Comments on Lindsay T Sews: Seeking Opinions: Irons and Pattern Cataloging

I'm an android girl too.... maybe I'll sen...

2011-04-12T18:35:39.273-04:00

I'm an android girl too.... maybe I'll send an email to the pattern pal peoples too! Right now I just have them stored in folders in my phone. The physical ones are in binders by type. The tissue pattern is stored the same way Gigi does hers.

OK, downloaded the free trial of Pattern File. It&...

2011-04-12T11:28:34.824-04:00

OK, downloaded the free trial of Pattern File. It's hard to evaluate during the free trial because you need to pay for the Pro service to get the awesome auto-fill feature BUT it seems very functional and it can be accessed from any computer (once you install Adobe Air). They are planning to release mobile versions this summer too. I think I will go ahead and sign up for Pro. (That is, when I have the money and the time to start the data entry!)

I store all my patterns in 2 commercial pattern dr...

2011-04-12T10:56:07.504-04:00

I store all my patterns in 2 commercial pattern drawers I bought at a store closing. I painted them to match my sewing room. Prior to lucking out and buying these, I used metal file cabinets, which I has purchased cheaply at a used office furniture store. One set of drawers holds my vintage patterns, which I categorize by either Designer or date issued and pattern #. The other set of drawers holds modern patterns sorted by pattern #. Since I mostly have Vogue patterns, this works well, once you get the hang of their numbering system. One drawer holds my Vintage McCall collection sorted by date. I keep a file card with a list of my newer patterns, so I don't repeat when I go shopping.

I buy yardage by lengths -3 yds for a suit,2 yds for a top, etc..- according to probable intended use, so rarely do I care to specifically buy fabric for a particular pattern. I store my not insignificant fabric stash by type -wool knits,mohair, cotton prints,wool boucle etc.- on those metal industrial kitchen type shelves in Sterilite containers.

I keep a notebook with scanned images and/or cut samples of the fabric together with info re fiber content, wash instructions and width/yardage of my fabric purchases, but I prefer to rifle through my well-organized pattern drawers for fun and inspiration, fabric notebook in hand!

I use Evernote for other things. Evernote and Pica...

2011-04-11T10:01:38.976-04:00

I use Evernote for other things. Evernote and Picasa both sound like decent ideas but I really want something designed for inventorying patterns.

I think I'm going to try Pattern File. There's a 10 day free trial!

I have no idea about patterns , I just have basket...

2011-04-10T23:48:56.557-04:00

I have no idea about patterns , I just have baskets /boxes, whatever and put lables such as "me" Pete etc on them . Works well and when I have to hunt for a pattern I get the chance to reaquaint myself with the collection.
Iron wise I have bought a TEFAL iron with its own tank . Its fantastic and especially good for tailoring and moulding wool . I have blogged a bit about it and you can see a pic of it. It doesnt take up much room and is easily carried around as the iron can be clasped onto the tank and act as a handle .

Here's a second vote for Evernote. Evernote pr...

2011-04-10T14:35:48.034-04:00

Here's a second vote for Evernote. Evernote provides apps that work on most smartphone varieties. There is also a Mac and PC client app as well as a Web-based app to access your database. The database synchronizes among ALL of your Evernote installations. That means that what I view and save on my Mac is also available in my Web client, PC, and iPhone. I photo my OOP patterns and save them directly into Evernote. I can categorize into notebooks and tag entries for filtering. The pictures are excellent quality and I can read all yardage information. I can research patterns on my 17" Mac and also look up pattern information at the fabric store using my iPhone. For new patterns I save the PAttern company Web page into Evernote. Because I have the actual Web page content in my database, I don't have to worry about losing the Web page when the company reworks their Web site. (Remember the Vogue pattern site redesign last year?) I also save fabric information. Every purchase from EOS is saved into Evernote. I take pictures of fabric from local stores and save them into Evernote along with a picture from the bolt of care information. When I'm tempted to buy more fabric, I go to my sewing notebook and filter on the fabric tag. I can view my entire stash and resist temptation. ;-) I also save tutorials from Web sites and blogs. They might disappear from the Web in a few years, but they will always be in my personal Evernote database. Evernote is one of the best things that has happened to me in a long time!!!

What I have done is on my computer I saved pattern...

2011-04-10T13:30:59.947-04:00

What I have done is on my computer I saved pattern pictures under the pictures file and made a specific folder dedicated to sewing patterns. For the older patterns that are no longer available at the specific website, I have taken a digital photograph of the pattern and uploaded it into the folder.

I have a scanner so I scanned the front and back o...

2011-04-10T09:20:56.315-04:00

I have a scanner so I scanned the front and back of every pattern envelope I have. I uploaded the images to my computer and Flickr under folders for each pattern company (all the Simplicity in one folder, etc.). I also have an Excel spreadsheet with columns for pattern company, pattern number, size, description of pattern, and category (tops, pants, etc.). I find the Excel spreadsheet keeps me from buying multiples and it's easy to sort to see if I have something in particular. The scanned pattern envelope images make it easy for me to see at home (and work--shhhh!) what the fabric requirements are for something I already own, perhaps I wish to shop on my way home from work, etc. My patterns are now stored in carts with drawers but they are crammed into the back of my closet. Scanned images are easier to get to. It was a huge undertaking but I simply spent an hour each Saturday and Sunday morning scanning and logging patterns (my husband sleeps in later than I so 6-8 am is very productive time for me). One more tip, if you choose to make an Excel spreadsheet, include ALL details in your description. Sometimes I want to search for a particular designer or design element, it is much easier if you include all the information from the beginning.

I've had a similar problem with keeping track ...

2011-04-10T07:12:15.230-04:00

I've had a similar problem with keeping track of my patterns - It's also difficult when you're out fabric shopping and have no idea how much fabric to buy!

I've been toying with the idea of creating a website to track patterns for a while now. I love pattern review, but there are so many features I want, that are missing.

The lucky thing is, I'm a programmer by trade so I'm thinking of taking all these ideas (and some of the comments from this post and other blogs) and doing something about it!

I'm loving my Rowenta DG8030 steamer generator...

2011-04-10T05:48:53.464-04:00

I'm loving my Rowenta DG8030 steamer generator. It's bigger, but it knocked out a linen tablecloth in record time yesterday. Oliso has a great PR person, because I've seen them everywhere. I think Threads or Vogue did a ranking not to long ago and one of their models made the cut. See if Consumer Reposts has tested irons recently. For patterns, I use Pattern Review, even for the OOP ones. I upload or link to my own pictures.

I use Evernote to catalogue my patterns. It's...

2011-04-10T05:45:04.627-04:00

I use Evernote to catalogue my patterns. It's fantastic and you can use it for all cataloguing all kinds of things. I also keep a record of my yarn stash.

About 1-1/2 years ago, my husband purchased for m...

2011-04-09T18:38:08.263-04:00

About 1-1/2 years ago, my husband purchased for me a Reliable i300 steam generator iron and the vacuum board. It is wonderful! We purchased the iron and board as a package from Allbrands (NA) and could not be happier. My old iron was still working, but I donated it after about two weeks of using the Reliable i300. It is the best iron I have ever owned.

I would love a new iron but as long as the current...

2011-04-09T15:58:20.783-04:00

I would love a new iron but as long as the current one works, I'll spend the money on patterns and cloth. I won't be buying one with a teflon surface next time though - it's peeling off in threads!

As for patterns, I wish I had an iPhone or some such luxury, but I needed to be able to access them when I was away from home. My patterns are all recent purchases, so I just saved the photo-order receipt to a draft email on my email account. I can usually use the internet in a local library if I absolutely need to check something whilst shopping.

Pattern Pal sounds great but I love Android and wi...

2011-04-09T14:12:49.021-04:00

Pattern Pal sounds great but I love Android and will not be switching to iPhone or iPad any time soon. (I have written to the makers of Pattern Pal to ask if they will be offering it for Android - we'll see what they say.)

Bento looks promising and I do keep a Mac in my workroom but I don't want to be limited to the Mac.

I like the idea that peacockchic and Dana mentioned about doing it in Picasa because then I can access it from any computer and any smart phone at any time but I would prefer an application that was designed for inventorying patterns.

I'll have to do some more research but if I don't find exactly what I'm looking for then I'll probably go with Picasa.

Here's another vote for the Reliable Digital V...

2011-04-09T05:16:12.914-04:00

Here's another vote for the Reliable Digital Velocity v100. I LOVE this iron. I have used it for months now and it's true: nice and heavy, no spitting, EVER, loads of steam at the lowest temp. I love it much more than my Rowenta, which spit, and even more than my Bernette ProGlide, which I liked, but this is better. Good tip on Overstock.com!

If you have a scanner connected to you're comp...

2011-04-08T23:41:06.037-04:00

If you have a scanner connected to you're computer,, I would just scan them in ,and make a folder for them,, this is what I am doing with my recipes..

I have used the Oliso iron,, about 5 yrs ago,, I a...

2011-04-08T23:33:20.176-04:00

I have used the Oliso iron,, about 5 yrs ago,, I absolutely love it,, its the legs the had me,,

I was using it at a Marth Pullen Viking School,, ironing a material for a pillow case,, I had never even heard of this iron before,, I was so taken with "legs" i forgot to notice any of the other features,, I just know it irons great,, wonderful steam,,

As far as the legs go,, you DO NOT stand the iron up,, the lady hosting the School came by and actually laid the iron down for the legs to engage,, when using it the legs dis-engage,,

The kind my Joann's store carries is about $120.00..

Can't help with irons, I swear by my Naemoto g...

2011-04-08T22:15:35.389-04:00

Can't help with irons, I swear by my Naemoto gravity feed, but it is not compact.

I am interested in your pattern solution as well. I have two four-drawer filing cabinets full. It took me about four snowed in days to put each pattern in a labeled hanging file folder, they are in order by company and number. I have downloaded the images of current ones from the pattern companies, tagged with searchable clues, and have the list of those that are not current to scan on some rainy/icky day when I need a project. From there, I need a way to catalog and search, but I want to store on a hard backup as well as be able to access from wherever, my plan is store on my computer with backup on a thumbdrive I can access with my netbook, and also sync with my phone. I don't do i-, but thanks to the above posts, I'm going to look at FileAmigo. K

I had Rowenta irons and was not pleased with them....

2011-04-08T22:03:45.893-04:00

I had Rowenta irons and was not pleased with them. They leaked and spattered ~ very frustrating. I now have a Reliable i300 and it is a gem.

http://www.reliablecorporation.com/Products/Professional-Irons/i300

Absolutely delightful to use and it "never" ever spits or leaks ~ never!

I am soon buying the Reliable Velocity 100V for my everyday ironing :)

http://www.reliablecorporation.com/Products/Home-Irons/Digital-Velocity-V100

If you have a Mac and iPhone or iPad, Bento is pre...

2011-04-08T21:06:06.969-04:00

If you have a Mac and iPhone or iPad, Bento is pretty useful. I've done a blog post about pattern stash organization in the last month too. The best part of it for me, is that once you have Bento, you can sync it on your Mac or iPhone/iPad when you get on your computer. So it is up to date across all platforms.

It also allows you to have separate templates for fabric stash; I have a fabric stash and a separate pattern stash. When I buy something I take a photo with my phone and add it to bento on my phone; next time I log on to my Mac and sync, it goes on the laptop too. You can take pics of the front and back, so your vintage/OOP patterns should not be an issue.

If you are interested, here is the link to my blog- www.thirtydaily.blogspot.com/

Hope that helps, good luck!

I spent under $30 on a Black and Decker Classic ir...

2011-04-08T19:38:22.043-04:00

I spent under $30 on a Black and Decker Classic iron. It heats fast and is nice and heavy but the steam is inconsistent.

I scanned all my patterns (fronts and backs) into Picasa after putting it off for a long time. I love it! It's so much fun to open the file and see my whole collection. And if I only want skirts, I sort them by that tag. (I've also attempted to do the same with my fabrics but am having a hard time keeping up with that one.) The actual patterns are all stored by number - there are very few duplicate numbers between companies so it's really easy to find the one I'm looking for.

My darling daughter organized my patterns for me a...

2011-04-08T18:41:19.029-04:00

My darling daughter organized my patterns for me and I blogged about her process here:

http://sewmuchknitting.blogspot.com/2011/01/butterick-5244-for-kristen.html

In the binders they are organized by pattern company and in numerical order, but I plan to change that to organizing by type of garment ie:dresses, pants, tops, etc

I also have a gravity feed iron on my wish list!

Don't know what happened to my post! I absolu...

2011-04-08T18:04:22.565-04:00

Don't know what happened to my post! I absolutely love my Reliable iron. Great steam, no spitting, and you can override the automatic shut off. I've had every kind of Rowenta known to man and some other irons, but this is my favorite so far.

I'm intrigued also by the Olisio iron. I have ...

2011-04-08T17:54:47.977-04:00

I'm intrigued also by the Olisio iron. I have seen it used on Fons and Porter and keep thinking that "lift" things it does is kind of freaky. I guess you get used to it. My Rowenta has stopped steaming no matter what and I am one of those now using a dry iron and a spray bottle. I am not crazy about it. Personally I am leaning toward a Reliable but want to also know more about the Olisio.

As far as pattern cataloguing, at one time I did do the binder with the scanned envelopes. I thought this would go with me on every shopping trip for fabric. It was a PITA and I didn't always buy fabric because it was for a specific pattern. Eventually I found it cumbersome and gave up. If there were a simple way to set up a file on the computer, as there appears to be, then I might try it. I still think its cumbersome however, and for me anyway. Right now I have all my patterns organized and separated by type or by Designer in pattern boxes from JAs. That is simple and has worked the best so far.

I too have been using Pattern Pal. Seems to work f...

2011-04-08T17:53:37.231-04:00

I too have been using Pattern Pal. Seems to work fine for me. Also have a Delonghi steam iron that I like very much.