at all skill levels in the art of sewing both on machines and by hand.

Sew Beautiful

Both old and new classics for women and children are found within the covers of each copy of Sew Beautiful.

The magazine also offers patterns along with detailed instructions for heirloom clothing with emphasis on smocking and the kinds of intricately detailed needlework that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers prided themselves on. $24.99/6 issues/year.

• Sew News: published by Creative Crafts Group for more than 25 years. SewNews specializes in sewing ideas, inspirations and techniques for readers who are relatively new to home sewing.

Each issue contains fun features for sewers at all skill levels, including how tos for the current sewing trends; basic and intermediate garment construction; gift items that are fast and easy to-make; and step-by-step instructions for home dec projects.

We found Sew News to be a great resource for the home sewer who had not touched a sewing machine in many years. It was a great way for her to awaken those sewing skills that had been lying dormant for about 15 years. $21.98/6 issues/ year.

Sew News

Each one of the magazines discussed is available at practically every store that sells fabric, notions and sewing equipment. The good news is if you are like many of us and have more fabric than you have time, it isn’t necessary to expose yourself to all that temptation in your local fabric store.

Subscribing to your favorite sewing magazine is as easy as turning on your home computer. All of these magazines are available on-line through amazon.

If you want to broaden your sewing horizons, and check out what’s available in the sewing world beyond our borders, check out some of the sewing magazines that are available in other parts of the world. The magazines listed below are all available for sale in the United States.

They include:
• Burda: This magazine is available in 89 countries and is published in 16 different languages. The first time we saw a Burda magazine was on a weekend jaunt to New York.

Burda

Imagine our delight when we stumbled across this magazine filled with actual patterns while browsing through a news stand not far from Times Square.

It was like dying and going to heaven. There at our fingertips were dozens of photos of fabulous European designer originals, followed by the actual patterns. This find, alone, was worth the cost of a trip to New York. I soon learned, though that there are, several different Burda magazines.

What we found in New York was Burda Fashion, and every issue of this particular magazine contains patterns for each design in the issue. In 1949, Aenne Burda started a magazine printing and publishing company in Offenburg, Germany. Her first fashion magazine was Favorit.

One year later, it was renamed Burda Moden, and in 1952, patterns were inserted in the magazines. Eventually, the name evolved to Burda World of Fashion and eventually just Burda Fashion. In 1987, Burda Fashion made its debut in the Soviet Union and in 1994 also the first western magazine to appear in the People’s Republic of China. $20/2 months; $25/3 months; $48/6 months/$90/12 months

Australian Stitches

• Australian Stitches: If you were ever curious about how the folks Down Under approach sewing, check this one out. Reviewers say that Australian Stitches is a great resource for hoe sewers at all levels, and even claim that it may be possible for one to learn to sew all on their own with the instructions found in this magazine.

Australian Stitches is distributed in the US by California based Garden Fairies Trading Company. If you are interested in reviewing Australian Stitches for yourself, you can order a single copy from amazon.com or from Garden Fairies, where you may also get a one year subscription for $161.40 or 6 months for $80.70.

Sewing World-UK

• Sewing World-UK: This British import from Traplet Publications Ltd. offers all skill levels a balanced mix of sewing projects, information on how to master different sewing techniques, and articles on sewing know-how and how-tos.

It doesn’t matter if your interest is basic dressmaking, if your focus is couture techniques, free hand or computerized machine embroidery or home dec sewing, you will be sure to find something of interest in Sewing World-UK.

In addition, you will be pleased to also find a great collection of articles on new products, information about what’s happening in the sewing industry and where to find sewing exhibitions, news about sewing book releases and much, much more. $86/12 issues/12 months.

Ottobre

• Ottobre: published in Finland. Ottobre magazine offers patterns and clothing design information for women and children.

This magazine is available worldwide in five different languages: English, German, Dutch, Finnish and Swedish. US subscriptions are available through Wooly Thread, based in Washington state. $81/6 issues; 4 children+2 woman.

• Sew Today: published in the UK. This is the only sewing magazine in the world that showcases sewing patterns directly from international fashion icons such as Donna Karan, Issey Miyake, Givenchy, Ungaro, Montana, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Vera Wang and Bellville Sassoon.

Sew Today

In addition, Sew Today features designer patterns from McCalls, Butterick and Vogue as well as the latest news about fabric, the latest color trends, accessories and information about the newest sewing equipment and books. Available in the US. $107.63/10 issues/year.

There’s a sewing magazine out there for every one who sews, whether they are a rank beginner or a seasoned professional. No matter how long you have been sewing, do not be lulled into a false sense of security believing that you do not need any of the information available in these magazines.

No mater how long you have been sewing, there are always new products being introduced to make your sewing experience more efficient, your sewing room more functional or your sewing skills more expert.

Finding the right sewing magazine for your skill level is as simple as gleaning through the magazine rack on your next visit to your local fabric store.

Burda Plus Magazine

You can even shop for sewing magazines via the internet. Amazon is a great place to start, but you may also what to visit each magazine’s website. You might be pleasantly surprised. Some offer free patterns and on-line newsletters that are not available in the print editions.

Burda World Of Fashion Magazine

Regardless of the magazine you choose, you will be certain to find a sewing magazine to suit your specific sewing skills and your own personal needs.