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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Aurifil Artisan Challenge :: Thread Organization

Recently I shared about trying the new Aurifil 8wt thread, and that actually was a bonus available to the Aurifil Artisans. The scheduled Aurifil Artisan challenge for January is to share our Aurifil organizing tips and tricks. Tricks have I none, and the one main tip - and it's loosely followed - is to keep similar weights together

Though I do follow my own tip, the different weights are organized in a variety of containers. The 12wt, which I use primarily for embroidery and hand-quilting, is kept in a loose mix in a project bag. This one, made by my friend Sharon @redapplestitches, has a handy tab that you can write on with a Frixion pen, so the current project can be labeled. I know it looks like a jumble, but it's so portable; and when working on a specific project, I often keep a selection of colors in a smaller basket near where I stitch.



In the traditional Aurifil thread storage cases, I keep all my large spools - mostly 50wt, some 40wt, organized by color. The cases at the top and center right in the photo below are my Aurifil Artisan Welcome boxes, which I usually keep as they come, so they do have a larger assortment of threads.



And I have a vintage My Buddy tackle box - hubby kept his painting supplies in it as a child - where I keep a variety of threads - mostly small spools. But there's my small collection of 28wt, small spools of 40wt, the new 8wt, monofilament, and then small spools of 50wt (including my neons!), 80wt, and wool 12wt. Both the thread storage cases and the tackle box are on a shelf right next to my machine for easy access. I guess that's another tip - keep the threads you use most close to your machine!



I don't have a huge collection of Aurifloss, but it's all together in a basket that I keep in my stash closet, at the ready.



And finally, there are my cones of all weights - 50wt, 40wt, and Forty3 - all in the cart next to my machine. I also keep a copy of the Aurifil brochure there, which has info about all the threads, what needles to use, suggested uses etc.


I've thought of a couple of additional tips in writing this post, and they are:

  • If you find yourself running low on a color you really like or use often, order a spare so you have it when you need it.
  • Try out the different thread weights. Before becoming an Aurifil Artisan, I used almost exclusively 50wt thread. I've since discovered that I like to use heavier weights for machine-quilting, I love 12wt for embroidery, and 80wt is amazing for paper-piecing.
I'd love to hear your thread organization tips! Share in the comments so we all can see.

8 comments:

  1. Wow so much thread! And you do have amazing organizing skills. I keep my thread in zipper bags I've made.

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  2. I have my heavy weight threads on spool holders on the wall. I rarely use these threads (I inherited most of them from my aunt). I keep all my quilting threads in an Aurifil bin. It's big. The handle allows me to take it with me when I sew with my friends once a week. It's been toted around so much that I am rethinking it. Since I do go to day retreats and Wednesday night sews fairly often, I am thinking about putting the thread with the project. It's an ongoing process. I do like the idea of the zipper bags and since I have several just waiting to be used, I might try this idea.

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    Replies
    1. I don't know why it shows me as anonymous. This is Lisa Cast in Texas.

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    2. Bummer. It also show you as a noreply-blogger without an email, so hopefully you can see my response to your comments.

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    3. It IS an ongoing process! Definitely do what works best for you. It's kind of fun to keep some threads at least in handmade containers. ;-)

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  3. I agree with keeping the thread you use most often by your machine. I have a thread stand that I modified to mount to the wall beside my machine where I keep the majority of my 50wt thread in rainbow order. The duplicate 50wt spools are in boxes, waiting to be pulled out when I run out of favorite colors (which explains how I ended up with 3 spools of one color, oops -- I need to check my extras before placing an order)!

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  4. I have a stash of older thread, think wood spools. I believe that age makes thread weaker so I keep those threads separately in a tin. I use them exclusively for basting because strength is not a problem when thread has a temporary purpose.

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  5. I like Camille's comment about using the older threads for basting! I've a few old wooden spooled threads which I'm leery of using any project--they just are not strong enough anymore. Basing will be a good use of that thread--and I won't feel like I'm wasting it just throwing it away! Thanks for the idea!
    Thanks for sharing your organizational skill, Deb. I'll pass this along to my quilting friends. :-)

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