In this episode, I share where to store your cross stitch supplies. You can listen to the episode below or keep scrolling to read the post.
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Where to store your cross stitch supplies
We’ve just come off the spring ritual episode where I talked about decluttering and organising your cross stitch supplies. So I thought we would dive deeper into that subject today. I’m not so much talking about decluttering but where you can put all of your supplies so you know where they are when you need them.
Your craft stash can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you are into other crafts. Or if you are like me and finish your projects in many different ways. This might mean you have lots of supplies for finishing such as metallic poster hangers, wooden rods, glue guns, canvas frames, normal frames etc.
Furniture in my office
I mentioned in the last episode that I have a whole office/room. But I don’t use that much space to store all of my craft supplies. My office is quite small.
Right now, there’s a desk, a wardrobe (but in that wardrobe are just all of our winter coats; none of my craft supplies), an IKEA Kallax unit (I only have one box in there because the rest I use for shelves), a little, slim trolley, a set of rainbow drawers and I’ve just got a shelf unit.
That might sound like a lot if you don’t really have space for anything. But looking at other people that work in this industry I think I have quite little. Even though I have a whole room it’s not full to bursting full of crafts supplies.
Aida
Let’s start with where I store aida because that is a big piece of cross stitch supplies.
I didn’t always have an office to myself, so in the past, I used to keep aida in plastic, ziplock bags. And on the front of the bags, I would write 14 count, 16 count, etc. When I sold kits, I cut my aida up before I used it. After it was cut up it would go into the bags. Then I would keep those bags in a box.
Even if you don’t want to cut up your aida first, keeping it in separate bags depending on the count/colour can still be a good way to organise it.
When I stopped selling kits I didn’t need to cut my aida up anymore so I started storing it in the rainbow drawers. And I still do, to this day. There are seven separate drawers. In my top drawer, I keep my 14 count white aida, the next drawer 14 count colourful aida, then next drawer 16 count white aida and so on. I know what size is in each drawer so I can grab what I need when I need it.
Another option is to keep it on a shelf. I’ve done this before but I recommend wrapping it up in some tissue paper or keeping it in a bag to keep the dust off.
Floss
I used to keep my floss/threads in a big box; I never used to use bobbins. I would keep them on the full skein or (because I was selling kits) I would put the Floss straight onto thread organisers ready to go into kits.
Again, when I stopped selling kits I needed a new system for storing all my floss. I finally decided to go to bobbins and it’s definitely the best way; it keeps your floss neat and tidy. You can easily find what you need, especially if you keep them in number order. And you can stack your bobbin boxes. I have three bobbin boxes and I stack them on top of each other on top of my rainbow drawers.
I used to hate bobbins because of the imprint they leave at the end of your thread; it goes a bit zigzaggy. This was a problem when I was selling kits because I didn’t want to give people creased floss. But it’s not an issue when you’re using it for personal use. Those zigzag lines do not stay when you’re stitching with them; it does not affect your stitching at all.
Hoops/frames/Q-snaps
I keep my hoops and frames in different places. My hoops I keep in a box/bag which is beautiful. It’s yellow, sturdy and you can carry it around. This also goes on top of my rainbow drawers behind the bobbin boxes.
Another place you could keep your hoops is if you have drawers you can keep them all in the same one. Or you could separate them. 4 inch hoops in one drawer, 5 inch in another, etc. This depends on how many hoops you own and what you’re using them for. I guess most of you don’t have tons of hoops. I have a lot because I have lots left over from cross stitch kits I’ve sold. Maybe most of your hoops are out on projects and you don’t really need somewhere to store them.
For frames, I have a shelf and I slot my frames down the side. I only have two frames (scroll ones). I have a large one that I barely use and a smaller one. The smaller one I do use and it’s usually on a project so it doesn’t need to be stored.
Q-snap frames can be stored in a similar way. Stood up and slotted onto a shelf. Similar to how you would store books on a bookshelf.
Needle minders
I don’t have a lot (I lose them all the time) but they live in a plant pot on top of my slim trolly. Or they are out on projects. In the past, I have stored them on the lid of a metal tin (which keeps my leftover floss that I haven’t put back on a bobbin)
Needles
I keep my needles in the packet that they come in so I know what size they are. Again I have a lot of needle packets from back when I used to sell kits. the packets are in a small zip bag in a basket on the small trolley. I like keeping things in different containers to make them easier to pick up.
If I’ve used a needle in a project I don’t put back in the packet. On the last Retreat Day inside the Cross Stitch Club, we made mini felt books and Joyce had an amazing idea of using them as a needle book. So that is what I’ve been doing with needles I’ve finished a project with.
I also have a lamp on my bedside table and on the bottom it is metal. I have a little needle minder magnet there too, to put needles on if I find them around the bedroom or if I finish a project in bed etc. It sounds strange but it’s just what I do and I always know I can find a needle there.
One thing I recommend when you’re organising your craft supplies or finding new places to put things is to keep similar things together. So I keep my needles and my needle minders on the same trolley. I keep my floss, hoops and aida on or in the same set of drawers. Anything to make finding things easier.
Scissors
My scissors I keep in a scissor pocket that I made. You can find the tutorial for it here. It’s the perfect size for my embroidery scissors so I keep that hanging on my little trolley. You can also get scissor-minder books things, keep them in a small ziplock bag or just in your project bags.
A good thing about these scissor pockets is that you can hang them quite high up out of the way of Little Fingers if you’re worried about the kids getting hold of them. I also have a large craft pocket on my wall where I keep my fabric scissors.
Projects that are finished but not hung up/displayed
You probably have projects that you’ve already finished but you haven’t displayed yet. Maybe you can’t find the space for them or it’s a seasonal design that you’re not going to be displaying all year round.
These projects I keep in a simple box. It’s a big polystyrene box that cakes were delivered in, and I’ve reused it. I use this box to keep projects I’m not displaying because it’s not the right season or I haven’t got around to putting it up somewhere. But these are projects that are finished and ready to hang up. They are on a canvas frame or in a regular frame or they’ve been made into a wreath, etc.
I like using this particular box because it’s so sturdy. I can move it around and nothing’s getting squished inside. This box goes on top of the wardrobe I have in my office so it’s out of the way. I only need to get it down every three or so months. So it can just stay up there and all my projects are safe, they’re not getting dusty and they’re not getting trodden on.
I highly recommend a similar box to keep finished projects in. A large plastic storage box for example. That way you know where the projects are when a new season comes around and they stay safe during the time they are stored.
Just finished stitching projects
Projects that I’ve finished stitching but haven’t done anything with them yet – I have three places where I keep these.
If it’s a project that I have finished but I am not going to display or I don’t know what to do with it or maybe it’s a Christmas one that I finished in February and I don’t need to worry about that until September; I keep these in little envelope folders. And then I have a basket I keep on the floor full of these envelope folders ready to be turned into something soon.
Projects I’m excited about finishing or know I will finish in the next few weeks I keep in a separate basket. They aren’t in a bag or anything because I will be working on them soon. This basket lives on top of my printer. It’s in the most random place but that’s where it stays. I might also put a few other things in there that I might need to finish these projects. For example, some wooden dowels or a canvas.
Projects that I am never going to finish or I just haven’t ever gotten around to finishing and I probably never will go in a big blue box that’s in my Kallax unit. I keep them in plastic bags to make sure they’re not getting damaged (because who knows one day I might do something with them) and the bags go in the box. I’ve stitched so many projects over the years that I can’t possibly display them all so some of them, unfortunately, do end up in a box. I don’t get rid of them just in case but I also don’t feel bad that not all of my stitching is displayed.
WIPs
Projects I am currently working on go in their own bags. These bags are scattered around a little, but if they are in my office they are on a shelf or just on my desk.
I talk more about organising your WIPs here.
Finishing tools
The tools I use for finishing; glue gun, metallic photo holders, wooden dowels, Scotch Guard, Mod Podge, fabric glue, felt, wooden blocks, frames, etc all live on the shelves of my Kallax unit. Some of it is inside little baskets or boxes. I have a box of twine and pom-pom trim, two white boxes which have metallic poster holders and wooden dowels and a basket for paint pots (for painting hoops), etc. The fabric glue, Mod Podge and Scotch Guard stand on the shelves. I slot my blank/canvas frames onto a shelf next to my frames for stitching. So the shelves of my Kallax unit are for finishing off projects.
That’s pretty much it for where I keep everything. Obviously, I have other bits and bobs all around the place so if there’s anything specific I missed that you want to know about please just let me know on Instagram @hannahhandmakes.
For now, I hope this helps you get some motivation for organising or gives you some ideas on where you can keep things.
Containers
The biggest thing I’ve learned when organising craft supplies (and I’ve moved around a lot) is to keep things in small containers. The supplies for cross stitch are quite small so keeping things in small containers makes it much easier to find what you’re looking for. You don’t have to go out and buy a lot of boxes; reuse some! I use shoeboxes a lot (especially from the kids’ shoes because they’re smaller), boxes that gifts come in and even empty plant pots.
Looking around my office right now I can see 14 baskets and boxes around my office. I love the way containers keep things organised and make it easy to find what you need. Your time in cross stitch or other hobbies might be limited so you don’t want to waste time trying to find your supplies. Keeping things organised helps you cross stitch more and helps you have more time for your hobby.
Where to store your cross stitch supplies – your answers
I asked on Instagram where you keep your cross stitch supplies and these are some of the answers I got.
iddid_h said: “a cantilever box from Ikea”.
I love these boxes; they’re small trays inside a larger box – perfect! My daughter has one for her art supplies.
gemstitches said: “Mine are in craft boxes and bags under the bed. I did have a stitch room but that was pre-toddler life! I keep my daily stitching in a craft bag behind the sofa though”.
Under the bed seems to be a popular place for storing supplies; I know someone in “real life” who stores her cross stitch supplies under her bed,
gab.1601: “I have a craft room in my spare room, where I have my DMC floss in a bisley filing cabinet. Floss is organised by colour and I have spare cottons in an Ikea filing draw and also keep ribbon etc. Most of my supplies are upstairs all in Ikea Kallax units, kits, felt, fabric etc. Some of my WIPs and spare aida are downstairs I have a single Kallax and rainbow draw from hobbycraft. I keep certain cottons in spare tins for WIPs and have currently got 6 magnetic boards full of needleminders”.
Getting a magnetic board for needle minders is an amazing idea! You could even use the fridge (as long as they are high up away from children).
samiray85 said: “I have an ottoman full … a basket for my ‘today’ stitching… a couple of plastic boxes and some drawers”.
I love the basket of “today stitching”. You can take your basket to whatever room you are stitching in and easily find what you need without rooting around a bag.
hannahsxstitch said: “I have a rubbish quality set of plastic drawers for fabric/needles/unfinished/ completed projects/crafty stuff like scissors/tape/foam board. A big box of cross stitch kits, a box for threads on bobbins in the plastic thread organisers, and a box of printed PDF patterns in ring binders. Basically organised chaos in our box bedroom”.
I like that Hannah mentioned that her drawers aren’t great quality. If they do the job it doesn’t matter about the condition. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it has to be helpful.
I also like the mention of patterns being in ring binders. I didn’t mention where I store my patterns because I don’t work from paper anymore. But I used to do the same in the past and I also have a magazine holder with some patterns in it (as well as magazines).
vamvac said: “My threads are in folders on DMC bows. My fabric and hoops are in drawers, my WIPs live in a basket in separate bags”.
I’m interested to see how the threads are in folders but I have seen people use zip-lock bags for storing bobbins; especially for sorting them into individual projects.
Extra episodes and posts
- 10 minute cross stitch challenge
- 10 must have craft supplies/tools for finishing projects
- 10 finishing ideas for cross stitch designs
- How to organise your WIP projects
- Cross stitch rut – how to get out and stay out
- How to make a scissor minder hoop
- How to make a craft storage hoop (free pattern!)
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