New camera, new pattern magazines

I turned 39 on Monday. It's hard not to get philosophical; while I' happy with my life and where I'm at, the years are racing by with lightning speed, and I can't believe I may already have lived half my life. See? I did get philosophical!

I made the best use possible of my birthday by

a) wishing for a new camera, which I got (if my pictures aren't good now at least I'll know it's my fault!);

b) having a typical German "Geburtstagskaffee" (cake and coffee) with family and friends;

c) sneaking a few minutes to read the new Threads and a couple of new pattern magazines I got.

While I love my Burdas for bringing me lots of patterns, fashionable ideas, and something new to enjoy every month, I also often feel a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of patterns I have collected with several years' worth of Burdas. When looking for a pattern or ideas, I sometimes get frustrated trying to process all that information. This is something I like about my Ottobres, which are just two (slim) issues a year for women and four (a bit thicker) issues for children.

So, while I wouldn't give up my Burdas anytime soon, I decided to take a closer look at those magazines that are published seasonally rather than monthly.

(For some reason I couldn't get the picture to turn. Time to read the camera manual, I guess!)

"Sabrina" is one of several German publications like that (I know of two others called "Diana" and "Lea"). These aren't as glossy as Burda, but Sabrina is certainly fashionable enough. It's not graded for difficulty, and the patterns appear rather simple, with few seams, darts, and linings (all the jackets and coats are from warm fabrics but unlined!).

"Knipmode" is a Dutch monthly that is quite fashion-forward (Melissa makes a lot of beautiful garments from Knip issues). This is the first issue I've seen in German, although there may have been others. It's not a monthly but a fall/winter issue that is, as far as I can tell, close to perfect!

It features nine pattern (in several slightly altered versions) that are made up to show four big fall trends, each of them a different style and colorway, and all with just nine patterns. A real lesson in the versatility of sewing patterns! Also, great clothes, beautifully photgraphed. Real eye candy!

And both magazines, as well as the aforementioned Ottobre, only show clothes made up with their patterns, not RTW like Burda. This makes it so much easier to decide on possible combinations/ensembles. Burda used to feature "mini wardrobes". Bring them back, please!

I hope this peek into German/Dutch magazines was interesting for you. Next up: the finished boys' pants. Phew!