So, yesterday. Hmm... Well it all started with my latest copy of 'Quilters Newsletter'. No room in the basket for yet another magazine and believe me I tried. Valiantly. Already the magazines were squeezed in so tight that the last seven I crammed in there were sticking out at least four inches over the top. Okay, enough is enough. I can't be having magazines littering up my very limited quilt room space.
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| Tearing out interesting quilt magazine pages... |
This resulted in a very impulsive and rather frenzied effort to sort out all the magazine pages that I might possibly be interested in looking at in the future; ie, ripping and tearing them out of the magazines themselves so I can put them into plastic sleeves and binders. I set up this system years ago and it works very well. I just hate the doing because
I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!
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| Throwing out what I'm pretty sure I will never miss. |
The first time I started tearing pages out of quilt magazines, I didn't know what I was doing or what I wanted to keep and so I kept too much. Now I know that it's okay to throw away big chunks of a quilt magazine. Not every pattern is a masterpiece and the styles definitely come and go. (Unlike the core of my interest which remains fairly steadfast and reliable.)
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| My handy dandy inspiration system. |
I've been wondering of late if Pinterest would completely replace the need for having inspiration binders. Could quilting magazines eventually become obsolete with all our new technology? I know that I don't rush to read them nearly as quickly as I once did.
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| A separate book for the template sheets. |
For now I'm going to assume that they still have a place in my quilting process (and in my quilting room, limited though the space may be). There are still times that I pull out several binders and sit on the floor flipping through page after page wondering which particular quilt will generate an idea or two.
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| Trying to stay somewhat organized.... |
I put pattern directions directly behind the picture if they are available, but mostly my system is about pictures. Any spark of interest in a quilt whether it be color, block, layout, border, fabric choices etc. is deemed worthy to keep. Who really knows what they'll be sewing in years to come? Could you believe I've been saving pictures of Pickle Dish quilts for well over 15 years? lol
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| Impulsive scrap bin cutting. |
Unsurprisingly, looking at hundreds of pictures of quilts made me want to CREATE and MAKE. I was positively itching to start sewing, but when I pulled out a couple of my current quilt projects all I could think of was 'blah, blah, blah'. It didn't help that the scrap bin over in the corner was taunting me with it's unruly mess, especially after getting things cleaned up elsewhere in the quilt room.*sigh It's seems to be a never ending cycle doesn't it?
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| I just can't seem to resist making baskets... |
So yeah. You guessed it.
I started another project. With a quick glance through 'Collaborative Quilting' by Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston, I found myself searching for template plastic, cutting a freehand wedge and then whacking away at some scrap fabric. Certainly wouldn't want to ruin any brand new fabric with all my restless enthusiasm, now would I.....
I too have that huge problem of too many magazines. And storage is becoming a problem, your binder system is something that I might have to start. But of course I will have the problems of which pattern to keep and which do I think I will not be wanting in the future. But hey, who am I kidding there is no way I could ever make all the quilts that I like in the magazines and books that I have!
ReplyDeleteMagazines are a great source of inspiration, but, like you, it's easy to keep just the ideas and patterns that appeal to your sense of creativity. Look what happened when you spent some time looking at ideas, I love your free style basket!
ReplyDeleteI have saved so many patterns over the years I do not know why I do this as some are in plastic sleeves and some are in a canvas box - but I rarely look at them - the reason is because I always see something new and have 8 things I am working on now and by time I get ready to pull out the old binder something else has caught my eye - and the vicious cycle goes on and on! -- but it is so much fun!!
ReplyDeleteI save the whole magazine. I put sticky notes on quilts that interest me. Years later I'll look back and wonder why I put a note on many of the pages. I'm not as focused on books and magazines as I used to be. I don't subscribe to any quilt magazines. Still like flipping through the old ones every now and then. And every once in a while I'll buy one. Look forward to seeing this project progress. You're so creative!
ReplyDeleteI inherited my S-I-L's quilting and crafting magazines in 1998. I donated all of the crafting magazines to Goodwill because I knew that I really didn't need any more obsessions. I have kept all of the quilting mags and have added to them sporadically over the years. I can't tear them apart because I know that over time my tastes and skills do change. They are definitely such a great source of inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI also have a magazine addiction and I cannot save them all. I used to use your binder system, exactly the same, but lately I just put them into file folders and store them in a plastic hanging file box. This still keeps everything very neat, and it's faster to do. Patterns, where available, are stapled to the back of the photo. It works great!
ReplyDeleteAudrey I have started ripping out last year due to the confines of storage but I also wait now to get the cd's of quilters newsletter, quiltmaker and quick quilts this saves much room and it is easy to access anytime...plus at the end of the year they are normally 1/2 price.
ReplyDeleteIt is the original mag on the cd's so nothing is missed. you are just not up to date on everything a year behind which is fine cause a couple of years behind on my projects.
Your first mistake was tidying up...
ReplyDeleteIve got a bajillion patterns and book marks and pinterest pins for quilting ..there simply wont be enough time in my life to ever get to them all !
I like your new project . Glad you were inspired to start it because Im going to love seeing how it turns out.
Beginning is ALWAYS fun and I'm really LOVing THIS beginning! Fun Fun!
ReplyDeleteI use plastic sleeves and binders to organize possible future projects but it gets overwhelming as well as time consuming. I enjoy pinning favorite quilt blocks, quilt projects, and so much more on my Pinterest boards... sometimes I forget I've pinned something of interest, and end up pinning it again!
ReplyDeleteAm in the process of doing this myself. I do not like it at all, takes too much time I would rather spend quilting :-(
ReplyDeleteBut it has to be done.
Like your new project, from an interesting book, I bought it a few months ago, lovely fabrics. Enjoy!
I would love to buy quilt magazines. Enjoy them so much-- or used to. The old Quilting Newsletter was so refreshing. I am not sure what is wrong with them now, if its whats being quilted or what? The internationsl magazine can still spark me. So, I am thinking that the present magazines are directly reporting too much of the same thing, presenting too much a narrow view of the quilting world. They have lost the spark, the personal veiwpont articales and the multi pics of varity that prompt us to do the "what if?" thing. Quilting is inspirational, creative, and fun-- not decorating and making a new bedspread to calm out life. Its breathing deep and smelling the possibilities.
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