How to store embroidery floss: bobbins, drops, bags and binders compared

Embroidery floss storage ideas: five methods side by side

Each row is one system. Setup time is per skein and is a rough guide only, since winding and cutting speed differs a lot from one person to the next.

Which method keeps the color number with the floss?

A storage system fails in two ways. The number gets separated from the floss, or the floss tangles when a length is taken out. The table rates each method on both.

On a DMC skein the color number is printed on the larger bottom label, next to the barcode. That paper band is the only place the number exists until you copy it somewhere else.

Note.Label first, then wind or cut. Write the number on the bobbin, drop or bag before the paper label comes off the skein, and handle one skein at a time.

Choose bobbins in a box when

A bobbin is a flat card, plastic or cardboard, that takes one full 8 m skein. Bobbins suit a collection that is bought as whole skeins and keeps growing, since a box holds many colors in number order.

• You own many colors and want them filed by number in the smallest space.
• You buy whole skeins, not kits with pre-cut lengths.
• You do not mind winding. Each skein is wound once, by hand or with a winder.
• You want to see every color at a glance when the lid is open.

Note.Floss comes off a bobbin with bends where it turned the card edge. Wind without pulling tight to keep the bends soft.

See bobbins and bobbin winders →

Choose floss drops or zip bags when

A floss drop is a tag with a large hole. The skein is cut into lengths, folded in half and looped through the hole, so one length pulls out at a time. An 8 m skein cut at the standard working length of 50 cm (18 in) gives 16 lengths. Cut at 100 cm instead, it gives 8 lengths ready for a loop start. A zip bag is simpler still: the skein goes in whole, with its label.

• You stitch from kits. Pre-cut lengths do not wind neatly on a bobbin, but they loop onto a drop as they are.
• You want floss ready to pull, with no measuring or cutting in the middle of a session.
• You dislike the bends a bobbin leaves. Floss on a drop hangs straight.
• You want leftover strands kept with their color. A bag holds them next to the skein, and a drop takes them looped beside the full lengths. See how to separate embroidery floss.
• You pull colors for one project at a time. The drops or bags for that pattern go on one ring.

When binder pages or whole skeins in drawers make sense

Binder pages are a container, not a method of their own. Pocket pages hold wound bobbins or flat floss bags, and the binder stands on a shelf and flips open like a book. Choose a binder when shelf space is easier to find than drawer space, or when you carry floss to a class or group. The floss organizer guide covers boxes and binders.

Whole skeins in a drawer need nothing bought and no setup. That works for a small collection and for spare skeins kept as backup. Two rules keep it usable. Pull the floss from the end under the larger bottom label, slowly, and leave both labels on. A partly used skein loses its shape, so move part skeins to a bobbin or bag with the number written on.

Note.Whatever the system, a closed box, binder or drawer keeps dust and direct sunlight off the floss.

How to organize embroidery floss by number

File floss by number, not by color. Patterns list floss by number, and the numbers do not run in color order, so a box sorted by shade is slow to search. In a DMC collection the codes that are not plain numbers need a fixed place: ECRU, WHITE and B5200 at the front works, followed by 01 to 35 and then the rest in rising order.

A number means something only inside its brand. Keep each brand in its own box or on its own ring, and never file another brand's skein under a DMC number because it looks close. For DMC and Sullivans, the floss conversion chart gives the closest match as published by the maker. A full DMC range is 500 shades and Anchor lists 444 solid colors, which sets the upper limit for how many bobbins, drops or bags one brand can need.

A simple embroidery floss inventory sheet

An inventory sheet, or floss tracker, stops you from buying a color twice. Three columns are enough: floss number, brand and skeins on hand. Use one row per color you own, in the same order as the storage. Count a part skein as a half. The example shows the layout.

Paper works, and a spreadsheet sorts and searches faster. Before buying for a new pattern, check its key against the sheet and mark what is missing. To work out how many skeins a color needs, see cross stitches per skein. Update the count when a skein is finished, not at the end of the project.

Quick answers

Short answers to the storage questions asked most often. Every method works as long as the color number stays with the floss.

• What is the best way to store embroidery floss? For many whole skeins, bobbins in a box use the least space. For kits and pre-cut lengths, floss drops on a ring are easier.
• How do you organize embroidery floss? By number within each brand, because patterns list floss by number. Keep different brands apart.
• Is there a DIY embroidery floss organizer? Yes. Bobbins and drops can be cut from stiff card, with a punched hole for a ring. Small zip bags on a binder ring also work.
• What goes on an embroidery floss inventory sheet? Floss number, brand and skeins on hand, one row per color. A notes column for part skeins and colors to buy is optional.
• What is an embroidery floss tracker? The same thing as an inventory sheet: a list of the colors you own, kept on paper or in a spreadsheet.