Counting Cottons

I’ve made a spreadsheet document for keeping count of floss stash.   I have found this template great for keeping my projects organized.   It may or may not be of interest to you depending on how you like to organize your projects.  The spreadsheet document has formulas which automatically update the total floss count page according to what is entered into the project tabs.  The template has 20 project tabs! If you have more than 20 projects I would suggest "saving as" on the document and renaming it, so you have multiple documents i.e. Two different documents for a total 40 project tabs, or 3 different documents for 60, etc.  (I suggest this because If you add more tabs yourself this messes the formulas up). The project tabs are located at the bottom of the spreadsheet and can be easily renamed without this effecting the functioning of the formulas (just click on the text and type in your chart title).  If you have lots of projects it may make it easier to order your chart titles in alphabetical order ;)
Please click here to download the free Floss Stash Organizer!

 

How I Organize my Floss with the Floss Organizer Spreadsheet

I keep my floss on bobbins in those compartmentalized floss storage containers and have a separate storage container dedicated to each project.  I store my excess floss skeins in separate dedicated project bags.  I quite often share floss between projects to cut down on how much stash I have and to cut down on buying frequency.  When I need to locate which bag a certain DMC number is in,  I can just flick through the spreadsheet project tabs and then find the corresponding labeled project bag in my stash.  I can check the main totals page in the spreadsheet to see what colours I have in stock and which ones I  have multiples of so I don't go stocking up on a colour that I already have 2 or 3 skiens of... or 8 skeins of!!! I would love to hear your methods for organizing your stash and what works for you! 

photo IMG_3237_zpsxend3xhn.jpg photo IMG_3238_zpsrubovbdd.jpg

Iris Keeper of the Rainbow 

I have been stitching away on Iris have some progress to show on page three.
Previous progress: photo IMG_2678_zps1bonc68a.jpg Progress Update: photo IMG_3286_zps6vlavymm.jpg photo IMG_3278_zpsjbg5xbt3.jpg
I've also stitched a little bit on the gift but progress has been slow on this one as well!
Previous progress:
photo IMG_3022_zpskrclfee3.jpg
Current progress:   photo IMG_3297_zps75ov1otr.jpg   photo TagMeganmedium_zpse179497a.jpg

Comments

  1. Natascha Kooijman5 May 2015 at 02:22

    Your works look gorgeous. I specially love the colors of the rose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan Joelle5 May 2015 at 19:41

      Thanks Natascha! I need to get a move on with that one if I'm going to get it done on time! I will be concentrating on it lots more over the next couple of months, so glad you like it!

      Delete
  2. Heather5 May 2015 at 09:48

    Loving the colors on Iris. I just noticed your progress on Robber Bridegroom as well I can't believe how much you've gotten done. I haven't started mine yet lol. I keep all of my fabric in tubes on my bookshelf and my floss I keep in a binder with each bobbin getting it's own slot in a trading card holder. There are 20 trading card slots per page and they're organized numerically. I generally only have 1 skein of each color except black and I keep these whole in the pockets of the binder. Then when I'm working on a project I take out the colors I need and put them in a zippered electronics holder with my scissors and fabric if I'm taking it on the go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan Joelle5 May 2015 at 19:57

      Thanks Heather! I did power through those first couple of pages of Robber! The next one is his ear which is exciting! I hope you get to start Rapunzel soon :) Your floss storage method sounds very organized, I like the binder idea!

      Delete
  3. Karen5 May 2015 at 11:08

    Hi Megan!! My floss organisation is very similar to yours, I've my floss inventory in my planner, For me is easier to look on a paper what floss I need and what I have. Then I have my 3 bobbin boxes (master boxes) where I kept one bobbin of each color of DMC, My Wip's have their own bag of floss as your's, and If I need more floss of my master box I go to the bag of the project that I'm stitching to grab the floss I need.
    I love your work on Iris, I suppose the colors must be more vivid in person, always the cameras don't do justice, but she's looking beautiful, great job :) I want to see more of the mistery :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan Joelle5 May 2015 at 20:13

      Hi Karen!!! Thanks so much to you and Heather for sharing your floss organization methods, it's very interesting to see the different approaches. Your method is very similar to mine! The funny thing is I was also considering consolidating all my storage boxes into a set of master boxes like you have done! I haven't at this point because I think I'd end up with 5 boxes of cotton out every time I'm working on something. Iris has 120 different colours so I've got the floss for that in the largest container I have, which is actually a fishing tackle storage box! Also I think it's easier to locate colours from one box when working on one project rather than having to search through multiple boxes on one project :D It is very tricky to capture the stitching well in photos (especially with a crappy phone camera) but I do try my best! I've found that when I take the photos under fluro lighting in my kitchen the picture are truer in colour and I get more consistency in the photos I'm posting... :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nocturne

Image
Nocturne It's been a long time since Nocturne has seen the light of day!  This project was one of the three pieces with the highest amount of votes, when everyone voted for the projects they wanted to see more progress on.   I really wanted to complete page 8 for this blog but I'm only about halfway through.  The chart I'm working on is the old version.   After discovering the art was re-charted, I put the wip aside for awhile to decide whether or not to restart with the newer chart.  I've decided to continue working on the original chart though.  I've already restarted this one before and don't have the heart to restart it again, especially since quite a decent amount has been completed.  Anyway, the newer chart may blend better and have more depth but I still think the original is pretty!  They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Mock-up Comparison; Old Chart on the Left and New Chart on the Right: Added Mini Mock-up for Chart Comparison.  Left:
Keep reading

Thread Bear

Image
I’ve made a start on The Enchanted Manor by Josephine Wall. This one is being stitched on 14 count aida to boost the finished size of the crop.  I've never stitched on such a low count before and was curious to try it out! I’ve been working on this on and off over the past couple of months.  I'm using 4 over 1 full cross on dark colours and 3 over 1 full cross on everything else. Progress since December: I love it how Josephine painted a koala bear in the corner of this piece. The koala is native to Australia (my home country), which gives this piece a special resonance for me. Did you know that despite the fact they are often called Koala bears, Koalas aren't related to bears?! They are actually more closely related to kangaroos and wombats! They are often referred to as a koala bear because they have an obvious resemblance to a teddy bear… Currently I'm about halfway through the first page: Wishing everyone a safe and fun time over the Easter period
Keep reading

A Rainbow Checkerboard

Image
Diagonal Challenge #1 There are six challenges to be posted on the Official HAED Facebook page this year. The first challenge involved stitching 1000 stitches in 10x10 diagonal blocks. I pulled out Rainbow Girl for this and it was nice to change things up and work differently to normal! A Game of Chess! I don't usually park but it made sense to do so when working in blocks.   Even though lines are not meant to form working diagonally, I still felt slightly apprehensive about the possibly of this happening.  I figured parking may lessen the risk by helping to even out the tension between squares. Before:  After: Although I kind of like the checkerboard effect, overall I didn’t take to this way of stitching and found it more time consuming than my usual preferred cross country method.  I didn’t enjoy being confined to working in blocks...  Having to stay in the box drove me crazy lol!  I did like the fact I wasn’t reaching for floss bobbins much when working
Keep reading