How to organize embroidery floss (and keep it tangle-free)

A few skeins of floss are easy to manage. Fifty are not – especially when two greens look almost the same and the paper bands have slipped off. Here's how to organize your floss so you can always find the right DMC color, and how to set up the floss for each new project.

Why the DMC number matters most

DMC colors are identified by their number, such as 310 (black), 3865 (winter white) or 666 (bright red). The number is the one thing you can trust: colors look different under lamplight, daylight and on a screen, and many shades are only one step apart. Whatever system you choose, make sure every piece of floss you own carries its number.

That's why you should keep the paper bands until a skein is wound and labeled. If you store skeins loose instead of on bobbins, leave the bands on, and slide them back on after you pull a length out.

Winding floss onto bobbins

Floss bobbins are flat cards of cardboard or plastic, usually with a hole for a ring and a space to write the color number. They're the most popular way to store floss because they're cheap, flat and easy to sort.

1. Label first. Write the DMC number on the bobbin with a fine permanent marker or a pencil. Some stitchers add the color name too.
2. Find the end. Hold the skein by one band and gently pull the loose end that sticks out. If the skein starts to bunch up, try the end at the other side instead. Then take off the bands.
3. Wind loosely. Tuck the end into the bobbin's slot and wind the floss around it without pulling. Tight winding leaves kinks that are hard to stitch out.

4. Secure the end. Slip the last bit into the slot so the floss doesn't unwind.

5. Cardboard bobbins are the cheapest and easy to write on, but they soften with heavy use.

6. Plastic bobbins last longer and are good for colors you use often. Use a permanent marker or a sticker label, because pencil smudges off plastic.

Some stitchers prefer not to wind at all and keep each skein in a small zip bag labeled with its number. It takes more space, but the floss stays completely uncreased.

Storing your collection by number

Once your floss is on bobbins, store them in numerical order in a plastic box with compartments – boxes made for floss bobbins hold one row per compartment and stack neatly.

• DMC numbers don't follow color families, so number order won't look like a rainbow, but it's the fastest way to find a color from a floss key.
• Decide where the non-number colors go – for example Blanc, B5200 and Ecru at the very start.
• If you prefer a box that looks lovely when you open it, sort by color family instead and keep a numbered list so you can still find things.
• Keep the boxes closed and away from direct sunlight, which can fade floss over time.

Keep a list of what you own. A simple spreadsheet or a note on your phone with every DMC number in your stash saves buying the same color twice – take it with you when you shop.

Floss drops and floss rings for each project

When you start a new pattern, gather the colors for that project in one place so you're not digging through your main boxes every evening.

• Floss drop (floss card): a strip of card with a row of punched holes. Write the chart symbol and DMC number next to each hole, cut the floss into stitching lengths and loop each color through its hole. You can then pull out one length at a time.
• Floss ring: a metal binder ring holding the project's bobbins. It's quick to set up and you can add or remove colors in seconds.
• Floss bags: a small labeled zip bag for each color, gathered on a ring or in a box – handy for projects with lots of skeins.

Our patterns make this easy: the floss key lists each color's symbol, DMC number and name, so copy the symbol straight onto your card. When you're stitching from the chart you look up the symbol, not the number, and the right floss is right there. On big projects with 30 or more colors, a floss drop that matches the order of the key is a real time-saver.

A project bag for everything

A zip project bag keeps one piece of work together and clean:

• the fabric in its hoop or frame, or rolled loosely around a tube
• the printed chart and floss key
• the floss card or ring
• a needle, needle minder or pincushion, and small scissors
• a highlighter for marking progress

If you have more than one work in progress, give each its own bag and label it with the pattern name. You can pick up exactly where you stopped.

What to do with leftover floss

You'll almost always have floss left at the end of a project. Leftover lengths are worth keeping:

1. Long lengths: wind them back onto the bobbin of that color, or put them in a small bag labeled with the DMC number.
2. Cut strands still on the floss drop: keep the card if you might stitch the pattern again, or move the strands back to their bobbins.
3. Tiny snippets – stitchers call them orts – are too short to stitch. Many people collect them in a clear “ort jar” just because it looks pretty.

Never keep leftover floss without a number. An unlabeled bit of green is almost impossible to match later.

Next: How much embroidery floss do I need?