New Year's CLEARANCE- some great bargains

What? First post since April and it is a sale???? Well. folks, yes! Been very busy working and literally no free time to spend with the family, let alone myself and my sewing workshop. Until now, and again clearance must pave the way to inspiration.

7 issues of Patrones Sewing Magazine

 7 issues, I personally bought during my travels to Spain, including one for children. Never used, each includes up to 30 multisized sewing patterns (That's the total of whooping over 200 fashion sewing patterns.)  Excellent magazine and stunning fashions. Cannot be bought in Ireland. Don't get me wrong- I love Patrones and have many more issues as downloadable pdf's, but some how these never got a chance, even though thee are very tempting patterns inside, that will be hard to let go, but as they haven't been used by now, I think it is time for them to make someone else happy.

€70 for 7 issues €7.50 extra to post to Ireland, €10.75 to UK/Europe and €17 everywhere else. 

№ 317 Especial Vacaciones
№ 297 Fiesta
№ 308 Prendas Elegantes
№ 293 Especial Vacaciones
№ 303 Avance Verano
№ 295 Avance Otoño
№ 288 Niños

AutoCad For Apparel Industry by P.B. Miller 

Phyllis Bell Miller is an assistant professor at Mississippi State University. She has twenty-eight years of experience in teaching courses including computer-aided design,visual design in dress, store layout and display, product quality analysis and apparel design and pattern making. Miller developed ApparelCAD, a totally integrated apparel design package for AutoCAD software, including custom menus, built-in patterns and new commands, and Display Shop, a 3D store layout and design applications package for AutoCAD.

A must have bible for Cad-assisted pattern drafting. All from software tools to pattern drafting techniques. Used- good condition, but looks a bit old from lying on the shelf for a while.

The asking price is €15 and as it is quite heavy, will cost €7.50 extra to post to Ireland, €10.75 to UK/Europe and €17 everywhere else.




If any of this is of interest, why not email me and we could arrange the sale?


  I am also selling some fabrics, check out the listings on Adverts.ie (However, if you wish to get any of those email me using the link in this blog to see if it is available and what is the postage fee)

I really hope this clearance will get me started, I have a couple of things in mind and, hopefully, will be back on track one day. Still just wanted to say hello to everyone, and also thank those who migrated to following me on bloglovin also. It is nice to look at your blog after a few month absence and see 5 people in the live report reading through the past posts. And by the way, did you see the Burda 1/14 cover????? Best  Burda style trend to date in my opinion in a good few years. Just when they stopped stocking it in my local bookstore! Isn't it ironic????

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Diana Moden- not just another sewing magazine

I have just received my sample copy of Diana Moden- a Russian sewing magazine, that regularly features Simplicity patterns.  My 6067 dress was featured in this year's February issue, however I had to buy an original pattern as I didn't have a paper copy of this magazine. 

I have to be honest, in spite of a huge debate on if it is right or wrong to use copyright piracy content, I personally do not hesitate in obtaining a digitalized copy of a sewing magazine with all pattern sheets if there is no way for me to get it otherwise. Diana Moden's issues can be often found scanned into a pdf's by an altruistic criminal, probably somewhere in  Eastern Europe region (God bless them) and kindly made available to download through numerous file sharing sites. 

Why do I use those files? Well, nobody is trying to make living sharing those patterns, so I gratefully accept and download. I have obtained an impressive collection of such names as Patrones, La Mia Boutique and Burda Style (those older issues that I do not have- I do prefer a paper copy any day and will honestly pay whatever the price for it). I have a few older la Mia Boutique issues, though it is much easier to buy them online these days. I have a couple of issues of Manequim and a big collection of knitting magazines too. I do not upload them or sell them, I just keep them on my laptop, hoping to use something sometimes. 

Now the challenge is in printing out those scanned copies. You really need to know the exact dimentions of the control square on the pattern sheet to get the right scaling. And there is where I have been failing. My printer just doesn't obey my instructions and keeps messing it all up. So I cannot really use them. 

Diana Moden is only sold in Russia, even though they have a website with a legal digital copy available for download, the access to it is exclusive to Russian Federation ( as you have to send a SMS to a Russian  number to get access code). They do accept an international bank transfer, but it is just too much hassle over a few euro worth magazine). The main attraction of this magazine is the fact that they feature original Simplicity patterns (4-5 patterns per issue) and this makes Diana Moden top value sewing magazine for anybody, even if you don't speak the lanquage. 

To my absolute delight, recently I found out that a company in Germany that arranges subscriptions to magazines published in Russian (I had a Burda subscription with them before it became available in my local bookstore) allows Diana Moden subscription as well. 

3 month subscription cost me 17 euro including shipping to Ireland (76 euro for a year). Even if just 1 of the 3 issues featured Simplicity patterns, that are sold for average 10 euro each, I see the benefits of subscribing already! What made my day even more- they offer a subscription to another popular Russian Sewing Magazine ШИК (Шитьё и Крой), which is now featuring either la Mia Boutique or Patrones patterns in every issue. 15 euro for three month is great, considering you cannot subscribe that easily to either of those magazines from Ireland. And you get all patterns fully, only a few month later.  So I am looking forward to the end of April, but when both of the magazine should have arrived. Bliss! 

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