Organization question

[dwitt]

Here is a pretty general question for everyone..... How do you organize your stash of patterns that you want to do in the future???

I have organized my charts and leaflets in 3 ring binders but have not found a good way to organize my magazine patterns. I have probably 100 magazines that I got from my mother. I don't really want to take the magazines apart....

Help!

[dylannika]

I keep the magazines that have patterns I want to do in binders, but I put them in those plastic sleeve things. I haven't quite got around to marking which patterns I want to add to the "to-do" pile, but I will probably mark their page with a small post-it tab with the name of the pattern written on it. I'll let the tabs stick out of the top of the magazine so I can read them without taking the magazine out of the binder.

I used this method for various papers/notes I took in university and it really seems to work for me. I can see what I have "tabbed" at a glance.

-dylannika

[annkor26]

Organized?!?!

I have a big plastic storage bin with all my patterns, generally grouped by either subject or company, as in Prairie Schooler or Told in a Garden, or designer, like Paula Vaughn.

My mags are in magazine storage boxes with a lot of post-its sticking out of the tops! The best I manage is to keep the magazine titles together and ordered by issue date!

So not all that organized!

[Serinde]

You and me. My designs fall into three categories. My magazines all have little sticker tabs placed on the pages of designs I particularly like. The kits I have yet to tackle are in one plastic bag in one willow basket, and the ones I have finished are in a plastic bag in another willow basket. That's about as far as organisation goes in this household.

[dwitt]

The post its sound like a good idea. Right now all the mags are in the bottom drawer of a sterilite 3 drawer cart. Which is a great place to keep them, but I have such a hard time remembering what patterns are down there....

I just might do like dylannika is and put them in binders with the post-its/tabs.....

So much stash so little time in the day!

[shjordon]

My mags aren't exactly organized, but I have a spiral notebook with them. When I look through my magazine for the first time, I write down the name and issue number. Then any patterns that catch my eye, I write down the page number and name. Then when I'm ready for a new project, I'll look through the notebook and decide which to do.

[Wandatoo]

I have lots of magazines and couldn't remember what was in them. So I finally made out a small index card for each one, noting any patterns I might like to try. I also did index cards by subject (Christmas, Birthday, etc.) and noted the magazines where I could find them.

So I'm very organized -- except that I usually forget to check the index cards! I have a thing for Cross Stitch books . . .

[Angel]

I got my fiance to make me a computer program that I just put all the details in, then I look up keyword, designer or series and it tells me the projects there and where to find them

[dylannika]

Wow Angel, you must be very very very organized. Is it a database system that he set up for you? I hope that one day I'll be organized enough to have my own database...and have the pattern be where it says it is!

-dylannika

[Angel]

Hehe well I started out with postit notes...but...I'm like a quarter of the way through my magazines, maybe less and already have 200 projects in my database. He's hoping to release it to the public one day though.

[franacropan]

I have a plastic, lidded box that is designed to take hanging files. The hanging files are labeled up in categories, i.e. Christmas, cats, teddies, landscapes, etc etc and I just file any patterns I cut out of magazines in the appropriate folder. I have one at the front where I put any that I know I would especially like to do and another that has cover kits in. I did used to keep the entire magazine but they took up so much room that I made the decision to cut out charts I liked and recycle the rest of the magazine to a local craft club to take out any remaining patterns. For my "proper" charts I have a similar box but just have them grouped by designer. Books of course are on the bookshelves but not in any particular order. I must admit that since I started on HAEDs and Golden Kite my other patterns don't get drooled over as often.