Friday, May 8, 2009

Quilt Magazines go green

Quilt magazines – we love them. Full of tips, techniques and, of course, free patterns. However, subscriptions can be very expensive -- from $17 a year for four issues, up to $35 a year for six issues of some of the higher end magazines.

Quilt magazine publishers are responding to both the need to go green and the need to adjust to tougher economic times, by going digital.

Mar09 CottonSpice is a free online quilt magazine published four times each year - March, June, September and December. This magazine has the real “feel” of a paper magazine – you download it in .pdf format which, of course, is printable if you desire. Articles, advertisements, reviews, and quilt patterns are included in every issue. A site well worth bookmarking!

Do you love to Crazy Quilt? You won’t want to miss latest issue of the free online magazine – CQ Magazine Online. A great thing about this magazine? All their past issues are archived – as far back as January ‘04! This magazine is published four times per year – January, April, July and October.

DUQ130_cover 150 From Australia comes a free six month subscription to Down Under Quilts online digital magazine. From the web site: “Down Under Quilts is bursting with informative articles and original and exclusive project patterns that will satisfy quilters looking for that 'special something' to stimulate their creativity. Down Under Quilts shares compelling stories about Australian quilters and their quilts, and regular features written by quilting experts. Readers look to duQ to keep up with the latest techniques and news.

Current print magazines that offer digital subscriptions

Has your favorite quilt magazine gone green? In a time when newspapers and magazines are going out of business, many publishers are giving subscribers an opportunity to “go green” with digital subscriptions. The biggest benefit? Being able to print off multiple copies of templates and paper piecing patterns!

Here are current paper quilt magazines that offer their subscribers a digital alternative:

magazine_covers Quilter’s World magazine. Mail subscription rate is $19.97 for six issues in 12 months. Digital subscription rate is $14.97 a year, and you'll get the current issue, the next 5 upcoming issues, plus two years' of back issue access immediately. That's three years of quilt patterns and articles for less than the price of a one-year print-only subscription!

QltaCover Quilting Arts magazine is geared towards art and contemporary quilters. “Whether you consider yourself a contemporary quilter, fiber artist, art quilter, embellished quilter, or wearable art artist, Quilting Arts strives to meet your creative needs. Quilting Arts covers a wide range of skills, includes exceptional how-to articles, profiles artists, features guest teachers, and explores contemporary textile works, surface design, embellishments, and motifs.” QA offers it’s subscribers the opportunity to go digital. The current subscription rateis $34.95 for six issues/12 months. The digital subscription rate is $26.95.

If you know of other free or digital quilt magazines, please email QOB and we’ll add it to the list!

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