Tuesday 25 October 2016

Reviewing Sew Now Magazine

 Fiona from Sewing Directory put a shout out on Instagram for people interested in reviewing a new sewing magazine so I quickly left my details and here it is, Sew Now.  There's a huge range of sewing magazines available at the moment which can only be good for sewists- such a choice was unheard of a couple of years ago.  Sew Now has a reader-focused fashion theme which comes through strongly in the debut issue.  For £5.99 you get the main magazine plus a Simple Sew dress/top pattern and an accessories magazine plus additional offers that are well worth having inside the magazine.

The content is a mix of projects, fashion features with  things you can buy as well as make.  Projects range from beginner to intermediate and include accessories like the lovely canvas rucksack as well up-cycling and revamping.  It's from Practical Publishing which also publishes Love Sewing and Quilt Now and I can see some of the content crosses over although Sew Now has a distinct look of its own compared to the other titles.


There is a definite crossover between high street fashion and homemade with features on making bow ready for Christmas party wear, supplementing you home made with high street accessories and clothing and finding patterns that pick up on popular fashion details.  



My favourite element was the range in models, from the usual young slender models to older models and different body silhouettes including plus size which is part of their 'Plus size promise' to feature readers with fuller figures.   



I would've liked to see Anne Acosta (below) in a standing pose so we could see more of the dress she had made.  You may also know Anne as @new_vintage_sewing from Instagram!



When I first heard about Sew Now and it's fashion focus, I quickly assumed it was going to be aimed at young and beginner sewists but that's definitely not the case.  it has much broader appeal for anyone who likes fashion and high street trends and there's more technique and detail that I would usually expect in most of the established dressmaking magazines.  This issue has a feature on making men's shirts from Sewing Bee contestant Jamie Kemp of maledevonsewing.blogspot.com as well as a -'how to' by Wendy Ward on lapped zips which is an excerpt from her new book, A Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts'.




I was expecting a bit of jewellery making and maybe a scarf in the accessories magazine as it is an extra freebie  but it surprised me.  It's packed full of projects, my favourites were trimming a pair of ballet pumps...


and a foxy keyring in suede and leather scraps- it would easily work in pleather (fake leather) and suede pieces too.


If you like a subscription offer for Sew Now you can buy three issues for £6 (currently available for UK residents).  There are a lot of offers inside the magazine as well as the free patterns and accessories mag.  There's a chance to send off for a free printed pattern of the By Hand London Victoria blazer- still in stock when I last looked, and a very cute Sewing Bee tin at a reasonable price (I succumbed!).  The website is still awaiting a few final tweaks but the Facebook page is up and ready. You can also read an interview with Sew Now editor Sam Sterken at the Sewing Directory website.  Sew Now magazine is available in the UK at WHSmith, newsagents and supermarkets. 
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