I'll start with fibers. Did you know you shouldn't wind your floss on bobbins and store them in those plastic boxes, because that method puts kinks in your fibers, and may wear on them in spots making them weaker? Did you know I do it anyway? I used to use the plastic bags and rings you can find at craft stores (and on my site) to store my floss, but it just didn't work for me. I had trouble travelling with those big rings, and boxes and bobbins for my floss. For other fibers, like Caron's fibers, silks, fibers I get with kits, I keep them in plastic ziploc bags. It seems I usuallykeep my fibers from individual projects together. Sometimes I put like fibers in the same ziploc. I have completed a few (yeah, right, a few!) Shepherd's Bush kits with silk. I have all of those silks labeled and in a plastic bag that I dip into when I want to use them for other things. One time I ran out of silk in a SB kit, and just went into my reserve -- how handy! There are a lot of people who use the plastic bags and rings to store floss -- and if it works for you, go for it. The advantage of the bags is that you can store small pieces of floss, and your floss doesn't get all kinked up.

Oh, one tip, though, about Flower Thread. Flower Thread is so pretty, but it can be frustrating to work with. I do recommend you de-label your Flower Thread, and gently re-wind it around a bobbin before you use it. Otherwise, it tangles horribly.

My books I keep in wicker magazine baskets I found at Pier One Imports. But I used to three-ring punch them and put them in big binders and divided them according to style and/or designer (be careful you don't punch out any important instructions). For those of you who don't know the story, a pipe in our home froze and burst in January of 1997 while we were on Christmas vacation, and I lost ALL of my needlework books, charts, and fabric -- wah! Don't worry, we were insured, and I got to go on a shopping spree! Still, I learned something important:

KEEP YOUR THINGS WHERE THEY'RE SAFE!

I bought plastic tubs for other books, fibers, fabrics and what not. You might consider plastic tubs, too. And it's not a bad idea to take photographs of what you have or make a list and keep it in a safe place. Think about how much money (and joy) you'd lose if you had a fire or flood? (Or what if a cross-stitching burglar broke in and swiped all of your linen?) Your insurance company will appreciate a record of what you lost, and you will probably get a fair settlement that way.

It's a good idea, too, to let your materials and books breathe -- you don't want them getting moldy. I store unfinished projects in ziploc bags that are partly open, or those vegetable ziplocs (the ones with the tiny holes!) Never store an ongoing project in a hoop, Q-snaps or with anything that may rust, tarnish, stain, or otherwise maim your piece (including children or animals). And when I've finished and framed a project, I have the framer (usually me) put a pocket or envelope on the back, and then I PUT THE CHART IN THE POCKET! Then when a friend comes over and wonders about the design, I smartly pull the picture off the wall and triumphantly yank the chart out of its pocket.

You may also want a place to store information about needlework you've found on the Internet or elsewhere. Buy a three-ring binder and punch holes in the pages of information you've acquired. You could organize these according to subject matter (sampler history, framing tips, conversion charts, and more) with tabs you can find at an office supply store.

And one more thing. When you're organizing (I do it at least a couple of times a year), don't be afraid to get rid of something you know you won't ever use. Our tastes change, designers keep putting out designs, and there's no point in holding onto things you won't ever stitch or complete (unless you're a packrat, and then you're exempt!) You can give your extra needlework supplies and charts to your local guild for a fundraiser, sell your things at a garage sale, or donate to a local charity which may be able to sell things at their thrift store. You can also see if the local nursing home, hospital, convent, or school would like the supplies for projects. I've heard it said more than once that if you've learned what you needed from a project, and you have no intention of finishing it, give it away, get rid of it, or store it away and forget about it. Why waste your time toiling away on something you hate when you could be stitching something you love?

© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com