Renewing Subscriptions

Just Cross-stitch just conned me into renewing with the offer of a free Ornament Issue. I think the subscribers should get a free Ornament Issue, but do I really have to get the other six issues? I have been feeling so lukewarm about the magazine... I guess that at some point a stitcher just outgrows magazines. The patterns are so straightforward and simple; they either hit it right or it's a bomb.

This month, there was an article about monsterbubbles, whose designs I love, even though I have not managed to stitch any of them. Now, I seem to recall a slightly different, more bawdy explanation of the monsterbubbles name, but I'm willing to go along with the revisionism that accompanies success. Besides, I could be imagining it...

There was also an article about Jeannette Douglas Designs whose work is not for me.

There was an advertisement article about the DMC Mentors program. I'm sure people have always felt this, but having lived for so long in Los Angeles, I have become completely jaded about the crossing of the fine line between news and entertainment and news and advertisement. "Publicity": just where should it end? I also kind of think the people who feel particularly proud of schilling for DMC as "mentors" are kind of sad. Okay, so you get free stuff, but really, DMC can more than afford it; they are a multinational corporation after all.

And last but not least, Martha Beth Lewis filled up more than her share of pages with her Neverending Story of hemstitches. And not a design worth stitching.

Next, Anna takes on the EGA membership.