Cross stitchers - thread storage?

[SmartAlecMetalGit]

I'm in desperate need of thread storage ideas.

I do quite a lot of cross stitching and have gradually acquired loads of skeins of thread (seriously loads) and desperately need a better storage system than having them all stuffed in a box.

I'd preferably like to keep them in their original skeins rather than having to wind them onto bobbins or anything. I'm pretty sure I'd lose the will to live if I had to wind hundreds of skeins onto those DMC StitchBow things.

What do MNers use?

I have no idea whether it will work or not. I thought about it for my crewel work threads but never followed through and they are all stuffed in a box still.

My idea was to use these sort of things in a little folder, you could arrange it by colour, see them easily enough and leave them in their skiens - as long as the pockets allowed for the bulk of it.

I kept meaning to take one and see if it fitted in a shop but didn't get round to it.

www.ryman.co.uk/office-supplies/desk-accessories/business-card-holders

Sorry link should have been this

www.ryman.co.uk/ryman-business-card-holder-pack-of-10-holds-60-cards

Thank you, that's a great idea.

I'm sure I've actually seen plastic pockets designed for skeins of embroidery thread but I can't find it anywhere so I'm starting to think I imagined it.

embroidery skein holder on amazon any use to you?

I wind mine onto those little card thingys, find it quite relaxing. That looks handy though...if a tad expensive to me

I use the stitch bows, but you don't have to wind them on, honest! (Would rather poke my eyes out )
You just hook the top loop of the skein over the top fork thingy (v technical) slip the cardboard sleeve off the skein and onto the stitch bow immediately (or else they get lost) then hook the other loop of the skein over the other end of the stitch bow. Much quicker to do than to read about, honest.
Then I store them in the stitch bow folders - works really well for me

lucysmam I have one of those and love it! Unfortunately, I've been stashing too much and I might need another

StantonLacy Ahhhhh, I didn't realise that. I presumed they needed winding onto them, that'll teach me to read a bit more carefully

I think I'm going to have a serious look into them in that case as, aside from the presumed winding, they look great!!

Stanton, do you think that they would take crewel wool which is a bit bigger than embroidery skeins. I like the look of those, I always travel with a bit of crewel work and I could just take one of the plastic sleeves with me - that was how I came up with the business card thing - thought it would travel.

Stanton, I never knew about doing it that way! Genius idea...you may just have saved me a lifetime of winding thread onto cardboard thingumys

Glad to be of some help, Smart

Have just done a bit of googling and found a little illustrative diagram on this shop page www.shop.katzxstitch.co.uk/gc001---pack-of-10x-dmc-gold-concept-stitchbows-2557-p.asp
It probably makes a bit more sense than my convoluted description!

Lavendersun - hmm, not too sure if the wool would be a bit too thick to store much of it per stitch bow...mind you, they are so excellently cheap for a pack of ten, you could always give it a try.

Lucysmam- yes, cardboard thingys are evil, that way lies madness
Once mine are in the plastic wallets, I just store them in layers in a really useful box. In a moment of organisational craziness, I even bought the little DMC stickers for all the colours to go onto the wallets...never used

Ooh, thank you for this. DD has just taken up cross stitch, she was given a box full of threads wound on to cards by a relative who could no longer use them and I bought some more cards in Hobbycraft the other day for her collection of new threads, but the stitchbows look much better.

Stanton, I think I will try some then - SmartAlec - thanks for your thread!! I was thinking that I could just 'stretch' them onto the stitch bows and then sew a little roll with a few pockets for some with a pocket with a flap for needles and scissors for travelling. Has to be better than the jumbled up mess I currently carry around in a zip lock bag.

Next year when I have finished my boring work related Post Grad Certificate, I am planning on doing the crewelwork module of the Certificate at RSN. I am not sure I want the whole certificate but I would love to do that module ... just for myself really.

The stitch bows I ordered came today and I can fit a crewel wool skein on them ... not without winding though as the skeins must be about an inch or so shorter than embroidery thread.

Good news though, especially for 19p each delivered. I think I will just wind one on as I use a new colour to save me losing the will. Much better than those little things you wind onto though, the length of the stitch bow means much less winding.

Thanks again Stanton and OP!