Are you a magazine person? I’m only sometimes a magazine person.
There is only one magazine I subscribe to regularly – Inspirations Magazine published by Country Bumpkin. If you only ever subscribe to one needlework magazine, let it be Inspirations. It is gorgeous. Each issue is a book of fine needlework projects, instructions, and insight.
Occasionally, I’ll pick up Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly as well. It’s a good magazine, of special interest to those who like topics related to historic embroidery.
But now and then (pretty rarely these days), I come across a magazine at a newsstand or bookstore that catches my eye. I like meandering through a good magazine while sitting on the front porch, or while whiling away passenger hours on a road trip or a long commute. But it has to be a beautiful magazine – one that delights the eye and feeds the mind – and one that doesn’t bombard the reader with really annoying ads on every other page.
Recently, Hoffman Publishing put out a special issue of Victoria Classics on Monograms. Well, given the subject matter, and given the fact that Victoria Magazine is generally a beautiful magazine, I couldn’t resist! So here’s a review of the special issue, so that you can decide if you want a copy, too!
This special edition of Victoria magazine on Monograms unfolds the world of monograms, from monogrammed linen to china to silver, stationery, and so forth. But the bulk of the magazine is devoted to monogrammed linens.
Numerous articles on monograms – from their history, to the art of monogramming, to the various particular uses of monograms – fill the magazine. And accompanying the articles? Gorgeous, gorgeous examples of monograms! Everywhere!
The examples of the hand embroidered monograms herein…! Oh my goodness, if you like monograms, these will make your mouth water!
But the pictures aren’t the whole picture. The articles are worth reading! They will give you an appreciation for the history of monogramming, the skills involved in monogramming, the whole art of monogramming.
There’s really good and useful information in here, too! You’ll find a nice reference list on the standard sizes of monogrammed table linens. You’ll learn a little bit about how monogram cyphers are arranged. You’ll find discussion on the historical significance of certain items like crowns in monograms.
There are articles that focus on individuals who work with monograms today as collectors or artists.
There’s just all kinds of interesting monogram-related information throughout the whole magazine! It’s a thoroughly enjoyable issue, and if you’re a lover of monograms, it’s definitely worth picking up next time you’re at a newsstand or bookstore.
You can also order Victoria Classics: Monograms individually online through Hoffman Publishing. It’s $10, with free shipping.
