null

categories

What’s New in Cross Stitch Storage Systems?

Posted by Tracey Kramer on 17th Jan 2023

I was tooling around on my computer one day when Etsy popped up on my screen showing many accessories and gadgets all related to the world of cross stitch. This caught my eye and I became enraptured by this find and spent the next five hours poring over the advances in cross stitch floss storage. Some of them are so ingenious that I cannot wait to share them with you.

There are many ways to store cross-stitch floss. Floss can be stored on bobbins, chips, vinyl slats in a binder, toolbox drawers, and even miniature wooden bureaus or file cabinets built to house an army of bobbins. Today we are going to explore the many ways you can store your floss to help keep it clean, free from getting tangled and ready for immediate use.

The first storage system I was enamored with was by a company in the U.K. called Pip and Chip. They have come up with an ingenious way to store floss by creating thick sturdy bobbins made out of acrylic and going a step further by imbedding not only the color, but the DMC floss number onto each bobbin so you will never have to make labels for these bobbins. They are built to last for a lifetime and are beautiful when displayed in a Bisley cabinet (which is a miniature file cabinet with inserts designed to work out perfectly for the Pip and Chip bobbins and will even accommodate standard plastic bobbins). All in total, 504 bobbins acrylic bobbins are available for a complete set. Or if you cannot afford to buy all of the bobbins at once, you can pay in four installments. The bobbins can be purchased at FULL SET DMC (x504 bobbins) 3mm acrylic bobbins with printed number Fortunately, I asked my husband for this set of these bobbins as a Christmas gift. He bought the entire set, and it was here in time for Christmas. I can’t thank him enough for his generosity. Incidentally, the bobbins really look snazzy nestled in their inserts inside the Bisley cabinet. The Bisley cabinets come in a wide variety of colors and look great in today’s craft rooms. It is a five-drawer cabinet that can be purchased in the U.S. on Amazon, https://amzn.to/3XvfzRp Bindertek, Staples Office Supply and Office Depot. They are also sold at The Container Store, but I would caution you against purchasing one there because you might not get the cabinet that is pictured.

Pip and Chip also makes “chips” that are made of acrylic and are a smaller version of the full bobbin. These chips can hold the full length of the floss skein as well as strands ready to pull for stitching and are hung vertically inside a storage box. The chips also have the color swatch and label emblazoned onto the chip thus getting rid of the need to apply labels. DMC Floss Chip Storage System Acrylic Floss Chips for DMC - Etsy

The storage box used to house the chips can be purchased at IKEA and the frames for the box are sold by Pip and Chip.

Next, I could not help myself and dabbled into purchasing some of the irresistible clear acrylic bobbins made by GWStitchingDepot. They make the most beautiful clear glass-like acrylic bobbins ever, and I could not wait to try them out. The bobbins are 2mm thick and are sturdy and beautiful. They are sold in increments of 100 bobbins. Set of 100 Bobbins Clear Acrylic 2mm Thick 4x4cm Unlabeled - Etsy The customer service with this company is excellent and they make quality products.

Since I could not find any plain white stickers with black text to suit my needs, I made my own on my inkjet printer. Other sellers used fonts that were not easy for me to read, so creating my own was the solution using a font (Bookman Old Style 12 pt Bold) that is easily readable for my eyes. My project box now looks like this: 

Next, I came across a company called WaterfallThreads on Etsy and they sell floss cards made of beautiful acrylic colors, and some even have a marbleized pattern. These floss cards are great if you are working with a kit that has flimsy cardboard floss cards and you would like to transfer your threads or yarn over to these sturdy acrylic cards. They come in two sizes mini and extra-large in a variety of gorgeous colors. The acrylic cards are also great for needlepoint yards that is a little thicker than floss. OCEAN BLUE Iridescent Acrylic Threadkeep 10 12 and 24 Hole - Etsy

Last but not least, another storage system made by WaterfallThreads that blew me away is their DMC 505 Thread Catalog which holds 505 DMC colors all etched on acrylic bars which will fit any hanging file box. The set comes with 25 bars in clear acrylic with the DMC numbers already etched into them, so you don’t have to worry about labeling. The beauty of this system is that your threads get to hang in a vertical position unhampered by the binding of the bobbins which can, over time, create creases in the floss. Anyway, you can get around this if you do not wind your bobbins too tight. This system is available on Etsy at DMC 505 Thread Color Catalog 501 Floss Colors Hanging File - Etsy The Seller of these products has great products, but her customer service with me personally was unprofessional as simply asking a few questions about her products can lead to her venting her personal frustrations about her profession to customers. This is none of our business, and no matter what happens on her other job, an air of professionalism should always be maintained with customers.

As you can see, I have a very difficult time picking any one system and have purchased a little of all three. This is fine because I am working on multiple projects and can enjoy the benefits of all three systems.

As a cross stitch business owner, when I am putting kits together for my customers, I use the handyman’s nail and screw 60-drawer storage unit to house my floss which you can purchase at most hardware stores. I purchased mine at Lowes and I have eight of them. Each drawer is numbered with a DMC color, and it helps me sort out the floss to make kits for my customers. 60 Drawers Cabinet | U.S. Plastic Corp. (usplastic.com)

Now that I’ve made you aware of these systems, explore and take your pick, or you can sample a little of each just like I did.