I know a lot of people cut out the patterns that they want to keep and put them in a binder and plastic sleeves. I or the other hand, hate to cut my magazines up. I have cereal boxes full of magazines and I can't bear to cut them up. Every so often, I get them out and go through them. Each time I do, it seems that I always find something new to interest me that I didn't see before. I love my mags and just cant bear to cut them apart.

I scan anything I want to keep and save them on my computer. Problem is finding them again.

I am terribly disorganized, if I tear them out, so I keep mine in magazine form, mark them with a flag, and organize in magazine organizers that I buy at Walmart. Probably will have to find additional room, though. The magazine organizers are taking over my sewing room

I had sewing magazines as well as quilting magazines and decided my life would not be long enough to get all of those "marked" future projects dpne, so I went through them one last time and kept only the ones I REALLY thought I would get to do. I brought the rest to the public library for their annual sale. They were thrilled. The librarian told me that women flock to those magazines and can't get enough.

I would like to find the things ( don't what they are called) you open the magazine in half and slide it through the slit and then it can be put in a three ring binder( name of it anyone :0). I am expecting 15 walmart bags of books/mags I bought to be delivered in a week and I'm sure I will want to keep 1 or 2 of them :).

I have ordered them from Clotilde before. I've forgotten the name, but they're really nice. I had organized all of my collection of Sew Beautiful with those.

I scan mine and put them on a flash drive as well as the computer. I now have so many that I am going to put a copy of the finished quilt in one file ... and then the whole copy and directions in another file. Will separate them in to [1] pieced, [2] curved seams, [3] paper pieced, and [4] applique. This way I can use the 'slide show' function to go through the quilts to decide what I might want to do next.

With scanning there is no paper of binders to store. In some parts of the country that translates to less silverfish and bugs.

I do keep my books as books. Just am getting more selective now.

It is the math and accounting background as well as the healthcare background that has left me this way ... somewhat OCD.

ali

<Hello, I go through the books and jot down the pictures I like and the book name and page and date of book, then I made an excell spreadsheet logging in all the information. >

Delta...Can't imagine why I haven't thought of that. I have everything else on excel spreadsheets. What a wonderful idea!!

We Waco Quilters come up with some good ones every so often!!

diane

Large binders from Wal Mart. Decide what labels you want on them and file accordingly. I did Childrens, then pieced and applique then Other -- Tablerunners etc.


works great for me !
Happy organizing !

also I take the patterns out of the books and only keep what I need.

I have mine in plastic sleeve protectors and have them in sections like baby, flowers, charity etc. They are then in loose leaf binders with an index in the front of the patterns.

Mine, too!

I use 3 ring binders and page protectors. Right now, tho, they are not sorted into any special sections, need to do that next.

I am not able to tear the patterns from magazines. A weakness of mine, I guess. I make copies of the ones I really want to make, then take the magazines to nursing homes, assisted living homes, etc.

GREAT idea thanks for posting. I'm sure putting it on a flash drive or any other means would keep the computer free too.

I can't tear out of magazines either. :lol:

I use binders with categories like Tips, Purses/bags, Blocks, Quilts etc. Then I have magazine holder s for the mags. I only tear out patterns that I really love and want to make and put them in the binders. I've only been quilting 1.5 years and I already have a lot. When my only mag subscrip runs out, I'm not renewing. I can find any pattern I want on the net and tons of tutorials, ideas and links to sites on this QB. The mags are just recycling ideas.

I buy used quilt magazines at quilt shows for 20¢-25¢ each. Then I go through them and cut out the patterns. I try to be fair about what I cut out. I ask myself, if I ever would really made the quilt before I cut them out. Sometimes, they are really beautiful, but I know that I'd never make it, I pass it up. Most of the ladies in my quilt group do the same and we pass them around when we're finished. I keep them in folders according to ones I want to make right now or soon and then in other folders according to the style and difficulty

I do the same except I type up an Index at the beginning with the name of the pattern. By typing on my computer it's easy to add or delete. I make sure the index is saved in a special folder in a word perfect file. That way I can change it easily.

I number each pattern as I get them and put them in hanging files. I have a folder with pages for each letter. (It would be better to do it on something like exell) Sometimes a pattern will have more than one trigger word for me so I'll put both down. For example: Doberman under D and Applique, Doberman under A, with the number of the pattern after that.

Hope that makes sense.

They are called "Magazine Book Organizers" from Clotilde. I have those also.

Mine are in folders like that too. It is so much easier to find the right pattern if every thing is sorted into the same folder/s.

If I keep a pattern I go ahead and make the templates if a template is required for pattern. Then I store them in three ring binders in sleeves.

Would you please tell me more about how you "store" your patterns in your folders?

how do you organize your folders in your filing cabinet?

I don't have a lot of storage space for hard copy magazines, patterns or books. I've dedicated one shelf in my stash closet, it's about 2' long & 18" deep. If I want to add an item to that shelf, then something has to go... Before I get rid anything, I go thru it & if there's something in there I think I may ever want to do, I scan it to a pdf file. I've invested a lot of money in to digitized quilting patterns for my longarm & digitized embroidery patterns and am an a firm believer of back it up and then back up the backup! I have 2 portable hard drives that I backup all my files to and then there's "the cloud". Backups can go bad & even online storage can 'go away' if the company takes down it's server. I back up anything & everything I can! Just God, please don't ever let an EMP (electro magntic pulse) go off in my neighborhood!