Hello, my name is Stacy and I am (also) a pattern addict. Over the weekend, I decided to sift through my (predominantly) Big 4 pattern stash in search of one that I could use with my teal paisley fabric when I realized that I have become a hoarder! I seriously have to have hundreds of designs that I will never sew up – many of which are now out of print. I blame the 99 cent sales that I’ve been attending for the past 11 years. Consequently, I sat down with one very full crate and sorted through them – keepers, giveaway, and a ‘maybe’ pile. The photo on the right is what I plan on getting rid of… and I have one more crate to go through!
This brings me to my question – what do I do with your uncut patterns that you no longer have a use for? Give them away, donate them, something else?
Edited to add: photo…. yup it’s Monday.
Share This Post!
You could sell them on Ebay or Etsy. I missed your last post, but gotta’ say–your little boy is a cutie, wearing the tshirt you made him. Doesn’t Fabric Fairy have a lot of cute prints for little ones? Makes it difficult to choose.
I too, have LOTS of patterns that I will NEVER sew up but can’t seem to get rid of them either. I look through them occassionally and think “what if I want to make this someday?”. Then I think if I give it away, I will definitely have use for it, and it will be out of print, and then I would search for it on ebay, and pay a ridiculous amount for it when I had it for .99 in the first place! So, I keep them all. I feel the same way about my little scraps of fabric. For now I will imagine giving them to my daughters one day, and by that time the patterns will be cool because they are “retro”!
When/if I go through mine, then I give away what I don’t think I’ll use. Of course, once I do that, 100s will move in to take their place, so for the time being, I’m just keeping what I have — 100s of Big 4; 100s of vintage; a few indie patterns for me and lots of international patterns for kids. I figure if I keep what I have, nothing new will show up, which is stupid b/c I just went to Jo’s and got 10 new Simplicity patterns (I do plan to sew them up right away though). It’s the same with my fabric. No more donating — I gave away 6 bags and promptly filled the space with the same about of fabric. It’s so sad.
I would donate or give them away. Besides places like Goodwill or Salvation Army, 4-H sewing clubs might want them, or sometimes the local chapter of the Sewing Guild. They sometimes hold fundraisers and use the proceeds for charitable activities.
I to have a pattern problume. I have a ton, I have started to hold back some. I do buy boys patterns that I like as they are harder to come by.
I hear you. I have a box that I want to sell on eBay. I don’t really have anyone to give them to plus I have some pricey vintage ones that I hope to make some extra cash on.
I threw away a lot of patterns a long time ago and I’ve regretted it. Some were the first things I sewed and I would like them just to look at. I too have a ton but I blame Joanns for their 99 and 1.99 sales.
I packed up my older patterns and put in the basement. That way I can go down and roll around in them whenever I want.
Sara
The Wichita ASG chapter takes donations of stuff like this. We sort of “triage” things — our community service projects get first pick, then we have a table at our meetings where we sell stuff for a quarter with the proceeds going to the chapter to help pay for the library and speakers, and finally, anything left gets donated to La Familia, a community center where some of our members teach classes.
I have hundreds of patterns and i have no clue what to do with them. I would guess Etsy or Ebay a least then you would make a little money to buy more patterns and fabric.
I have kept most of my old patterns – ones I sewed up and ones I didn’t. I have been sewing for 40 years so have some oldies that are nostalgic for me. I will probably keep those and any useful(aprons, bags, etc) or classic or designer styles. I did indulge in some 99-cent patterns, but not a lot fortunately. And I have bought only one pattern so far this year.(But not yet cut it.)
It IS time for yet another major re-organization of my patterns, and maybe toss the “What was I thinking? ” ones. I will donate them to one of the local charity thrift shops – they always love donations of ANY sewing stuff. I purged some fabric a few years ago and the charity called and begged for more! (I had labeled the fabrics with content and yardage and sometimes a sewing idea.)I like to imagine someone finding sewing stuff and getting all excited like we do!
I used to buy a pattern, fabric, and supplies on my lunch hour one day, read the instructions on the way home on the bus, then cut and sew it up within a few evenings, and wear it to work. That was bliss. I would like to get back to that mind-set.
I recently overhauled my sewing room/stuff/etc. I gave patterns I didn’t want anymore, fabric, trims to charity. It wasn’t worth my time to sell on eBay or whatever. I’ve been trying to stay away from the pattern sales and try to shop from both pattern stash & my “textile library.”
There are lots of things you can do…sell them on ebay or etsy, giveaway via your blog or charities like Goodwill or Salvation Army (although our Goodwill doesn’t like to take them anymore) Another option is Pattern Rescue http://www.patternrescue.com/ I send them boxes all the time and then they send me patterns that I think I can’t live without. It’s a vicious circle!!!
I also have boxes and boxes and boxes of patterns. The 99 cent sales certainly do make it easier to purchase a pattern with the thought of “well, maybe I’ll sew this one”. I’ve sold patterns on eBay years and years ago, and of course I’ve been selling patterns on Etsy over the past year or so. (I will tell you that selling patterns online is pretty labor intensive.) I have sent boxes of patterns to Pattern Rescue and have another box ready to go. I’ve also donated boxes to local charities that I KNOW will resell them in their shops.
I started sewing about 8 months ago. I can’t believe how many patterns I have accumulated for that short period of time. When I get hooked on something, I can’t get enough, and sewing has quickly become a real passion, even though I’m not wearing much of what I’m doing. So far I find it much easier sewing for my kids. WHen I mess up something for me, I need a “quick fix” I sew something for one of my daughters…My temporary filing system is full, and my fabrics and patterns are all over the place. I slowed down on buying patterns a bit, first because I’ve bought on sale everything I already like from the big 4, and I’m now hooked on Burda WOrld of Fashion. So I’m accumulating magazines. I decided that before I buy another pattern, I’ve got to do all the ones I already have…so I won’t be buying more patterns anytime soon, that’s Ok I still get those from BWOF.
I will give them away to my mom who wants to get back into sewing, but for her (she only sewed clothes for me and my brother, growing up) or I would try to sell them on ebay I guess.
Host a giveaway! Maybe a few, divided into categories? But after seeing your big pile of uncut patterns, that’s just my greedy side talking.
I once visited a model home that had a sewing room…..the decorator had decoupaged (sp?) pattern pieces to a wall (like wallpaper) in the room….very cute!…..gave the room that extra something to declare it a craft/sewing space!
Oh Stacy! When I went through my patterns, I found that I had close to 800 patterns! No, I am not kidding! Most were antique and vintage, and were purchased pre-baby. Since I will NEVER fit into that small size again, I sold the bulk of the collection through Craigslist to another collector. Whew! More room in my sewing studio!
I have such trouble with this area. The 99cent sales always woo me, but when I end up purging, I usually regret it and then the pattern is OOP and I wish I would have kept it. I am really kicking myself I got rid of my Simplicity 4020.