Thursday, March 1, 2012

Floss organization question...

I have been organizing, folding and stacking some of my embroidered pieces.  I love the way they look all together! 


I had to take a picture or two!


I also have a few new embroidery flosses to wind up on these floss cards.  This is six strand embroidery floss:


I have a lot of pearl cotton...I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for storing pearl cotton floss?  The white and black floss on the left side of this picture came on nice spools.  I wish I could find spools like this for the rest of my pearl cotton:



21 comments:

Cheryl Marie said...

They look really pretty all neatly stacked...maybe someday you can make a quilt or some type of creative artwork with all of your embroidery pieces.

Mhairi said...

Have you seen these. I know Sarah (who owns the shop) ships internationally. I think they hold a complete length of cotton - as in from the shop to home without using any.
http://quiltfabricdelights.com.au/store/WsDefault.asp
And they would look lovely on a wooden bobbin holder or similar stacked on the wall.
I love all your embroideries in a stack, they look wonderful.

Bits of Stitching! said...

Organizing finished embroideries always cheers me up, bet you have fun!
About the perle cotton... maybe making a cardboard "ring" similar to the ones inside the perle cotton that you have already in bobbins/balls and winding the skein onto the cardboard ring, it might work.

Susan said...

I use empty toilet paper cardboard centers (cut to desired height) for things like ribbon, floss, lace, etc. Another thing that would work would be PVC pipe cut in short pieces.

Mandy said...

DMC pearl cottons don't come in many colours on balls. Pity isn't it!
Pearl cotton doesn't like to be wound on bobbins really. As it is only one strand, the kink from the winding stays more noticeable when using. I like those big silver rings that you can open out & just slip through the existing loop of the skeins so a few can hang together in a bundle. Keep them in number groups or colour groups! Easy! Then take off what you need for a project & put your project ones on their own ring. Have fun! Your pile of pics are pretty!

Angela said...

http://orgjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fl.jpg

I hope this link works. If not, it's on my Pinterest under sewing room inspiration. This is the case that I've thought about getting. I have my Pearle cottons wound on the little bobbins and stored in a binder right now, but they are bulky. My regular 6 strand is stored in a Stitch Bow organizer. I have been very happy with it. I haven't tried to wind my Pearles around the stitch bow. I guess it wouldn't be any different than winding it around the bobbins.

Bethany said...

http://www.amazon.com/DMC-GC001-StitchBow-Floss-Holder/dp/B000Y3F6IE

I like these stitch bow organizers for flosses and threads that are hard to wind or can't take a lot of handling. You don't have to wind onto them, they just bend slightly and fit into the skein, the straighten out and hold it at it's original size.

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

The embroideries look lovely! No ideas on storing perle cotton but I'm checking out the links left by other commenters!!

Karen said...

Those embroideries do indeed look lovely all stacked together like that! I enjoyed the eye candy!

Kim said...

Cheryl, Thank you! And thanks for the idea. A quilt would be so much fun. These embroidery pieces all have white backgrounds and are pretty similar in size - they would make nice quilt blocks!

Mhairi - Thank you for the link! What a beautiful shop. The wooden bobbins are a fantastic idea. Yes I see they hold 44 meters! The skeins I have are size #5 and are 25 meters
so they would fit :)
Monika - Thank you! I did have fun - I also really enjoy photographing them :) Cardboard is an excellent idea - a while back, I made some rings from a paper towel tube and it worked pretty well but the floss unspools over the edges, I can't seem to wind them like the manufacturer!
Hi Susan - Thanks! PVC tubing - that is what the floss spools I have look like they are made of but with extremely thin walls.
Hi Mandy! Yes - it is a pity! My local store usually only has these spools in white or black! Thank you for the information about winding. I have often thought about that even with my six strand floss - I don't really like the kinks that are in it when I am using it. I have some of those rings - book rings - I will definitely try this!
Hi Angela! I love your Pinterest boards! That case looks great - so does everything else for a sewing room :) I have wanted to try the stitch bows - so you are happy with them?
Bethany - Thank you for the link! I see they have binder inserts to put them in and it sounds like the pearl cotton wouldn't take too much wear.
Hi Archie - Thank you! I am enjoying looking at all these links too!
Thank you Karen!

Home Sweet Home Place said...

What do you do with all your finished work? You don't happen to sell them do you!??!? :):)

Home Sweet Home Place said...

What do you do with all your finished work? You don't happen to sell them do you!??!? :):)

Kim said...

Hi Katie - LOL! No I have never sold any of my embroidery :) I usually use it if I have stitched it like on a pillow or pillow case or I display it in a picture frame or make as gifts.

Unknown said...

I love your embroideries! I haven't done much in a while, but have some BareRoots patterns I hope to get to! As for the storage of the perle cotton - I keep mine in the hank and use the small ziplock bags made for embroidery floss. This way I can store left over pieces and it doesn't have the kinks that you'd get from the bobbin. You can write the color number on the bag to track it as well and keep them on binder rings or in a pretty tin.

Kim said...

Hi Kathy :) Thank you! The small bags sound like a really nice idea. I have been keeping my left over floss pieces in a ziplock bag and I really like it - dust free and I can see what is inside - that would be a really nice option.

Studio 508-Nancy's Place said...

I store perle cottons two ways: on the larger plastic cards, which hold more than the small DMC cards, and the variegated ones on large binder circles, grouped by colors. I avoid paper products, as they are not acid-free. I store everything in drawers by color, and they look quite inviting, standing on side so I can see the entire color at one glance.

Debbie in Wa. said...

I store mine by winding them onto used thread spools. I am a quilter and go through alot of spool thread. Instead of throwing the empty spools away, I reuse them for this purpose.

wenda said...

Your embroideries look so pretty stacked like that, I want to open them all up and have a look!!

Kim said...

Nancy - Thank you for the ideas. I think you feel more creative when you can look at your colors like that.
Hi Debbie - Thank you! That sounds like a great idea thank you - are these regular sized thread spools?
Wenda - Thank you! I couldn't resist taking some pictures :)

Debbie in Wa said...

the spool size I use is the one that holds 500 yards. I simply wrap my thread and then take a round label and write on there the color number and stick it on the end of the spool. If you buy thread from Connecting Threads, you can reuse there spools too.

Bits of Stitching! said...

In reply to yours :-) ...
Making acid-free cardboard rings (like for example the cardboard that is used to store comic books, or when gifting clothing items) and winding the perle cotton like if you are winding a skein of yarn into a ball of yarn for crocheting or knitting.