New Floss and Fiber Storage System

Allie, I have 4 of Annie's Keeper storage systems. Some fibers are cut to length, but my #5 pearl cotton is just untwist the skein and looped through. ( I have one of every co;or and will get back to my Temari balls as soon as the wedding season is over) I love the fact that I can pull all my empty keys and I have an instant shopping list. The fibers are stored into 3 Rubbermaid archive file boxes. I used the floss bag system foe years and I wouldn't go back.

Bobbie V.

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I have read quite a few posts about storage systems for floss. It seems that every few years a new system hits the market. I still use the 2" bobbins (oldies) and the new smaller ones, strung on a ring numerically for each project. I usually work only 2 or 3 projects at a time so that does not put much of my supply out of general use. When I am done, I file the bobbins in cigar boxes divided with thin strips of card, divisions being 2" wide.

I am curious about the floss bag system. Just how does that work? Deb :)

Sorry - I did not see Allie's message when I was typing mine out to post. I questioned how the floss bag system works. You can ignore me. Deb

Ok, I take that back. Don't ignore me. I just can't wrap my brain around the floss baggie storage system. Are the flosses on bobbins? Do you have a certain color range in a bag. On the web all I see are cute little floral print boxes with the tips of bobbins showing. It looks like what I do, but I know it isn't. Deb :)

This is a link to someone with the flip flop ones. The bunny shapes are really cute.

Ellice

I try not to either.

Cheryl

I kppw my floss in sandwich-size baggies numerically like they are on the color card. The first bag has the first color range -- say colors

susan

I keep my baggies in a closed box -- no light unless I"m looking for something.

susan

That's basically how I keep my floss. DMC goes into one set of bags and odds and ends (leftovers from kits) into another. The bags go into individual boxes, some rubbermaid and some cardboard, and then they go into a closed cabinet. Specialty threads have a little plastic cabinet with long, narrow drawers. That way threads rarely see the light unless they're being looked uipon by my eyes. I'm much too lazy to use something as organized as one of those lovely systems where each skein is put into it's own private cubicle.

Lucille

One thing I don't understand about File-a-Floss - why don't they make the bags the length of a skein of floss? The bags I've seen, you have to fold up the floss to make it fit. This annoyed me so much that I went to bobbins and baggies.

Alison

Try the "Thread Tux" from yarntree.com I use them for charts that call for DMC/Anchor floss. One skien of thread fits inside, and it has holes on either end - one for putting on a ring and one for uplling the floss out through (you don't have to open the baggie to get floss out every time, pull out the desired length and snip it off)

I use floss baggies, specificially the floss-away ones. I put all the skeins of each color in the bag, and then the bags go on rings. I have 4 or 5 rings for my DMC set; when they get crowded, I shift things around to use another ring. But, for kitting a project, I toss all the ones I need in sandwich bags, and as I cut thread off, the excess gets put on bobbins and the bobbins into a box. If there's any left when I'm done with the project, I just toss the bobbin back into the floss-away bag for the next project. It's not the most efficient system, and I don't collect threads really, so that keeps it simple. But, this is what I started with, and I don't know that I want to change. :) Keeping the storage compact is important to me; I don't have a very large stitching area (one deep end table drawer and 4 bookshelves).

Allura

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Hi, Deb,

RCTN'ers would never ignore anyone ;) In fact, I can vouch for that since I haven't posted in awhile and when I downloaded the messages today there were a gazillion!

The file-a-floss system comes with the tapestry box you see, 100 baggies (think snack size zip lock bags), and 100 plastic tabs which affix to the bags and convert the bags into essentially mini-file folders. The tabs can be hung on two rods which are on either side of the box, so now the box is acting like a little file cabinet. What appear to be tips of bobbins showing are actually a little tab sticking up which let you wrap a bit of floss around it so that you can see the color of the floss. That tab is also where you can put the label for the floss number.

It really is a nice system, although Alison pointed out that you have to bend the skeins a bit to get them in the baggie, just like you do all floss bags. That is annoying. As someone else suggested, you can use the thread tux, which are the size of skeins, but they seem like they would be a devil to store. I asked Yarn Tree if they were going to make a box to store them in and they said they had no plans to do so.

I checked out the thread drops someone was suggesting. I am assuming that you just loop a hank of thread over one of the two holes? I might have to have the hare ones, "hop, hop, thread drop", maybe for specialty threads, because I love rabbit things and these are quite cute!

Allie

Good description. I use the floss baggies - either brand. Ring them for a project, then when done, off the ring, and file them away in big rings in numerical order. We've got the file-a-floss box mini-hanging file system - and I think it's fine. Pretty cute and compact. I like using the bags because it's easy to just put extra thread lengths in the baggie while working - don't have to wind them around something, or lose them, etc. Never bothered either me or my thread folding them - they just sort of curve into the bag. And I put the tagged overdyes in them as well.

They do look cute, and I think would work fine - just like using one of those wooden thread palette loops, or the same. Then just put the ring of thread drops in a container.

For me, I just can't stand having a big tangled mess. Yesterday was the day when I had 3 customers come in for help with sorting through some of their project work - each with a lot of overdyed threads - and all mixed up. So, it seemed my little mission of the day was to get them to "clean-up" and protect their investments - hate to see people spending so much on the expensive floss, and then not be able to keep using it cause it's lost, messed up, etc.

Ellice

Doh. I wish I had seen that before I put mine into floss away bags on rings. I like the boxes much better. But right now I'm feeling too lazy to reorganize it all again. :)

Allura

I hear you there!

Hey, the same bags work - just take them off the rings and stick on the tab/hanger things. Use the rings when you have the bags out for a project. Plus, I think you can get pre=printed Anchor & DMC number stickies for the tabs.

Ellice

I think I need to see this set up in person before I buy more stuff, but I really do like the idea of putting it all into boxes.

And yes, I know you can get pre-printed DMC stickers; I used them on the bags instead of writing the numbers on them. Better than my handwriting, certainly! :)

Allura

Some questions on the File-A-Floss system:

Can you fit multiple skeins in the bags? All the sites showing the boxes say it holds 100 skeins. I'm assuming that's how many BAGS it holds? I'm guessing multiple skeins might cut down on how many fit in the box?

Does anyone know of a site with better pics? All the sites I've found so far show the boxes really well, but not the thread hanger/tabs/ etc.

How hard is it to get the floss you need off the rod? Are they hanging on it? Or do you have to pull everything off the rod?

I already have my floss in floss-away bags on rings, but I'm considering switching to this. I have a lot more shelving space, and I'd love neat little boxes to store the floss. The one drawer I have would be better for holding odds & ends like fabric, tape measure, etc.

Allura

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