How do you organise thread for several HAEDs?

[jocellogirl]

I know thread organisation is always a hot topic, and apologies if this has already been covered, but I was wondering how everyone organises their threads if they have several large projects on the go.
I have been doing 3 HAEDs plus other smaller projects and found a thread box for each one worked ok. I detest threading needles and just cannot get on with parking, so I also use a needle per colour and organise them on a Pako needle organiser.
However, I don't like having more than one bobbin per colour (OCD?) and found I was swapping bobbins between boxes. This worked ok when there were 'only' three HAEDs on the go, but I started God speed a couple of days ago and am also going to do one of the Spangler dragling bookmarks very soon, so I was going to have a heck of a job keeping track of what was where. I put all the colours of current projects on an excel spreadsheet (my husband calls me 'sad' ) so I could see which colours these five HAEDs use and have spent a couple of hours pooling them all into 2 large bobbin boxes and 1 medium bobbin box (rather than five boxes in total). I've also numbered up the five needle organisers I own with the 230 odd colours used between the five charts using the DMC colour rather than the symbol on the chart, so I can interchange between projects. So far it's working fine. I appreciate that if I ever finish one of these projects (or more likely start another one ), then the numbering will be all out, but my brain feels a lot less scrambled now they are all together.

How does everyone else keep track of what thread is where?

[Reta]

I only ever have 2 on the go so no problem One is kept in the caravan and one at home Could not cope with more

[JazzeyBear]

I have all my dmc on bobbins in two cases that I carry with me at all times. It has all the colors needed for my three HAEDs and my chart that Skitzzz charted up for me. The mini vanity that I'm working on was kitted up for my roommate and since he never paid me for buying the fabric and threads I'm using it for myself as a gift for a friends daughter. That HAED is in its own box but once I'm finished with it I'm going to combine the bobbins into my other two boxes, and any thread that's on two bobbins will be put together so that once I finish one bobbin I can pull it out and toss it.

[Mrs Milkybar Kid]

I have a spreadsheet too that lists all the DMC threads needed for each of my HAEDs, WIPs and those in stash waiting to be started, as well as other projects that require a bobbin box full of DMC (butterfly lace and tardis). I have a bobbin box for each project I am working on. I do split skeins across boxes, but usually only when a colour requires less than 100 stitches, I'll make up another bobbin. I swap bobbins between boxes, especially as I have two projects (bookend kitties and dragonfly) that have a lot of floss in common. On each of the thread key sheets I've highlighted the threads in common and those threads are kept in the bobbin box in order, separate to the other threads for that project. That way when I swap projects I just take that chunk of bobbins out of one box and transfer to the other project box instead of picking through the ones I need. As I'm stitching I know where to look in the bobbin box for each thread depending on whether the number is highlighted or not. It probably sounds really complicated, but it works for me as those 2 projects have a lot of floss in common.

If all else fails I just refer to my Master Spreadsheet - which is backed up in several places as losing it would be too tragic for words!

[rcperryls]

Mine sounds complicated too. I have a master spreadsheet with all the DMC colors on it and list each of the HAEDs that are WIPS and any other project that uses DMC on it. I have an "active" Bobbin container which holds Bobbins which will be used for the projects. As I use a color I highlight that color on the floss symbol sheet ( starting with yellow) and put that bobbin in one of the compartments. When I have finished using that color on the section I'm doing I put the threaded needle (assuming there is enough thread on the needle worth saving to use when I need it again) in that same compartment and get the next color etc. When that box is filled (16 compartments) I put a sticker on it with the project name and color of that highlighter. Then I get another container, highlight those threads in a different color (for eg, orange) and do the same thing. Each container has a label with the project name,the color used to highlight the floss symbol chart and is sorted in numerical order. Because I hate threading needles I have sometimes as many as 5 Bobbin containers for a project. I indicate on the spreadsheet which project the "active" bobbin is in and note the color of that box, so that when I go to another project which uses that same color I know exactly where to find it. If I move a thread I erase the color key (Y,O,B etc) put a check mark in its place (pencil) and note project and color of the container it went to. It really is faster than it sounds. I started the system when I only was doing one project at a time. Then I started two projects and it worked. I do have a lot of containers which are about $2.50 each at Michael's in the beading dept. Much less than the DMCs in the cross stitch section. I might have tried a Pako organizer if I had heard of them, but once I started this system it was easy to just add on. Of course I have had to invest in a few Sterlite 3 drawer plastic organizers for extra storage. The only drawback for me is that there is a bit of wear and tear on my printed spread sheet and though I haven't had to redo any pages yet, I expect that may happen in the future, but I'll deal with it then.
Sorry this was so long, but I've tried a few times to explain it, but it gets so wordy and complicated, I just cancel my reply. This time I tried to make it succinct, didn't succeed but am not going to cancel anyway.

Carole

[destructiveernie]

I have a note book that has all the dmc threads listed and all my projects. I mark which dmc is needed for each project and then put a circle round it if it's not actually in the bobbin box for the project but in with one of the others.

Did have it all in excel but was having laptop issues so reverted to pen and paper, it works for me but would probably confuse others!!

My HAEDs are all individually kitted but I move things around from them for others.

[Parksfarm]

Wow, you guys are way more organized than I am, lol.

I have a complete set of all the DMC colors on stitchbows in 4 binders. When I'm starting a new HAED, I make sure I buy new, any colors requiring more than one skein to make sure they all match dye lots. I keep those in Floss Away bags with the project in a mesh bag. Other than that, I just set my binders next to my chair and pull out each color as I need it. My Chats, on the other hand, all have their own set of the required silks and DMC colors in Floss Away bags on rings, one ring for silks and one ring for DMC...

[Mystonique]

I couldn't handle that. I never have that many on the go but I'd also not handle sharing from one to the other - each project for me needs it's own complete little kit (I can use left overs from another kit but can't handle switching between two).

[stitchnsew]

I have 1 HAED and 3 other BAPs, and I just keep all the threads in floss-away baggies. The baggies are on 3 rings, all in numeric order, more or less equally divided up. White-613 on one ring, 640-987 on the next, and 3xxx on the last ring.
Cross Stitch Collectibles charts have their color key on one page. With HAED, I literally cut,pasted, and copied the color key pages so that I just had one page with the whole color key, ie symbol and DMC #, on it. So my floss bags just sit by my sewing chair, and when I switch projects, I just have to grab the chart page and color key page of the appropriate project, and I'm all set to go.
Here are my threads for all 4 projects.

[Lessa54]

I don't cope with sharing between designs either. My normal DMC storage system is floss away bags on rings. For each project I will make up project cards and cut lengths of the floss colours I need. The projects cards will have the DMC number and the symbol for the project beside each hole. When I run low, all I have to do is top up from my stash.

At the moment I have my SQ (130+ colours) which has all the colours on one set of project cards and a second set of cards storing the blends marked up with the blend numbers and symbol. My HAED (87 colours) has another set of project cards, as does my Rose Window (114 colours). The only problems are my little projects - baby bibs, and my Papillon, none of which use many colours, so I've separated out the floss baggies for those. I just have to remember to check them when I'm looking for a particular colour so that I don't inadvertently order lots more floss!

[Nachstenliebe]

I have two large projects, but I only work on one seasonally.. I keep my threads on stitchbows. So They're all kept in plastic inserts. In my travel bag I have all my Starry Night threads. When winter comes I'm additionally working on my Christmas design I carry around an extra three ring binder that holds the threads for those.. On the Christmas design I have highlighted the threads that it shares with my Starry Night stitch so I know I need to get it from my stitch bag and not the binder.. It actually works out really well...
Faith

[Busy_B]

I have 3 HAEDs going on right now. It is easier for me with storage room and simplicity to just have the bobbins for all 3 in 2 bobbin boxes. They are in numerical order sitting next to my chair. That way I have the colors available no matter which of the 3 I decide to work on. It just makes it easier since there's a lot of overlapping colors between the 3 patterns.

[franacropan]

I have three HAED's on the go and each has it's own box of bobbins. Each also has it's own set of two needle organisers. When I swap projects I just put the two organisers into a plastic shoe box, still loaded with threaded needles, and stash it along with its box of bobbins. Swapping projects takes only a few minutes, most of which are taken up by taking the scroll frame off my Lowery, putting a pillowcase over it and clamping the new scroll frame in - about a minute.
When I "kit up" a new project, if I haven't got a colour in my main thread collection I might make a small bobbin of it by borrowing from a wip's box, but I buy a new thread when I can if the pattern calls for a lot of it. Of course I also need 2 new pakos and a shoe box if I haven't freed some up with a finish, but when you think how long a HAED takes, it seems a small investment.

[pattiebelle]

So far, I've kept threads for each design in its own separate bobbin box. I don't mind that there may be duplicates. I'd rather know I have all I need in one place for each project.