I download quilt patterns and I will probably never get to them all. But I would like to take to local office supply to have ring bound. What I don't know is how to sort and put into like patterns and or like whatever. Any ideas please!

maybe start with catagories, like, tabletoppers, mug rugs, baby, holiday, kids, traditional, contemporary, art, urban. the catagories really are up to you.

I would arrange bed quilts by size; crib, twin, full/queen, king etc., seasonal patterns, crafty patterns, table toppers, table runners, bed runners, kitchen items, quilted clothing etc.

Thanks for the reply but how do I mark them so that each pattern can be reached. As you know some patterns are one page, two pages and up to eight pages. That seems to be my main concern. Should I put all one page patterns together and so on. Star, contempory, outrageous and so on patterns and such I can understand but some are one page only. Any thoughts?

instead of having ring bound get the plastic sheet dividers. I use those and that way all the pages go in one sheet protector. If the pattern is just one page I put 2 in there each facing outward so I see the other when I turn the page. After that I make a table in MSWord and the first column is a small pic of the pattern and the second column tells me material list and 3rd is what page in binder. This worked for me for years - now I keep all on a flash drive. One folder is just a picture of each I can scroll thru without waiting on files to open and the other is the actual pattern. Saves so much paper.

great suggestion!

Alphabetically by title. Section for quilts and another for blocks.

those that I downloaded and printed I put in the clear plastic sheet protectors. They already have the the holes for a 3 ring notebook. I then put them in alpabetical order.

I have mine in categories: quilts, table toppers etc. then broken down within the categories ex: lapquilts, baby quilts, full size quilts,etc... I never thought of having them binded, I have oodles of them!! I purchased a 8G thumb drive and keep mine on the drive, just too much paper for the house right now.

Good idea about plastic sheets. Have used those for craft projects for years. As far as going paperless no way. I'm as dumb as a rock when it comes to computers. Won't ask husband (he builds my computers) because he will try to do it his way. Tries to take over projects when I ask for help. I think that is what I will do with the plastic sheets. Have a few new ring binders handy. Thanks for reminding me.

Applique, strip piecing, pieced, holidays, etc...

I am trying to learn not to print out patterns until I'm ready to get fabric together to do the project. I probably only do one pattern for every 100 patterns I have downloaded. Waste of paper. I have them on the drive, but also burned to disk and on a thumb drive.

However, I don't always follow my own advice. I have several booklets for each craft, so this was just a learned experience. I use 3 ring books and sheet protectors for patterns, but have had the print shop make books for techniques (bias binding, 8 HSTs at a time, etc.).

Sort by topic that inspires you. My current sort is:

Easy - a quilt top that can be done in a hurry or doesn't require any brain power.
Holiday - good for themed feature fabric be it Halloween or North Woods novelties.
Novelties - Jar quilts, eye spy, that sort that uses many novelty fabrics
Time Intensive - Not necessarily expert, but each block may take an hour or more
Applique - Love them. Don't do very often though
Fusible Applique - quilts that must be fused as part of pattern.
Fabric Focus - Things like fabric panels. The Sidelights pattern is an example, but I have a lot of patterns that feature Asian fabrics
Technique - a technique I would like to try.

I do other kinds of sewing and have a separate book for that, which includes such things as potholders and bags.

i have 3 ring binders with patterns sorted by---
table runners/placemats,home decor
bed size quilts- pieced
appliques
block patterns
bom's

so right now i have 5 binders of downloaded patterns or loose patterns (i use plastic sleeves you can put patterns into then add to the binder bought at the office supply in boxes of 100) to hold patterns from other places- the down loaded ones i print on printer paper that has 3 holes already.
so i would say- divide yours into what makes sense to you=
the binders were very inexpensive- the 3-ring printer paper isn't any more expensive than regular printer paper- the the plastic sleeves were under $10 ... sure made mine easier to find what i'm looking for :)

I did mine Category too such as Holidays, Children, etc.....

Exactly what I do. Works great! My son got me into using the flash drive after finding all my files in WORD and wondering why I kept them in one place. Reminded me what happens if the computer crashes! I still keep the ring binder and sheet protectors tho as I print off the pattern that I will be using. I make sure the pages don't go over 4 sheets, and if they do, I will copy 4 pages, then flip the papers and copy the rest of it onto the backs of the sheets. I personally find it easier to have the paper in front of me when perusing the pattern.

I do this too. I put them in catagories (Baby Quilts, Stars, Log Cabin etc.) I put them in a 3 ring binder and put the papers in sheet protectors. :)

Wish I could be as organised as all of you ha ha

I alphabetize the block names. You can take them to Kinko and they can bind it for you quite inexpensively. I, however, have three-three ring note books, have the outside labeled A-K, etc and can go from there. I like the binder because I can take the pattern out of the binder, put it in a gallon size plastic bag along with the fabric I will be using. I use 12" blocks myself. I like the size for quilts. I have made table runners with 12" blocks.

I am OTD (older than dirt) and the easier for me to keep track of things, the better off I am. Sometimes, I just page through the binders and think. (Dangerous in my case, but it does put a little mark in my mind of what I could do next time around). I mark each pattern with the date, who the block was for, what colors I used. Most of the ones I have already tried, and so they are "tried and true" and have no reservations about using the pattern again - if it ain't broke don't fix it!!!!!! I like the way they turn out and I love samplers. Edie

I also use the plastic sleeves in ring binders and have sectioned off by types, kids, adults, runners, purses, etc. Works for me and can add and delete easily.

mine are sorted by what they are, applique, scrappy, stars, log cabins, mini, holidays, etc. I have mine in protective sleeves in binders. that way I can just take out the project I want to make - as I get them done, they go into a binder called completed projects. if I ever want ot make that particular project again I don't have to worry about what book or magazine it came from.

I just punch mine and put them in 3-ring binders. I get the 1" size and put table runners in one, totes and bags in another, quilts in another, etc. Then I label them on the side so it shows on my bookshelf. I also have a binder that addresses various block techniques. You can buy those binders in bulk quite cheap. Then I can also take out the one I want to use instead of having the whole binder getting in the way.

I too use the sheet protectors.
I have many 3-ring binders filled with patterns that appealed to me - cut from magazines and downloaded.
Scrap Quilts is the largest, Easy & Charity, Jelly Rolls, Tips and Techniques, Batiks are a few of them.

When I put my multi-paged quilt patterns in the notebook I staple the RIGHT side of the papers, thus making them seem as one. That way, I take the papers out of the notebook to sue, and just flip backwards, so to speak.

Love your idea about printing them and having them bound.

I have mine sorted by kind (baby, runner, etc) and I have put them in the sheet protector sleeves so I can write on it and them be able to wipe it off or if I need to tape thing to it they will come off with out ripping.

I only print the ones that would not save or printed to make the pattern. I just bought a protable desktop 2TB hard drive for $80 (at Staples) and have now transfered all my sewing stuff to it. Now I can take my laptop computer and the hard drive to my sewing room and look up or look at any pattern I have and will not have to print any more unless I really need to. I am going to look into getting the new hand held slim scanner and scan the patterns in my magazines and put them in the HD also.

I also have more patterns than i will live long enough to complete. I use the plastic sheet protectors from walmart and a 3 ring binder (or two) and subject dividers to store them in. Works really well for me........

I have 4 large binders full all organized.
Do I use them? I havnt looked into them in over a year.
One binder is for information only not for making blocks or quilts.

I'm another one of those OTD (older than dirt)types when it comes to computers. Have mastered some simple things - can download quilt patterns I like - then save in a folder. The folder gets large and becomes a black hole - I know they are there, but wonder how to find the ones I want. Has anyone taken a file (copied to a disk) to a print shop to have it printed out? What would that cost? Would it be cheaper than printing them out at home? The cost of printer ink is so high that I tend to print out only the ones I think I will use right away. Would love to have them all printed out.

Thanks to all for the ideas about categorizing - will certainly use those ideas!

I just purchased 3-ring binders and the plastic sleeves to put the patterns inside. Then I am able to rearrange them as I need and remove them when I have used the pattern. It is less expensive in the long-run than having them bound.

I do this also. I love organization!

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :lol:

I download patterns too. After I seperate them as to type I put the sheets in the protective sleeves and all the sheets for each pattern can go into 1 sleeve. They are then put into a notebook and each type can be sorted with the dividers with the subject tabs. This way I can take only the pattern I need and rest stay safely in notebook. :thumbup:

Yes I did this also and it works very well. However along with downloaded patterns I have lots of those real flat pattern books, you know the kind that are more pamphlet than book...I put them is plastic sheet protectors and put them in a ring binder with a list of what is inside on the cover. That way if I am looking for a particular item I can just scan the list to see if it is in there or I can peruse the contents if I am looking for ideas. I did this because these flatter books, while they have the same dimensions as a larger hard cover, get lost in the book case. Now my thicker volumes sit happy and I can read their spines while my thin ones have their own binders. And yes to answer you questions....I do have that many just sewing and quilting books, two full size bookcases crammed full, and don't even ask about my other... fabric dying, anthropology, clip art, biography, fantasy, (her voice fades softly away as she checks her other book cases and ceases entirely when she pulls one from the stack and begins to read it.)

Hey, OTD!!!!! I print mine out. I only print what I want. Not what I think I might use. There's the answer. I don't download any patterns (learned that from a horrific virus and lost absolutely everything and I do mean everything. So usually I will go to Quilter's Cache and if I can't find exactly what I want, but possibly know the name of it or reasonable facsimile thereof, I google!!!!! I find what I want, print it up, staple it punch the holes in it and put it alphabetically in my notebook (three ring) (thick)! I already have done that with my next quilt. I have all the blocks printed, in a plastic bag, individually, marked with a sticky tab and when I am done with what I am doing now, I will find the fabric I want to use for each block (sampler) and cut it out, put it in the bag, set it aside and each one I finish, I put into the notebook for future use (like I said before, I date the pattern, who it was going to and the colors I used). Easy peasy.

Good luck to thems that are trying to figure out what to do. You all are right in how YOU do it. We're just here to let you know what we do and maybe it'll work! It does for me! I've learned an awful lot from all of you. Edie

I bought a 3 ring whole punch and binders and did them myself with tab dividers.

you can buy binders at Salvation Army very reasonable. I use the plastic sheets and keep the whole pattern together.
Sorted by subject. Star Quilts, Baby Quilts--cute animal quilts go in the baby quilts. Sewing projects like nmug rugs, pincushions, tote bags. Scrappy quilts

I would arrange by the unit shape ie: squares, diamonds, rectangles, hexies, triangles, etc, then I would organize those by size of quilt.

I don't want to tell you how many binders and folders I have....
let's just say I won't live long enough to do then. But I like to go through them and look at them.

Lynn :roll:

I use a 3 ring binder with plastic sleeves, each quilt pattern goes into one sleeve. I keep mine prioritized by placing the one I want to start next on the first page, which means that as I go further back in the book, the less likely I am to start that project. And if the ones on top for some reason dont get started first, I still have a good handle on the ones I most want to do.:)

I used to be more organized till I started quilting & ran out of time for some things like downloaded patterns & blocks! I have a few very full folders of patterns, templates, finished projects, and BOM's that need to be put into a binder with dividers for 'types'. And, then I have similar files on my computer that haven't even been printed. On the computer they are easy to find but could be categorized too.
Thanks for all the good ideas! A nice rainy day project....