Threads.

[motherof4]

I have been cross stitching a piece of work for about 5 years now and the thread on my bobbins is looking dingy and dull, has anyone any ideas how to freshen them up again please.
TIA

[Serinde]

I come across this, too, with some of my threads, most recently a ball of pearl cotton. It looks very faded, in this case and I have no idea when it was purchased. I guess I'm looking to unwind some of the thread on the ball to see if the thread underneath looks brighter. But these changes are, I guess, just part of life. I'm certainly not going to try washing it or anything -- life's too short and thread isn't that expensive. And if unwinding doesn't work, at least I have thread I can experiment and practice with, knowing I'd rather not use it in a project.

[Kuschelschaf]

I've noticed this with some of my thread too. I tend to buy enough for a project and buy more when I am working on something else that needs that color. I do make sure to always has DMC 310 and Blanc on hand at all times, though. I always seem to need it.

[Podolyanka]

I keep my threads ("leftovers" from projects) in DMC storage boxes(8 full), in the shade. As I stitch a lot, most of threads are "fresh", but there are, of course, some that have not been used for at least 10 years, yet they are and look perfectly well. So, I think, they want to be kept in a closed box and far from sunshine.

[Serinde]

Yes, that's pretty much my solution, too. All my various threads are in closed boxes, usually in either cupboards or drawers, and they are fine. The difficulty is in "inherited" threads of uncertain age, where it's not clear how it's been kept (for example, a lot of crochet cotton, which I'll use for warp thread one day -- it may be dingy, but it's still strong).

[Mabel Figworthy]

Likewise I keep them in the dark - the boxes are semi-transparent, but they are in a room where the curtain is usually closed (unless I'm working there) and they are on shelves with a curtain. The beads and gems are on uncurtained shelves - as we can tell from 16th century beadwork, they are not so fussy about how they're kept

[rcperryls]

I have always kept my threads either in bobbins in the plastic "bobbin boxes" with extra skeins in floss bags. All are kept either in a cupboard or in a large multi level sewing box that my DH gave me years ago. I think some of the threads are well over 10 years old and have really kept their color well. I rarely have a problem if I match them with a newer skein, unless DMC has made a change in the color.

The difficulty is in "inherited" threads of uncertain age, where it's not clear how it's been kept

I agree and keep those threads in a separate container and use them for small projects that don't require a lot of skeins so I don't have to worry about running out and having a mismatch with a newer color.

Carole