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Old November 10th 03, 02:46 AM
Julia Altshuler
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I subscribe to Quilters Newsletter Magazine, American Quilter (AQS),
Quilting Arts and Craft Report. I buy a magazine at the bookstore now
and then when something interests me particularly, but for the most
part, I don't get magazines for the patterns and directions since I can
draft them myself (and draft them myself anyway even when I have the
directions). They're stacked neatly by title and date on the floor
under the bookshelf where they're moderately easy to get to. When a new
one comes, I read it right away, then put it in a milk crate. When the
milk crate gets full, I take out all the magazines and file them under
the bookshelf. (And drop off at the library the non-quilting related
ones like Discover Magazine, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker.)


I'm not satisfied with this system. It is great when someone says to
look at the picture in a particular magazine because that's the quilt
she's making. I love that. But when I'm stuck for an idea, the lack of
a useful catalog is driving me nuts.

Right now is the perfect example. I've been making 12" blocks in an
unusual color scheme (brick, turquoise, yellow, grey). Each block is a
little different and more complicated than I usually make. I think they
look very cool together in a non-traditional way. I want to give them a
setting that sets them off well. I'm happy with my color choices of
fabrics that will pull all the blocks together but want more pictures of
examples of settings. On point is good, but on point with sashing
would be better, and if the sashing had pieced stars in it, that might
be best, but what about flying geese around each block? I've been
paging through Sharyn Craig's _Setting Solutions_ which is a wonderful
resource, but I want more. I just know there are quilts in those
magazines that have the idea I want in them, but I don't want to page
through 10 years' worth to find them, and while I know I could look up a
quilt by the maker's name, I can't very well look something up under
"settings, cool ideas."

Similarly, sometimes I want to look at quilts with a particular color
scheme. I'm intrigued at the moment with monochromatic or all neutral
quilts. I've seen some in tans, greys and blacks that stood out as
unusual and pretty, but I can't look up "color scheme, tan and black."

The librarian in me is thinking about a catalog. I'd come up with
subject headings for the way *I* want to look up subjects. That would
be color schemes, settings, subjects like blocks that look like chickens
or techniques that use fusibles. It would be a huge undertaking, and
I'm sure it wouldn't sell for a price that recoup the time I put into
it, but I still love the idea.

Folks, if you could buy a CD-ROM that cataloged your quilting magazines,
how would you want to look up subjects?

--Lia


juliasb(nospam) wrote:

How do you store your books and magazines. Now I can't imagine
throwing away a magazine so I don't even think that would be a question
unless you somehow ended up with a second copy of a given magazine. Now
I have done that but then given the magazine or book to another quilter.
Does anyone keep a list of what they have on hand or do you know by
recollection?
And last but not least how many quilts do you really complete or even
start from the various books or magazines that you have.
juliasb


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