Organising and storing your threads

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Nicola Main
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Organising and storing your threads

Post by Nicola Main »

A few weeks ago I bought 150 different colours of DMC stranded cotton on Ebay and I was struggling to think of a way to sort them all out. Well I got a couple of Skein Storage Travel Boxes http://www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk/skei ... 0b5eVeGjEN" target="_blank and I must say what a great idea! I've spent most of today sorting out this mess:

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Into this:

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Each tray holds 25 colours and there are 4 trays in a box. I also catalogued and printed off all the numbers and names of the DMC colours by tray so if I need a colour I can find it quickly simply by looking at the list.

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I'd certainly recommend these boxes for storage and I got them at a reasonable price on Ebay. Anyone else got any good storage solutions you could recommend to fellow stitchers? :)
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Arianwen
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Arianwen »

thats a cool way of storing your threads!

I'm definitely a bobbin girl. I have boxes from Home bargains (a discount store here in the UK) and sew and So that I organise my threads by brand, and then by number. I havent decided on a solution for 'special' threads yet as I don't have many - i'm working getting a full collection of DMC and Anchor first
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MaggieM1750
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by MaggieM1750 »

Heres 11 pages of different ways people store and organize their flosses

http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... f=3&t=6756" target="_blank

I am a stitchbow girl, in pages and kept in 2 binders.
Had thought of arranging like you have but haven't switched.
I would rather they be in number order. But I do have the big fold out color card thing that I keep in the front of my binder.
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by guenever »

oh i love all these tips! i have to get organized this summer!
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Lori0
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Lori0 »

How I store my threads. A little while back I purchased a rolling tool chest.
Image

I'm a bobbin gal.
Image

Still working on the dividers for the extra non bobbin threads.

But my fabric fit in one drawer.
Image

I have frames and stands in the large drawer on bottom
Lillte items in the top two little drawers. Once I have everything in place, will post pictures .
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Allyn »

I'm a confirmed Floss-Away bagger. :)
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curly sue
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by curly sue »

What a unique storage system! I've not seen one like it before.
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Nicola Main
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Nicola Main »

Lori, that's such a great way of organising everything and with room for storing your fabric too :applesauce:

Maggie, sorry I must have bypassed that thread without realising :doh: yes I would have arranged them all by number order but I got a bit lazy and ended up doing them by colour instead.

I have room for about 30 more colours for in the second box. It helps that I've got the sheets of paper with the numbers and names on and it doesn't take me long to find which one I'm after.
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Mrs_Stitcher
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Mrs_Stitcher »

Lori0 wrote:How I store my threads. A little while back I purchased a rolling tool chest.
Image

I'm a bobbin gal.
Image

Still working on the dividers for the extra non bobbin threads.

But my fabric fit in one drawer.
Image

I have frames and stands in the large drawer on bottom
Lillte items in the top two little drawers. Once I have everything in place, will post pictures .

This is amazing and is making me want to steal my husbands tool chest haha
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afdish
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by afdish »

I used snack size baggies (walmart brand) with cardstock cut to 3x6, with color number printed on upper left hand corner, to give it structure and identify what color is in each bag. The skeins fit into bag, so they are straight. The filled bags are stored in standard inexpensive photo storage boxes (hobby lobby). This is the perfect storage system for me. It is inexpensive, easy to assemble and maintain, easily scalable, and protects the floss. I currently have all DMC colors and they fit into 13 boxes. If you are interested in seeing, here are my blog posts:
http://afdish.blogspot.com/search/label ... ganization
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Cora »

Lori0 wrote:How I store my threads. A little while back I purchased a rolling tool chest.
Image

I'm a bobbin gal.
Image

Still working on the dividers for the extra non bobbin threads.

But my fabric fit in one drawer.
Image

I have frames and stands in the large drawer on bottom
Lillte items in the top two little drawers. Once I have everything in place, will post pictures .
I never would have thought of using something like this to store thread in, it's amazing!
I keep mine on bobbins, in some boxes. I only have DMC floss, I can't get any other kind in stores around here.
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by bookknurd »

I currently have mine on bobbins, but I'm starting to think it doesn't really fit my needs. I'm thinking of stitching to floss-away bags. I really like the idea of putting card stock in them to make them have more structure, as well as for recording information.

I've never seen those boxes you shared, they're quite interesting!
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by crosstitcher1 »

Wow :shock: :shock: Lori and afdish, what amazing storage systems. And afdish, I'm like you, a whole skeins girl. Giving my late sis's 9 plastic bobbined threads containers in her plastic 12" tub to the grand girls.
Last year B/H and I were at our local Lowe's, and he showed me in the nut/bolt/screw area, a flat drawer system they used for their storage of them. He made the comment, " That's would look nice in your hobby room, if you had the space." It looked sort of like your tool box idea. @rotfl:
Again wonderful ideas.

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Peepfaleep
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Peepfaleep »

MaggieM1750 wrote:Heres 11 pages of different ways people store and organize their flosses

http://www.crossstitchforum.com/viewtop ... f=3&t=6756" target="_blank" target="_blank

I am a stitchbow girl, in pages and kept in 2 binders.
Had thought of arranging like you have but haven't switched.
I would rather they be in number order. But I do have the big fold out color card thing that I keep in the front of my binder.
Maggie,
I just started using the stitch bow system and I REALLY like it. I have heard people complain about the loose threads but I just tuck mine under the threads on the skein. Do you have any tips I could use?
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MaggieM1750
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by MaggieM1750 »

Image

Yay!!
Thats how I wrap my skeins. The bit thats wrapped around the end may be the end of the skein, or the leftovers from what I have cut from the skein.
I'm not one that saves every little snip of thread. If its less than 5-6 inches.. it most likely gets tossed.

(My only complaints about the bows is that there is no bulk packaging. I would have liked to buy 50 or so at a time. Or 20 per package since thats how many fit per page. And well.. they are flippin expensive compared to bobbins or bags. But for me, the convenience of them was worth the stupid price for those sticks)
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meganh
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by meganh »

Very cool ideas here :D. I store mine in boxes of bobbins, in a bag since mine need to be able to travel from house to house. :D :D

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afdish
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by afdish »

MaggieM1750 wrote: But for me, the convenience of them was worth the stupid price for those sticks)
Hi Maggie! I tried the Stitchbows some years back and decided they weren't for me. So, I have a Stitchbow Roll with 19 Stitchbows in it that is just taking up space in my stash. I have no idea what happened to #20. If you want it, PM me with your address and I will be happy to send it to you. I'd love for someone to actually get some use out of it.
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MaggieM1750
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by MaggieM1750 »

Oooh.. Thanks. Generous offer but I've got all the sticks I need.. and a pack or two extra.
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Mystonique
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by Mystonique »

[/quote] My only complaints about the bows is that there is no bulk packaging. I would have liked to buy 50 or so at a time. Or 20 per package since thats how many fit per page. And well.. they are flippin expensive compared to bobbins or bags. But for me, the convenience of them was worth the stupid price for those sticks)[/quote]

You fit 20 per page? Ours in Aus only fit 15! And the bows come, ridiculously, in packs of 10. I have long pondered the sense in that.
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MaggieM1750
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Re: Organising and storing your threads

Post by MaggieM1750 »

You are right.. it is 15 a page. I knew it didn't match the 10 stick package. I wasn't home and guessed at 20. And yes, it would be far too logical to sell sticks in a quantity that matches a page.
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