Quilting Magazines

I'm trying to cut back on my quilt magazine fetish/addiction. I used to get
both British mags, all issues of 'Quilt' magazines, McCalls, BHG,
Fabrications (another Brit mag) Australian P&Q, Quiltmaker and just about
anything else quilty that I discovered on the newsagent's shelf. I've cut
back (well most months) and I only now intend getting Quilter's Home for a
good read and Quiltmania, I like their style. But my epal in Iowa kindly
got me a subscription to McCalls which I'm enjoying. However, I did buy
the March QNM. There's a really nice quilt on the front and a few inside.
I had a subscription to Australian Country Threads but although the projects
were pretty there was way to much I wouldn't make and I found that there was
way too many adverts in, and the same ones each issue so I didn't renew.
I really don't need any patterns though. I have enough to last several
centuries of quilting. But.....

On the topic of fabric buying I have to put my hand up to buying most mine
from on-line stores in the US. My limit per order is equal to £18 which is
before tax is then slapped on. I can find what the fabric I like to use and
it always is a fraction , even after postage, than it would cost to buy
here, even if I could find the fabric I'm looking for here. I do however,
support a few quilt stores in the UK if and when I see something I like.

Elly
http://community.webshots.com/user/b...host=community
http://ellydspatchwork.blogspot.com


"Steph" wrote in message
...
I saw a posting about Fons and Porter and that got me thinking... I
like magazines and I've seen several different quilting magazines out
there. Does anyone subscribe to any or recommend any? I'm sure that
personal style/taste dictates a bit of who likes which ones but any
general comments?

Thanks

Steph

Anne Rogers wrote:

yikers, I really don't know how they work out the customs fees, I do
know printed material is exempt as are gifts up to a certain value. I've
noticed some quilt shops saying they won't write gift on the customs
sticker, so some people must have been asking them to do that. I didn't
order that much from the US and I've never had a customs charge, as I
think they just don't waste time opening small packets, as far as I
recall all the customs labels have been truthful as well. I did hear of
the odd person who ordered feather dusters from flylady who got stung,
but many many more who didn't.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/aqwft explains it all in terms understandbale
by a tax expert....

However, not all dutiable packages get assessed, especially if it is
relatively small in size and/or low in value. I have had 4 global
priority envelopes delivered to me fixed together with a rubber
(elastic) band that each should have been dutied, but have escaped.
Other times a single GP envelope gets assessed.

Even when I have paid shipping, taxes and duties the fabric usually
works out cheaper than visiting the LQS, expecially if I buy sale fabrics.

Lizzy

(Autralian) Duty/tax is based on a couple of things, but
mainly the nature of the goods and their value. Into
Australia I think the duty on textiles is about 30% (?), but
Customs will only go for parcels with a value of (about)
AU$200 or more (less is considered personal use I think, or
maybe not worth the high admin cost of tax recovery).

So if I buy up to US$150 worth of fabric at US$9 per yard
(under the AU$200 threshold) even with air mail costs it can
be a LOT cheaper than here in Australia (maybe the
equivalent of $18 per metre instead of $25). But that is a
lot of fabric to buy at once. In the UK the duty payable
value level is much lower than here, so you can only buy
small amounts without attracting tax costs, so the shipping
costs on the smaller quantities will cancel out much of the
savings.

AU$19 per metre is - ABOUT - US$14.50 per yard, and about
what it costs to buy the better quality fabric lines in
Spotlight (our equiv of Joann's).

We have a very small population base, and almost everything
is imported over long distances. That, plus the Duty
charges and the high cost of distribution/marketing across
vast internal distances means that our LQSs are not being
unreasonable in charging at these levels. I always tried to
support any LQS where I lived in the past, but I don't have
one closer than 100km away. Sadly it is now cheaper and
easier for me to buy from the US than from the next State.
Largely because of taxes and small production volumes, our
locally produced fabrics often retail at more than the
imported fabrics. You can buy them cheaper in the US than
we can here. (BTW - the gorgeous aboriginal prints are
unique, and worth checking out if you can find them)

So it becomes a fine balancing act to apportion the high
shipping costs against the total quantity and value of the
order and stay under the Customs limits.

I have amassed a huge stash over 25 years (and I do mean
HUGE), so if I didn't buy again for the rest of my life I
would still never use it all, esp as I don't sew much myself
any more. But my sewing group use my stash as a resource,
simply paying cost to replace metre for metre. It allows me
to indulge my fabric buying addiction lol, keep current
fabrics on hand and have a wide range of fabrics available
for sewers that are in a remote area. Of course the
quantity of each fabric I have is relatively small, but they
quickly learn to deal with what might be seen as "running
out of fabric", and realise that if they need 1m of the red
fabric that I only have 0.5m of, using similar red fabric(s)
and mixing them will achieve the same colour balance and is
often more interesting. "Many (different fabrics) is good,
more is better" is a mantra here lol

Buying over the internet may often be cheaper, but you
cannot beat browsing in a LQS and testing fabric
combinations. (sigh)

--

Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
o o o o o o
( Y ) ( Y ) and ( Y )
Boofhead Donut Rasputin
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau


"SewVeryCreative" wrote in
message ...
: Ah ... so do I have this correctly (for the most part)?:
:
: Let's say I own Blah-Blah Fabric Shop and ship an order to
a client in the
: UK. In the US, the value of the shipment is only, say,
$20. But in the UK's
: shops, it would go for, say, ? 60 (which would be what?
About $70 US?). My
: UK client then runs the risk of Customs opening the
package and assessing
: the fees on the (hypothetical) ? 60? So not only are they
paying the $$ for
: the order (and conversion fees?), shipping, but also now
adding to it
: whatever Customs fees?
:
: AFA us manufacturing fabric cheaper than Europe, I think
that hearkens back
: to the Civil War, doesn't it?? I remember something about
the main
: manufacturing responsiblity moving from England to the
North US at some
: point (which is one of the reason the South went to war
with the North --
: the South, because it was able to grow the cotton wasn't
allowed to refine
: it and manufacture the goods) ... does that make sense???
:
: I think I need a nap, LOL!!
: --
: Connie
: http://sewverycreative.blogspot.com
:
:
: "Anne Rogers" wrote in message
: . ..
: SewVeryCreative wrote:
: Ooooo-kay ... can't you buy it from the US and have it
cheaper?? Or is
: that
: not how it works???
:
: Not trying to be smart-mouthy, just have NO idea how
it all works. I
: mean, I
: assume you'd have to pay Customs/import fees ... but
still,
: wouldn't/isn't
: that cheaper than buying locally? Or is it more of a
case of doing what
: you
: need to to keep the local shops open??
:
: To a certain extent you can, the issue is customs, I
don't know the
: exact ins and outs of it, but it's hit and miss, if they
open the parcel
: to see what it is, you could get stung badly. On the
other hand you can
: get great deals, particularly if someone uses the fixed
prices USPS
: envelopes.
:
: Anne
:
:

That should be QNL

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:05:02 -0500, Bonnie Patterson
wrote:

I used to subscribe to a lot of mags., now I only take Fons & Porter
(love the tips), QNN (comes with membership), and Quilter's Home (love
Mark Lapinsky's articles, not a lot of pattersns), spellings may be
off 'cause I can't spell very well.

Bonnie, in Middletown, VA


On Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:13:25 -0800 (PST), Steph
wrote:

I saw a posting about Fons and Porter and that got me thinking... I
like magazines and I've seen several different quilting magazines out
there. Does anyone subscribe to any or recommend any? I'm sure that
personal style/taste dictates a bit of who likes which ones but any
general comments?

Thanks

Steph

Bad memories never fade. I am hoping the problem with F & P have been
solved but some years ago when they first started publishing I paid
for a year subscription...to make a long story short I never got even
ONE magazine or my money refunded. I swear by Better Homes & Gardens'
American Patchwork & Quilting. Not only their magazines but their
lovely calendar which arrived each year without being prompted.

This has nothing to do with the fact that back in the forties I was
their branch Officer Auditor,&cost accountant in Des Moines. IA.
They werent putting out the quilt magazines then only BH&G Magazine
and the Farm Journal. Back then the cooks in the test kitchen let the
Business Office taste test the recipes. WOW! Those were the days!!!

Rhoda

On Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:13:25 -0800 (PST), Steph
wrote:

I saw a posting about Fons and Porter and that got me thinking... I
like magazines and I've seen several different quilting magazines out
there. Does anyone subscribe to any or recommend any? I'm sure that
personal style/taste dictates a bit of who likes which ones but any
general comments?

Thanks

Steph