Organization Tips
Read these 5 Organization Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Cross Stitching tips and hundreds of other topics.
A New Use for Sandwich Bags
Introduction
You go to the craft store and buy fabric and several small skeins of embroidery floss for your upcoming cross stitch projects. Once you get them home and out of your shopping bag, how do you keep them organized? How to keep them clean? Easy! Use sandwich bags. Buy several bag sizes, from the snack-size all the way up to the gallon-size.
Cleanliness
Dust, children, lotion, pet hair, spilled beverages and food. All of these can ruin your skeins of floss or that specialty fabric you bought to make that project for your mother. Instead of ordering expensive storage items, turn to the sandwich bag. As soon as you have bought your new supplies, pull out as many bags as you will need. Organize your flosses in a way that works for you. Slide the flosses, still in their wrappers, into the sandwich bag. Seal each bag with the zipper feature and make sure dust, food, drinks and curious, sticky fingers cannot get inside.
If you have indoors pets, you know how curious Bosco and Fluffy can be. They want to play with you, so they try to grab the floss as you are working. Oh, the pet hair! Your sandwich and snack bags will allow them to relax next to you as you work.
Save the larger gallon-size storage bag for your fabric and embroidery hoop. Every time you finish stitching, slip the fabric off the hoop and loosely fold it. Slip it and the hoop into the bag. Seal this bag tightly shut.
Organization
If you are using a pattern that calls for several colors of embroidery floss, it might be easiest to store the different colors by color family, or by the areas in the pattern where they will be used. Once you have decided what option will be best for you, separate your flosses and slip them into each little bag. Even the snack-sized bags will hold several skeins.
Make it even easier on yourself by punching a small hole into one side of each bag so you can guide the ends of each floss out through the hole for easier access as you need more floss. Simply take a one-hole puncher and put the hole at the top, where the plastic is sturdier, right by the zipping feature. When you start a stitching session, guide the ends of each floss you will use in that session through the hole so that, as you cut what you need, the rest of the floss is safe from possible accidents.
Easy to Spot
Because snack and sandwich bags are made from clear plastic, it is much easier for you to spot exactly the floss colors you need. Ditch those opaque craft boxes with lids! Because the bags are smaller, you will be able to store more of them in your crafting tote bag. Even better, you can easily pull all bags out of your craft bag, set them nearby and work without taking up too much room on the couch or recliner.
Organize by Project
Clear plastic organizers are perfect for storing thread, beads, and findings. Small boxes can be used to hold all the thread and materials needed for one particular project.
Re-Thread That Needle
Are you a stitcher who only has a few minutes at a time? Re-thread your needle at the end of every session. That way, you can pick it up and get stitching quickly without having to dig through your floss for a color.
Where Are My Scissors?
Tired of misplacing your scissors? Keep a small pair of sharp scissors with each project.
Floss Cards
You can purchase floss cards or create your own. Punch holes down the long side of some heavy paper. Loop the skein through the hole. Write the color code and the manufacturer next to each color.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Tammi Reynolds |
