9 reason why I store my embroidery floss on clothespins

1. Because I have always done it this way.  Not the most glamorous answer, but a truthful one.

2. They make it easy to take inventory of what floss I already have and what I am running low on.  Keep in mind that I own a minimum of 1 floss skein of every single DMC color.  And many of my most commonly used colors, I have more than one clothespin as I typically have many embroidery projects going on at one time, all at different stages.

3. These clothespins have saved my sanity so many times, especially when my girls were little. I would often find floss clothespins in the laundry basket, stuffed between couch cushions, mixed in the Lego bin, etc.  The clothespins were easy to find and they kept the floss neat and tidy while they went on their little adventures at the hands of my toddler.

4. When I put my embroidery floss on clothespins, I find that it tangles a lot less than other ways that I have tried to secure it.  I think it is because the tip of the clothespin helps to keep the floss end secure.  And it is not that storing your floss on cards or other things is bad; it just that I think the clothespins work better for me.

5. Storage is another aspect.  I store all my floss clothespins in two vintage wooden soda crates and the clothespins fit perfectly. I sort them by color family.  I love that I can visibly see what colors I have fully stocked and where I might be running low.  Plus, in my opinion, they are just pretty to look at.

6. I have tried the bobbin method and floss bag method and I did not love them.  I found that the bobbins would sometimes break on me and I would easily lose them.  And the floss bags made my say curse words because I feel like the floss would knot more. And the floss bags would get beat up after a while.  Both of these methods would probably work well for short term stitching; but I use my floss every single day and I just feel like the clothespins were more durable and worked better for how often I stitch. 

7. I usually have lots of different stitching projects going on at one time, and thus a lot of floss sitting around in its project's location.  I like putting each project's floss clothespins in these little ramekin bowls. I love it because nothing gets mixed up and I can see the color palette all together easily.

8. Ease of Travel.  I routinely take my embroidery wherever I go.  Soccer practice, a road trip, carpool lane, or even moving from my studio to the couch to binge-watch some Netflix after the kids go to bed.  These clothespins travel really well.

9. Clothespins photograph really well.  While this may not be a big point for most people, it has been very important for me.  So much so that it has almost become part of the AOA brand.  People have recognized my work because of my clothespins, which is kind of fun.

So there is the long and short of it.  And because I also get asked this once a week, here a link is where I purchase my clothespins.

But I would love to hear from you... How do you store your embroidery floss and why?

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