I have talked for years about designing a software package to help us stashaholics organize our out of control stash. In poking around the web the other day, I stumbled across someone else who has actually created and is selling some basic organization software. Let that be a lesson to me for sitting on a good idea for too long.
Anyway, I think that I am going to start programming my software package, now that I have competition to motivate me. I have not taken a look at this person’s software at all, as I don’t want to become biased or swayed in any way from my original vision.
My question to you, my loyal readers, and to anyone else that you might drag to this blog in order to help answer this question for me is:
What features would you like to see in a stash organization program?
I have my own list of ideas, which I will not list here because I don’t want to give away my (hopefully) good ideas to my competition, but I would really like to see what any potential customers would find useful.
Please, please, pretty please take a minute to comment on this post with your thoughts.
Thanks in advance!
I think having a program that had a companion app for my phone (mine’s Android) so I could access it while shopping would be nice. Good luck with this project, Jenna!
I think you would be totally on top of it; but that said, could you add a catergory for me to poss have a comment? like I could add ‘cute cat’ or ‘gorg & difficult’? that could be a help instead of physically going thru’ all the patterns. um, yes, I have that many! (now i’m embarrassed) xx
Something that’s easy to make changes to, and large enough so you can actually see what you’re filling in. I had to fill in a bunch of Excel timesheets the other day and by the end of it, I was ready to screech.
Let’s see. I’d like an iPhone version that I can back up on my computer. Import/export with Excel, text files, etc, to create shopping lists and mass updates for inventory. Tags as well as categories that I can create/edit to suit my tastes. Ability to create a “next in the pile” list and modify the priority of projects on the list on a whim. Embedded conversion – for a new project, once I enter stitch counts and fabric counts, it will tell me how big to cut the fabric!
I’ll be back if I think of more….. 🙂
I’d like an iPhone app similar to the barcode scanner and it would be nice if I could add it to a spreadsheet that also had some kind of image capability as well. Fields for fabric and fiber needs would be nice.
I would love a stash program, with keyword searching capabilities. And as mentioned above , though not an easy feat for anyone, is I would love a scanner device to scan things as I purchase them/or to scan what I already have, and be able to load it in and create shopping lists and the like from it on my computer. So in essence it would use already existing UPCs so that I could load my threads and stuff. But this is a HUGE undertaking!
I’ve tried using a spreadsheet (Excel … then I moved to a Mac, and I wasn’t happy enough with this spreadsheet to buy the software for the Mac), then found some software that was half decent *IF* your stash wasn’t huge. For me, the biggest need is that the program auto-update itself with actual pictures of the designs, preferably, or bare minimum, with a link that would take me directly to a picture (the problem with a link is it could change or disappear in the future, way before I’m ready to let that stash item go).
Re: the comments above requesting scanning devices: (1) wouldn’t any scanning device capable of reading a UPC code work? (2) How useful is a scanning device, really (unless you already have one for your CDs or your books or your … )? Because, aside from DMC floss, I’m not seeing UPC codes on most of the stash available out there …
Definitely an app would be great – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at a chart while I was out, and thought, “Do I already own that?” I don’t even have a giant stash and sometimes it’s hard to remember. Also, the ability to pull out a specific “must have” wish list from the “would like to have” list would be excellent. And if it could link to places like Crescent Colors and Weeks and wherever to download their current color palettes, that would be a bonus.
I would like to see a list of what was needed to complete (floss, beads etc) projects, with links back to what projects they were needed for. The ability to list projects as wip, ufo, kitted, fully kitted, partially kitted, all with pictures of course.
A companion app for the iphone would be great. Maybe a way to add a picture of what the pattern looks like. I know most of my charts by sight not by name. What I would really like is a way to keep track of how many of each floss I have. (DMC, CC, Weeks, GAST).
Jenna, I would rather buy your software as you are a stitcher and you know and understand our needs.
Search option, of course.
Built-in floss/ bead database for most common brands so you could just choose them from the list and apply amount.
Possibility to add picture of the design/ booklet with the info.
Entry fields for purchase date, printing year, purchase price, gift etc.
App for Android. And ability to sync in between the mother software and cell phone.
Categories for embroidery techniques.
Hmm… designer version with possibility to add model stitcher info sheets etc. would also be great.