Contest with no real prize?????

**brendaj** · May 1st, 2009

Okay folks, who has the most designs. Purchased, freebies or self digitized. I bet I could win. I think I would love this hobby just for the design collecting alone. So start counting and lets see who wins. (I'll have to go add up my mess)
Brenda in MI

**la_cole** · May 1st, 2009

I will let you beat me, because I have too many to count.

**skipper** · May 1st, 2009

I'm still new when it comes to embroidering. I feel the same about collecting designs as you do. I already have a couple of cds full of them and I've only been collecting since last Sept.

**MaryEHenry** · May 1st, 2009

I have too many to count as well. I have all the DBS ones and 757 folders of other ones that have multiple designs in them! It would take me way too long to tally them up!!

**debbsie** · May 1st, 2009

I couldn't possibly count all of mine - an impossible task......

**ginny1960** · May 1st, 2009

I have to many designs to count, I automatically default to you , not going to waste all that time counting. It would be years before I finish.......LOL

**windstar** · May 1st, 2009

[QUOTE=brendaj I bet I could win.

Wanna bet.

Molly

**sharong** · May 1st, 2009

I've been collecting since 2002...couldn't give a guess?!?!?!

**ginny1960** · May 1st, 2009

I have all of the DBS designs plus a humungous pile and folders of designs to numerous to even attempt to count.

**brendaj** · May 1st, 2009

Boy, you all make me feel better about myself. I sometimes feel so quilty about haveing all these designs, knowing I will never stitch them all out. I do get joy out of downloading and sorting and gazing at them. I quess that people who collect those little spoons never use them either. I can think of a lot of other collectibles which cost more than the computers we store our designs on.
So, anyone brave enough to count. The folders should list how many files are in them. I cringe every time I back up. I best do that again soon, like tomarrow.
Have a great night all.
Brenda in MI

**windstar** · May 2nd, 2009

All my designs are on cd's and just about every cd has way, way over 1,000 designs. I have been collecting since 2001 and some before then when I didn't even know what format to download and save cause I didn't have an embroidery machine yet to know what to save. Now that's sick. Now do I want to count the cd's...no. I started out putting them on floppy then put them on cd.

Molly

**quiltersblock** · May 2nd, 2009

Just free and purchased designs - I have 205,216 files on 21.15 GB of space - and that's not my digitized files. Each file contains at least one design. That's as far as the computer will count. Beyond that, I'm not counting. I started collecting in 2005. I haven't even bothered to count my digitized designs. I'm sure a lot of you could beat me.
Good question.
Hugs and Smiles, quiltersblock

**ronnieh** · May 2nd, 2009

Wow that is a lot of designs, quiltersblock. I did a quick check of properties on several 'stashes' and came up with nearly 110 000. That doesn't count any purchased cd's - or purchases that were taken off the computer onto floppies - but I would still fall way short of your total I'm sure. Now tell me - just what do you and I intend to do with hundreds of thousands of designs LOL?????? And still we collect . . . . . .

**windstar** · May 2nd, 2009

Originally Posted by brendaj

Boy, you all make me feel better about myself. I sometimes feel so quilty about haveing all these designs, knowing I will never stitch them all out. I do get joy out of downloading and sorting and gazing at them. I quess that people who collect those little spoons never use them either. I can think of a lot of other collectibles which cost more than the computers we store our designs on.
So, anyone brave enough to count. The folders should list how many files are in them. I cringe every time I back up. I best do that again soon, like tomarrow.
Have a great night all.
Brenda in MI

I think we all have designs that we will never get around to sewing. We collect them cause we feel like one day we might need one and regret it if we didn't download it and save it.

Molly

**wienerin** · May 2nd, 2009

I could count the CD's, but not the designs.

**ginny1960** · May 2nd, 2009

Originally Posted by wienerin

I could count the CD's, but not the designs.

wienerin, I do not want to ever attempt to try to count the CD'S, I have so many never mind about attempting to count the designs, I will just default on this contest......

**pkingsly** · May 3rd, 2009

I've been collecting and digitizing since 1994 when I started with a Poem machine and the software. I have 10 "retired" files of free downloaded designs with a minimum of 1000 designs in each. (I close the file and back it up on a CD when I reach around 1000). In addition, I own almost every design pack from OESD and Bernina, including all the Designer collections. Not to mention all the designs from the Sick site, John Deere, Martha Pullen, Great Notions, Balboa (the entire collection) and others too numerous to mention.

I'm not bragging. I considered it an obsession, maybe even a sickness, until a friend showed me his stamp collection. You know he will never mail a letter with the hundreds of thousands of stamps he owns. Now I don't feel so bad about not sewing all the designs I own. He sits for hours pouring over his collection with a magnifying glass. I sit at the computer for hours admiring my designs, adding monograms, visualizing jackets, towels, etc. covered with embroidery.

I am a collector of embroidery designs. I don't have to use them. So there!
Pat

**brendaj** · May 3rd, 2009

I don't think we should call this addiction a sickness. It doen't harm ones self or anyone else, so no sickness, just addiction
I am enjoying hearing how many designs you all have.
I just added all the free designs from embroidery rn (about 1700 I think).
I also downloaded buzz tools and did the conversion. I am am love with that program. It is so nice to be able to see my degins so clearly. I want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wish I had the money.
Have a great Sunday all.
Brenda in MI

**quiltersblock** · May 3rd, 2009

Originally Posted by pkingsly

I've been collecting and digitizing since 1994 when I started with a Poem machine and the software. I have 10 "retired" files of free downloaded designs with a minimum of 1000 designs in each. (I close the file and back it up on a CD when I reach around 1000). In addition, I own almost every design pack from OESD and Bernina, including all the Designer collections. Not to mention all the designs from the Sick site, John Deere, Martha Pullen, Great Notions, Balboa (the entire collection) and others too numerous to mention.

I'm not bragging. I considered it an obsession, maybe even a sickness, until a friend showed me his stamp collection. You know he will never mail a letter with the hundreds of thousands of stamps he owns. Now I don't feel so bad about not sewing all the designs I own. He sits for hours pouring over his collection with a magnifying glass. I sit at the computer for hours admiring my designs, adding monograms, visualizing jackets, towels, etc. covered with embroidery.

I am a collector of embroidery designs. I don't have to use them. So there!
Pat

I find all of you interesting and some of you make me smile. Thanks.

I only collect the designs I think I'll use or see a potential use for down the road. (I AM going to get that sewing room - eventually). *sigh*

As for other collecting: my parents started me on other collections when I was young so I, too, am a philatelist as well as a numismatist - someone who collects things that are used as money. They started me on angels, loons, bison, and wolves as well. No, my house is not filled with this stuff. I'm pretty picky about what I will and won't collect. If we go to a foreign country, we get a few sets of coins - one or two to keep and one or two for special children in our family at the time. Of course we collect 2 of each US coin minted each year and each mint to make up a "set" and have one for us and we're currently giving Ladybug a set a year. And there's the US quarters and nickels and pennies as well. The rule is that it has to fit in the safe deposit box. LOL Stamps are intermittent anymore but when I was a kid it was a fun introduction to other countries, and we do this with each of our Godchildren and nieces and nephews to start. If the interest doesn't stick after a few years we drop it and go to something else. The other items are what are given to me. I do not purchase anything to collect it.

So, while I do have quite a few freebie designs, I don't collect everything I see just to have it. I'm very judicious about what I purchase as well. Some digitizers will not allow their designs to be put on things for sale, or they limit the number of items for sale. That's something I consider as to whether or not I'm getting my money's worth out of it. I'm not a see-it-gotta-have-it sort of person. I have to talk myself into it to spend money on it. I wouldn't call it a habit. As for taking up a few Gig of space on my computer, I have nearly two terrabytes so space is not a problem. And, I'm not in collecting or chatting or hunting all the time. Sometimes if you see me online I may be doing two or three other things while trying to catch up here and try not to do things that require actual brain power or concentration. Sometimes I'm away for days because I have other things to do. So, I wouldn't call it an addiction or obsession in my case.

I'm curious as to what kinds of designs people like to collect - types such as rw or fsl, sizes such as 100mm or 150mm, or subject such as children or sports, or animals, or Jacobean, or floral, etc.
Hugs and Smiles, quiltersblock

**matistsat** · May 3rd, 2009

I cannot count freebees, I can count the bought designs ... and since I got my membership, I'm more cautious ... I do no longer download everything, I choose. Now, I have more than I'll be able to embroider them !
For the moment, collecting interesting/beautiful designs is like buying beautiful/different .... fat quarters !!!! A great fun !