star619

This has been my method for the past 15-20 yrs. I've been able to donate tons of magazines & make more room for other things! As for 2011wannaquilt's comment, I've been surprised at how many of the saved projects are still something I want to do. If I KNOW that I'll never make something I've saved, I pitch it & use the top loading page for another "discovery".

MacThayer

I have all of my magazines stored by magazine and date. I'm getting quite a collection, and have decided to stop renewing subscriptions, and only get a couple now, and those will soon end. Any time I need a quilting magazine "fix", I go on something like eBay and buy a collection for cheap. Have gotten magazines that have gone out of business years ago -- lots of fun there!

When I see a project I'd like to do, I take a photo of it with my phone, and then transfer it into I-Photo on my computer. There's a place for both name and description under each photo. I use that to save the name of the pattern and magazine, and the date. Since I have everything stored in order of issue, it's not hard to go back and find the pattern.

My I-Photo pictures have their own folder, and they are organized according to type: bed quilt, lap quilt, wall quilt, baby quilt, table runners, decor and "other". To check out the projects, I just need to scan my I-Photo and look at all the photos!

My husband says that this is "obsessive-compulsive" behavior. I just think I'm well organized. LOL!

MargeD

I try to flag any patterns I'd like to make with a narrow post-it so when I'm looking for ideas, I flip to those pages first. Then periodically I go through the magazines again and if I've changed my mind, I pass them on to a girlfriend who then tears out the patterns she wants and puts them into a see-through notebook inserts, and then into notebooks. I do have a couple of small (6" deep or so) see through totes where I put magazines with 3-part mystery quilts, Christmas patterns I want to make, baby quilts, etc. Then when I go searching for a 3-part pattern, all the magazines are together. I do need to whittle down the magazines I have and perhaps scanning them into the computer might be a more efficient way to save patterns.

Sewing_Hubby

Hi,

----- Ipad App ----- Free ----- The Name is "CamScanner Pro HD" ----- Easy To Use ----- Free -----

Requires iPad with camera.

Steve

damaquilts

I had books and magazines that I hadn't looked at in years. I flipped through them and realized 2 things, I got most of my quilt patterns off the computer now days and most of the things I had no interest in anymore because I didn't want to do pieced/traditional patterns anymore. Some ladies on Free cycle got a bunch of magazines and books and were in 7th heaven. They were happy , I was happy with more space .. The only magazine I get now is Quilting Arts, the rest to me just got repetitive.

Andrea

I ran into the same problem: stacks of great magazines but no idea what patterns/ideas were in them. I needed organization but didn't want to start something terribly time-consuming. So I leafed through each magazine and tore out the patterns I liked. I made sure I had all the pages and designs from the center pages, stapled them together and put them in a plastic box. I didn't take the time to separate them out to bed quilts, table runners, etc. especially since it's so easy to turn a table runner into a quilt and vice versa. I love having me pattern box to go through when I'm itchy to start a new project.

craftynell

I tear them out & put them in clear plastic pages & have them in binders.

sharin'Sharon

It took me a few days to sort my tear-outs, but was very well worth my time. I have some with pictures only and file them in a separate binder, and sorted and inserted the rest into separate binders, as per category of the design. Am also amazed at my change of interest in what I may have liked a few years ago and also find that some of the magazines that I haven't torn apart, that I like some patterns better than I thought I did and had not marked. I have so-o-o much fabric and m-a-n-y patterns and a few kits but not enough time to work on any of it.

katykwilt

I was doing the very same thing. I went through years of magazines when I was off work on medical. Picked out what I liked but kept the last two years in my magazine cases. Then I began to feel guilty. What if someone else could have used those patterns? So, now I am a little more particular. I put a sticky note on a project. After the two years are up and I review that magazine again, if I'm still in love with the pattern I scan or copy just those I want to save -- and forward the magazine to a fellow quilter. Since retiring, I've been working with "less fortunate" women, teaching them quilting, so I have no problem recycling those magazines.

Sandrea

I had a little trouble at first tearing the patterns out of the magazines, because I hated to mess up my magazines, BUT at some point, I realized I have way TOOOO many magazines and they do take up space, so now I have resolved myself to start cutting out the ones I really want to keep and put them into clear plastic sheet protectors and store them in notebooks labeled with the different categories.