Burda Plus - English ed

I just reviewed Burda Moden, and much of what I said there applies here too.

First off, I'm a plus size lady.

I sew, and I love Burda magazines. Till recently I had an annual subscription and I need to refresh my subscription again. I always but always subscribed to both the regular magazine (which has a plus size section!) and the Plus magazine (which NEVER duplicates what you see in the regular one).

If given a choice I think I'd take the Plus magazine if I couldn't afford both.

Here are some helpful tips on why you might like to subscribe EVEN IF YOU DON'T SEW, and how to do so if you are out of the States area.

For Canadians there is a Burda magazine reseller, and it will cost about 10$ Canadian per issue. Which is MUCH less than a normal pattern now. So it saves you on patterns.

Burda has ways to subscribe for each country, just go to their website and click till you get the reseller for your own area.

WHY BURDA IS THE BEST!

The fashions presented are 2 years ahead. I found that styles presented in Burda were a year ahead of hitting the stores in retail, and 2 to 3 years ahead of the other major pattern companies, and about 1 year ahead of Burda's pattern envelopes sold in the fabric stores.

EVEN IF ALL YOU DO IS LOOK AT UPCOMING STYLES and never sew a stitch you will find this magazine useful to keep ahead of trend curves.

This is what the European ladies are wearing.

All clothing is well put together, showing current trends (future trends for north america!) in Europe in shoes, purses, jewelry, colour choices and more. They use fashion forward textiles to make the garments and the photos are clear enough that you can get trim detail and figure out fabric from your local store.

If you do sew, this magazine will keep you from wasting money on outdated expensive paper patterns AND keep you in the front end of fashion.

After all if you go to the trouble of sewing, and fitting it's nice if you can wear something for a few extra years and look up to date while doing so.

As a Plus size lady, I found it a refreshing surprise to find patterns that actually looked stylish and ahead of the ready to wear regular market let alone the nightmare of retail plus size ready to wear.

Each magazine comes with ALL the patterns to make all the clothing featured. Look thru, see what you like and trace off your own pattern.

A note about sizes --Burda fits much closer than normal pattern companies which makes for a much nicer fit, but you may find yourself needing to go up a size or two.

Measure carefully, and try cutting one size up till you get used to the fit. Don't cut into expensive fabric till you are used to how they fit. Make a few cheaper garments first. The armholes and the crotch area fit differently than north american clothes.

Be aware that above a size 20/22 in north american sizes, won't fit into these plus sizes. Their idea of plus is 14-20/22. If you are bigger it's fairly easy to size the patterns up a bit, but you do need some experience in sewing and pattern alterations to do that well. (for learning how, check out Sandra Betzina's stuff on altering patterns)

Here are a couple of helpful hints to dealing with tracing off the patterns in the centerfold.

I used waxed paper in the usual kitchen type roll and traced with a sharpie marker pen.

WHY WAX PAPER? It's cheap, you can SEE THRU IT, and you can fuse it into bigger sheets as needed.

FUSING WAX PAPER: take a warm iron, and press thru a paper towel so you don't get wax paper on your iron. (when you finish, run your iron over a clean terry facecloth to absorb any wax that seeped out). When fusing, hold till the wax paper clings and it will look a bit "bubbly".

EDITED TO ADD: USE A HIGHLIGHTER PEN to mark the lines you are tracing off. It will help you "see" the correct pattern peice and the correct size in the spaghetti trail that is the master pattern in the centerfold.

TRACING: Burda patterns DON'T come with a seam allowance so I added that after tracing my patterns. Using a sharpie and a straight edge for long runs I traced off my desired size in the patterns which look like multicoloured spaghetti lines all over the newsprint center.

Then add seam allowances BEFORE cutting out your wax paper pattern!

About all those lines. Here is where my wax paper tip comes in handy. I've tried tracing paper, even interfacing but the multiple lines on a Burda magazine pattern are too much for those usual tracing papers or interfacing. You will need something much more see thru. Wax paper! cheap, almost transparent, sturdy and won't bleed sharpie marker ink.

Burda doesn't print one sided pattern masters so you HAVE to trace. You can't just sacrifice the rest of the patterns to cut yourself one only since the other peices will likely be printed on the back.

REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR SEAM ALLOWANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once I cut out my pattern (and write all the notes about what size, layout, darts etc on the pattern) I put my pattern pieces in a Manila envelope.

Pattern envelopes for home made patterns work best with some labelling. I put the magazine (fall and winter 05) and the page # (34) and the model I'm copying along with the size, the yardage I require and any sewing notions or extras (zippers, interfacing, 17 buttons, yada yada)

Maybe due to being a bit obsessive about such things I sketch a line drawing on the envelope with a note saying, skirt, pants, jacket or whatever the garment is. My drawing isn't perfect but I try to include a front and back view with major seams and darts drawn in. It's useful.

I keep them in a normal household file folder, since the manila envelopes fit perfectly.

File under Jacket, Dress, Skirt etc. or by year.

There, I hope that helps. This is WELL worth getting even if you never sew a single stitch from the magazine.

I ordered back issues of this magazine from an Ebay dealer in the UK after the Spring 2006 issue came out and I am sold not just on Burda Plus but on Berlin fashion designers as wellthe women, anyway, make lovely, flowing but not "girly" clothes that are very wearable Think Eileen Fisher or Flax but with darker, richer colors, fibers and textures, slightly more "fit" and more interesting shapes in a wider variety -not just the same few repeated again and again. Clothes for the decades, not the season -and the patterns are HERE! at least some of them, from designers like Evelyn Brandt, Doris Strietch (and another Berliner (female) whose name escapes me at the moment, but whose clothes I deeply admire.)

The fit is better than most American pattern companies especially pants. If you make one garment from each issue the subscription has more than paid for itself. Good info on sizing patterns up or down in the back issues I recently received keeping the proportions if using a "petite" or a "tall" pattern if you are neither. Pattern directions themselves can be less than enlightening, though perhaps "non-fluent" would be the best description of their translation. And the breathless tone (LOTS of exclamation points!!!!) of the editorial content seems a bit much for such "smart" clothes, but we're not buying this for the elegancce of the writing!

Another reviewer complained of delivery delay. This is only published in January and July. If you missed subscribing in time for the last issue and the print run is gone, you have to wait until the next one pubs. And the print runs DO sell out. As I can attest.

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Contrary to the previous review, the majority of the patterns in the Fall/Winter 2005 issue were normal sizes (5'6"). This particular issue contains 10 jackets (two of which were for petites), four skirts (one of them petite), three pants (one petite), and four shells (two petites). There were no dresses and no blouses with sleeves. The interesting fabric choices and the superb fashion photography were also excellent. This particular issue also had an article on how to change a petite pattern to a regular pattern and vice versa. The pattern pieces have unique sophisticated shapes, very interesting for the intermediate to advanced sewer. One thing I did find lacking was there was no casual sportswear. The magazine seems geared toward business suits and formal occasions.

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I love the fashions but some are for 5'3 and some for 5'6. At 5'10 I have to make serious adjustments for height. If you can barely cut out a multi-sized pattern then this magazine is definitely above your skill level. If you can trace and adjust patterns and work without detailed instructions then you will enjoy the fresh styles and many collections presented for such a low price. Even if you only use one pattern from every issue it is worth the money.

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I have been getting this magazine since 2000, and I am still using the patterns out of the first issue. The clothing made from a Burda magazine pattern fits like nothing else. When I wear them I get stopped by women asking me where they can buy those wonderful clothes, even skinny women want these clothes. No frumpy fat women clothes here.

Each magazine seems to have a theme, office clothes, sportswear, dress up. You will have to collect a few issues before all your pattern needs are filled. And do hold on to those old issues. I have one magazine I put away as just not what I wanted. Four years later and it has the perfect blouse. And yes they are always ahead of the curve. Something unique you see in Burda won't show up in the stores for 18 months.

And the fit!!! No pattern other pattern fits like Burda. They require some advanced skills. Tracing can get very tiring. But if you want to be the best dressed and not look like you shop at the mall then this pattern mag is for you.

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It is very important to have a tool like this to support the transportation activities for many purposes, such as logistics field and many others. I have found in this booklet important comments to keep in mind of people in the logistics business.

Playboy (1-year auto-renewal)

The magazine itself isn't bad, nothing ground breaking but can offer an interesting read at times. When I receive a product like this I expect the packaging to be subtle without PLAYBOY labeled everywhere. And for the most part it is. That was until about 7 months into my subscription when I started to receive renewal notices.

The first renewal request I received was titled "URGENT 3rd notice" with Playboy clearly written on it. Every couple weeks I receive a new one, including my most recent that came in a bright yellow envelope with "SUSPENSION ADVISORY" across the entire front of it and Playboy written up in the corner. I understand the intent is to attract attention to it, but I would at least hope they would carry the same considerations in packaging their magazine to the renewal requests.

I canceled with 4 months left on my subscription just to stop the renewal request spam. I won't be subscribing again.

The magazine offers interesting articles more often than many people imagine. Especially when it comes to science of sexuality, their choices of writers are good and fun.

On the other hand, the photos of young naked girls are repetitive and boring, how many blond girls with artificial lips and boobs can you enjoy looking at? They look all the same, and worst, so digitally "improved" they don't look human most of the time. Too much airbrush work made them look like a clone game character.

To me, the most interesting section in the magazine is the Q & A from the readers, there are so many questions about human behaviors, normal or not. I learned so much about ourselves and what's really going on in the modern America. The answers are most often very specific and helpful, wise and tongue-in cheek fun.

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I've been a reader/subscriber for over 30 years, and still find the magazine exciting, interesting, and very enjoyable/pleasurable. Eventually just about anything of general interest will be covered, the stories and articles are great, and the women are as beautiful as ever. Hef may be getting older but his staff keeps everything cooking at a high temperature. The interview section is one my favorites, and of course, the question and advice sections. Another favorite is the "Sex and Cinema" photo spreads. I'm still waiting for my invitation to the mansion. I'm sure my wife and I would have a wonderful,memorable time.

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The articles are well written and interesting most of the time. This is a pretty good magazine that happens to have beautiful (if only through the magic of airbrushing) nude woman on some of the pages. It's also cheaper then most other entertainment magazines. Win-win. Buy it.

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Playboy has always been my favorite magazine. From trends to jokes, interviews to beautiful women, this magazine has it all. I only wish they would go back to 12 issues in a year rather than have occasional double issues as well as stop featuring heavily tattooed women in seemingly every issue. Regardless, I will continue to subscribe.

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Engineering News-Record ENR

Delivered within about 4 weeks. Online activation worked great. No problems on that end. As for the mag itself? It's ENR. If you have any interest in the world of construction and engineering, it is a no-brainer. Amazon price ($52) also beats the next best ($82) that can be found on the actual website. Awesome. Very happy with purchase.

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Inc. (1-year auto-renewal)

Inc. is one of my favorite magazines. It has good, practical information for the entrepreneur and small business owner, as well as anyone who is interested in business. Unlike other business magazines that contain articles that are long and ponderous, Inc. doesn't waste your time with tedium.

Its sister publication, Fast Company, is also good.

Two reviewers gave this magazine low ratings because they hadn't received their first issue after 4 weeks. Look, it CLEARLY states: "Availability: The first issue should arrive in 6-10 weeks." That means the first issue should arrive between 1½ and 2½ months after the order is placed. It hurts to see a great magazine get a lower rating than it deserves because some people either can't read or can't do math.

Used to be excellent magazine with practical advice.

More and more of the content is now fluffy dream stuff.

The businesses they feature are now almost all ones that depend on fashion and customer whim cupcakes, T-shirts, micro-breweries not sustainable businesses.

Good columns are gone. The one good column left is by the wife of the man who built Stonyfield Farm yogurt about how entrepreneurship affects your family.

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I like this magazine because it's just right for a business owner who runs almost any kind or size of business.

It's not focused on one set of things like technology even though it does have technological tips. It's not a magazine trying to sell you other businesses. It actually gives you sound and productive advice. It gives you ideas that are applicable in the real world and on the forefront so you can be ahead of your competitors. The language is practical enough to be understood by beginning business owners and those who have plenty of experience in the business world. I've tried other business magazines but the others either have too much advertising, focus on one subject (like investments, stocks, etc), try to do nothing but sell you other franchises and other services, or are only useful to a narrow set of business models. Try this one. You'll definitely benefit and enjoy the read.

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I have been reading Inc. for the past 3 years. I love it. I am currently in business school and I am taking a lot of entrepreneurship classes. I have been surprised how often the articles have been relevant to cases and discussions in school. I would highly recommend this magazine to anyone interested in entrepreneurship or who is working in or running a small business.

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Tried several times to cancel! They offer discount to start, then ignore cancellation requests!! Charged card and refunded then charged a few dollars? Then sent another invoice that shows I ordered again! Would not recommend an order for any magazines from this company!

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Southern Living (1-year auto-renewal)

Like others, even though I don't live in the South. I have been a subscriber for over 30 years. What they have done to this magazine is a travesty. The things that made Southern Living special (and why so many of us saved old issues) are all gone. The articles are interchangable with the articles in any of a dozen other magazines. For all I know, the articles are written by a bunch of folks in NYC who have never set foot south of the Mason-Dixon line!

Having grown up in the heart of Dixie, I've read this magazine all my life, and I preceded its birth by over 10 years. Still have the entire 1974 year down in the ol' homestead (an ultramodern 1970s brick house) in an old cardboard slipcase. It was a wonderful magazine in the 1970s and even into the early 1980s. Today, it is pure garbage. Do not waste your money on a subscription. If you buy one issue, you'll have all the advertising you need, but you'll actually get better advertising of Southern lifestyles by picking up free flyers at various interstate welcome stations. In fact, Southern Living now resembles a magazine comprising interstate brochure writing sandwiched between so many advertisements you cannot make sense of the editorial. I know what I'm talking about. Since it was purchased more than a decade ago by Time-Life, Southern Living has gone steadily downhill. If you want a gardening magazing for the south, choose Garden Gate or Fine Gardening. Or buy books. It's cheaper. If you need travel information, use the internet. If you want home design, forget it. In the 1970s you had houseplans, beautiful landscape designs and decorating ideas. Today, you can get better ideas from a standard like Good Housekeeping or by watching home and garden shows on television. It's really sad how pathetic Southern Living is. If I were employed there as a writer -and it is not my niche by any means, professional corporate writing is -I would be a lifeless card-punching automaton regurgitating segment marketing pap. Pulp. Garbage. You can't even wrap a decent mullet with this piece of garbage, they've shrunk the page size.

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Having been a subscriber for 14 years I can only say that the new changes are not for the better. New subscribers will never know what they have missed.....but us old timers have lost faith. Who said Southern Living needed to be changed? Shame on those who took a delightful magazine from wonderful to wanting. You should have asked the readers.........we would have shared our positive thoughts with you before you took this "improved?" approach.

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I've been a SL subscriber for years. Every Southern woman has to have it. It took a dip in quality in the past five years, but with a new editor the content is becoming more abundant. I look forward to it each month! Purchasing magazines through Amazon are often a lot cheaper than the offers you will get directly from the company. I even tried to renew one year asking SL to match the price that Amazon was offering, but they wouldn't do it.

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I'm assuming the changes in Southern Living happened because of the state of the magazine industry, but it's such a shame. SL use to be one of the best. I don't live in the South, but really enjoyed the great articles, travel stories, unique recipes, decorating ideas and beautiful photos. Also liked the fact that the magazine carried its share of ads, but I didn't feel like I was paying for a book of advertising with few articles, the way I do with many magazines.

Now, all that is gone. I don't really even recognize the magazine anymore. Ridiculously short articles with little content, recipes that I've seen a zillion times, nothing really inventive or even fresh, just recycled, watered-down content. The cover photos are the only thing that is as lovely as ever. SL now looks like every other magazine on the stand, even worse than many. Why in the world? Is this what it takes to get readers and advertisers? I can't imagine. I'm hoping that SL doesn't go under, but cannot imagine that this change will help it stay afloat. Sad that it already seems to be gone. Very unfortunate.

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Reunions Magazine

Reunions Magazine is a well-kept secret: an invaluable resource for everyone interested in reuniting with family, classmates, military, etc. Expert and novice reunion planners share insight on how to coordinate everything from fun & memorable reunion activities to fundraising and family projects to sightseeing and travel tips. Most importantly, Reunions magazine lets us peek into backyards & resorts across the country to see what others do at their special family events. I wouldn't think of planning a reunion without reading this magazine!

This magazine should be in the hands of every family, class or military reunion planner. The contents cover a broad spectrum of reunion-related information, from how to plan the reunion to how to do follow-ups after the event, and everything in between. The magazine is written by a knowledgeable staff, and reunion planners from all walks of life contribute articles and ideas. There is an enormous amount of information, ideas and inspiration in every issue.

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Wow how informative! Helped me plan our annual Thanksgiving reunion. The most exciting of all!

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Hobby Farm Home (1-year auto-renewal)

I do not live on a farm and I don't have anything larger than a small garden but, this magazine has lots for even me. I use this to come up with ideas for projects to do with my kids. Some the old ways of cooking, canning, and just living are being lost to our children. This magazine brings the older ways back. The kids love the idea of making paper this fall. I have learned how to make wine and an old fashioned German dinner as well as how to make a bird bath that looks like a leaf. This magazine really is wonderful for everyone.

I just received my first issue and was very pleased with it. The photography is wonderful and the magazine is filled with substance, not ads, like so many magazines are. Although I do not own a farm (or even that much land!) it is easy to appreciate the articles as they range from recipes for edible flowers, different types of artisan honey, and reusing items you already have to become better organized.

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I love this magazine. It has something for everyone living in the country, and even those that don't. The articles are a good length and they vary, so you can choose what you have time for. The photos are beautiful and inspiring. I wouldn't change a thing. Just don't get too anxious after you order...it said I wouldn't be receiving the subscription for a few months, so I bought the latest copy, only to have it arrive in the mail a week later.

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great tips for small agreage farmer/rancher. includes information on gardens, animals, equipment purchase and repair, and cooking (what to do with all the produce the garden grows).

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I received my first issue and really enjoyed reading it. It is a great balance of beautiful rural lifestyle photography as well as informative articles with information that is useful for building a sustainable lifestyle even in a suburban area. I will definitely re-subscribe when the time comes.

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World of Interiors

I wouldn't want to imagine life without WOI. It would be a dim affair. I have subscribed for 10 years and every issue of the magazine contains something unforgettable.

I am not an interior designer. I am fascinated by how people live. UNIQUELY, of all the so-called "shelter" magazines, WOI actually is all about YOUR interior life. There will be an article abut some upscale Chelsea apartment, then an article about a mad old guy who has covered his walls in buttons, or a couple that lives as if it is always 1860 in their apartment. I love it.

If you've been reading design magazines and catching home interiors stories over the years you might be closing the book and wondering what catalog house everyone's extracting their furnishings from. Every shot seems to be color coordinated to the nth and filled with flowers. Flowers! Flowers! "Cookie Cutter" for all price ranges doesn't begin to describe the conformity of the glossies right now.

Frustrated, and holding fond memories of browsing the shots of unique European estates in vintage magazines (Helene De Rothchild's dressing room!), I searched the web for WOI. Knew it was pricey but needed something real. Every month I've been rewarded with images from all over the world of the most fascinating rooms, gardens, mansions etc...that give untold inspiration and wonderment. What makes them so special is their individuality and home-owners who are unafraid to be exceptional in the true sense of the word. I marveled at a shot of a kitchen in Argentina. Tiny room, 2 old school chairs, a stone table, a window. No new fixtures, no crazy antiques. I puzzled until I understood that the editors saw the beauty of clean lines, airy simplicity and intentional composition. They had transported me to a different aesthetic leaving behind all snobbery. I asked for authenticity, lush photography, and exquisite cosmopolitan taste and...I got it. Thank you WOI.

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WOI is just the best. If you are going to get one interior magazine, this is it. I've received WOI since the late 80's with only a few years of withdrawl (and those were sad times). It's creative brainfood and inspiration of the highest quality showing up in your mailbox every month... there's nothing better. No, really.

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I stumbled upon this Tome a while back and was very taken with it. Not only are the layouts fabulous but the writers add just a touch of humour to the articles. One of the things I have drawn from the issues is their use of color. I have been able to really track my own preferences from the photos and add them to my storyboard inspiration. Further, the articles are fun and informative, I actually READ them through. WOI manages to be incredibly informational as well as fun. I love finding the "Wink Wink" bits scattered throughout.

I have in-fact, actually contacted some of their featured designers and been very pleased with the results. The magazine may seem unrealistic at first but it is actually very obtainable. Lots of fun and beauty.

One of my favorite features is the learning curve. I discover so much about various cultures in the esoterica of the design world.

Wonderful Magazine.

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This magazine's trade is in ideas; its concern is with the ways people (actual people) can take the fundamental elements of art and reflect them in the places they live and pieces they live with. While certainly there are showcased products (and lots of almost pornographically delicious ads), I have never finished an issue feeling covetous or frustrated, but rather invigorated and full of ideas. That alone sets it miles (km?) from anything else in its genre, but there is also an incredible plurality of aesthetics, equal devotion to opulence and simplicity, preserved antiquity and innovation. Pretty cool.

As someone else mentioned, the writing is genuinely interesting and faithful to what has been invested into these spaces, not who has been investing in the publication. Inspiration also comes from anywhere, such as a wonderful spread on the 18th-century watercolorist JMW Turner, which left me wondering what other impossibly stupid blindspots I secretly harbored like "landscapes are boring." Many, I'm sure, which is why I subscribe to World of Interiors--to help me see anew!!