How I Organize My Embroidery Floss Collection

Here's how I finally tamed my thread stash.

Over the years, I’ve built up a pretty large collection of DMC embroidery floss. Since I’m constantly replenishing and designing new pieces, I needed a system that’s easy to use, flexible, and lets me find my favorite colors instantly.

After lots of trial and error (and tangled messes), I’ve finally found a setup that works beautifully. It keeps my working palette visible, my backstock organized, and my inventory tracked.

Here’s my full system—step by step—with photos to guide you through.

My Working Floss, Arranged by Color Family

I use plastic bobbin containers to store one of every DMC color I currently have in stock. Each color is wound onto a bobbin and organized by color family. These are what I use when stitching.

To keep things tidy and visual, I use printed dividers I ordered from TidyStitch on Etsy. They’re clearly labeled by DMC color family, which makes it so much easier to design a color palette.

This year, I also upgraded to color-coded acrylic bobbins, and they were a total game changer. Yes, they’re an investment, but for a busy stitcher like me, they’re totally worth it. Each bobbin is super sturdy (no more bendy bobbins!) and feels great in-hand—and the color coding adds a lovely extra layer of organization.

My Backstock, Arranged by Number

Once each color is loaded into the bobbin containers, I store my extra skeins—my backstock—by DMC number in these plastic storage cases. They’re technically designed for 4x6 photos, but they’re perfect for floss.

Each large case holds 16 individual boxes, which means I can keep things super neat, easy to access, and perfectly labeled.

Keeping Track of It All

To keep tabs on what I have and what I need, I track everything using this Embroidery Planner Notion template. It lets me quickly log quantities, check if I’m running low, and stay on top of reordering.

There are a bunch of embroidery inventory tools out there—especially on Etsy—but this one is the most intuitive and helpful for the way I work.

That’s the system!

It’s simple, visual, and saves me tons of time and stress. Best of all, it lets me focus more on stitching and designing instead of digging through drawers of thread.

How do you organize your floss? I’d love to hear about your favorite storage tricks or any game-changing tools you use!

Happy Stitching!

—Jennifer (aka Bloom and Floss)

P.S. Interested in seeing more of my favorite embroidery supplies? Check out my Amazon storefront here.