Date: January 11th 2008

Hi All, Hope the holidays treated you well!

We were hoping to get the new issue up by Jan. 15th and with the holidays and the various viruses going around that doesn't look like it is going to happen but we will have new material for you by the end of Jan. We have also decided to go to a rolling deadline so there will be more new stuff more often. We'll still send you posts as things come up on the site as always.

We do have two exciting collaborations to announce though so it is not like we have been sitting on our fannies the whole time!

First, we'd like to announce that http://www.eyeslipsface.com have agreed to become our cosmetics partner. Let's face it if you love fashion, there is at least a passing glance at the world of cosmetics and ELF are one of the best companies around and Lisette (old cosmetics queen that she is) is thrilled beyond reason to have them on board. Gentle reader what does this mean to you? It means that with every seasonal forecast there will be a cosmetics kit, put together by Lisette, that will give you the cosmetic look to go with your new fashion choices. Now if you are a makeup lover great but this is even for the newbies that only wear it occasionally. We are going to give you all the info you need to use those products. Oh, and the cost for all this efficiency and beauty - about $20 or less per kit! Did I mention that ELF gives you top quality products for about a dollar each! Love that! We also love that they use minimal packaging and no animal testing. There will be a specia
l link on the website by the end of the month but in the mean time check out http://www.eyeslipsface.com and see what they offer. For those of you not in the states, unfortunately the "kit" won't be available but you can get the same great items from their UK and Australian distributors and no international shipping!

The second collaboration may be even more exciting! Sewists played with paper dolls the way architects played with Legos. Well, what if you could have that kind of fun and use it to improve your sewing? We are collaborating with a fellow sewist and software designer on a program that would allow you to model, on a personalized figure, your patterns! Imagine, knowing before you start sewing whether that jacket is going to work with that skirt or if you need to make it shorter? What the best length for a top to end is for you and how it all might look from the back? All of this is in the planning stages and we want your feedback! What graphics programs do you have access to? Would choosing the color from a "picker" be enough or do you want to scan in actual fabrics? Should this be web-based or would you use a CD-Rom? Would you be interested in having pattern libraries available as add ons (ie. the independent pattern companies) What kinds of features would it need to have for y
ou? Would you invest time in learning how to use it? Any and all responses are welcome and should be sent to

Lisette@sewnmagazine.com

We think something like this could revolutionize the way we sew, plain and simple! So let us know what you need SOON!

For those of you that haven't yet, the download tutorial will be available till the end of Jan. at which point it will be taken down. I may make it available another way at a later date but why wait when you can get it now for free!

Write to you soon,
SEWN Magazine