It's hard to believe that Your Nest Thread Nest Floss Bobbins have only been around a year. Feels like I've been using them forever! I use them to store stitchery flosses and threads. Besides being very fun, what makes them unique is that they have 7 different built-in slots to secure thread ends.
This is quite different from most other thread bobbins that don't easily allow storage of partially-used pieces of thread without loose ends and tangles.
I've had a few questions from folks, most recently from Betsy, telling me they love the bobbins but struggle with how to store them. So here are some of my solutions.
The bulk of my thread stash is DMC flosses. There are over 500 different floss colors, and a year or so ago, I decided to complete my collection with every color. But how to store all those bobbins?
This storage container is my solution. It is intended to store washi tape - colorful spools of tape often used for journaling and paper crafts.
Here is a quick look at the label on one of the boxes. I recently added a fourth bin to my storage scheme.
They can be found at art supply stores and at big box stores like Michaels.
I can comfortably store 10-11 loaded Thread Nest bobbins in one section of the upper trays, 4-5 bobbins in the lower trays
Each container has four removable trays. I store extra skeins of unbobbinated floss in some of the tray sections, otherwise the lid smashes the bobbins a bit.
If I store more than 4-5 bobbins in the lower tray sections, the lid won't close.
I organize the DMC floss by number so I can find the colors for a pattern easily. Downloadable color charts help me work backwards if I need to find a color before I know the color number.
In one of the front compartments, I keep a little card with the color numbers that are stored in that box.
In my world, Your Nest Thread Nests aren't just for DMC 6-stranded floss.
I have a hearty collection of other types of flosses and perle cottons.
For these smaller collections, I use these cigar-style storage boxes that show up seasonally at some of the big box stores like JoAnns.
A peek inside, and a world of lush color appears!
This is where my Artfabrik hand-dyed size 12 perle cottons are stored.
There is enough space in this box for three rows of loaded bobbins. In this box, I have two rows of bobbins (one row hasn't been converted to Thread Nests from the now obsolete style bobbins. And one row of hanked thread waiting to be bobbinated.
Couldn't resist taking a close-up of all those fabulous colors! (I just love working with these threads!)
I have a similar box of size 5 and 8 perle cottons. And another similar box of misfit brands of perle cottons in various sizes and brands.
Then, there is short-term storage for current project threads. That is, the threads I'm using for whatever I'm working on right now. Those fibers are pulled out of their regular home and are set up in a luxurious temporary living space. This handmade Shaker basket currently houses the DMC threads for the project on my embroidery frame.
A peek inside, and there are two layers of thread-goodness. The lower layer is the less common colors. The upper layer has the more common colors for this project.
If you're curious about what's on the frame. This hyper-detailed Victorian Mansion cross stitch from Nancy Spruance Designs is well underway, but far from finished.
A couple other smaller projects and their bobbinated threads each have their own project pouch in a basket near my stitching chair.
This system isn't perfect. If I have too many projects going at once, and start something new (I confess to have shiny object syndrome as bad as anyone else!), I can drive myself crazy looking for a thread color I know I have - but it's tucked away in any of a variety of project pouches and bags.
I do try to stay on top of replacing the bobbins back in their permanent homes as projects are completed or set aside, but, as you can imagine, the struggle is real to stay on top of it all.
Anyway, I hope that answers all your deepest, burning questions about Your Nest Thread Nest Bobbin storage. You can rest well, tonight.
You're welcome! *Wink!*
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
Unbobbinated is my new favorite word.
Haha! We should write to Merriam-Webster!