I have many notebooks with the magazines in them. I found it easy to organize the magazines and to look through them. They were also preserved very nicely. You could do the same with the patterns you remove from the magazines. Just organize by type of pattern and keep it in the plastic sleeve. Sorry you have to get rid of your magazines. Even old magazines are great in quilting information and designs.

I use a file cabinet with hanging folders too. you can get full year in one folder and file by magazine title. If I have marked a pattern using the sticky note tabs I put that up so know pattern I am interested in. this take a lot less space that bookshelf and I keep almost all my magazine due to different interests at different times.

Two other quick thoughts. As we mature in our quilting abilities, what we will make changes, too. So something you may not think you can do now, after 5-10 years, you may want to make that quilt pattern. One more thought and I'll get off here. You might point out to your husband how much it would cost to replace even one or two of your magazines and how they are increasing in price every year.

I put mine into notebooks with plastic inserts. I put one quilt pic and instructions..one on each side of see through sleeve. It works quit well. Then I mark the photo, etc. that templates are in back of bookand put the templates in the rear or cut them out and include them with pattern.

I use the plastic magazine holders, they are thiner than the cardboard. I put a thin strip stickie note in the top of the magazine for all the patterns I want to remember. I have 10 in a 32" space and you can get at least 25 magazine in each one. I also have my cross-stitch books organized in these.

I would scan the patterns onto my computer and save them on a disc and then save the inserts in a book. That way you don't have all the wasted pages in a magazine. Sometimes I just cut the ones out I like and put in a "quilt pattern" notebook w/ the templates.

Ditto

Yes, I sell my magazines for $2.50 plus shipping. I had to have all the quilting magazines for several years and now don't have space for them, so am selling them to other quilters.

I find that you never know when you might want to make a special pattern and if you don't have it, it can be expensive to replace. Besides, I love to browse through them from time to time and am amazed at how many I find that I want to make someday. Those I scan into the computer now if I don't lose my harddrive again, I'll have them in a lot less space. But I miss a lot of really great patterns when I sell an issue.

Just let your husband know that this is your "clutter" and not his. Keep them under the bed if you need to hide you magazines, but don't get rid of unless you really have to.

Tell him you paid good money for those magazines! And patterns cost $10 apiece.

I totally agree with you dungeonquilter, but Jennifer, I guess if I absolutley had to get rid of some magazines I would go through them and keep what you want and put them in a binder with the clear page protectors.

Binders with clear sleeves.

While healing from a broken arm I spent several weeks going through old magazines. I tore out anything that interested me. This was patterns, instructions on different techniques, new ideas, etc. I did about 5 years of 3 or 4 different magazines. Then I sorted them and put them in sheet protectors and put them in large binders. This has worked for me. I have a good amount to go through again.

I put mine on a flash drive, they hold more.

I copy the pattern,put it in a plastic sleeve and keep it in a binder. Alphabetically of course. This way you have it easy to find and do not have to save the whole book.

I think copying the magazines to an external harddrive however what do you think about copying the table of content sheets and placing them into a notebook? When you want to browse through your magazines for a new idea, then just look in the notebook. I think I will try this.

I scanned all the patterns I wanted and saved them to a flash drive so I can look at them any time. It does take time but all the room on my shelves is worth it.

hide 'em under the bed! :o)

3-ring binders, plastic page protectors and dividers to create different categories of patterns will do the job very nicely. I like this method because if later on if I decide I don't want a pattern I can just get rid of it or I can add new patterns as required.

First, standing on edge, 3 or 4 to the inch, that is a shelf only 25 to 30 inches wide. I put mine down on the bottom shelf of something....you can make the space, and just keep them all, because you can't sell them for anything, cause often people give them away at guild meetings.
They are such a good resource of ideas and information!
if
you have them in a clunky box in the way.....well....?

this is what i do. I don't like to get rid of my magazines but i can't keep them all and this is a good way to keep what i want out of them. :)

That's exactly what I do...works really well.

Hi,
You can scan the templates as well. Just make sure that all the diretions are included. Youe would have to then print and cut out when you wanted to use them. If it is a large sheet, can it is just outlines, then color is not a problem, and you can copy the page in parts and then scan. It takes a little time, but you can save all you want. If you make up a file called quilt patterns, you can save diretions, templates, etc. all in one place in sepaarate folders for each pattern. When the shophop has its quilt patterns, I just set up a folder with the pattern name and then download each block and the diretion, and then it is all in one place. It akes a little time, but is well worth it. :thumbup: :roll:

what about storing them in a file cabinet, on folder hangers. Out of sight out of mind.

What I do Is make a Color Copy of the Quilt page and any information that goes with the pattern. then put into a plastic sleave and then into a binder. Its a lot easyier to keep track of all the info that way. And you can pass the magazine on to a quilting friend. Saves tearing up those great mag.

Just make sure you get the whole pattern if you cut up the magazine - I have seen several people that pulled the patterns out but didn't & are looking for the rest of it.

I would use plastic sleeves and big notebooks.

But, first I would tell hubby to jump in the lake.

No way, husband wouldn't want to try demanding I get rid of anything

I love and use the binder strategy, but instead of pages, I use the plastic folders that have a triangular storage flap in front. That way, if the pattern also includes inserts, I caninclude all of them inside. I then put the cover of the magazine in front, or a 3 x 5 card with title of pattern so that I know which one it was.

I found this and found it helpful

http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com/20...paperwork.html

I'm still new so I don't have a lot to organize right now.

I take out each one I want and put them individually in gallon ziplock bags. Mark them on the outside of the bag with the quilt pattern name and where it came from(magazine information) and put them in a portable file box. They lie flat and can be alphabetized if necessary. I have the information on where I can find it again if I need it. The storage boxes are a song at Big Lots. Good luck with DH.

Call me crazy, but i bought a portable scanner with 8GB sd card and it works like a charm. So easy to use. I scan everything i need to keep and then save them on the computer, and also on an external hard drive.
Here is the model (i bought it from Amazon):

VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS-ST410-VP)
I still like to look at the magazines but i know i have a safe copy just in case. I lost one of my Love of quilting magazine fom last year, so lesson learned...

I haven't read all the posted answers to this question, so here I go, at the risk of just repeating what others have said.
I bought numerous super large 3-ring binders at Walmart. I am in the process of downsizing for a move. So, I have started going through my quilting mags, of which I have many!! When I first got them as I went through them I put a sticky tab on every pattern or whatever else that I would want to keep. Now I recheck the ones I tabbed, quickly look over the rest of the magazine, and tear out all the pages I want. I put these in a plastic 3-ring envelope and stick them in the binder. When I'm all through, if I have time I will divide the patterns into categories and separate them that way. The categories will be in alphabetical order. I do this work on a daily basis when I can sit and relax in my quilting room. One thing I must add. If you find that two of your patterns are on back to back pages just copy one of the pages on your photocopier, or use an office supply store's copier, it's fairly easy. 8-) 8-)

I use a glue stick, copy paper, and a copier to put together a 'scrap book' of patterns and use dividers with pockets to store the pattern pull outs. The copier is in case I have part of a pattern on one side of a page, and part of another on the back. Works for me. Copy paper is less likely to winkle under the glue stick. I put the whole thing in a 3" , 3 ring binder that I decorated with a quilted cover.I use the tabs on the dividers to title and catalog my patterns. I hope this helps. {HUGS}

Have recently gone through all kinds of craft patterns and magazines with a critical eye - will I really do this particular pattern? If not - put it in a box and took it to the employee lounge at work. The boxes have been a big hit. If I want to keep it, I use 3-ring binders with plastic inserts for indiviudal patterns. There is also a plastic insert that when put into the center of a magazine gives it the 3 holes to put it into a binder. All my binders are labeled - cross stitch by subject, knitting and crochet by type (sweater, socks, afghans, etc) and quilting by style (lap afghan, wall hanging, table runner, etc.). If I have the supplies needed for a particular pattern, I put the pattern and supplies in a plastic zip-lok type bag. Those bags are put into storage box sorted by type of project.

I'm so glad you said this way. Demanding would never have happened in my house. I just don't understand that.

I put the quilt instructions in plastic sleeves, then file in a small 2 drawer filing cabinet under the different themes, then the pull out pattern sheets in the front section, putting the number of the pattern sheet on the quilt instructions. Works great.