Pattern management in AC:NL?

So yesterday, I spent some time laying down the roads in my village. It took a total of 9 patterns to get everything right (4 corners, 4 sides, and a middle). However, I now only have 1 pattern space left in my "pockets". I know that if I change a pattern or remove it, then every tile which now has that pattern on it will also change.

Is there a way for me to manage this properly? Or am I doomed to have only 1 pattern (which is now used as my town flag)?

Additionally, if I wish to change my patterns at a later date and replace them all with another road tile pattern, what would be the easiest way of doing this? Would simply replacing/copying over the old tiles do?

Thanks!

The thing everyone does is making another character (or even more than one) dedicated to that purpose, giving him all the road patterns. If you have all the patterns on your main, you can pass them to him by using the able shop. This way you can keep whatever patterns you like on your main. More complex works require way more than 9 patterns, so making other characters is often mandatory.