Working On: something new!
or, the joy of small-scale, DIY publishing
Hello,
I hope you are well. The sun has come out in Buffalo again, the snow is sparkling, and it’s light out until after 5 pm, which has done wonders for my mood, I have to say.
February can be such a fallow time for me - a season of lying low, resting, absorbing. This year, I am doing that, but I find that I’ve also been making things. I’ve been sewing, knitting, spinning yarn, baking bread, and writing, a lot. Somehow the work itself is restful - or maybe restorative is the right word: it builds me up.
One of the things I have been working on is a zine. As a longtime zine lover, I’ve always wanted to dip my toe into the DIY publishing world, and I finally had the perfect idea: a zine about darning!
There are more than a few books and zines about mending out there now, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, but I wanted to make one that was simple but comprehensive, and included some background information on darning, plus tips on how to choose materials. My zine has a classic darning tutorial, and a condensed version of the historical and artistic context that I discussed in my Substack series on mending (part 1 here and part 2 here).
My zine is also free! Right now it lives on my Buy Me a Coffee site, where a digital-only and a pre-formatted printable version are available for zero dollars. I highly recommend printing the zine; it takes only three sheets of paper and the download page has a link to a pamphlet-binding tutorial.
I have really enjoyed the process of putting together this little zine (I’m proud of it!) and am hoping to make many more. My next one might be about hand-sewing garments, but I’m also open to suggestions! What topics should I explore next? And does anyone else here make zines?
In other news, I’ve listed some more fabrics and buttons on eBay, and I also have some vintage sewing machine parts and accessories coming soon. Check that out if you’re interested! Otherwise, I’m keeping it short and sweet this week - talk to you soon.
Best,
How fabulous, just what I need to carry with me in my journal. Thank you.
It's lovely to hear about your first zine. What a great idea to give out a little manual about mending! Ever since I heard about zines I have been wanting to make one. I have been dillydallying with what to make. I decided a few days ago to go ahead with an essay from my newsletter. I am hoping to meet a lot of crafters in person in an event soon. I hope to be handing them a copy of my zine. I haven't researched fully yet but very excited about the idea. :) Your post comes as the much needed inspiration for me. Thank you!