Hello everyone!
Our June issue of Magpie Times: Midsummer Magic is coming out next week. I’m even more impressed this time with the articles contributed by our fellow artists.
You’ll find articles in this issue on step-by-step design techniques, rya rugs, whole cloth quilting, miniature embroidery, rug repair and finishing other people’s rugs, vacation memories and adventures, crochet, dyeing for realistic shading, the mental health benefits from crafting, sculpted animals with wool, recipes, games, fairy houses and gnome villages, 12 free patterns (including for the rug on the cover) and so much more!
Just a few images from Midsummer Magic
You can purchase the print version for $21 here, and you can get the digital version for $12.60 here.
Click here to view the introduction to Magpie Times: Midsummer Magic.
Some thoughts to share about the digital version. They call them “flipbooks.” Remember when you were a kid and you drew a little sketch on a pad of paper, changing the design slightly on each page, so when you flipped through, it looked like the image moved? That’s the basis for the digital “flipbooks,” and if you haven’t encountered one yet, you surely will.
The flipbooks are beautiful, just like the print version. The pages turn, and you always get to see the facing pages at the same time (unlike with PDF). There are a few other animation tools that are possible with flipbooks, but I haven’t mastered them yet!
More images from Midsummer Magic
For years, readers have had choices when buying a novel, memoir, or non-fiction book. Depending on their budget, they could go with the hardback, paperback, e-book, or audible. Different platforms, different pricing. But until lately, craft books and magazines have been left out of those less expensive options. Print and postage only ever go up, and it makes many great craft books inaccessible to people on a budget, or to people living outside the US.
This is why flipbooks are such a great innovation. More and more magazines and full-color craft books are going digital, because they don’t have to give up on the big beautiful color pictures, that are otherwise crammed into tiny e-readers. Now we can view the pages in all their glory on our computer screens, inexpensively and quickly. I know ATHA has figured this out, soon I’ll bet Rug Hooking Magazine, SpinOff, Piecework, etc. will be offering flipbooks as well.
More images from Midsummer Magic
With flipbooks, you can zoom in, move the page with your cursor, and even print some or all of the magazine. It’s nice to have the article on hand while you’re doing the project, and it’s a great way for you to print up the free patterns in the magazine. When you click on the print button, it will offer to let you print the whole magazine, so if you only want to print one article, you just put in the page numbers you want printed, and Bob’s your uncle.
There are two ways to access your flipbook. The best way is to create an account with our host company, Flipsnack. The advantage of setting up your own account is that all your flipbooks will be in one place, your “library.” All you’ll have to keep track of is your username and password. You can also get a direct link, but if you order more than one publication, you’ll have to keep track of separate links and passwords for each one.
When you create your account, you will notice a banner at the top that says you get a 14-day free trial. This is only for publishers, not for readers. You will never pay to use Flipsnack. When you see the banner, click on it and inform the support people that you are a reader-only. Then as you add new magazines or books to your account, they’ll all be in one place, just like your Kindle and Audible accounts.
Click here to view the introduction to Save That Rug!
By the way, my rug repair book, Save That Rug! is on Flipsnack now ($12.50), and I intend to upload all of my books eventually. With the magazines, we’ll only print up a certain amount, so when they’re gone, the flipbook will always be available.
Enjoy the sunshine and hook some rugs!
Judy
littlehouserugs@hotmail.com