Can we talk about our pattern collections?

I've been sewing since I was 11 years old and seriously collecting patterns since my 20's.  That's 44 years of sewing and over 35 years of collecting.  At one point in my 30's, I took every pattern I had put them in manilla letter sized folders, labelled them and put them into legal sized banker boxes. Then I put the pattern envelopes in plastic sleeves. The sleeves were placed in black binders and for years I used this system.

I had hundreds of patterns stored this way. Whenever a new pattern was purchased, I added it to the collection.  However, this system became cumbersome to move from place to place and I slowly stopped using it.  Then the pattern boxes were stashed in storage places and the backs of closets.  I rarely touched them...finally my daughter in an act of defiance, grace or better acceptance than myself tossed the lot in the garbage.

That did hurt and I was angry for a minute until I came to my senses.  I hadn't touched those patterns in at least a decade.  Acceptance came but I do regret that they hadn't been donated because honestly I was never going to eBay them or open an Etsy store to sell them.  My daughter's rationale, I still owned hundreds of patterns and they all currently reside in the sewing cave.

Honestly I've cut way back on my pattern purchasing because if I sew 50 pieces a year, more than half are from TNT patterns, the next 30-40% is from a variation of one of my TNT patterns so maybe 5-6 new patterns are actually sewn every year. I'm buying way more patterns than I sew now.

Thankfully I've invested in storage space in the sewing cave so most of the patterns are stored and easily accessible. I have only one troublesome area...where new patterns are presently being "dumped" upon their arrival in the cave. But this drop off place is also helping me to realize that I need to sew more from the stashed patterns and be more judicious with my purchasing.

So let's talk about why we buy so many patterns?  For me, it's the inspiration...the creative stimulation...and the hopes and dreams.  At the time I'm purchasing a steeply discounted pattern, I don't think about if I'll ever actually sew the pattern, or where I'm going to store it...I'm only thinking of the dream.  That amazing garment that I'm going to have a thrilling time constructing and the ooohhhs and aaaahhhs that are going to come when I wear it. Seriously, every pattern I've purchased, I've imagined it sewn up. Can't see a possibility for it, I don't plunk down the credit card for it. So what is it for you?

Why do you buy patterns?  Why do you hold onto patterns that you bought years ago and have never used?  Do you have enough storage space for them or are you just jamming them anywhere?

Talk back to me because this is the Question of the Day!

...as always more later!