I just re-organized mine.. by subject.. and/or technique. I have all the baby and children's book together.. all art books together.. of course there are always those that really don't fit any catagory.. so I have them all together. When I sit in my room and thumb through my books, I use sticky notes to help me find those things I'll want to find again! I love just to sit and look through my books.. they are good friends. I keep my quilting books in one bookcase.. my other sewing, knitting, crochet, wood carving, basketry, needlepoint, etc. in another bookcase. Works for me. I can generally find what I want, when I want to find it!!

Organized??? You mean we're supposed to organize them? Mine are in a bookcase, does that count??

I use the book holders and put them in binders.

My books are pretty much same Author together and then technique together. Patterns recieved or copied off the internet are all 3 Ring Binders in plastic sheets. It's the magazines that are driving me CRAZY!!
I have read some really good ideas here.. so now maybe the will come into some kind of liveable order.....
Thanks for ALL of your postings!

Books, loosely sorted by technique (applique, scrappy, etc.), softcover (leaflet type) in a stack, series ("great american quilts")in their own place, printouts (generally from manufacturers free designs), and magazines in holders (pick up from thrift stores )by publication. Regular or book-size softcovers go upright with the hardbacks and the "thin" softcovers go on the stack. I found when I organized all the softcovers (skinny) upright, they would disappear. The magazine holders are sorted by publication but I don't bother to put in chronological order. It boils down to a system that works for you because if you spend all your time searching when do you get to quilt?

I'm haven't read all of the posts so this may have been mentioned already.

I have a book shelf and have hardbacks separated from paperbacks. Some of the larger pretty covers are facing out. The magazines in binders (I bought them a long time ago and they clip into the binder) and are in order by date. You could use empty tide boxes to put magazines in too - if they look ugly you could cover them. The handle makes it easier to carry/move. I have the magazines in order from oldest too newest. It's been a long time since I've picked up a new book or magazine. I received a couple antique irons as gifts and am using them as book ends.

G-Maw,
Good question! I organize in subjects, as I see many others do...my eye level shelf is for the most current, recently purchased & most frequently viewed. I have a section for each subject on that shelf, then they are moved to the lower shelves when I complete the project in mind or I just want to change it up a bit.
=)

Yeah, mine too. And if there are several in a catagory (i.e. paper piecing) I try to keep the same authors together.

I have mine by author. It seems that I go for the same ones a lot. Then by technique if I don't have multiples. Magazines are in holders by type of magazine and date of arrival. Of course there are a lot of misc. books and those kind of go at the end.

mine are on a book shelf in a order as to what they are about ie quilting , patterns, trapunto, tips, ect all the books are facing the way that if i need a referance while working on something i can look over see the name of the book and grab it

Organize? What's that?

They are organized by pile right now. Cross stitch here and quilting here and crochet there. I am planning to buy some book cases with my tax refund this year. Once I get my bookshelves, I plan to organize by subject and then by author.

Mine are in a cabinet layed flat, no organization at all.

I use my soappowder boxes. I put a years sub. in each box, mark it and put them on bookshelves Peewee from Pa.

You mean we're supposed to organize them?? :shock:

Mine too. It's the simplest way, IMO.
Baby and kids quilts are also separated as well as "Little Quilts" and "String Quilts." "Art Quilts" is a separate category too. I have them on an old library book truck and I put a large piece of cardboard between catagories with the name of the category on the top of the cardboard. That way I can find the books that I need instantly. It works well for me.

8-)

do you have them cataloged with Dewey? :D
just had to ask... sorry

I'm a retired librarian too. And I organize them by title just as you do. I found that organizing them by author wasn't really practical, so out went authors and in came "title only." Works better that way.

Yes, I have them in file cabinets by authors that way I can see when I buy duplicates, so much easier that way

Mine are stacked according to diff types. Such as a stack of Miniature Quilts,in order of issue.Same with other mags,in order of issue. I keep new mags/books I haven't looked at separate.My sewing books take up a shelf.I intend to sell any unused books.

I have several books on the same subject and store them on shelves: Fat Quarters; Paper Piecing; Bargellos; Gees Bend; Quilt in a Day Books; Classic Instruction Books (Quilts, Quilts, Quilts; McCalls; Better Homes & Gardens). Others are shelved in no particular order. I don't accumulate magazines, when I do buy them, I tear out the patterns I like and put them in a 3-ring binder and dispose of the mags.

You are so smart to have done that right from the start. I didn't. I have always filed them in mag. holders by title and date. Now they've outgrown the shelves they were on, and I'm going through each one to tear out the ones I think I'll actually use (in this lifetime) and giving what's left to a friend. It's very slow going since I've got years and years of them to deal with. Now I've allowed all of my subscrips. to expire. There are just so many magazines I can handle. No more!

8-)