FlossTube #13: How to Make and Use a Floss Drop

[@isabellewalker7586]

Thank you for this tutorial. I'm coming back to cross stitch after many years away and saw floss drops mentioned in You tube videos, thank you for such a clear explanation of them. Yhey do sorta make more sense than the bobbins of which I have so many!!

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re welcome! I used bobbins since I began stitching, but wanted to see if the drops would work better. I find them more efficient, so I spent a lot of time last summer taking floss off bobbins and putting them on drops. I put about 30 or so on a one-inch binder ring and then hang those on Command hooks in a closet. Works beautifully! Welcome back to cross stitch! It has become quite vibrant and exciting in the last several years. ☺️🪡

[@lisadavies9684]

I have seen floss drops being mentioned on Facebook pages but no one ever says how you get the floss off. Thank you for shedding the light on some thing that will make my stitch time much easier and more enjoyable. I will definitely be making these over the next few months for my floss. Great tutorial!

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re very welcome! I’m glad you found it so helpful and that it will make stitching more enjoyable for you. ☺️❤️ Thank you for watching. Happy stitching! 🪡

[@amandamccoy5814]

I’m going back over some of your older tutorials. As a returner to cross stitch these have been helpful. Thank you.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re very welcome! I’m glad to help you refresh your memory. ☺️ Welcome back to the “stitcherhood.”

[@Nanzilla]

That floss cutting board is very clever! I would totally buy one of those. Your floss drop cards are also a genius move. Love it, thank you for sharing and being so thorough. 🤗💞

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thank you so much! My husband made that board. I told him what you said and he’s flattered. Making the floss drops has saved me a lot of money (that can be used on patterns 😁.) I’m glad you found it useful!

[@Nanzilla]

@@thecrazycrossstitchlady Aww Im glad you told him. But seriously if he makes a shop I bet theres more out there like me. I like gadgets. Have a wonderful day.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

@@NanzillaThank you! I will pass that info along to him. He makes bullet-themed jewelry, too, so that might be a good fit for him. ☺️

[@mrsmiggins6435]

It always amazes me when drawing threads from thread drops😀. You could always make another small hole for any single threads leftovers! Thank you🤗🇬🇧

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

True, and some people do that. I just put it back through the existing hole. I’ve also seen people use pretty business cards, old greeting cards, etc. and repurpose them as floss drops. It’s fun to experiment, isn’t it? Thank you for the information! ☺️

[@bougiestitchers2225]

Welcome to the community. I liked your tutorial!

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️

[@tammyhallwood4621]

Thank you for sharing this process! I’m one of those people coming back to stitching and am having fun discovering all of the new tools that stitchers are using.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re welcome! That’s wonderful! I’m so glad to hear that you’re stitching again! I’m still discovering floss brands, fabrics (LOVE the variety of colors), and all the great stitching channels. It seems like more people join FlossTube every day. I love it! Welcome to my little corner of that world, and thank you for joining me on the journey. ☺️

[@AlbertaPrice-v5h]

just found you tonight and watched your tutorial. I am very happy to have found it cause I have really wondering how the Floss Drops were used. Thank you very much for the info.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re so welcome! I’m glad this has helped you. Thank you for watching! ☺️🪡

[@margaretelerick3017]

Great tutorial! I just discovered all this and am in the process of converting too! Thank you for sharing!

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thank you! I’m happy to help. I’m still converting mine. Many years ago I had the bright idea to collect all of the DMC colors - I know full well I’ll never use them all - so here I am, using the heck out of my floss winder. 😂

[@ruth8676]

Just discovered your channel and really enjoyed your tutorial on making floss drops. I made several along with you! Hope your channel continues to grow!

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

How lovely! I like that you made some with me. 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it! Happy stitching! 😊

[@terryweister9577]

Brilliant!! TY for this tutorial. ❤

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re very welcome! ☺️

[@jefferyhorn6784]

Another great video. Thanks for all you do.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thank you, Jeffery! I’m glad you’re part of my “core audience.” ☺️

[@vickigardner9014]

I have stored my floss on hangars for over 30 years in my clothes or craft closet. I pinned the regular white card to a wire hangar and hung them in numerical order. It was easy for me to see if I had a certain color number I needed and it just seemed easier than keeping them in a box. I think I began to have a big collection and the box was too small and difficult to see what color threads I had in stock. Thanks for showing us how to build and place the thread on the floss drop. I plan to follow your directions and now store my floss on floss drops. Thank You!!

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re so welcome! I kept my floss on bobbins for years. Had several boxes going, then bought two of the large boxes with two sides and a handle. It just became too much. I love using drops now and they’re so much easier to handle! I’m working on a hanging storage system in my closet when they’re not being used in a project. Even if the drops rip occasionally (which a few of mine have), it’s easier and cheaper just to make a few more, and I get to pick pretty designs for them. ☺️❤️ Happy stitching! 🪡

[@dianewatson1356]

9:30 - Creases from using bobbins do not bother me either as I always made sure I wound the floss flat with no twists. However I’m curious if you ever tried steaming the wrinkles out; whether that would work or not. I ordered a set of acrylic floss drops online, but am wondering if storing them would be a challenge. The plastic bobbin storage cases are just so convenient. Keeps them organized and dust/bug free and they stack nicely.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

I haven’t tried steaming them out, but running them over damp sponges is a lot easier. I’ve never had any bleeding from that and they dry very fast. But I like using the drops so much better and have used them for a while now. I doubt I’ll go back to bobbins. Storage can be an issue, but I hang mine on Command hooks in my closet. You could also put them on clothes hangers. Thank you for your comment. I’m glad there are several ways to store floss that will meet the individual needs of stitchers. ☺️

[@theresachucle5362]

Great tutorial thank you for sharing have a wonderful weekend and happy stitching 😊🧵🪡🤗🤩

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re welcome! Thank you for watching, Theresa. I hope you have a week full of happy stitching. ☺️🧵🪡

[@elizabethbryan9475]

A great tutorial, thank you. I have been thinking of changing from bobbins to floss drops, still thinking about storing them when not in use

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thank you! I’m still working on switching all of my bobbins over. I’m going to put my floss drop rings on scarf hangers and hang them on the wall in my craft closet. I may set up a dowel rod with Command hooks and hang them on that.

[@leebrown6505]

Great Tutorial Use a hair flat iron to flatten out the floss that has been on a bobbin works great

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Ooh, I never thought about that! I have one. Do you just put it on the lowest heat setting? I do find that the floss slides off much better when I've put on a new skein versus when I unwrap one from a bobbin and put it on the drop.

[@elizabethford7263]

I use bobbins on rings for my on-the-go projects but floss drops for home- based ones. I often put the symbol on the floss drop as well to make it easier to know which to grab.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thanks for the information! Why do you use bobbins for your on-the-go projects? Is it because the floss isn’t hanging down and it’s easier to carry? Even when I travel, my projects are in their own bags, so the drops don’t bother me.

[@elizabethford7263]

@@thecrazycrossstitchlady they get all tangled in my go bag. They're generally smalls so I can manage the irritation of winding and unwinding.

[@kathleenpatterson3963]

I pull all my floss out then wind it next also put a smaller hole that you can put floss that you have left that maybe you can use again , clever husband you have 👍

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

I think a lot of people either make a smaller hole or they put it back on separately in the existing hole. Right now I just put mine back on separately, but if I find it starting to tangle with the rest, I’ll make another hole. I need to just sit down and transfer my bobbins to floss drops. It’s a lot! 😳😂 Thank you. My hubby is definitely a good enabler . . . I mean supporter. 😉

[@NDQuilter1]

Thanks for this tutorial

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

You’re welcome! ☺️

[@christyganter9449]

After loading each color onto a floss drop-loosely braid each color and tie off with a small hair elastic. This will stop the drops from tangling and unwinding and it’s still easy enough to pull your thread from the drop.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Good advice! Thank you!

[@sandrinou1329]

Hi, I tidy up my threads on little DMC cards and they are in drawers. I discover your way of arranging your threads on Floss Drop and I wonder which solution is the best to be fast to find a thread. For example, if I want a DMC number, I find it immediately on my drawers. I don't know if I could do it faster of your solution. On the other hand, your solution is the best for taking rapidely threads on rings. I must find the best solution...

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

I would suggest that you try using floss drops on a small project with just a few colors and see if you like it. Have fun trying something new. You may find that you like the drops and you may even be inspired with a neat storage solution. If you decide that they’re not any easier for you, just remove the floss and wrap it around a bobbin. No worries. You won’t really know if you can quickly find the colors you need if they’re on drops unless you try it for yourself. We all have our own stitching habits, so I guarantee that if you try using drops, it won’t take you long to figure out if they’re right for you. Let me know if I can help further. 😊

[@sandrinou1329]

@@thecrazycrossstitchlady I think that I will adopt both solutioins. Mine, to keep thread on my drawers. And yours, to take take thread easily on floss. So I take all colours I need, I put them on drop and in the end of my work I wrap them around bobbin. It's the storage that worries me. I want to keep my drawers but your solution is best if I want to put many floss on drop. OK I will see. I thank you very much for your answer and your sympathy :)

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

@@sandrinou1329 You’re welcome. I understand your concern. It sounds like you have a good plan to help you with both issues. I hope it works well for you. Happy stitching! ☺️

[@flowerlass]

I use Annie's Keepers, but I don't use their hanging method. I put my floss drops in numerical order on large binder rings. I have a tag on each ring that says what numbers are on that ring. I hang them on hooks on a pegboard. I remove the numbers I need for a project and return them when I am finished. I only have a few projects going at a time, so it works for me.

[@sandrinou1329]

I have another question please. I always cross stitch on linen. I always do 6 points for 1 cm. But in shop it tells 11ct, 14ct. Which ct corresponds if I want to conserve 6pt/cm ?

[@JudithHembrow]

Aida 16 count or linen 32 count is the equivalent to 6.3 crosses per centimetre. Hope this helps.

[@sandrinou1329]

@@JudithHembrow thank you very much :)

[@m0ther0ne]

Thank you. If you laminate the paper before you cut your shapes, they will be stronger and last longer.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

Thank you. I had tried using the paper on card stock but it was too thick. I’ll try laminating. I appreciate the tip! ☺️

[@marywalker816]

Interesting

[@lollypop7006]

I obly hsve paper pads not thick card ones 😢

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

It’s okay. Mine aren’t cardstock. They’re just a little stronger than regular paper. Start with what you have. You could even glue two (or three) pieces of paper together, let it dry really well, then make the drops. Even construction paper would work (and it’s cheaper than scrapbook paper.) I used to have to get pretty creative with what I had on hand. It won’t hurt to try. ☺️

[@carollecarno7425]

Punch a small hole in the floss drop to put the rest of that strand in :)

[@pnickel3059]

The kinks in your floss off of a bobbin is no big deal. I like you, run my floss over a damp sponge before stitching with it. The kinks relax right away, and I literally have NO tangles. Personally I prefer bobbins. The floss drops look like the loose cut bottoms of the floss would be a tangled mess.

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

@@pnickel3059 Sometimes my floss ends get a little tangled, but I really have very few issues with it. It’s worth it to be able to pull a strand out and not have to unwind and rewind pieces. But I’m glad there are several storage options to suit different habits and preferences. I say whatever brings you the most joy. ☺️ Happy stitching! 🪡

[@annieann99]

Nope they just end up a big mess. Floss bags for me

[@thecrazycrossstitchlady]

To each his own. 🙂