Today is more about embroidery thread storage.

Specifically, my ideas on embroidery thread storage. 

If you use floss, then you are familiar with the small floss keys that DMC offers. While they work well for floss, they are small for any other types of threads.

For a long time I didn’t realize floss keys were available in larger sizes.  It took a long time but eventually I wound all my threads on floss keys (shown above) which I stored in drawers.  They are categorized by colour which makes it very easy to find exactly what I want.

In my last craft room, I talked about my custom drawers under the window seat.  These were great for embroidery thread storage of all my floss keys in one drawer.  Unfortunately I needed to come up with another system for my new studio space. 

What worked for me?

Ikea Alex drawers.  They are available in three sizes and I have three towers.  The only drawback with these drawers is they are not full extension.  My husband came up with a great solution.  Don’t use the two screws in the slide which allows you to remove the drawer.  I can then place the entire drawer on my work surface. 

My Alex drawers hold all my threads, beads, charms, appliques as well as all my studio tools. I purchased some label holders online and labelled all the drawers. 

These are all my Rainbow Gallery threads in one of the drawers. You can see the labels on the front as well as where on of the screws would go in the side.

The drawer towers live in a 5 foot x 5 foot cupboard my husband was able to build between the roof joists in my converted attic space. This is my office/media room.  

They work well for now.   

Resources

• Floss keys
• Ikea Alex Drawers 
• Labelling machine
• Drawer label frames

I hope you have enjoyed my craft room storage ideas series. This is the last post. Wherever possible I have included links to resources in each of the posts. If I can figure it all out then I plan to do a video in the future.

Just in case you need to add to your thread stash

So, onto something new on Wednesday.

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Bead Organization?

Today is all about bead organization. 

A walk down memory lane for bead storage today.  I’ve tried lots of different ideas through the years.

As a crazy quilter, I like to use beads.  Fortunately beads don’t take up a lot of space UNLESS perhaps you are a beader.  Or, you have a large collection of beads!

Initially I purchased beads in small bags which I used to stand upright in a box. 

Not the best solution.

At one point I came across Pat Winter’s studio photos.  Pat is a talented crazy quilter.  She showed photos of her beads stored in plastic test tubes.  Her husband had built a wall rack that held all the tubes.  Looked fabulous and I tried this but didn’t find they worked well for me in the long term, especially as my collection grew.

These days beads are usually sold in small tubes like pill dispensers.  These are great but they seem to come in all different sizes depending on the manufacturer.  Because of this I find they are harder to either stack or organize BUT I found a solution.

One day as I was browsing the dollar store, I came across these plastic containers available in two sizes. They came in packages of eight so I bought one package to test and see how they worked.  I ended up going back and buying all they had and ordered more. 

It took time to put all the beads in the containers but saves me so much time when I am stitching. 

After this I had a neighbour woodworker make some drawer trays which I painted white.  These were made smaller than the drawers so I can remove the trays as required. 

They were painted white so I can visualize the bead colours well.  Each tray fits easily in the drawers and are about 2 inches in depth. All the bead containers were flipped upside down and arranged in similar colours.

What I like about this system is I can easily pull out the trays and sort through the colours I may like to use.  

Have you seen the Darice bead box? I am not sure the bead containers would be large enough but perhaps worth a try?

So, that’s my bead storage system. 

What works for you?

Some links below. My favourite bead mat and scoop. AND my favourite beading thread – Silamide.

Next up is lace and trim storage.

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Buttons – storage solutions! 

Today I am discussing buttons, specifically storage solutions! What storage solutions do you use for your buttons?  Remember Mom or grandma’s button jar or button box? 

I remember through the years seeing lots of different storage ideas for buttons.  Like many of my ideas, my button storage has evolved from trial and error.

At one point, I picked up some jars from Ikea and sorted buttons into colours.  The problem was that as my collection grew, so did the number and size of jars.  Then where to put all those jars!

In my last studio I took over the downstairs rec room which was glorious as I had SPACE, a fireplace and a view!  Yes, I was spoiled! 

There was a window seat in the room so I had some drawers built that were 1.5- 2.5 inches in depth.  They had dividers and full extension slides and they were GREAT.  I had one complete drawer for all my BUTTONS.  Problem was that the new studio space was smaller and of course there was no window seat.

Solution – my husband built a smaller cabinet.  This was great for the move but unfortunately did not work in the new space.

So, for the first year I had a large button jar. 

What did I find?

I needed to see my buttons.  This meant I had to empty the jar on a flat surface so I could sort through them.  Then I had to clean them all up again.

Remember, how I mentioned it drives me crazy wasting time looking for stuff!  I would rather be stitching. 

I remembered at this point I had some plastic scrapbook bins.  These are used for 12×12 scrapbook paper storage so are not particularly deep. I emptied all my buttons into the bin and it works great.  I can see all of them AND I can sort through them making it faster to find what I want. 

I also like this solution because it is inexpensive AND they can be stacked taking up less space.  Great for small space solutions.  A huge bonus is they have snap lids which keeps your buttons not only contained but free of dust.

Did I mention, buttons are not dust or dirt free.

So, this is my current button storage solution. All the bags on top are “special” buttons and a few other odds and ends too. These can be easily removed so I can sort through my stash. Now, I only have on bin for ALL my buttons!

How do you store your buttons?

Next up – beads!

Where to find

• Plastic storage boxes
• Ikea jars
• Mason jars

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So, how do I organize my craft room?

This month I am starting a series of blog posts about how I organize my craft room.

Ever since I can remember I’ve had a hobby of some sort.  My Mom taught me crochet when I was in my teens which held my interested for several years on and off. 

Once I graduated, continuing education and career development consumed most of my time.  As time progressed, I became interested in traditional quilting taking a few courses.  But, I found it didn’t hold my interest for long.

When visiting Leavenworth years ago, we visited a store where the owner was painting.  I watched her for some time which progressed into a lengthy conversation.  This is where my interest in tole painting began and must admit lasted for about fifteen years.

Naturally, as my interest grew, so did my supplies. 

The challenge – where and how to organize those supplies?

I must admit, I have always been an “organized” person. I like things to have a place.  It drives me crazy having to spend time trying to find something when I would rather be creating. 

When I was painting, we lived in a very small home.  I customized a closet in the kitchen eating area to accommodate ALL my supplies.  I’d paint on the breakfast table then need to clean up before dinner every night.  Needless to say it was tedious. 

As my needs grew my husband closed in a narrow deck space at the back of the house.  He even added a small sink which was fabulous.  One side was my office space and the other my painting studio.

When we moved again, what worked in the previous space didn’t work in the new space.  AND, what worked in that space didn’t work in my current space. 

Why am I sharing all this?

Organizing supplies.  It is a constantly evolving project! 

With the advent of social media, there are now a wealth of resources available.  Facebook groups, Pinterest and Instagram.  I am constantly seeing new ideas popping up.

This month I will be sharing some of my ideas.  These are storage solutions that work for me.  They may not work for you BUT

hopefully they will give you ideas.  Perhaps they will inspire you.  I’ll warn you, my ideas take some time to set up but

My goal is to save YOU time in the future. Time for you to do what you enjoy the most.

Join me on my blog Friday for my first post about button storage.

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