Great way of storing your patterns digitally! I was just looking for some good way to do this, since I always forget what I have, and have mistakenly bought duplicates a couple of times. The search feature looks very useful. Thank you!
Lol I'm right there with you Akram I have thousands of patterns . I have purchased fabric store butterick ,vogue metal pattern cabinets . I store mine one for vintage one non vintage . Then I separate by vogue,butterick,McCalls, simplicity. Then I also separate by skirts, shirts,dresses, pants, shorts, swimsuits, pjs , coats . Lol I know what your thinking , but it works for me . I am also starting to photo my collection just as you have done . It's going to take a long time ,but it's worth it to me . Love hunting new patterns I can't stop collecting, my family give me a hard time about it but oh well ,,sigh .
Sorry to get back to you so late! Whatever pattern organization works for you, definitely feel empowered to do it! I know everyone likes to reference their collection in different ways :D But collecting photos of all your patterns is a huuuuge game changer. I use it every time I go fabric shopping-- I like buying fabric with confidence, knowing that I am buying EXACTLY how much yardage I need.
Great minds think alike! I use Evernote in pretty much the same way. The only thing I would add is that you should number your boxes and then add the box number the pattern is stored in to your tag info. That way, when you search for a pattern on your phone, you can immediately see which box you need to look in to find the physical copy.
I LOVE Evernote and using it for pattern categorizing sounds like such a great idea! For me, I have about 4 boxes of patterns, so its not too unmanageable (I can still sort of organize by pattern company.)-- but I think if I grow past 5 boxes of patterns, I might have to take your tip and start writing box numbers on all my patterns.
great tips 👍especially your organization with Google photos. I really need to get organized with my patterns I have a lot. I probably have over 5000 , I'm not kidding it's insane.
Akram Taghavi-Burris wow, I have about 250 costume patterns, and that,s too many. I have about 10 favourite pattern I keep using, with the other ones providing specialist costume ideas. I'd be totally lost with 5 000 patterns.
Love your video. I put a number on each storage box and coordinate this number with my digital file. Such as pattern stored in box number 3! Love your video. Thanks
You & Patterns are like Me & Books. I have books on actual shelves, but also stacked beside shelves, on and under tables. I have books on our back porch and in the garage. I even turned my brothers old bedroom into a library when he moved out. I'm slowly building up a pattern stash too, cause who can say no to those JoAnn sales, right? $4.99, $2.99, $1.99 5 for $5!? Yes Please! My patterns are currently all stored in plastic milk crates, grouped by brand (except the cosplay & historical costumes that are all together). We're both on the same page when it comes to digitally cataloging. When I buy them, I take a picture of the cover, the sizing chart, the fabric recommendations, & the yardage, (i do this also for books with patterns in them) then I upload them to my laptop and pop them into the "Fabrics & Patterns" folder in my DropBox, so when I am out & about and see a fabric I like or land a good sale, I can easily pull them up and see what I would need and how much. I also snap pictures of my fabric and label the yardage, so again I can know what I have so I get a pattern that will work.
The pattern sales are KILLER! Since I filmed this video I've bought more and I think a trip to IKEA for some more boxes is in order. To be safe, I'm probably going to buy 3, since lets be real, the sales are just going to keep on coming and I admit that I have a problem 😅 Plastic milk crates seem like a really good idea, though- they're so stackable!!
Love the organization. Probably 50% or more of my sewing room is from IKEA - but I don't have those boxes! I do have some drawer units that work great to organize projects and supplies - and one small drawer unit that I use just for fabric scraps (a drawer of lights, a drawer of darks, and a drawer of knits/specialty fabrics). I may have to take a look at the boxes next time I visit IKEA. Love the Google photos idea too - I'm noodling that one. I have a LOT of patterns I would need to catalog.
Oh yes- I have a toooon of IKEA all over my house, but I'm so glad I decided to use the boxes! They have been a total game changer in terms of organizing my workspace and its so nice to be able to go through things super quickly. In terms of organizing a lot of patterns, I totally understand! At this point I have so many that when I filmed this video, it took me several hours to get everything sorted. But worth the effort!
The keywords and search is really the most useful part of the whole thing. Granted, takes a minute to set up, but when I'm juggling bolts of fabric and I need to get the info ASAP, it's amazing!
It was easier for me to capsule my patterns and get rid of most of them. I had to do a major declutter of the sewing stuff, it was getting out of control. :) Now I just keep patterns that work with my capsule wardrobe. How many sheath dress, woven tee, knit tee, button down blouse, cardigan, and pants patterns do you need.
Could you tell me where you bought your large "button "fabric weights from? I bought drawers from Ikea to store my fabrics ".Brilliant idea for storing information on your phone.
The large button fabric weights are from instagram.com/rach_wain/ ! Just PM her on Insta and she'll let you know how much they are if she's making them right now!
love the yarn exploding from the old pattern drawers haha! Can definitely relate. I use a box that is from container store, which also sold on amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016YFC0K2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . Looks like yours are more affordable!! Like the google database system you created. Also, what are you wearing in this video? The wrap shirt looks similar to the new Ella blouse from SOI. But obviously you filmed this before it was released... at any rate, cute!
Thanks for commenting :D! The IKEA boxes are great-- no complaints in the price, either! In the video I'm wearing the Elmira ballet wrap sweater and Savannah camisole, both from Seamwork magazine! I'm actually about to resew those here soon, so that's another story haha
Great way of storing your patterns digitally! I was just looking for some good way to do this, since I always forget what I have, and have mistakenly bought duplicates a couple of times. The search feature looks very useful. Thank you!
Great tips. I think have a photo catalogue is a fantastic idea. Helps us to use what we have in stock. Who am I kidding, I love a pattern sale.
Lol I'm right there with you Akram I have thousands of patterns . I have purchased fabric store butterick ,vogue metal pattern cabinets . I store mine one for vintage one non vintage . Then I separate by vogue,butterick,McCalls, simplicity. Then I also separate by skirts, shirts,dresses, pants, shorts, swimsuits, pjs , coats . Lol I know what your thinking , but it works for me . I am also starting to photo my collection just as you have done . It's going to take a long time ,but it's worth it to me . Love hunting new patterns I can't stop collecting, my family give me a hard time about it but oh well ,,sigh .
Sorry to get back to you so late!
Whatever pattern organization works for you, definitely feel empowered to do it! I know everyone likes to reference their collection in different ways :D But collecting photos of all your patterns is a huuuuge game changer. I use it every time I go fabric shopping-- I like buying fabric with confidence, knowing that I am buying EXACTLY how much yardage I need.
Great minds think alike! I use Evernote in pretty much the same way. The only thing I would add is that you should number your boxes and then add the box number the pattern is stored in to your tag info. That way, when you search for a pattern on your phone, you can immediately see which box you need to look in to find the physical copy.
I LOVE Evernote and using it for pattern categorizing sounds like such a great idea! For me, I have about 4 boxes of patterns, so its not too unmanageable (I can still sort of organize by pattern company.)-- but I think if I grow past 5 boxes of patterns, I might have to take your tip and start writing box numbers on all my patterns.
I love how you organized your patterns on Google photos! So helpful!
Glad it helps!!
great tips 👍especially your organization with Google photos. I really need to get organized with my patterns I have a lot. I probably have over 5000 , I'm not kidding it's insane.
Akram Taghavi-Burris wow, I have about 250 costume patterns, and that,s too many. I have about 10 favourite pattern I keep using, with the other ones providing specialist costume ideas. I'd be totally lost with 5 000 patterns.
Love your video. I put a number on each storage box and coordinate this number with my digital file. Such as pattern stored in box number 3! Love your video. Thanks
That's such a clever way to note your patterns! I might have to pull that into my set up, too. I'm starting to have too many boxes now!
You & Patterns are like Me & Books. I have books on actual shelves, but also stacked beside shelves, on and under tables. I have books on our back porch and in the garage. I even turned my brothers old bedroom into a library when he moved out. I'm slowly building up a pattern stash too, cause who can say no to those JoAnn sales, right? $4.99, $2.99, $1.99 5 for $5!? Yes Please!
My patterns are currently all stored in plastic milk crates, grouped by brand (except the cosplay & historical costumes that are all together). We're both on the same page when it comes to digitally cataloging. When I buy them, I take a picture of the cover, the sizing chart, the fabric recommendations, & the yardage, (i do this also for books with patterns in them) then I upload them to my laptop and pop them into the "Fabrics & Patterns" folder in my DropBox, so when I am out & about and see a fabric I like or land a good sale, I can easily pull them up and see what I would need and how much. I also snap pictures of my fabric and label the yardage, so again I can know what I have so I get a pattern that will work.
The pattern sales are KILLER! Since I filmed this video I've bought more and I think a trip to IKEA for some more boxes is in order. To be safe, I'm probably going to buy 3, since lets be real, the sales are just going to keep on coming and I admit that I have a problem 😅
Plastic milk crates seem like a really good idea, though- they're so stackable!!
Better safe than sorry. LOL! And yes. I love how they kind of hook together. Keeps it from toppling when my cat goes bonkers.
Love this! Hate that I ran out of your videos to watch :)
Awesome organization!! My system is very similar. I use Pinterest to catalog my patterns. Can't wait to see your next finished project video. :D
The google photos idea is great!
Glad it helps! I honestly use Google Photos for most of my photo storing needs and makes my life infinitely easier!
Very good tips!
Love the organization. Probably 50% or more of my sewing room is from IKEA - but I don't have those boxes! I do have some drawer units that work great to organize projects and supplies - and one small drawer unit that I use just for fabric scraps (a drawer of lights, a drawer of darks, and a drawer of knits/specialty fabrics). I may have to take a look at the boxes next time I visit IKEA. Love the Google photos idea too - I'm noodling that one. I have a LOT of patterns I would need to catalog.
Oh yes- I have a toooon of IKEA all over my house, but I'm so glad I decided to use the boxes! They have been a total game changer in terms of organizing my workspace and its so nice to be able to go through things super quickly.
In terms of organizing a lot of patterns, I totally understand! At this point I have so many that when I filmed this video, it took me several hours to get everything sorted. But worth the effort!
Great tip for storage! And loved the idea of Google Photos Thanks!👍💓
So happy the video was useful! Hope this helps with your pattern storage as well!
Thank you for great idea to organize using Google Photos. The keywords and search feature sounds sew useful.
The keywords and search is really the most useful part of the whole thing. Granted, takes a minute to set up, but when I'm juggling bolts of fabric and I need to get the info ASAP, it's amazing!
A good tip and I thank you! I do love your videos.
So I'm organizing my patterns and I came across a vintage pattern from 1952 from GRIT I purchased at a local Goodwill.. made me think of you
Aww! Thank you!
You thought your sewing area was a mess lol no way lol yours is so organised compared to mine thank you for some great tips
It was easier for me to capsule my patterns and get rid of most of them. I had to do a major declutter of the sewing stuff, it was getting out of control. :) Now I just keep patterns that work with my capsule wardrobe. How many sheath dress, woven tee, knit tee, button down blouse, cardigan, and pants patterns do you need.
Wow, this just helped me realize why I need to start using Google Photos
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing.
Could you tell me where you bought your large "button "fabric weights from? I bought drawers from Ikea to store my fabrics ".Brilliant idea for storing information on your phone.
The large button fabric weights are from instagram.com/rach_wain/ ! Just PM her on Insta and she'll let you know how much they are if she's making them right now!
If you want to know the name of the boxes, it's something like "chena" and is a slang version of hello in Swedish :)
Thanks for the pronunciation and translation! It's a cute design name 😍
Kisses from France great video
love the yarn exploding from the old pattern drawers haha! Can definitely relate. I use a box that is from container store, which also sold on amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016YFC0K2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . Looks like yours are more affordable!! Like the google database system you created.
Also, what are you wearing in this video? The wrap shirt looks similar to the new Ella blouse from SOI. But obviously you filmed this before it was released... at any rate, cute!
Thanks for commenting :D!
The IKEA boxes are great-- no complaints in the price, either!
In the video I'm wearing the Elmira ballet wrap sweater and Savannah camisole, both from Seamwork magazine! I'm actually about to resew those here soon, so that's another story haha
But the lighting in your room is incredible! But I understand the small studio space due to city living! Great organization though
i took pictures of mine and keep them in 3 ring binders.put information also.
i should have said 1 book for all pics and patterns in books ,numbered.
tjena- the tj sound is a ch sound like the beginning of cheetah so chee-na which means hello! :)
reading down , i have that many.