How do quilting books “earn” their spot on your shelf?
 

In other words, what will make you feel that they’re worth keeping? I am going through my books and decluttering as I move my sewing things into a newly-spare bedroom (young adult child just moved out on their own). Many of my quilting books have been in boxes since we moved to this house over five years ago, partly because I didn’t have room for them, and partly because I haven’t been quilting much these last couple of years.

The books I know I’m keeping are the block books - I mostly don’t sew patterns or projects por together by other people, I take traditional block patterns and graph paper and come up with something. So a book of beautiful appliqué art quilt type projects is going to go. It’s just not my style and I’m neither going to do the projects in the book or make up my own as the author actually encourages. But I’ll on the bubble about some other books, like a modern quilt book - I won’t probably make the projects, I’ve only made one quilt inspired by a project in the book, but I do find the quilts inspiring and sometimes when I’m thinking of a new quilt I just flip through quilt books to see what others have done and get inspiration. There are several like that, but I can’t keep them all “for inspiration”, or I’ll never get rid of anything, and I don’t have room for them all and other books I will buy in the future.

There are some technique books I know I’ll keep (quilt as you go and other domestic machine quilting techniques, mostly) because although I won’t do the projects, the I’ll refer to the techniques again. But a basic book of appliqué that contains info easily found on the internet is going out, I think.

So I’m curious about other people’s processes for deciding what stays and goes on their own shelves - also how do you know if a book is really going to be worth buying in the first place. So many books just turned out not useful to me at all and were basically a waste of money. Some of my favorites are older books given to me by a quilting friend. I like to preview books at the library but they’ve got a pretty limited selection compared to all of the books out there.

Like many people, at one point I had a pretty full bookcase of quilting books. All sorts of things and for all sorts of reasons. I got rid of most of them about 10 years ago when my vision issues got greater and got down to one shelf. When I moved, I took less than one box with me, which included my scrapbooks of 40 some years of quilting, back when you still had to have film developed.

The books I've kept are my reference books, about 20 of them:

I have several block reference books. Most are long out of print. Carrie Hall Blocks is one I could think of the name :)
https://www.amazon.com/Carrie-Hall-B.../dp/1574327011

I've kept my first ever quilt book, Ruby McKim 101 Patterns. I actually have two copies, one beat up marked up original and another one I got at the thrift store.
The book "Scrap Quilts" by Judy Martin forever changed how I looked at scrap projects and remains in my library. Likewise, I still have Judy's Log Cabin Book, even though it was written during the template days. Great handy diagrams on setting options.
I've kept 1-3 of Trudie Hughes "Template-Free Quiltmaking" books for their fantastic directions on how to use rotary cutters and rulers. Anyone else remember drawing grids to make HST?
With my eye issues I very much appreciate Karla Alexander's more relaxed stacking and whacking style of quilting and kept the 3-4 books I have.
I do have a few specialty books on String Quilts, embroidery for Crazy Quilts, Amish, Seminole, and other specifics..

I also have a couple of more art theory books I use as reference. I found this book rather specialized but very valuable in how to balance out some of my ideas... Symmetry by Ruth B McDowell
https://www.amazon.com/Symmetry-Quil...s=digital-text

I culled my quilt books our last move. I still have too many. I don't know why I rarely look at them. Some are worth much more than I paid so may sell those on EBay. Before getting rid of most quilt books, check the prices. One I have never sells below a hundred or more. I don't even like the patterns in it. LOL I bought it because the quilt shop was promoting it years ago. I think because it was a pattern inspired from a local history event.

my book stash went much like IceBlossoms for the same reason. All gone now, the few I loved I've replaced on my Ipad app.
They were wonderful when that was all we had though, I started quilting when there were only 2 quilt books I think, from the 30's.

Quilt books appreciating in value had not occurred to me. I doubt I have anything of value, but I’ll probably check now, out of curiosity!

Iceblossom, Scrap Quilts by Judy Martin is one of my keepers, too!

I mostly have vintage block books, and applique patterns, and a handful that contain a single book size pattern for different specialty quilts. I thinned my books out quite a while ago. I did have 4 book shelves full, but now have just 1 1/2 loosely stacked shelves of them.

I find that I mostly make vintage 'blocks' quilts, so I saw no reason to keep all the 'modern' quilt books that once caught my eye.

I also at the same time, went through my separate paper patterns and did a major thin out of them.

I go thru mine and see if I'm still interested in making something from them. If it doesn't interest me still, it goes. So far, I haven't regretted passing them on to friends.

I usually keep my books as each one has at least one pattern that I've enjoyed making. My patterns from downloads, and packet patterns are kept in binders and marked with baby quilts, throws, large quilts etc. My patterns from Villa Rosa are all kept in three photo binders from Amazon that measure for 4 x 6 photo. All are kept in a hutch in the sewing room.

This is part of my problem, I think. Lots of quilts interest me, but is it real interest, or is it “ooh pretty” interest that never leads to actually making a quilt?

I do think that maybe I need to really think about the fact that there are tons of great patterns out there - if I get rid of a book, there are always going to be other patterns that I like out there available in the future, just like I don’t have to buy every print that catches my eye in the fabric store. There will always be a new pretty print when I’m ready to buy.