A challenge for your sewing space (8)

[View My TQS Profile idaho]

I'm still too attached to my magazines to part with them. However, I dumped all the old catalogs and etc.s
and gained half a shelf !! Yea!

[View My TQS Profile NancyinSTL]

I'm not ready to part with any of my old magazines, but have a suggestion for those of you who are. I think it would be nice to donate a few of them to hospital waiting rooms and doctors' offices who seem to only subscribe to Golf, Sports Illustrated, Parents' or Arthritis Today.

[View My TQS Profile Margo]

Great idea, Nancy!

[View My TQS Profile Reetzbobeetz]

I delivered another 20 quilting magazines to Ruth today - she is going to look through them and pass them on to one of our other quilting friends with strict instructions that they are not to come back to me. I now have enough space in my quilting cupboard to tidy everything away inside instead of all over the top! Sometimes a good clear out does you good! With some trepedation I am ready to get back to the BOM now.

[View My TQS Profile theothermarion]

Did you specify only quilting magazines? Because my husband just recycled about a million This Old House, Smithsonian, Discover,
Amateur Astronomy and other miscellany...we had to rearrange the basement to get new ducting put in for the air conditioner and these were just taking up space.

[View My TQS Profile Margo]

Were his magazines in your sewing space?

Actually, I think that anytime we clear out clutter, it's a good thing.

[View My TQS Profile theothermarion]

rats, lost on a technicality!

[View My TQS Profile cjbeg]

Okay Margo, 40 quilting magazines, 4 books, and 16 sewing magazines have been purged from my room. Mission accomplished.

[View My TQS Profile Margo]

WAY TO GO, CHERYL!!!

[View My TQS Profile LadyRags]

Late to this conversation...... I ususallllly pull out the articles and patterns I am interested in and put them into binders with plastic sleeves ....been doing this for years. I have binders marked : four/ nine patch patterns, art quilts, techniques, applique, machine quilting, inspiration, color and design, Interesting someday patterns, plus some other titles. Some of the books are very full, some are almost empty. Only rule is the article kept must be complete.

I also keep a file on a quilt design for quilts that I am planning i.e. my husband leaves quilt. I collected every leaf pattern, quilt designs and inspiration pictures I can find. I recently started his quilt and this is what I am using for the basis. Once I am finished I will probably keep the folder for future quilts. I am keeping these folders on one bookshelf. So far everything fits. Once my inspiration folders out grow this area I will probably cull them again and get rid of what I am no longer interested in.

I do go through everything once or twice a year and frequently cull out what is no longer of use .

Lady Rags

[View My TQS Profile grannyagnes]

Margo--You suggestion is one that never fails. One in, one out works for everything. I keep that in mind when I shop and often save myself $$$$ because what I am looking at proves to be nothing more than a slightly different take on what I already own. It also then saves me the trouble of finding a new home for the outgoing item. More time to actually enjoy my hobbies, is always a good thing. I have conditioned myself that I shop for specified items only and rarely stray to look at something that just catches my eye. As a result quilting books and magazines don't even appeal any more.

[View My TQS Profile Margo]

I'm with you, Agnes. Very few books grab my attention any more. I do enjoy magazines like American Quilter so I can see the award winning quilts from the AQS shows. However, now that that info is available on-line, I'm even stopping that hard copy subscription. As you can see, I stopped QNM in 2007.

Here is a new empty space in my sewing room. These shelves had been so full that all the magazines on the middle shelf had been scattered around the house because there wasn't room for them on the shelves!!

I shared over 6 years worth of older QNMs with quilt friends, and plan to take a stack with me to share at every doctor's office and hospital I visit until they are gone!!

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[View My TQS Profile lorra]

Boy, I failed on this. Just returned from vacation last night. Was visiting DS and DDIL in upper Michigan. Attended a quilt show there and bought a pile of quilting books and mags. Used and cheap! My only excuse is I was with DD1 and we wanted to look at them while on vacation. My daughter and I share magazines and I have two DGDs who are into quilting so they will be looked at many more times. OK, I admit I am a collector. But, I still have room in the house!!

[View My TQS Profile Reetzbobeetz]

I have gone the whole hog and tidied out my fabric cupboard which my DH built for me.

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I folded all my fabrics using Margo's folding method (not all seen in the photo by the way) and I even put little labels on which tell me how much fabric is there so that I don't have to unfold them to see what's there.

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I have even refolded all my fat quarters and put paper binding on them to keep them together until I want them to come apart.

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This feels great! I now know where everything is, how much I have of everything and I have loads of space in the cupboard so that I can now tidy things away! Thanks Margo for getting me going with the magazine recycling idea.

[View My TQS Profile Margo]

WOW!! Rita, I'm impressed!! Maybe now you will want to get in there and play!