Popular Patchwork Announcement

Hello all,

It is with great sadness I need to inform you that the June issue of Popular patchwork will be our final issue. From the July issue we will be merging with our sister title, British Patchwork &Quilting (who we share this website with).

Many of you will already be familiar with Britsh Patchwork and Quilting, and the Editor Joanna Kent, who among other things, will be publishing many of the patterns and designs commissioned for Pop Patch over the next few months. Stuart Hillard will also be continuing with Stuarts Surgery and a Christmas mystery quilt.

Your subscriptions will automatically switch over to British Patchwork and quilting, but there will be a letter going out to all subscribers with the June issue of the magazine, explaining in detail what will happen next. Following this letter, should you have any further questions please email help@pp.secureorder.co.uk

With regards to the forum, it is my understanding that it will continue until further notice and any changes will be announced on the forum itself. I am sorry I don’t have any more information to offer you on this, but I will keep checking for you all, as I realise it plays an important role in your patchwork life!

Finally I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you, for your invaluable contributions to the website and in many cases the magazine, and of course for creating such a close community here on the forum.

We all offer you our very best wishes and hope you continue to enjoy your patchworking endeavours.

Emma and the Popular Patchwork team

x

I am really sorry t hear that Emma....but as Margaret said....not totally surprised by the news! Hopefully the forum will continue...I for one would miss it dreadfully! I know there are lots of other platforms one could use.....but with recent news and security/privacy issues....I don't particularly want to!!

With best wishes to you and the team,

Best Rosemary

Hi Forum Folk!

I've not had the chance to post on here before. It is indeed a sad day. P&Q and Pop Patch have been friendly rivals for so many years as we were pretty much the first two patchwork mags in the UK I think?

​As Emma has said, we're taking on all of the projects she has already booked, including a new mystery quilt by Stuart Hillard and a BOM by Louisa Goult.
​We are also continuing Stuart's column and will be working with PP's designer over the next few weeks on a revamp of our look.

​A little bit about me. I have worked on P&Q since 2010 firstly as assistant editor to both Di Huck and Judi Mendelssohn and as main editor for about 4 years, or it might even be 5! I made my first quilt when I was 18 and haven't looked at another craft since, so over 30 years of quilting (wow!).

​I appreciate there are many reasons why many of you buy Pop Patch or P&Q and steadfastly will only buy one or the other, or maybe you just come here for the forum. I would like to hear about your favourite bits of each mag, and perhaps more importantly, which bits you don't like. Please be kind though! Both Emma and I have always done the best job we can do for our mags.

Joanna
​Editor, P&Q Magazine

Welcome Joanna....I think most people really want the forum to continue....even if not in exactly the same format!

So anything you can say to ease concerns would be good! Best Rosemary

Thank you Rosemary. Lovely to 'meet' you! And the rest of the forum members of course

​As far as I am aware the forum can and will be continuing.

Joanna

Thanks all for your messages.

It is sad as it's a lovely magazine to edit. Unfortunately, while editing and working on a magazine within an editorial capacity can be hectic and busy to say the least, it is relatively straight forward. However sales and distribution are a lot more complicated and costly, making it harder and harder to survive in a challenging market - and in my experience closure is seldom a reflection of the quality of a magazine.

But on a brighter note, now you have met Joanna, I feel happy you are all in good hands and I'm sure you will continue to support and enjoy each other in the future.

Emma

x

I agree with the sentiments above. I am a newcomer to patchwork and quilting. I love the forum and was made to feel welcome from day one. But I must confess I only bought a magazine if there were articles in it that I liked.

Eileen.

Emma, thank you for informing us of the sad news and for the work you have put in as Editor of PP. Popular Patchwork has been a regular friend dropping in for many years - occasional disappointments with ups and downs, but usually welcome and interesting.

Like Margaret, I am not surprised by the closure, it was always unlikely that MyTimeMedia would keep both Magazines going. I had noticed recently that both magazines have once again disappeared from my local shops and would involve a special journey to purchase. The way most magazines seem to be moving is by digital or postal subscription, difficult to attract new people if they cannot sample the magazine first by picking it up off a shop shelf though.

Joanna, Thank you for the added information and welcoming message. I will look forward to receiving my first copies of P & Q, and will give it a few months to see how I feel about it. I have purchased it occasionally for particular articles/patterns and will be interested to see how it develops from here.

I truly hope that the forum is kept going and that more P & Q readers will be encouraged to join the forum family. Many friendships have been made over the years and much valued quilting lessons learnt from each other. It is a place where learners can be encouraged to try new things and to discover that the projects in the magazine are do-able. I have seen a number of forum members build up their skills and reach a point where they have been confident enough to submit their own patterns to magazines. The forum has supported this progression, and also shown that quilters of all level of experience are valued. Questions have been asked and answered, results photographed and admired, a community and family has developed. Plus support provided to members for many non sewing matters has been invaluable.

I believe that the forum is intrinsic to the magazine, providing important feedback and support, plus an encouragement to increase the number of quilters, and trust that MyTimeMedia will continue with it.

Carol B