Can floss be too old to use?

[pamelam]

I recently bought a kit that is from 25 years ago. Just wondered if the floss is too old and maybe breaking down. I'm thinking maybe I should just buy new floss for it. Can floss get too old to use?

[Sallyh]

I should think that if you didn't have enough thread in the kit as sometimes happens and you needed to get more, then the dye could well be a slightly different shade

[Nachstenliebe]

25 years old?! wow! If it were me and I was concerned about the the floss being too old
I'd rub it between my fingers and play with it a bit to see how well it holds it up..maybe even do a few practice stitches.. I don't think you should be concerned though. If it was kitted up and in a bag all those 25 years how much could it really deteriorate?

Faith

[stitchingmae]

25 years old?! wow!

Faith

Did not have a prob with turning 26 this year until i saw this comment...lol j/k!!!

[helbel]

My WIP is about 12 years old and I'm still using the original floss with no problems so far. Shade matching might be tricky should you run out but otherwise try it and see!

[Granny]

Yes, it can break down but at what age does it happen? There is no hard and fast answer on that because it is one of those things that depends on many variables. I have come across people using sewing machine thread that would virtually fall apart with the slightest pull. We're talking cotton in both cases. I wouldn't just rub it to test. I would split it into the number of plies I planned to use and then tug on it. Also not all colors would react the same as it is the chemical composition of the dyes that can be the culprit. So you have to decide with what you are comfortable doing.

[vanessanjf]

You have got me thinking now! I have kits from 2003 that I probably wont get round to doing for years (because I seriously have too many kits) I hope that they will all be ok by then

[SusanF]

I would think that as long as they have been kept in good conditions (away from damp and light) they should be fine. But as others have said, if you run out of floss, colour matching may be difficult. If it's a kit that's going to take a lot of time and effort, I guess it might be worth investing in the new floss.

[kell]

My Mam gave me a bunch of stash she'd had for at least 15 years. I've been using the flosses for various small projects and they've been fine so far. They were all stored in a Tupperware box and I had to untangle some of them before I popped them all onto bobbins. Not quite a slong as 25 years, but some of them were very tangled, so I'd say if yours were kept in good conditions they should be fine.

[pamelam]

Thanks for the suggestions. The floss has been in the sealed kit all along and there are only 17 colors. The design on 14 ct aida would be 11x14, but I'm planning on doing it on 18 ct. which would use even less floss. What I'll probaby do is separate it and tug on it as Granny suggested and if it seems okay I'll use it. It's not very many colors so it wouldn't be all that expensive to just buy new either. Oh well, I'll think about it some more.

[Sarah Gixxer]

Other than the point that if any of the colours run out, if they have faded a bit it might be hard to match up with a new one, I wouldn't really worry.

For small projects I use a box full of old Coats floss that my Nana gave me which she used for stitching before I was born and during my young childhood (I am 38). They have been stored in a plastic bag in a dark cupboard and are still as bright and silky as ever and they look great stitched. I haven't had any trouble with them breaking or fraying.

[kell]

Actually, one of my favourite flosses to use is a Venus one that my Mam gave me in that bundle of stash. It's very silky and glossy and lovely to use. It's well over 15 years old and still gorgeous. I'll be sad when it's all finished as I suspect that given my luck it'll be a discontinued colour or something like that - LOL!

[agi]

I have some old thread left from my Mum,and they look great, but their colour run... so you might need to check if they are colourfast - or just not wash it at all.