Friday 30 January 2015

Storing your Embroidery threads

While I realise my current lurgy-fied state reduces the amount of excitement I can handle, I promise this post is better than it sounds...well....if you're an embroiderer/ tangled thread owner like me! 

This is my tidy thread stash. I use the word 'tidy' loosely...had you seen it 5 minutes prior to the photo you would have definitely questioned my grasp on english.

This is my un-tidy stash .....words not so loosely used here! Aherm.

The thing is, despite my seeming lack of disregard, I DO love my threads and the gorgeous array of colours I have gathered. I have wanted a better way of storing/displaying them, other than the card offcuts I've launched into a recycled box, for a while. Something that allows me to easily see my colour choices, something that creates a lovely display in my studio, but something that is also portable.
Having little energy to do much else (back to being lurgy-fied!) I have been perusing the wild web, curious to see how other stitchers are keeping their embroidery threads stored and tidy!

And so here is what I found...
These very cute little cats were created by Gloria over on The Little White Whale - very simple to make and so many variations come to mind. Though I'm essentially still back to cardboard (though nicely shaped!) being launched into a box.

I found these lovely birch plywood bunnies and hedgehogs in this etsy shop;
Bunnies available here

Isn't the hedgehog a clever design? However at approx £10 for 3, a small mortgage would be required if I wanted to "house" every different coloured thread I have.
Hedgehogs available here

I like the idea of Jessica's over on Sew Homegrown, who created this simple and very lovely way to store her ribbons, using corrugated cardboard and reclaimed wood . This would easily work with embroidery thread, be inexpensive and I could easily pick out the colours I wanted to use and carry them around. Jessica created a tutorial,if you are interested you can find it here.

This made me smile when I came upon the ingenuity.........
Spruced up bread clips to hold your thread! Do you still get these clips? 
Loving the genius of  Amizuki ...though not sure I could eat the amount of bread required for my thread collection....may take a while.

The last option I found, I'll tell you now is probably the one I'm going to go for.....It's the wooden peg option!

Heather shared this on her blog Mrs Jones, and the above photo immediately had be enticed. Add the fact that the pegs are all ready for immediate use , and I am pretty much convinced.
No cutting, hole piercing, bread eating, mortgage taking. Sweet!
 As an extra thought, I also love that the ends of the thread can get pinched by the peg AND that I can string the colours on twine along my studio wall =  easy access , lovely display & portable threads.
Yep I'm 100% sold. Now to get the pegs and start a winding. I promise to update once done.

What about you? How do you store your threads. Do you have a better solution?I'd love to hear x



5 comments:

  1. How pretty, I'm more prosaic, I use a commercial box and have learned from my mum the indispensability of Ferrero Rocher boxes, how do I post a picture?!

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    1. oooh yes, the ferrero rocher box..of course! And haven't they gone all curvy and glam over the years too?! :) I'd love to see a photo. Not sure how you do it here,but you can post one on my facebook page xx
      https://www.facebook.com/pages/LoveandPeas/303051176438348

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  2. I love this post!! I read it in bed last night, grinning, but my comment didn't go through on my phone. I have two tins which have a chaotically organised (aka tangled mess) of threads. I love all the suggestions but like you the simple genius of the pegs appeals to me. I can get on and do any time with no preparation needed & the pegs look so pretty adorned with the many thread colours :-) I also have a huge ribbon drawer that these ideas may be able to be adapted for with more thought. Fab idea for a post, thanks for doing the research and sharing. Hope the lurgy ups and leaves you soon. I've just finished a fortnight of fluey kids during which time I had a hard time finding my smile ;-), so I sympathise. Hugs, xx

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    1. Hi Kat, I love reading your comments :) Thankyou so much for taking the time to leave such thougthful ones. They make ME smile ;D
      I knew I couldn't be the only one with a tangled web of threads...so glad to have it confirmed!
      Hope the website making is coming along nicely ( you know where I am if you need any help). And I hope the smile has returned after all that lurgy (oh my...2 weeks of sick kids? You deserve a very large medal and a vat of wine!) Sending huge hugs to you xx

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  3. great post! my threads are all a tumble and a tangle in a box.....except for my travelling embroidery kit a friend made for me, it has threads wrapped around wooden clothes pegs as you show here....I LOVE IT! I really need to get more pegs and make TIME to convert my tangled mess over.....rainy day project for my kids and I? thanks for the inspiration!

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