I bought cardboard magazine holders. Here is a link to some on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Bankers-Decora...dp/B00186ZA6O/
Labeled each one with different categories -- e.g., Log Cabin, Christmas, Children's, Applique. They hold quite a few patterns, plus I can include magazines that have a pattern I want to keep (I put a little marker on the pattern page of the magazine; either a small post-it or one of those plastic flags). The labeled magazine holders sit on a bookshelf. It's really easy to pull one out and rifle through the patterns. If I don't have quite enough in there to keep all the patterns upright, I add a little balled-up paper filler.
In the past I tried 3-ring binders, but find they are too bulky for my taste.