Media: A wee magazine called Seam

Media: A wee magazine called Seam

If Joanie Cunningham from Happy Days had a favourite magazine, it might have been Seam. A happy little magazine, Seam is punctuated with 50s hipster language – things are "pretty neat", "rather swell" and "super chipper" between a recipe for 'Mum's Coconut Meringue Berry Slice' and the jovial editor's letter.

The brainchild of Brisbanite Linsey Rendell, Seam appeals to the kitshy, the quirky, the retro and the homely. It's "wee" enough to fit in your handbag and the ideal length for perusing over an hour or two with cups of tea, which is just how Rendell would like you to read it. "Be gentle with my little creation," she says.

Rendell has a lovely way with words, an appreciation for the finer things and an enthusiasm for creative start-ups, which she aims to showcase through Seam. 'Around the World in Eight Crafty Cafes' takes us from Paris, France, to Fitzroy, Melbourne, in pursuit of the ideal places to indulge one's penchant for crochet or otherwise crafty projects in a social setting with cups of organic coffee.

Alice Nightingale is a young designer pursuing her dress-making dreams into the night: "Sewing equals no social life. Full stop," she says. "Luckily the majority of the friends I make are in the industry, so you don't feel bad not working when you're socialising." Join Alice for a sewing lesson pages 18 to 19. Meet 10-piece Brisbane band Inland Sea a page over and relish illustrator Lucy Dalzell's beautiful work as you page on through.

Seam will take you to Canberra, where you'll meet young artist Lisa Tea, and to Collingwood, where you'll "drive down the cobblestoned skinny lanes in between buildings" in search of stealth collage art. Join Rendell in Pearl Cafe, Brisbane, for a lady-date brunch of brioche French toast with fresh sugared strawberries, chantilly cream and ginger and lime syrup.

There are many more nuggets of intrigue to explore in this surprising little magazine, and the fashion will appeal to those of genteel sensibilities. It's quite the treat.

Girl With a Satchel

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