Organizing Your Embroidery Floss, Two Easy Ways

I’m excited to carve out some time to do a little embroidery again. It’s been a while and I’ve been wanting to create a couple of small pieces in some thrift store frames (which I shared in this vintage decor must-buys post). But before starting any new projects, I needed to get my embroidery floss organized! If you’re in the same boat – or you are an embroidery newbie – then you’ll want to stick around. Here I’m sharing how to organize your embroidery floss using two simple, budget-friendly methods.

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HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR EMBROIDERY FLOSS

If you are new to embroidery – or hope to pick it up again, like me – then you’ll want to (re)familiarize yourself with these 7 Basic Embroidery Stitches, For Beginners. Here I share the basic supplies you’ll need and instructions for each stitch.

Of course, once you get your supplies, you’ll find that your stash of embroidery floss can get tangled up and messy if you’re not careful.

In today’s post, I want to show you how to keep your embroidery floss organized by offering two simple, budget-friendly methods.

METHOD 1 – HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Embroidery Floss

The type that I use is DMC Embroidery Floss, 6-Strand, very affordable and widely available. You can purchase online or at any local craft store like Michaels.

Plastic Bobbins (made for embroidery floss)

Precision Pen/Marker

Plastic Container with Compartments (made for embroidery floss organization)

METHOD 1: The Simplest Way To Organize

First, label the bobbin with the colour of the embroidery floss. Each bundle of floss identifies the colour using a number system that’s printed on the wrapper. The colour identified on my bundle is #3814.

Write this down on the rougher side of the bobbin so that the ink will adhere more easily.

Slide each wrapper off the floss.

Taking one end, begin to unravel, gently. Don’t unravel all of it as it could get tangled. Unravel a portion in advance, in preparation for the next step.

Attach the floss to the bobbin by inserting it into one of the slots.

Next, wrap around and insert into the other slot.

Holding down the end against the bobbin, begin winding the floss around to secure it.

Continue winding.

TIP: As you wind, move from one end of the bobbin to the other (rather than winding in the same spot). This will make unwinding the bobbin that much easier, when you are ready to use it.

As you wind, you’ll need to unravel more floss. To prevent the bundle from tangling, hold the bundle (as shown below) and unravel some more.

Another way to keep the bundle from tangling, is to place it around your arm as you wind, just as I’m doing here.

Once your bobbin is nearly wound, wind the rest round the slotted portion of the bobbin.

If you’ve got a lot of bundles of embroidery floss, this will require some patience! But once it’s done, you’ll be happy you did it.

If you’re looking for a bit of an upgrade that will speed up the process, see method #2, below.

METHOD 2: AN UPGRADE

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Besides the materials listed in Method 1, you will also need:

A Bobbin Winder

The one pictured above came as part of an embroidery floss organization kit that contains: 2 bobbin winders, labels (empty and numbered), plastic bobbins, container, and a zip-up bag to put it all in!

Let’s take a closer look at the bobbin winder.

It has a built-in handle/crank for easy winding as well as a slot where you can insert your bobbin.

Here is how to use a bobbin winder:

Step 1: Pop out the peg at the top.

Place the bobbin into the slot provided.

Re-insert the peg to secure the bobbin.

Attach the base of the bobbin winder to the base of the plastic container.

Using the hand crank, begin winding the floss around the bobbin, making sure to attach the tail end as you did in Method #1.

Now, wind-away using your fingers to guide the floss as you wind.

A couple of tips before you finish up:

Tip 1: If you purchase your bobbin winder separately (if it’s not part of a kit, for example), you’ll likely find that the bobbin winder’s base does not fit perfectly over the wall of the plastic container.

If that happens to you, fill the gap using thin carboard or another bobbin – as I’ve demonstrated below: