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I started using Stitchbows a while ago. While I like the bows themselves, I'm ambivalent about the system. The plastic sheets that can be purchased never seem to hold up well. I've bought brand new ones where the heat seams are already falling apart so that the bottom can't be used, or if you put in the stitchbow it goes in to far. I've never seen a stitchbow binder in good shape at the store, and when I took one of the plastic sheets with me to the office supply store it was immediately apparent that the holes on the sheet and the rings on the binder did not match up well.

I want a method to store my stitchbows that allows me to have them neatly sorted and can easily find the color I want. If the sheets were better constructed I'd be happy. If they had boxes to hold stitchbows in neat rows like one can with bobbin cards, I would be happy. I don't want them sitting loose in a bag or box.

So after two full paragraphs let me finally get to my question. For people who use stitchbows, how do you organize/store the bows? I'm half tempted to switch back to bobbins, even though it means time spent winding cards and possible kinks in the floss.

Thanks.

I am a bobbin girl, but I tried to use stitchbows a few years ago so I do know a bit about the system. After I had switched back to bobbins, I saw that Michaels had new boxes just like the bobbin boxes, but without the horizontal dividers. I think they may work to keep the stitchbows neat, I'm just not positive they are long enough. I will try to find a link or a picture of the boxes somewhere for you.

Im a stitchbow girl

I have seen bow boxes- similar in size to the binders. With plastic slots to put each of the bows in order. But I think DMC discontinued them.. because as you stood the box upright, or when opening the boxes.. the bows fell out. It needed to be better designed- and I think they just stopped production instead of fixing it.
Have you bought new pages recently? I've bought pages here and there for the last year or so. The last ones I bought were in January- after I bought a bunch of new floss. They were quite different than my other pages- more give to the plastic, softer.
I've not yet had the problem of the bottom seam coming undone- but I have had some where you can push through the end, into the "ring" part. What if you just used clear shipping tape on the bottom seam?
I've had the problem of not finding the binders in a store- so I bought regular binders from the office store. No trouble with the pages not fitting.

OK I found this that is along the same lines as what I was talking about - this one has dividers that you insert yourself in whatever combination works for you. Maybe this could help with your problem!

I Store my Floss in skeins in used Ice cream boxes

When doing a project I have a peg type board hubby made For me Hang Skiens and just pull out what I need and hang the cut thread with its own colour

I've been using Stitchbows for two years. I've only had one plastic page come undone. I just taped it up and put it back into use. The binder that is specifically made for Stitchbows are of poor quality, so I bought a regular large ring binder from an office supply store ( Staples) and have had no problem.
I love the Stitchbow system.

Guess I've been lucky. I've been using s/bs since they came out and never had a problem with them coming apart. I've always used my own binders as I had them on hand. I have on occasion had to clip the space between holes to fit the ring spacing. It's never been enough of an issue to make me stop using them. Good luck finding a solution.

I too have been lucky - I've been using Stitchbows for about 10 years and have never had a problem with the plastic sleeves - we have extremes of temperature and I knock mine about a bit too - roll them up to go in project bags and a few got squashed in a box for a while. I'm still using the same ones I bought way back when without any problems so far *touch wood*

I too store mine in lever arch binders bought at officeworks without a problem - they fit just right.

I wonder if, like skeins of cotton, the quality of stitchbow stuff depends on the factory it comes out of ... (I know if you buy US skeins they aren't as twisty as French ones and the dyes are different).

I use bows too and I haven't had a problem with the binder sheets either. I too generally just use regular binders....the DMC ones aren't any different I don't think. I do have one of the stitchbow boxes and it works fine, my bows don't fall out of it at all but you can no longer buy them in the shops....I got mine off Ebay with some bows a while ago

Here is one that was sold recently in case you don't know what they look like. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DMC-Gold-Conc ... 7675.l2557

koko wrote:OK I found this that is along the same lines as what I was talking about - this one has dividers that you insert yourself in whatever combination works for you. Maybe this could help with your problem!

Walmart sells this box and it's about $2.50. I have a few and use them to store Pearls. The number 8 and 12 rolls work well and its long enough for skeins of 5 's also. I don't know about stitchbows as I'm a bobbin girl.

Carole

Just thinking out loud here. I've never used stitchbows, so forgive me if this is really stupid, but could you fashion something out of those plastic wallets with the holes down the side that you get from stationery stores and put them in a four-ring binder? Might there be a way of fastening the stitchbows inside the wallets to keep them from ending up in a tangled mess?

This is the sort of thing I mean: http://www.tiger-cub.co.uk/a4-plastic-w ... -160-p.asp" target="_blank" target="_blank

Like I said, sorry if it's a stupid idea.

Your suggestion made me think of the pages that go into photo albums like these. Just an idea.

Carole

rcperryls wrote:

koko wrote:OK I found this that is along the same lines as what I was talking about - this one has dividers that you insert yourself in whatever combination works for you. Maybe this could help with your problem!

Walmart sells this box and it's about $2.50. I have a few and use them to store Pearls. The number 8 and 12 rolls work well and its long enough for skeins of 5 's also. I don't know about stitchbows as I'm a bobbin girl.

Carole

Wow, what a difference in price!!!! That's a good idea to use it for perle storage, I hadn't thought of that!

I have a mix of bobbins and just reg. skeins. More skeins than bobbins now, as I am working my bobbins down and give them to the grand girls for starting their thread stash.
I used to bobbin all my skeins, but got tired of it. Now I just put the whole skein in baseball card 3 ring binder sheets, and use oval sticky dots to no. them. I have 3 blue 3 ring binders for my main stash, and 4 black ones for my extras. Whenever my 3 bue gets low, I just go to my etra to restock.

HAPPY STITCHING IN STITCHING LAND.

i have only been using stitchbow for a few months and i love it. i just found a box about the length and width of the plastic pages. it is so easy to access your different colors with this system. they don't all come out when you take one out.

LaraAmber wrote:So after two full paragraphs let me finally get to my question. For people who use stitchbows, how do you organize/store the bows? I'm half tempted to switch back to bobbins, even though it means time spent winding cards and possible kinks in the floss.

i LOVE stitchbows. and i found the perfect system for me. i'm from a place where cross stitch supplies are scarce. while sleeves can be easily purchased onlne, i'm not willing to shell out money for shipping.

i once described how i do it in one of the threads here:
"...i thought of making my own sleeves! went to the bookstore, bought the thickest plastic cover (the one used to cover books), hard cardboard and screws for binding. i cut the plastic cover in my desired size, created partitions/pockets for the stitchbows using a plastic sealer, punched holes in one end then put them together (with the hard cardboard as a support) using the binding screws. viola! my floss are now arranged numerically and never had a mess!"

hope this helps

gamermd wrote: i once described how i do it in one of the threads here:
"...i thought of making my own sleeves! went to the bookstore, bought the thickest plastic cover (the one used to cover books), hard cardboard and screws for binding. i cut the plastic cover in my desired size, created partitions/pockets for the stitchbows using a plastic sealer, punched holes in one end then put them together (with the hard cardboard as a support) using the binding screws. viola! my floss are now arranged numerically and never had a mess!"

hope this helps

I'd love a picture if you have one. I thought of sewing plastic sleeves into dividers but found a place who was happy to post them to me free of charge.

Mystonique, i'd gladly post a picture but i can't figure out how. says i need to have a photobucket account which i don't have too.