Saturday, August 27, 2011

What I bought on Ebay

Ok, so I don't usually (well, ever) buy things on Ebay.  But I had heard it was a good place to look for Burda back issues, so I thought I would check it out.  What I found was an advertisement for 11 "like new"  issues from 2006.  Now, I haven't been sewing that long, but I have looked through the Burda archives and 2006 was a good year for Burda.  The price was pretty reasonable, so I thought about it for a bit, but finally decided I didn't want to miss the opportunity to own nearly the entire 2006 Burda collection.  Fearing a bidding war, I went with the "Buy it Now" option.




Yes, I fear the 2 second sniper.  Yes, I blame Weird Al.  And, yes, I know all the words to this song.

In an case, what I was expecting (as listed by the seller) was 11 issues from 2006.  What I got was:

11 New Burdas
Yup.  Eleven new Burdas complete with pattern tracing sheets.  Except these Burdas are from 1996, NOT 2006.  So, yeah, not exactly the issues I was hoping for.  Sigh.  I suppose I could complain or moan, or send them back.  But I think there was a no return policy, and I guess I don't mind keeping them.  I was just really looking forward to owing the September 2006 issue (well, and January, October, November, and December).  There aren't nearly the number of garments I would want to sew up in these issues as I had been planing for from the 2006 editions, but, well, there are a few coats I kinda sorta like. And maybe a few dresses that I could frankenpattern to make them look not quite so, well, 1996.  I don't know, I think I need to look through them a bit more.  There do seem to be quite a few good articles about altering Burda patterns, Burda sizing, sewing techniques, and general construction information.  There are also several recipes for goulash.  And there are beauty, skin care, and make-up articles as well.  Burda definitely used to be more of an all around woman's interest/general style guide type magazine.  I don't know, I almost prefer it now with more of a focus on the sewing patterns, but I am tempted to try out some of their recipes just because.

In any case, I think I will post some of the more WTF moments in the future.  Trust me, in these issues there are more than just a few.  I mean, I was around in 1996, but looking at what was considered "fashion" (even considering that this is Burda we are dealing with), no wonder I had exactly zero interest in clothes growing up.  The one thing I will say - the wedding dresses (though fewer options than in more recent years) are gowns I would actually consider making at some point.  Granted, I wouldn't make them as they have been done up by Burda, but I would most definitely consider making them in the future.  (Not, you know, as actual wedding gowns, but as some fabulous evening gowns for sure.)

So yeah.  I am a bit sad and disappointed (I really wanted those 2006 issues!) and I don't think I would have bought this lot if it had been properly advertised as 1996 instead of 2006.  On the other hand, I don't think it is worth the hassel of returning these issues, so I might as well see what sort of use and enjoyment I can get out of them.  I don't think anything from these magazines will be shooting to the top of my gotta make it now list, but there are a few classic looking styles that I will be considering making in the future, and I do want to read through some of these articles.  All in all, this was not the amazing find I had hoped it would be, but I did get a lot of Burdas for a reasonable price, so I guess I can't complain too much.

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