Every guild member brings the same magazines to guild for give away and everyone has them already. I have started to take mine to the out-patient hospital waiting room. Nothing else to read there but torn and old Newsweek. Who knows I may get someone interested in making a quilt. I just tear off my mailing label if there is one.

another option:

Buddy up with one or more quilting friends and each buy a different magazine the share the magazines before donating them. You can check with each other by e-mail or phone. Some months maybe none of you will want any magazines. Then scan or copy what you want instead of tearing out patterns, directions, and templates.

Personally, I prefer to scan my patterns and all. It takes up much less room, helps me keep clutter down a bit, doesn't invite pests [like silverfish or whatever], and is easier to find when needed. Right now I am reorganizing my files. One file will be pictures of finished quilts only so I can watch a slide show for either inspiration or to choose a new project. The other file will be with complete info needed for each quilt, including the picture. Of course I label it all too.

Yes, I know ... I tend to get over organized. I doubt I am OCD.[?]

ali

I keep my pattern in a binder, well I have four 2" binders. Some patterns on memory stick. I'm not planning on renewing any of my magazines. It's one of my cut backs. But oh how I love to browse thru and plan the many quilts I will not live long enough to make.....so much fun!

I love quilting magazines. Several months ago an old family friend gave me a box full of old quilting mags dating back to the 1980's! The color is faded from the pictures but still interesting!

I have a lot of old magazines too. I love to re-read the old Quilt, Old Fashioned Patchwork, and Country Quilt mags. I have a few subscriptions right now, but am letting all but two expire. If Quilt, and her sister publications, were still being produced with the same format as in the 80's and 90's, that would be the only magazine I would get....but their current format is boring...no stories, just patterns. Really sad...I miss the old Quilt....:(

I can't bring myself to cut them up, so I keep a running list of what quilts I want to make from each one, and try to keep the magazines organized. Maybe someday I will find a better method.

I have way too many too. I never tear up anything I would give away - I hate hate hate to sit in a waiting rm, or buy something at goodwill only to turn a page and find a chunk torn out, a recipe or pic or directions.
I was on QVC or HSC dont remember but bought a portable scanning wand! cost 100$ and is the best money I ever spent! I can take it anywhere (scanned a map in a library on vaca cus we needed to find local sites etc) - now I scan anything I want out of a mag and then give the whole thing away. The scans are moved to jump drives I lable. I can store a full rm full of stuff on one little jumpdrive sharet

I quit buying them 2 years ago.
I have a several boxes to sell off now...including every issue of QNM from the premier issue on...all in the binders you used to be able to buy for keeping them in!

McCalls has ended up being my favorite that I finally subscribed to it. I reviewed the mag before I buy one. it has to have at least pattern that I might make before I buy it. As for having too many mags, I just take them to work and share them.

I recently went through a ton of magazines - some going back 15+ years! Interestingly, I usually only found one or two patterns per magazine that I really THOUGHT I would make. Put them in plastic sleeves and in a notebook. I took the box to our last OR/WA beach retreat (members from this board) and they jumped on them like a dog on a bone :lol: I'm working on another box for our next get together... :thumbup:

Several years ago I realized I had nearly 300 quilting magazines just taking up space. I put them on freecycle and had more responses than you can imagine! I ended up dividing them up and giving them away by the bags full to all who responded. I never imagined that there were that many quilters and wannabe quilters in such a small area.