Organizing Needlepoint Threads

One of the many benefits of having stitched heavily for the last few years is I’ve built up quite a stash of threads. Having these threads, and being able to see what I have, makes it easier to kit from my stash when starting a new project. While my space has changed and the thread stash has grown, this specific system for organizing threads has worked for me for the last five+ years. In hopes of making organization a little easier for you, I’m sharing a little more about each element of my thread organization.

Note: The system below is what works best for me and my space. I recognize we all have unique elements to work around when planning our thread organization, so this will not be the last post on this topic. A couple of friends have agreed to share their methods of organization in future posts. If you have a method that works for you and you’d be willing to share more, I’d love to feature you too. Just send me an email at hifimakes@gmail.com.

Utilizing Space

In another life I would have been a professional organizer so there’s nothing I love more than organizing. When I start an organizational project, I always find it most helpful to look at the space I have for storage (which sometimes means a little decluttering). Once the space is identified and before investing in containers, I like to think through two things:

• Size - When looking at space, think about how big the space is compared to what is being organized as well as assessing if there is or will need to be room to grow.

• Access - Even if something is well organized, if it’s hard to get to what I need, I find myself less likely to access it (which defeats the purpose altogether).