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tips/ideas for organizing thread

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reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito im curious how do you girls guys and pals prefer to organize/keep your threads? especially those of you who have a big collection 🤔 i use exclusively embroidery floss (dmc/anchor and the like) and i used to keep mine as skeins just as they are sold and store them in a make-up pouch. then i got some bobbins for the colors i already used so they wouldnt unravel in the pouch and make a mess. it was kinda hard to see all the thread i have in my collection and to choose colours for bracelets with this arrangement though 😐 so ive finally caved in and bought myself a plastic organizer with sections so i can organize my threads by colour and see all of them better. the skeins dont fit there well though.........i mean they do fit but its still hard to see all the colous 😢 sorry for the long-winded explanation but i just wanna know how many of you prefer to store your threads on bobbins and if you do - why? do you think it would be worth it to put all my thread on bobbins for the sake of convenience? or do you use a different way to store the thread?
rjmd17 Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by rjmd17 @reito, I bought a "photo and craft keeper" from Michaels. It consists of one large box, with 16 smaller boxes inside for organization. I find skeins of thread fit perfectly in it and it holds nearly all my thread (minus excess black and white, and my multicoloured thread)! I originally had them all in a plastic bin, but they kept getting mixed up and I didn't like that I couldn't see all my colors at once. I think I am one of the odd ones that actually doesn't wind my thread onto bobbins. I just don't see myself spending all that time to put full skeins on when it's only going to be taken off again. Putting partly used skeins on bobbins so they don't tangle is a good idea though! Hope this helps!
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @rjmd17 thanks for the helpful insight! that box you named is very neat (in two senses haha) i dont have access to michaels but ill be on a lookout for something similar in my area! re:bobbins its the same reason why i dont put all my threads on bobbins as well! but i guess it also depends on how much thread you use on one bracelet because with some patterns you can spend the entire skein in one go and with others you need just a little especially if its an alpha 🤔
rjmd17 Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by rjmd17 @reito, I completely understand, my nearest Micheals is 5 hours away, so I had to wait a couple months until I went to town to get the storage box I have. Another idea would be just to get a larger storage box, and get a bunch of smaller boxes to go in it? I know my local dollar stores have lots of smaller boxes, and Walmart has bigger ones, so maybe you have something like that in your area. As for the bobbins, I completely agree! Usually when I have some left over thread I just wind it around my hand and put the skein number back on it, and then put it back with the same color skeins, I just find bobbins too inconvenient 😂

reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @rjmd17 thanks for the suggestion! honestly ive been thinking abt it and it seems like i just have too much thread to fit in one box that i have (cant link the exact product but if you google "transparent embroidery thread box" thats it basically). if i werent trying to fit so many skeins in each section of the box i could probably see all the colours better 😂 i might be able to fit my thread better if i put it all on bobbins thats why i wanted to hear peoples opinions on that but as we discussed it doesnt seem worth the effort to me so far! but im staying open-minded in case somebody joins the discussion 😊 anyways thanks for your input! also impressed you manage to put the labels back on skeins ive never been able too!
cro_meg27 Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by cro_meg27 @reito I use the ArtBin floss keeper box. They are about $8 on Amazon. More at the craft store. I have 10 at the current count. All my floss is on plastic bobbins. They are inexpensive on Amazon as well a pack of 300 is what I’ve gotten. I use an extra fine sharpie to write green DMC color number on the bobbin. Each box is a different color. red/pink, orange/yellow, green, blue. Etc. I have a box just with variegated and shiny floss. Another for the craft cord. It’s an addictive habit. Lol. I also found keeping a list of what I have and how much of each color helps keep me from buying too many extra. I have a love of DMC 333 and keep buying it thinking I’m out. Hopefully this helps.
Bubble37 Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by Bubble37 I use a clear plastic organizer that is separated into 16 smaller sections and wind my thread around plastic or cardboard bobbins that fit in the sections. I lay them sideways so i can see all the colors and have them separated by hue (reds, oranges, yellows, grays, etc). Im not how much is considered a lot, but I have around 50 colors and there is still a lot of room.
mrs_jordan Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by mrs_jordan Right now, I have a set of drawers that I got from Michaels to store all my floss, but you could use the plastic set of dressers from walmart too! I separate my floss by brand into separate drawers and the only ones I have organized by color are my DMC threads. I have each color in an individual baggies that I also got from walmart in the jewelry section. I believe they are 3 inches by 4 inches. I also have a separate section for my blacks and whites and then another section for all my multicolor thread. I only wind my thread onto bobbins now after I take some thread from the skein. I used to wind and label them all and even though I love it, it was too time consuming and took away from making bracelets! This is the organization that I find works best for me, but I understand I have a much bigger collection of thread then most on this site. I would look on amazon for one of those photo organizers that I saw another user mentioned if you have a smaller collection. I like that you could organize by color and not have to wind them onto bobbins!
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @cro_meg27 wow thats a lot of thread 😲 love your way of organizing all of it, thanks for the insight! also DMC 333 is such a pretty colour 😍 dont have that one in my collection right now but i'll get it on my next trip to the craftstore
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @Bubble37 that sounds very neat and organized ❤️ i have a similar box i think but too much thread for it haha so that's the opposite of a problem i guess!
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @mrs_jordan thanks for sharing! i use bobbins the same way you do though it wouldnt be as time-consuming for me to wind all my threads as it would be for you haha! still, that's the main reason for my hesitation to commit to bobbins fully 😄 will be on a look-out for photo organizers, thanks for the advice!

astring Skiller	2 years, 2 months ago by astring i think bobbins are the way to go because it’s simplest for getting in string and putting it away. you can also buy these huge storage cases for embroidery thread, or do what i do and have multiple cases
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @astring thanks for the advice!
_Ederle_ Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by _Ederle_ I put my thread on bobbins and put them in old boxes I have and I have certain colors in their boxes and then label them. And then I put them in a drawer I have. When I didn’t have as much, I put the skeins in little baskets on my shelf. Also, bead holders are great for storing them. But mine are full of beads lol so I don’t do that. I also have old school bags for makers and stuff, so I use them for my special thread I don’t have as much of, like metallic and ombré threads.
_Ederle_ Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by _Ederle_ On bobbins the thread won’t get as tangles and is easier to get off. Hope this helps you decide on something to do!
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @_Ederle_ thanks for sharing! im very indecisive so any input on the matter helps 😂
ArtsyAnna Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by ArtsyAnna I store my bobbins in a five teared stack of plastic drawers. Organized by color. And my skeins I throw into a plastic bag.

ArtsyAnna Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by ArtsyAnna Oops! Sent that to early! I use to use plastic boxes with dividers, but I had so many it took up about half a tub and I didn’t find it worth it. So now with the way I store them it takes less space but it does make a mess when you look at/ for colors.
reito Professional	2 years, 2 months ago by reito @ArtsyAnna thanks for letting me know! im kinda new to this hobby so my thread collection is not as big as more seasoned knotters' and for now i can sacrifice some space for the sake of convenience of easy colour-picking but i can see how for you the space might be more of a priority!
ArtsyAnna Bracelet King	2 years, 2 months ago by ArtsyAnna Sure thing! Hope you figure out what you want to do!

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