Floss Organizing System ??

I know this has been asked and answered a gazillion times, but I'm dense and
I never really paid attention.

I got extremely frustrated this afternoon looking for a certain color of
DMC thread (I never did find it) and I decided it's time to do something
about my messy system.

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?

This time I promise to be good and listen.

Lucille

On Jan 29, 5:12�pm, "Lucille" [email protected] at comcast..net
wrote:
So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?

This time I promise to be good and listen.

Lucille

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

On Jan 29, 6:12 pm, "Lucille" [email protected] at comcast..net
wrote:
I know this has been asked and answered a gazillion times, but I'm dense and
I never really paid attention.

I got extremely frustrated this afternoon looking for a certain color of
DMC thread (I never did find it) and I decided it's time to do something
about my messy system.

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?

This time I promise to be good and listen.

Lucille

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

Lucille wrote:

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?


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.

--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

Finished 1/19/08 - Sesame Street group picture

WIP: MLI The Teacher (gift to the library),
Bethany Angel, Flowers of Hawaii (Jeanette Crews) for ME!!!
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel

www.CFSfacts.org -- where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf

lucretia borgia wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:38:31 -0800 (PST),
opined:


On Jan 29, 6:12 pm, "Lucille" [email protected] at comcast..net
wrote:

I know this has been asked and answered a gazillion times, but I'm dense and
I never really paid attention.

I got extremely frustrated this afternoon looking for a certain color of
DMC thread (I never did find it) and I decided it's time to do something
about my messy system.

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?

This time I promise to be good and listen.

Lucille

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.

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

"Karen C in California" wrote in message
...
Lucille wrote:

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?


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.

--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

Finished 1/19/08 - Sesame Street group picture

WIP: MLI The Teacher (gift to the library),
Bethany Angel, Flowers of Hawaii (Jeanette Crews) for ME!!!
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel

www.CFSfacts.org -- where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf


My problem is that I have very limited space and the cabinets are just too
big.

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

On 1/29/08 7:39 PM, in article ,
"Lucille" [email protected] at comcast..net wrote:


"Karen C in California" wrote in message
...
Lucille wrote:

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?


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.

--
Karen C - California
Editor/Proofreader www.IntlProofingConsortium.com

Finished 1/19/08 - Sesame Street group picture

WIP: MLI The Teacher (gift to the library),
Bethany Angel, Flowers of Hawaii (Jeanette Crews) for ME!!!
Retrieved from UFO pile: Marbek's Snow Angel

www.CFSfacts.org -- where we give you the facts and dispel the myths
Myths, with research cites: http://www.aacfs.org/images/pdfs/myths.pdf


My problem is that I have very limited space and the cabinets are just too
big.

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

C

"Pat in Illinois" wrote in message
news:[email protected]_s21...
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


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.

Lucille says...

So what's the consensus on the best, easiest way to organize thread?

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.
--
another anne, add ingers to reply