Floss Organizing System ??

I use a Loran orgaizer with the cards made out in numerical order on the holes. Makes a good way to find quick. All you need to know is how to read numbers. Frances

I have my floss on bobbins, in floss boxes. I have all but 33 DMC colours, and they fit in 7 boxes, which sit neatly on a bookshelf. I like this system because it's easy to find what I need, and if I'm trying to choose colours, I can open all the boxes and spread them out on the floor to see what catches my eye. Hope that helps! Louisa

Ditto.

Depends on how well you know the numbers and/or if you have a DMC color card.

Since I have DMC and Anchor and MEZ Sticktwist and even some old Susan Bates, I file by color. A hardware parts cabinet will hold a skein laid flat. If I don't instantly recognize the number, I consult the DMC color card to know what drawer to look in.

I start with the general ROYGBIV system, and in colors where I have more than will fit neatly in a single drawer, I subdivide, e.g., red is split into violet-reds, red-reds, orange-reds, and pinks. Then drawers for browns, rusts (which I suppose could be filed under orange), black, grey, and white/ecru.

The cabinet I bought has a large drawer on the bottom, which I use for my variegated flosses.

If all I had was DMC, I might file by number, but my conglomeration of brands makes that too unwieldly.

Using the hardware parts cabinet eliminates all those hours of bobbin-winding.

Ditto doubled;all the working, and partial, whatever, original skeins are on bobbinsin the Darice boxes. However, I have a huge excess of DMC. These skeins are packaged in ziplock bags, numerically labelled and in a Long skinny Christmas decoration box. Are you guys telling me I have TOO MUCH FLOSS...no way!

Gillian

I'm not wild about winding bobbins but I just may have to do that.

Does anyone use the File-A-Floss system? It looks a bit more compact then some of the others.

I tried the Stitch Bow system and don't recommend it. The skeins fall off the holders, it is hard to slide the holders in and out, and there is no way to corral the smaller pieces. I think anything that allows you to keep the skeins flat in drawers, or in a bag is a better bet. Both allow minimal messing about with threads prior to use, and give you somewhere to store those shorter pieces that we can't throw away.

Bobbins take up less space and work as well, and shorter pieces can be wound on the same bobbin as the skein. There is the extra step of winding the thread onto the bobbin, but that can be a restful activity while you plan the next project.Be careful not to wind metallics onto the bobbins if you ever plan to use them for couching, however, because the kinks in the threads won't come out easily. Silk and floss can be moistened if it kinks, but not metallic.

Whether you store by color or number depends mostly on whether you stitch charts using the exact colors, or do stitchery that needs a certain color but not necessarily a specific numbered color, (if that makes any sense).

Pat in Illinois

When I started it all I would do a handful at a time while watching television or something else because it is a bit mind bending, but it certainly is great once it is all done.

I'll take a picture of mine tomorrow - it is floss away bags on rings by number....

I prefer keeping the skeins flat but I just can't find any boxes that have the proper space and can stack like the Darice Bobbin Boxes.

I think I'm going to have to go that way. Not my preferred method, but probably the most efficient for me.

Your explanation made perfect sense to me and it was very helpful. Thanks.

I stuff floss skeins in floss away bags, then hang my, not dmc's, version of color families on rings, sorted by number. When I need a color, I pull it out of the bag.

I use the 60-bin tool organizers--I have 8 stacked with a color for each bin and in numerical order and have room to expand. I have this setting inside the door of my hobby room so it is completely out of the way. For the hand-dyed and silks I put them on rings and use an s- hook to hang over the bar in the closet.

If you are interested I could send you a picture. I've tried winding on bobbins and don't like the way the floss comes off the bobbins-- seems to tangle more even with thread heaven and I won't even tell you what a disaster it was for me to use the bags.

Dawn

certain color of

If you are interested I could send you a picture. I've tried winding on bobbins and don't like the way the floss comes off the bobbins-- seems to tangle more even with thread heaven and I won't even tell you what a disaster it was for me to use the bags.

Dawn

Oh how I wish I had the room for something like you're describing, but I simply don't. I use the bags now and I find that it's just too easy to stuff the skeins and forget about them until I'm looking for a specific color.

That's how I got so frustrated today. I had to dump the bags to find one particular blue, which I never did find. It's either hiding or I'm out of it and need to go and replace it.

I suspect that I'm going to have to use bobbins to make up for the lack of space.

I have two boxes: one for all my unused floss, and one for the ones I am currently using, on bobbins.

I use the bobbins. I got really irritated with the tangles you can get while winding them and created a mini version of my yarn swift sized specifically for embroidery floss. This was, of couse, while I still had access to my parents woodworking supplies (long gone, I'm afraid). I found that if I set a goal of 4 skeins a night, it got done pretty fast.

I have all my DMC, Anchor, and most of my silks on bobbins. Metallics, tho, don't "bobbinize" at all well.

I stitch while watching TV, so my 2-yards-of-each set of DMC sat around for probably 10 years. Then Kim from Fabrics2U mentioned that her DD was willing to bobbin floss for customers for a couple cents pin money. I shipped the set to Kim, a few days later I got it back bobbined. Best couple bucks I ever spent.

That depends on how much floss you have. If you're only separating by generic color, and not an entire drawer for each number, you can fit hundreds of skeins in one cabinet, which has a footprint about the size of a sheet of typing paper. I figure I could stack 6 of them (2Wx3H) in less room than a standard bookcase, and hold every skein of floss in the house.

I keep mine in snack sized ziploc bags. I like them for several reasons. I find the floss bags annoying because the top is cut the same height on both sides and it's hard to separate. The ziplocs I can write the number on with a marker. When the bag wears out it's cheaper to replace. They're just long enough so the skein lays flat. I can keep multiple skeins in each bag. I keep them upright in a plastic shoe box. I have 6 boxes with all the DMC and all my specialty threads.

Hi Lucille - I've been using the Floss-A-Way ziplock bag system for years and love it. I have every color of DMC and it works for me. No time spent winding floss around a bobbin - and putting kinks in the thread - I just put the skein and any leftover long pieces in the bag and I'm done. Easy to carry around with a project and all the threads stay clean. I put my bags on big rings in numerical order - say Ecru and White to 500, then 501-799 on another, and so on. I just store all the rings of bags in a plastic box and it's easy to find a color because they're always in order.

I also have a color key card from DMC so that if I'm looking for blues for example, I can look at the card first rather than pull out all those bags of floss.

As far as overdyed threads go I store them in plastic boxes and printed off inventory sheets and just put check marks next to the ones I own - so I know whether to dig through the box or call Lois at Elegant Stitch to order some!

Hope this helps - MelissaD