Quiltingboard Forums

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)
-   Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)
-   -   I did it! I gave myself permission to ---- (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/i-did-i-gave-myself-permission-t15557.html)

ksusan 01-18-2009 06:42 PM

DH has been commenting about how I purchase quilting books and then put them on a shelf and that's where they stay....

I decided to review the magazines I have saved for a handful of years.

This is what I did. I saved the Fons and Porter Magazines and extra
special topic magazines in vertical files. I find that I do like their patterns and will go back to old copies to hunt up the patterns.

Now, brace yourself. I went through all of the Quilter's Newsletter Magazines I had saved and kept only those articles which appealed to me.

That"s what I meant by giving myself permission. I tore out articles;
stapled pages together, and discarded the rest for recycling.

Okay, then. Two piles of articles consist of those that I definitely want to
keep and will place in appropriate three ring notebooks I have set up and the second group is the grab and go variety. Grab and go to me means having something of interest to read and then discard.

Not only do I have several horizontal inches of shelf space reclaimed, I had a blast going through the magazines and discovering items of interest.

My interests have changed in design and types of fabrics over the past decade. I think I can get a handle on where to find items which do
interest me and lessen my desire to keep purchasing more and more magazines and books.

Any suggestions? Duplicate copies, by the way, have been set aside to give to another quilting group.

I get so many good ideas from this board, that I needed to cull my
collections :)

mamatobugboo 01-18-2009 06:45 PM

although I love a good quilting book or magazine, there is so much stuff on the internet these days that it almost isn't worth the extra$$ for something not off the internet!!

You have inspired me to go through my old mags and donate some of them somewhere!

ksusan 01-18-2009 07:23 PM

Thanks, Steph---

I am really trying to downsize and get a better handle on my quilting resources. I have been blessed with so much that I can't find the stuff I want in my magazines when needed.

At least this is a start..................................... :?:

Mousie 01-18-2009 07:48 PM

well, I am all for downsizing stuff and making room...esp. for more fabric, lol...but since I am a person that might come back later and really like something that i didn't pay any particular attention to before...maybe I wasn't ready for that level of skill yet, etc. here's what I do to help myself with my magazines:
I put one of those 5x7 post its on the cover, with the patterns, etc. that I am most sure i will want to consider in the future.
I always take mags or books to appointments so I usually pic a magazine that has a long list on the post it, so I know I am going to have a good time remembering those, "oh yeah, I gotta make this one someday, for sure", patterns. :-)

bj 01-18-2009 07:49 PM

I started the process of reducing clutter by not renewing any magazines. It's hard for me to throw them away, but I don't really use much from them either. I tend to get more ideas on the internet, especially this site. Congrats on taking control of your space!

Skeat 01-18-2009 08:06 PM

Yea!! That is such great work! I too do the same thing. I will flip and flip thru a quilt mag, even attach sticky notes to make a 'tab' for me to look at. Once I have a pretty good stack going, I too go thru mine and tear out what I want. Or think I might. I then put mine in a 3ring binder w/tabs...breaking down the catagories. This works great too when you print something off to make online, etc too. I am a page turner and love to page turn in the car waiting on the kids to reading at night. I then take all my mags that are left or what is in them left to a local quilting group and tell them to tear out what is left if they want it. So, the recycle continues:)) I do keep some of my mags if there is much in them to keep, but, those are very few. What I need to learn to let go of are the catalogs to order from. Can we ever tire of looking again and again at notions, etc?LOL Skeat

humbird 01-19-2009 06:36 AM

I went thru all my mags. a few years ago and tore out articals and patterns of interest, and gave the mags. to DD, informing her that there were pages missing in a lot of them.............Well, DD made a beautiful quilt that I loved and asked for the pattern. She said, "It was in one of those mags. you gave me. I just changed the colors!" So much for keeping only pattern's that I "like" I don't buy mags. much anymore. Use the internet like mamatobugboo said.

Phyllis

ksusan 01-19-2009 06:40 AM

So much for clipping patterns, hey?

Oh well, you have a family member who not only enjoyed the magazines, but used a pattern.

Additionally, you weren't housing the maybe this and may that :D

Rose Marie 01-19-2009 06:50 AM

I sent a suggestion to Fons and Porter to put pictures of all the projects in the mag. on the back cover. They did not do it.
I used to get a little crochet mag that did that and now when I want a pattern I just look at the back cover for ideas. Very simple but so easy to find what you want.
I like mags to look at but dont care for the instructions so dont make anything from them. Now I have a ton of mags and have decided not to renew.

Zoo 01-19-2009 06:52 AM


Originally Posted by Rose Marie
I sent a suggestion to Fons and Porter to put pictures of all the projects in the mag. on the back cover. .

What a great idea! Too bad they didn't take the suggestion.
Zoo

Skeat 01-20-2009 09:41 AM

That is a great idea on putting the projects like that on a page. They sort of do that on the inside cover don't they? I will have to check now that I am thinking of it:)I do know that the back cover, the inside back cover brings in great revenue in advertising and prob the reason they don't put the projects there. All mags should put their projects somewhere easy to look at though! Great ideas make the world go around much easier...Skeat

RedGarnet222 01-20-2009 11:23 AM

I agree with the purging completely. I did that with all my craft magazines six years ago. I then sold the bulging apple box full to a lady at a garage sale. Five bucks, she was thrilled. And so was I. I took four three ring binders and put the pages into lovely order. I haven't made one thing from them, but, by golly I still have my favorites. LoL!
I used to subscribe to a couple quilting magazines. But now, I just buy the ones off the rack I want.

I am starting the row of the month, mystery quilt from McCall's 2007. It is called, "Hearts all a flutter". I have bought the back issues I missed by not subscribing and a small mountain of fabrics that I think are close enough to copy the design they show as a finished quilt. It just pulled on my heart strings and had enough different techniques represented in the makingof it, that I thought it will hold my interest to the end. I am going to try and double up on the months so I can finish work on two other quilts I have in started last year that are too close to the wire to stop now. Both block of the month quilts from a local quilt shop. "Sandi's Lessons from the Lake" and a green and teal blue one called, "Harvest Home" by Andover Fabrics.
All of which has nothing to do with purging .... Just finishing what I start.

I met an older lady that works at Walmart I am passing some of my craft kits on to. And I am thinking of donating some of my older quilt pattern books to the local library. (Or seinor center) But, I am collecting them into a box already.

I loved this post. I am going to keep on purging. It frees up the spirit. Don't you think?

Mousie 01-20-2009 05:01 PM

RedGarnett222 wrote:
loved this post. I am going to keep on purging. It frees up the spirit. Don't you think?

I certainly do think purging frees up the spirit, that is why i am always yakking away on here, lol! C

ksusan 01-20-2009 07:34 PM

Me, TOO!

I gathered all of my little treasures from purging the magazines and sorted through them --- this time purging a generous third of what I had saved only a few days earlier.

Then I did a double check and had a blast discovering some techniques which I had formerly forgotten.

Yes, downsizing does free the spirit.

I will keep up my goal and go through individual three ring binders and purge some more.

Thanks for your support, dear quilters......... :D :D :D



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:36 PM.