The Sewing Place
Resources => Publications => Topic started by: HenriettaMaria on February 05, 2019, 22:05:24 PM
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My subscription copy of Sew Today came through the other day. They're reducing the frequency of publication from 10 a year to 8 and increasing the cover price to £5.75 and reducing quarterly DD from £8 to £7.
I recall when it was Vogue Pattern Magazine it was 6 issues a year and they increased it to 10 to ensure they got on the news-stands. Apparently the likes of WHS wouldn't take them if they published infrequently. Maybe they are relying on subscriptions nowadays?
I'm actually considering cancelling my subscription. I don't do enough sewing of that nature to get the benefit of the in-mag pattern offers and the how-to articles seem to be recycled from previous editions, which doesn't seem like value either.
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Im going to cancel mine too... there’s never much in it.
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Me too. The website is unusable and this is the last straw.
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I cancelled my sub years ago as.it was no longer good value. Have you noticed that we no longer get buy one get one free flash sales too? There's a Butterick 40% off offer at the mo but the latest release of Butterick patterns which have been on the US website for weeks have still not arrived in the UK.
I'm not surprised they don't sell many in newsagents as you only get the cheaper patterns with the sub (except when they are on nationwide special offer).
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Me too. The website is unusable and this is the last straw.
I sent emails to them, many, with no replies so I've done the same. I cancelled my mandate in December and on Saturday received the latest magazine. The only reason I joined in the first place was for cheaper patterns and I am going to miss them, especially as there is one I want right now V1595.
It's been a shambles from start to finish, and I hope somebody got a rocket up their backsides. I noticed they had reduced the cost on the attachment that came with the magazine but I hadn't noticed they had reduced the number of issues. It would be really funny if I got the next magazine.
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I cancelled mine yesterday.
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Actually I got myself motivated and found the pattern I wanted on Etsy for just over £10 including postage so bought. At least if I have to pay the full price I will be a bit more selective when choosing patterns and not just because I like the look of it on the model and finish up with patterns I will be unlikely to use.
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I know I've mentioned this before but if you join Club BMV on the US site (for $9.99 pa) and you buy 3 Vogue patterns at a time in one of their frequent sales with the reduction for club membership and including postage it works out at about £8.50 per pattern. You don't pay tax as you are under the £15 limit. The parcel takes about 10 days to arrive. I know this won't suit everyone as you don't always want 3 patterns and it is a bit more expensive than it used to be as the pound has dropped in value but I have bought loads this way. With postage costs it isn't so cost effective for Butterick and McCall.
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Not to put you off, Fran, but I think it's not quite so cost effective with MCalls and Buttericks. In one of their sales McCalls are $3.99 which would be $3.20 for BMV members. So if you buy 3 and pay $15 for postage that makes it about £19 for 3 patterns in total if I have done my sums correctly (not factoring in the BMV member cost but that soon pays for itself over a year if you are buying regularly). Hmm it is still a fair bit cheaper than full price UK though. Definitely worth thinking about if you buy patterns regularly.
Apart from a hiccup last autumn when they changed systems and were a little bit slower I've always found them to arrive reliably in 10 days. In fact I can see a little parcel waiting to leave Chicago for me now! :D
The one thing to be aware of is customs charges. Keep your patterns cost below £15 and you should not be charged tax. The only time I've ever paid tax was the first time I cheerfully loaded up my shopping basket with well over £15 worth before I understood the system. After that I stuck to the limit and it was fine.
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Well I am going to stand up for Sew Today. I love it and only last night was browsing through back copies.
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When the website changed they lost all my details so had to start again. Signed up for the newsletter and got a discount code. Never had a newsletter but I have used the discount code quite a few times, even on sale patterns. BUT please don't tell on me as I am sure the code was only ever meant to be used once, it's not my fault it keeps getting accepted. :)
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@Francesca go for it then! But do wait for a sale- these turn up very frequently. They usually have one a week or so after the new pattern release.
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Although this doesn't seem quite the right place given that I originally compared buying Vogue patterns from the US website to buying them from Sew Direct I'll report back here. I've now received my order of 3 new Vogue patterns from the USA. I have to say that they are taking somewhat longer to arrive than they used to. This order took 21 days and the order before that took 20 days. They used to arrive in 10 days. I can only assume they are using a different shipping method. They are still much cheaper than the UK price and the patterns will take some time yet to appear on the Sew Direct site. Still a good buy. Just have to find a bit of time to use them!
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I haven't got my letter any more either but I thought that they were reducing the frequency but keeping the price the same? After the dreadful deterioration of the website, it was the last straw for me and cancelled my subscription.
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Oh well at least that compensates to some extent.
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Well I happen to have the letter from Sew Today in my hand, as I have been trying to contact them by phone unsuccessfully.
The information you wanted was that the changes were taking effect from 1st February 2019. Then they said that in 2019 they will publish 8 issues of Sew Today (formerly 10) beginning with the February/March issue.
This frequency more accurately reflects the timing/introduction of new designs from our six pattern brands, which are first showcased in Sew Today.
Sew Today cover price increases to £5.75, this is the first increase since 2015.
To reflect the changes in publication frequency AND cover price we are REDUCING the SEW TODAY subscription rates.
Quarterly Direct Debits will be REDUCED to £7.00 (formerly £8) in line with the timing of your individual subscription.
Annual £37.50 subscriptions already paid will be EXTENDED so that 10 issues are received, thus ensuring subscribers receive the full value of their subscription payment.
Sew Today cover dates for 2019 will be:
February/March
April
May/June
July/August
September
October
November
December/January
Subscription rates from 1 February 2019:
£34.00 one-off payment or direct debit £7.00 every three months.
They also said that you need take no action regarding the above changes, but if you have any queries do please get in touch Email Lisa: uk.eusales@cssindustries.com or call: 0344 880 1263, she will be pleased to assist you.
Well according to an even earlier letter when the changeover first happened, the phone line is manned from 9am – 1pm Monday – Friday, but despite leaving a message as they ask they do not seem to return any calls – well I haven’t had a call back yet. Neither do I receive a newsletter – perhaps because my e-mail address changed a few years ago, but then I have never ever had an e-mail from them when they were down in Havant.
This nil response to their customers is a shame, as being a member of the Sewing Club it is quite a decent discount 40% off their patterns, especially the Vogues ones which are the most pricey. I have even held on to the sheet with my address on from them as this gives my sewing club number – if I hadn’t held on to this I would have been lost. I do hope that they can soon get themselves sorted out, as I not only get patterns from them when I want to I also use the Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Pattern Paper, and have some of the Palmer/Pletsch fusible interfacings.
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I shouldn't worry @Elnnina, I've had the same problem with communications and cancelled. I also like the Palmer Pleitch interfacings and have managed to find some on Ebay although wrong colour. It is still advertised in the magazine but nowhere on the website.
Eventually they will get the message that customers need cosseting in this day and age.
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Following on to my frustration with the Sew Direct website, I eventually used the ‘contact us’ part and I then received yesterday afternoon several e-mails from Lisa who is the person who deals with the on line pattern ordering. She has been so helpful, and this morning she telephoned me and we finished off ordering the patterns I wanted.
I have been a member of the ‘sewing club’ for several years now, and have enjoyed the 40% discount on the patterns – it makes a huge difference to over the counter prices, and I was having difficulty in getting anywhere with their new system as the screen would regularly freeze.
Lisa actually confirmed that they are still having a few problems with the new set up, so perhaps those of you who are also having difficulties make contact with them via the ‘contact us’ section and hopefully Lisa will be able to sort it out for you.
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Got my copy of Sew Today this morning.
Insert sheet informing that this issue - September 2020 is the last printed edition.
Going completely digital. Subscription £14 every 6 months. Subscription will include a voucher for one free pattern every six months.
Right now I have no idea whether to carry on or cancel.
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Yes I had mine today, although to be fair they've been free since around December 2017 when they cocked everything up. I am tempted by the free pattern, which I suppose reduces the cost although recently I've been digging old patterns out to use. I might try logging on and see if accepts me.
The only thing of interest (which I will look okay in) is the Sanra Betzina long jacket V1713. I really like that,most of the others are a bit too not me (with being short) and the one with trousers with elastic on the waistband looks a bit of a dogs breakfast to me. I've gone off Simplicity since I did a jacket that had to have ginormous seams to get rid of the fabric, fortunately I'd done it in some navy (which I hate) to try out so no big deal.
I wonder if this move is down to the cockup when they changed websites, because they've reverted to the USA website style. Lost many customers?
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Well I have filled in the validation form and it has accepted me so I await my new password etc.
Incidentally the second 'new' web site has given me instant access to Perfect Fuse interfacing, which is a vast change, the revised old one which drew blank on a search. even though a few months earlier the search produced the goods.
Perhaps now the children have gone back to school, grownups are now in charge.
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The Sewdirect website is horrible. I have bookmarked Sewessentials (https://www.sewessential.co.uk/sewing-patterns), which is nicely organised.
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Got my copy of Sew Today this morning.
Insert sheet informing that this issue - September 2020 is the last printed edition.
Going completely digital. Subscription £14 every 6 months. Subscription will include a voucher for one free pattern every six months.
Right now I have no idea whether to carry on or cancel.
Wish i had read this earlier. I wanted a Vogue pattern so decided to buy the subscription and get the pattern free, sub was £14, which should have rung bells, and pattern £17. Anyway, now received email saying i can view the mags on line. I didn't realize they had gone digital i thought i was signing up for a paper copy, oh well.
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I had considered starting mine up again after a break of 2 years, during which they still sent me a magazine. All I was really bothered about was the free pattern or discounted ones. However, I've had a rethink, because I have so many now, I've started having good look at them before I start anything, especially with separates. The last one I got was the Claire Shaeffer pattern and I got that off Amazon for £13. I've even dug one out that I had years, put off doing because of the pattern picture front and it was fabulous finished (well I think it is). So I'm saving my money and will wait for the 50% deals that keep going around.
Most of them are just variations with a new number. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Vogue version of the Chanel jacket 7975 was going to have a more modern pattern picture and be renumbered as it looked dated.