Thanks for your comments every one.

I believe that each comment is valuable but I'm not surprised at their content.

Kate, I agree with you.

Kate said.   "I don't think we can ignore the fact that many people lack confidence in choosing fabrics and colours – so when they see a quilt that may be in a well known pattern, but in a new colourway, they are attracted to it because they can visualise it and so feel they can make it. And it may not be just a confidence thing either – it may be a time thing, or simply that's the comfort level of the person – they are happy just making simple quilts and being guided by patterns. It seems to me that a lot of US quilts are darker, muddier, more repro than what we do here, and they can start to look the same."

But what if there was a change?

What if some of those magazines stepped out of the comfort zone of "pretty craft" and presented articles on such things as "Inspiration, Elements and principals of design" etc.

You know it could be the opportunity of an idea in simplistic form. There are still the instructional opportunities but in a different genre.

I visited New Zealand some time ago and I was inspired by the quilts I saw there. They were different, they had a spirit about them that was real, tactile and adventurous. There seemed to be a common thread and I found later that Nancy Crow had quite an influence in New Zealand many years ago.

Similarly, South Africa.

Over the past 20 years I think the magazines have influenced us as a quilting public, but more recently with the advent of blogs, face book and E-Magazines things are changing and we have come to look at "quilting" in a different light.