So I am going to confess. When I buy a membership I usually download everything. Not so much the color charts, because I usually pick my own. I find tastes in my family are so different that I am always surprised what they pick. Lately I have become a lot more picky, but in overall that is what I do.There is just no way I ever will use them all, but ohhhhh it is so much fun collecting. Now I am starting to delete a lot of Freebies that I had frantically collected when I first started.

I DL'd every design in two formats for my two machines, but no color charts. Not sure how much space they take up, but it was a decision of time. None of Miss V's designs are ugly, but I have a new philosophy about ugly freebies. Better to collect them for free than need to purchase when requested - my favorite example, the free unicorns on Bunnycup. I hate unicorns, but I sure don't want to pay for them for some cute little girl who dreams of having them.

Hi Kim, I have never downloaded colour chart. I never stick to the colours chosen as I like my own colours. Love Chris

I do download the designs, colour charts if any and the jpg file so I can remember what it looks like.. I love my subscriptions..

I only download the designs I might use, and never bother with the colour charts. If I have any doubts, I have the website open on my computer screen so I can see what the designer intended it to look like. However, like Chris, I may not agree!

I confess, I download each and every design and organize as I DL. The only website I need color charts for is Embroidery Library. No, there is nothing wrong with you that isn't wrong with the rest of us. It is called addiction and you are in good company.

I DL emblibrary color charts only. All the rest no. I never have all the colors they have anyway and like Chris I like my own colors /Lillian

If I have questions, I open the design in software and watch it stitch out, Wilcom has this feature.

I could throw you a lifeline, but I'm not sure how much it would help, me being in the deep end and all. :)
Repeat after me, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." -Stuart Smalley.

Hello my name is Pam and I am an embroidery design aholic- a hoarder of material, and all crafting supplies. Antique etui, notions, sewing baskets, thimbles and scissors of all varieties to me is like an alcoholic smelling a liquor bottle, (there is a reason I do not drink alcohol). Luckily my earthly funds will limit my ability to own many of the antiques that I find so appealing, as I do not know if I could ever have enough. My embroidery designs are beginning to feel like they too may be getting to that point. Are we gathering the designs just to have them or to complete the set or are these the best of a design. Or best within our budget?

I too am a bit OCD, but ....you can set your own parameters of just what you need to complete your set. Just think, your set really is not "complete" until you have an actual stitch out of each design to go with those files. Now just who of us will have a design file with ALL of the format files-even when not provided by that site, ALL the color charts, terms of service, color picture files, multiple back ups in a variety of ways, and then also include the pictures of the actual stitch outs of each of the designs AND in each of the sizes offered and then also have multiple files of EVERYTHING so they can be in their various sub files that the design could fit under. So reading that you are likely saying, no way will I do all of those things, ....so decide for yourself, from this day forward, just which things, are the things you DO need, or may need, not just what will "complete" the file. What completes each of our files is a personal decision, this is where you can make your collections fit your own needs not just to "collect a complete set".

I am one who tries to download all designs if I have a membership. Like when I had mine here on Cute, that made sense, as they stitch out well, but I found when I had a membership at another site also with a huge design base and multiple digitizers of varying abilities, that there was just no way, I was ever going to stitch out some of those designs and it was hard to make myself finish downloading each and though the membership has already expired I still have to finish doing the rest of my organizing and filing of all those designs, and my heart really is not into getting it done. Which is not a good sign as it likely will mean that I will never get another membership there, and may even find it hard to finish organizing those designs and if they are not filed then there will be even less chance that I will eventually use them. The designs I tend to use are those that I have filed, in a way that I can easily see the picture of the design and the format I need is ready to use.

I am not in business, if I was, I likely would have also downloaded every one of the color charts of those designs too, but I gave myself permission to just download the color charts for the designs that had more complex shading, as I am another that likes to choose my own colors. The sheer thousands of designs that I now have in my files, many, that I likely will never use, from that other site, has me really starting to evaluate, which sites I purchase from, and which sites have the better quality designs, that I will want to stitch out repeatedly. I have recently stopped visiting several sites and have been reviewing the terms and conditions on the sites I do visit. I have been making some hard choices about if I want to use any of the designs from certain other sites. I often have the same designs, digitized by different people, and it really can show you the difference in quality and the digitizers experience and those who have the desire to make programs of a higher caliper and those designs really do stand out, in a very good way. I do think that those who are in business that it is even more important to only use the higher quality designs, as the people ordering are going to think the quality of the digitizer's work as being related to your skills. Likewise the higher quality designs will make almost anyone's stitch outs look good. Which is why people who do run a business would NEED to have the actual stitch outs in the various sizes just so that people could see the differences up close and be taught what to look for. If you are only willing to stitch out quality designs then your work will always look good, regardless of whether or not you actually care for the subject matter. Hope I can live long enough to stitch out all the designs I have. ...noooo, I take that back, I do not think I want to live that long, as I would live forever at this rate!

My name is Lee, I'm a design hoarder, fabric hoarder, craft hoarder, and only my craft area is organized! If only I ran my house as well as I manage my crafts!

I like to keep color charts just as guidelines. I don't pay attention to color numbers. I have a variety of threads and use any which one that pleases me. What I wish every design had were a detailed stitch chart, i.e. 1 are the eyes 2 the nose. Some designers enclose a "pictograph" for lack of a better word and I appreciate this.

Btw, there are lots of things wrong with me!
Hugs,
Lee