It is with great and selfish reluctance that I share with you one of my favorite sources of gorgeous vintage patterns -- American Home Craft Magazine. I have about 8 issues of it in my groaning stash of old crafty magazines and I routinely pore over each and every one. They are an endless source of inspiration to me. I don't know what the lifespan was for this pub, but I don't think it was very long at all -- mine are from the mid-70s. My selfish reluctance is due to the fact that these puppies are WAY hard to find. I think I got lucky as my mom was a crafty type herself and had a clutch of these stashed away as part of my inheritance.AHC covered the range of crafts -- from sewing to crochet and soapmaking to rattan bed-making. It is head and shoulders above the rest of the mags published during those heady days of renewed interest in all things crafty. It was intelligent and had a keen eye toward investigating the sources of the designs presented. And what designs! Despite the cheesy cover logo, they consistently featured interesting, fashionable, and beautiful designs with a sense of integrity that I find rare in the popular press.
Oh, I know what you're thinking! You're thinking that Subway Hooker's gone all hoity toity on you, flaunting her oh-so-valuable BFA in front of everyone. And yeah, maybe I am. But I think it's important to constantly raise the bar on crafts and continue to challenge ourselves to make better stuff by learning from the past and thinking more about what we produce with our hands.
I mean, look at this page of granny squares! These are beautiful! And not in any stupid, ironic, and kitschy way - they are really gorgeous. I think they look like exotic tiles, not something protecting the couch on Roseanne.
Here's that rattan bed they teach you how to make. Sweet Mother of Crap! This thing is astonishing! And I'm not saying you can't pretty much smell the patchouli emanating from the quilt here, but I think this is spectacular.
And finally, since you all expect to see wearables on this here blog, I give you this lovely crocheted confection:
