What To Do With Old Magazines

One of my main goals for 2017 is to tidy my craft room. It seems like something I need to do every few years.  I plan to reorganize and make space to store new craft supplies for new hobbies and interests.   So, one of the first things that has to go is some very old craft magazines.  I mean really old.  Vintage 1970's and 1980's.  But there are some great craft ideas and patterns in these books so I can't just throw them out!  

What do I do with 20 years of Magic Crochet magazines? If you can even call them magazines. There are no articles or advertisements in these publications, just cover to cover crochet patterns! I won't be doing these crochet projects but I do know someone who wants these magazines. So at least this set will have a new home.

But then there are all the various Needle Craft magazines I collected from around 1970 through 1990 that I need to find homes for, if I don't decide to keep some of them myself.
Including:
McCall's Needlework & Crafts (1976-1986)
Decorating & Craft Ideas (1976-1982)
Good Housekeeping Needlecraft (1975-1981)
Better Homes and Gardens Needlework & Craft Ideas (1977-1982)
Ladies Home Journal Needle and Craft (1976-1980)
Family Circle Great Ideas (1976-1981)
Crafts (1981, 1982 and 1987)
American Home Crafts (1974-1978)
Woman's Day Needlework Ideas (1973-1981)
Needlecraft's for Today (1980-1985)
Granny Squares and Needlework (1974-1985)
Women's Day Holidays (1981-1988)
Better Homes & Gardens Holiday (1980-1993)
Family Circle Christmas Helps (1977-1995)
Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas (1977-1996)

These magazines are full of patterns for all types of crafts including crochet, needlepoint, quilting, macrame, knitting, decorative painting, woodworking, embroidery, doll making, etc.  It was all so interesting to me.  I tried my hand at most of these crafts. Other than sewing and crochet, all the hobbies I do I taught myself with the help of magazines like this.

And this is just the early stuff, when I was experimenting and doing all kinds of crafts.  I actually have decades of maybe half a dozen different quilt magazines that are not on the chopping block! Once I ran low of free time for crafts (working full time and raising kids) I basically only did sewing and quilt projects or crochet when I had the time.

But I will probably be flipping through a lot of these magazines and may show you some of the cool stuff that is in them.  Macrame patterns from that era are something you don't see much of today. And some of the quilt designs from the 1970's look suspiciously like many of the "modern" patterns popping up today. 

Thanks for reading.
Aileen