How do you organize your floss?

Tips, Tricks & Techniques - anything to help fellow cross stitchers.

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Anna114
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Anna114 »

Thank you for the compliment! I was really happy on how they turned out. I fit about 8 skeins comfortably. I did just check a "stuffed" draw... it had 12 in it. Since this is my spare floss I put a range of 4 colors per draw. Only a couple had a lot of floss in it.

Anna

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Addie
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Addie »

I use a real fine point Pilot pen and plastic flat bobbins. I write the number of the thread and then wind the thread around it. I have two large plastic lidded boxes with sections in it. I arrange my bobbins in order of color with the palest first and down to the darkest in the same color range. The number is always showing at the top. I never buy skeins of thread thinking I might need it for a future project. Over time thread will deteriorate. Even though a pattern may call for three strands, I prefer to use only two or even one if I am outlining an image. So although the directions call for four skeins, I will buy only three.
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Judithmakes
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Judithmakes »

My dmc are on bobbins and the handdyed floss and silks are in flossaway bags
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Maria1955
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Maria1955 »

MelAdkins wrote:Well, I just ordered bobbins for the little floss I do have and baseball trading card sleeves (to put the bobbins in) to go in a binder. I'm not sure what I'll do yet for WIPs. I do kind of wish I could find ziploc like sleeves because I would love to seal the thread in to prevent it from getting "icky", but we'll see how this works for now.

I do agree with the person who said she only cuts off the amount of floss she is going to use right at that time, though and rewraps the rest, so that it never comes loose. I am doing that now with with my Reindeer kit. The other reason I like the binder idea is that I also organize the patterns I have in binders, too. All those "someday" patterns. LOL.

Thanks for everyone's input! The pictures were AWESOME!!

Melissa

Hi just a thought for you regards a zip lock bag to hold your trading card sleeves have you thought of the 12 x 12 scrap booking sleeves for their paper you can punch holes in the side and place in a 12 x 12 folder and all is safe a grime free.
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ecology665
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by ecology665 »

You all have some really nice systems of organization. :applesauce: I just use the plastic jewerly boxes and use the DMC paper floss bobbins. I don't care for the plastic, but I do have some. I organize the boxes by either pattern/kit or by color. I use the Le Ron Needle cards. The excess floss is kept in a large bag by color.
1. In the Garret kit
Image
2. I cut the #'s off the floss skein and paste in upper right corner.
Image
3. needle box Image
4. This is PB#12 for dark blues. I use seed bags to store.
Image

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DisneyStitcher
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by DisneyStitcher »

I haven't read through all 265 replies and it looks like this thread has been going for a number of years. Pardons if this has already been posted. I got this from a picture I saw on Pinterest while looking for ideas for storing a large stash of floss. You get a hanging file box and the corresponding hanging files. Cut files 2 - 3 inches down from the hanging bar - you'll get two bars from each hanging file. Take a 3/8" hole punch and and make 10 -12 holes halfway up each cut file equidistant from each other along the length of the bar. Number each hole (I went in DMC numerical order but you could keep a chart telling you which bar each color is on - like the old Lo-Ran ring binder system) and put a 1 1/2" hinge ring in each hole. You can put full skeins on the ring, use the normal pull through loop for cut skeins on each ring, hang bobbins, plastic bags or a combination of any of these storage methods - however you like to keep your floss. Then hang the bars in the plastic bin made to store hanging files. By using the tabs at the top of the hanging files, I know what number range I'm in as well. The entire DMC floss library fits in one box with room to spare. This system works really well for me because I know instantly how much of any particular floss color I have at any one time, without having to dig through full skeins, bobbins, etc. I hope this helps somebody out there in stitch land. :)

Sorry, adding to this. When you do your hole punches - you need to make sure the hole is low enough so that more than half the diameter of the ring is below the cardboard. It leaves you room to add more thread and keeps the thread from rubbing against the cardboard.
Stitchin in SD
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Stitchin in SD »

I found a box of wrapped bobbins at an estate sale. I asked how much it was. She said two dollars. I could hardly keep a straight face, because i would have paid ten for it.
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cairee
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by cairee »

DisneyStitcher wrote:I haven't read through all 265 replies and it looks like this thread has been going for a number of years. Pardons if this has already been posted. I got this from a picture I saw on Pinterest while looking for ideas for storing a large stash of floss. You get a hanging file box and the corresponding hanging files. Cut files 2 - 3 inches down from the hanging bar - you'll get two bars from each hanging file. Take a 3/8" hole punch and and make 10 -12 holes halfway up each cut file equidistant from each other along the length of the bar. Number each hole (I went in DMC numerical order but you could keep a chart telling you which bar each color is on - like the old Lo-Ran ring binder system) and put a 1 1/2" hinge ring in each hole. You can put full skeins on the ring, use the normal pull through loop for cut skeins on each ring, hang bobbins, plastic bags or a combination of any of these storage methods - however you like to keep your floss. Then hang the bars in the plastic bin made to store hanging files. By using the tabs at the top of the hanging files, I know what number range I'm in as well. The entire DMC floss library fits in one box with room to spare. This system works really well for me because I know instantly how much of any particular floss color I have at any one time, without having to dig through full skeins, bobbins, etc. I hope this helps somebody out there in stitch land. :)

Sorry, adding to this. When you do your hole punches - you need to make sure the hole is low enough so that more than half the diameter of the ring is below the cardboard. It leaves you room to add more thread and keeps the thread from rubbing against the cardboard.
I love it! :whoop: I think this is the solution to what to do with my leftover skiens from completed projects, misc threads and such!
:wip:
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DisneyStitcher
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by DisneyStitcher »

Hey Mables! Glad you liked it. It worked very well for me. I had the old Lo-Ran ring binder (3 of them the hold all the colors) with colors all over the place. I hated flipping through the charts in each one to find my thread and to store extra skeins, you had to cut them. When I didn't feel like doing that I kept the full skeins on 3 or 4 inch hinge rings and had to flip through all the skeins hoping my eye would catch the color I was looking for. It took me two weekends to organize it, but it was worth it! I wish I could have thanked the Pinterest crafter who posted the picture. 8)

BTW - your dog is LOVELY! We lost our 14 yr old lab to cancer back in October. We're working our way up to bringing in another puppy. I miss the dog, but just not up to puppy training yet.
Fibreartist
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Re: How do you organize your floss? (sorry long post)

Post by Fibreartist »

First I want to say I am happy when people find what works for them. EG. The popularity of bobbins and Stitchbows. I must say I tried them very briefly and have never liked the Stitchbows.

Well I have an update on what I have done with my DMC. I had the Annie's keepers and that was working very well but I had to use a large file box to store all the threads. It took up alot of space in my apt and I didn't have a convenient place to store it where I could get at the threads easily. However, they do not get dusty with this system BUT it did cost a pretty penny. I wish I thought of what I have now BEFORE I bought the Annie's system.

First some background: I started pulling my thread for projects and putting them looped on cards (sorry no photo but I think you know what I mean) then I decided I would take all my threads and do the same. I already had done this with the LoRan covers but they got dusty so at that time I went back to bobbins. Then when all my bobbins were in the jammers plastic boxes my cats would knock the box over and the bobbins would go everywhere! What a pain to put back in order. Then I put them in the Annies.

Okay fast forward to today. I happened to have some zip-up binders I bought at Staples one year thinking they would be good for kitted up projects (that's a whole other topic! :shock: ). I made cards like the LoRan master cards plus used the mastercards I had and put all my thread pre-cut into the binders. I now have ALL of my DMC cut up and on cards in the binders. I can zip up the binders so that takes care of the dust problem and also because I can zip them up they don't get tangled either.

It's easy to pull out what I need for projects and I have been creating separate cards with the thread lengths looped on for each project.

BUT just a minute ago as I was re-reading this thread I got a real brainwave :whoop: . An actual excellent idea if I do say so myself.
The problem I started getting is I have so many WIPs so I have been buying multiple skeins of DMC and I have many many duplicates because one skein is with each WIP even though you may only need a few threads of a color. Are you still with me? Thanks for hanging in there.

I believe I am going to stop creating individual project cards and just work out of my three master binders!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :tizzy: :whoop:

I know brilliant right??????? Well it seems brilliant to me. I will post photos when I can.
I find it very easy to pull the threads I need and to work with the pre cut lengths. Just reloop the remaining unused thread back on the loop and it lays beside the main bunch of thread in the same loop. The binders take up much less room than the Annie's or the bobbins (I have 2 jammers doublesized boxes or 9 regular bobbin boxes) or the bags and I finally feel organized with my cross stitch threads.

One thing I do need to do is pick up 1 or 2 more zippered binders. For my current projects with all the threads on cards already I will just leave them as they are and as I complete the projects I will return the thread to it's place in the binders!
What do you think?
Gina.
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Lillicent
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Lillicent »

I have a 3 tier stack organiser box which has divided sections. Got it on Amazon and its been a lifesaver with all the colours I have accumulated! :dance:
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dawn0621
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by dawn0621 »

You guys are just too much! lol My brain started swimming and malfunctioning just trying to read through what you're doing with floss. lol I got sick of bobbins a long time ago and use floss bags. For wips i put the lot on rings and it's easy for me to flip through, pull threads and stuff back in the bag. So far I have two boxes of them and am slowly trying to use up the bobbins. Anyone need bobbin boxes? lol
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Fibreartist
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Fibreartist »

Dawn

Don't your threads get all tangled when they are in the bags?
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dawn0621
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by dawn0621 »

Fibreartist wrote:Dawn

Don't your threads get all tangled when they are in the bags?
Nope not at all.
Dawn
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isaacson72
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by isaacson72 »

I tried so many different ways but I ended up with this (image inserted below). The only problem is now the section of floss in the 900 range is getting too big to shove into the space. I don't want to go to 2 boxes, I like having everything right here next to me. The system works. A few times I just use a different color than what the pattern says - something so close it's hard to tell the difference, so I don't have to buy another color. I've got a bazillion of them in here, each section is on a set of rings. Good enough for now! (says the girl who seems to buy new thread every single time she's in Hobby Lobby, for no apparent reason....).

Image
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ecology665
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by ecology665 »

Isaacson, I really like the way you organized the floss into the plastic bin. Great idea! :applesauce: :D
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isaacson72
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by isaacson72 »

ecology665 wrote:Isaacson, I really like the way you organized the floss into the plastic bin. Great idea! :applesauce: :D
Thanks. It works for me, because I've only been doing small projects - mason jar lids, bookmarks, ornaments. They're small & don't take much time so I don't have to keep pulling colors for new projects - they're all in one spot.

But I realized after I bought my first couple of HAED designs last week that I may need a separate organizer for those projects. That bin is pretty full and for just one of the HAED designs I need about 40 or so additional colors so trying to fit those in.... I don't know. I think I'll just keep a HAED design with it's own floss bags in a separate container. I definitely like the floss bags the best. I always look for new ways to organize my projects, but I keep coming back to the bags.

Michelle
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LeisaZ
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by LeisaZ »

I use a Plano Fishing Tackle Box with 4 plastic storage with moveable dividers that the bobbins fit into and a large deep top. The boxes slide in from the front with a door on a hinge that hooks at the top. I have 2 storage boxes with my DMC on bobbins and labeled, kept in order by color number. The other two are dedicated to Weeks Dye Works, I sprang for a complete set, love their threads also on bobbins. I moved to plastic bobbins and have a "baggie" with bobbins, fine point sharpie in it, ready to make more. I am going to buy a second one as I put all my silk, flower threads, metallic's, etc into separate zip loc baggies in the top and its crammed. I buy extra skeins when on sale, those I put in small baggies labelled. DMC 1-100, 200, 300 etc. The top has a smaller opening in the lid I put my scissors, threading wax, etc up there.

I pull threads I need for each project and put into a gallon size plastic bag with the fabric. I keep the patterns and bags I am working on (currently at 10) in a handmade knitting bag it is square on the bottom so it holds it all together. Whatever project I am on scissors, threader and wax go into that baggie.

My fabric is stored in zip loc bags with the fabric details on a quarter sheet of paper in the bag, I store those in a 4 drawer rolling plastic cabinet sorted by size and color.

I rarely use kits, so I have all my patterns and magazines in rubbermaid storage boxes, stacked in a closet.

When I travel I take the hand made bag I have 10 projects at my fingers. If I am going to need my floss stash, I just have one other box to carry, my Plano fishing box. I go in an RV a lot when not at work and it helps to only have 2 containers to bring. My husband thinks I'll need a third box, but I will wait till I fill up the 2nd one (when I buy it). Those boxes are not as expensive as stuff dedicated to stitching and crafts, and can be found in discount stores that cater to fisherman. I love it.
Leisa :ratherbe:
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CindyW
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by CindyW »

I'm a LoRan girl. I started with that system 30 years ago or so, and eventually got all the colors, which are in binders. When I get a new skein I immediately cut it (I keep them consistant by wrapping the thread around my magnetic guide plate) and put it in the master binder. I have a half a dozen of the large project cards and 4 of the small project cards. When I set up a new project I move the needed colors from the binder to the project card. I write the color number and symbol on the project card, in pencil, so I can reuse the project cards.

I've tried the bobbin system, but seem to waste so much floss. :ratherbe:
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Podolyanka
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Re: How do you organize your floss?

Post by Podolyanka »

As I stitch large projects, threads(DMC) accumulate. So they are on bobbins in DMC storage boxes (7 for different colours, one- a work boxwith threads for the project in process. Works for me perfectly well.
Lyudmila
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