Store Needlework Thread In Shoe Boxes

I keep my embroidery floss skeins (also known as stranded cotton) organised by colour, then number, in shoe boxes. Inside the shoe boxes, I have dividers made from cardboard I've recycled (shirt inserts, soda cartons, boxes, even an egg carton or two, lol) with a sticky label showing the number of the floss in that compartment.

For example, I use DMC floss almost exclusively, but sometimes run into lovely Anchor flosses in the second hand shops, so I store the two together in the same colour shades with both numbers on the label. This makes it very easy to find what I'm looking for, and to make substitutions if needed.

On the lid of the shoe box, I have a copy of the conversion chart so that no matter what project I am making I can find the right shades of floss to embroider the project.

I do nearly the same for my needlepoint yarns (also known as tapestry wool). They are sorted by colours into divided compartments with a conversion chart taped to the top. The only real difference is that my needlepoint yarn skeins are in plastic storage boxes I found in the attic in my new husband's house:)

Both types of boxes stack nicely, and the plastic boxes have the added advantage of showing the colours inside at a quick glance. The stacked boxes keep my workroom tidy, the threads and yarns dust free, and add a bit of frugal, homey colour to the room.

Most needleworkers have a preferred way of organising colours while working a project, mine is to wind the strands from an opened skein onto a small rectangle cut from the recycled cardboard stash. I make sure the rectangles are of a size to fit back into the main storage boxes in the correct compartment after I'm finished with the project. You never know when those last 18 inches of floss or yarn will come in handy!

Depending on the size of the project, I keep the materials and the work-in-progress in either a recycled plastic bag (zipper styles, bed linen bags, or even a grocery bag), or a woven basket. If the project is small enough, the zip style bag makes it portable. I use a mini-scissor pair, and have everything I need while waiting at the dentist, etc.

BTW, I do the same with my crochet yarns, too, using plastic boxes, zip bags, and a lovely wicker basket for the home project. I love having my workroom organised so that I can go right to the material I'm looking for.

By Frugal Sunnie from Scotland