Category: Floss Organization

A full coverage cross stitch with 132 thread colours is a lot to keep straight before you’ve put in a single stitch. Sara, one of our customers, worked out a way to set up her floss cards in Canva, and it’s so clever we asked if we could share it.

It started with a review. Sara left one on our project cards and mentioned, almost in passing, that she’d uploaded the PDF to Canva and filled in all her thread numbers and chart symbols there. We use Canva every week. It had never once occurred to us to do that.

So we got in touch, and she very kindly wrote up her whole process. Here’s Sara, in her own words:

I’m Sara from Ohio! Brand new to cross stitching but incredibly familiar with needing things just so.

Just like I’m a mood reader, I’m a mood crafter. Additionally, I am a planner.

Ten colours by hand, 132 colours not so much

Sara’s first project was a full coverage Christmas stocking for her daughter. It used ten colours, so she wrote the DMC numbers on her cards by hand and drew the chart symbols beside them. In her words, she’s “not an artist”, and the symbols showed it.

Her second project, Twilight in the Wilderness, is a different beast. It has 132 colours, and every one of them has its own chart symbol.

Having 132 different symbols—some of which are the same symbol facing different directions—meant I wanted to be darn sure I had the right ones for the right thread, AND that they were legible and facing the right way.

On a large project, every extra colour is one more chance to mix two threads up.

For an overview of choosing and using patterns, see our guide to cross stitch patterns for beginners.

Setting up the cards in Canva

Sara used to develop curriculum and run workshops for high school students, so she knows Canva well. She bought our Large project floss organisation cards and went straight there. Here’s her process, step by step.

1. Get the PDF into Canva. Download the PDF as usual. In Canva, go to Create, then Upload, and choose the file. Canva opens it as an editable design, with the card layout ready to fill.
2. Add the thread numbers.
   • On free Canva, add a text box, type your numbers and line them up with the rows on the card.
   • Sara has Canva Pro, so she let its AI assistant do the lining up. She pasted in her numbers, pressing Enter after each one so they sat in a column.
   • She asked the assistant to match the column to the rows on the card. It took a couple of goes to get the wording right.
   • Once the first column looked right, she changed the text size and asked it to reformat to match.
   • Then she duplicated that column into the next card and nudged it into place.
3. Add the symbols. This is the clever bit.
   • Sara opened the chart PDF in a split window beside Canva and took a screenshot of the symbol key.
   • She cropped the screenshot to the symbols for that card and pasted it into Canva.
   • She asked the AI to split it into separate symbols and place them in order beside the matching thread numbers.
   • Once she had a prompt that worked, she just said “same thing” for the next row, the next column and the next page. Her 132 colours filled three pages of cards.
   • Without Canva Pro, crop each symbol from your screenshot and drag it into place by hand. With 132 symbols that gets tedious, but for 20 or 30 colours it’s very manageable.
4. Number the cards to match the bags. Sara repurposed the “Fabric used” field on each card as a sheet number, so her cards run Sheet 1 to Sheet 8.
   
   Every sheet has a matching zip-lock bag for its spare skeins, labelled with the same number and the range of DMC numbers inside. The other fields she left blank apart from the pattern name.
   
   If you want to fill them in, add a text box in Canva, rotate it and drop it on the line.

THEN, when I had that prompt perfected, the rest of it was a breeze. I would just ask it to do the same thing.

Loading the cards

With the cards printed, Sara cut them out, punched the holes, put a show on TV, and loaded the thread.

Each Large project card holds 17 colours, and there are three cards to a printed page. Sara’s 132 colours came to eight cards across three pages, with a few spare slots on the last card. If you’re working out how many you’ll need, divide your colour count by 17 and round up.

The part we’d steal straight away is her sheet bags. Sara has a zippy bag labeled with the sheet number, to hold the spare skeins for the colours on that sheet. As Sara puts it, “if you run out of thread, you just grab the bag labeled for that sheet and don’t have to dig through the collection for the whole project.”

This works neatly alongside a master system for your whole stash, like our DMC Floss Storage and Organisation System. The master cards keep track of everything you own. The project cards and sheet bags hold what you’ve pulled out for this one piece.

Sara hasn’t started stitching yet, but the setup has already done its job:

The organization has already improved my confidence in this because I know I’ve got the correct symbols/labels and I can easily read them.

And because the cards live in Canva, a ratty card a couple of years into the project is just a reprint.

Making cards last a multi-year project

Sara expects Twilight in the Wilderness to take years, so she wanted sturdier cards. She glued her cardstock to backing board with spray adhesive, cut the cards out, and then found her craft punch couldn’t get through it. That needs a heavy-duty handheld punch.

I didn’t want to spend $10 out of spite so I just reprinted it on cardstock and have it flimsy for now. I’m sure I’ll change my mind and do it eventually.

If you want cards that last without the backing board, the card sandwich method from our floss organiser assembly guide also works for project cards.

Sara has a nice idea for sturdy cards, too. Punch three holes along the top of each card and keep them in a project binder, with a clear sheet protector behind each card holding that sheet’s spare thread. You take out one card at a time, and its thread comes with it.

Or, you could punch the zippy bag and store it in the same spot. Or use one of those clear binder pouches with a zip closure.

Our take

We always kit up a project before we start, and we use the cards every time. Until now, we’d only ever filled them in by hand. Sara’s method suits any project where the symbols matter, and on a full coverage piece they matter a great deal.

One thing we’d add: we always braid the floss once it’s looped onto the card. A loose plait stops the strands tangling and keeps the ends from getting ratty, and it still slides off easily when you want to move a colour between cards, from your master set onto a project card and back again when you’re done. Here’s floss we moved onto our Temperature Project card, straight off the master set.

Sara signed off her write-up as “Teacher/Developer meets Type A eldest daughter meets crafty mom meets you!” which is about the best summary of a cross stitcher we’ve read.

Thank you, Sara, for letting us share it.

If you’d like to try it, the cards Sara used are our Large project floss organisation cards. For the rest of the setup, see how to kit up a cross stitch project, and for organising everything else, our guide to organising embroidery floss.

Got your own trick for a big project? We’d love to hear it. Get in touch.

Somewhere around the thirty-skein mark, you realise you’re spending your precious stitching time scratching through your pile of embroidery floss to find the colour you need. The shoebox has become a tangle, and in there you find a second skein of a colour you bought a couple of months ago because you didn’t remember you already had it.

So you decide: got to organise this. You already know there are gaps in the numbering of DMC and other brands. The real question is colour order or number order? And the answer depends on what you prefer, and how your brain works.

The three ways stitchers store their floss

There are really three states a floss collection can be in.

The first is where most of us start: the shoebox, the plastic bag you brought the floss home in, the drawer you rummage through. It works fine for a handful of skeins but chaos grows along with your stash.

Every stitcher has been there so you’re not behind. The other two are:

• number order
• colour order.

Before you pick one, note that the order is a separate question from the storage method. If you haven’t yet decided whether you’re a cards person, a sleeve person, a harp person, or a bobbins person, start with our guide to floss storage methods and come back once you’ve settled that. This post is about what happens next: how to sequence the colours once you know how you’re storing them.

This is the great divide of floss organisation, so let’s settle it properly. Vote below and see which team is winning. ;)

The case for number order

Number order means your floss sits in the same sequence DMC assigns it, from 1 to 5283.

Its big advantage is that the rest of the cross stitch world already speaks this language. Pattern thread lists are usually written in number order. Shopping lists are in number order.

When you sit down to kit up a new project, you run your eye down the chart’s list of numbers and check them straight off against your collection in the same sequence, no hunting. If you’re working towards a full DMC set, number order shows you the gaps at a glance, because a missing number is an empty slot in an otherwise unbroken run, which is exactly what a thread tracker or inventory list is built to catch. And when you’re standing in the craft store with your shopping list, number order is usually how you find the colour you’re looking for.

It’s the practical, list-driven choice. If the way you stitch revolves around patterns, shopping lists, and building a complete set, number order keeps you in step with all of them.

The case for colour order

Colour order means your floss is arranged the way your eye sees it: the reds together, the blues running from palest sky to deepest navy, the greens grading through sage and olive and forest.

The case for it is partly that it’s a thing of beauty and a joy to use. But it’s also genuinely more practical for certain jobs. When you reach for “that soft dusky sage” rather than “524”, colour order puts your hand on it without a number lookup.

When you want to swap a shade in a chart, or turn a pink flower purple, you need to see the neighbouring shades side by side to choose well, and colour order lays them out for you.

The same is true when you’re blending or tweeding, choosing colours that sit well together.

But what’s best?

Is there a best? We think it’s what you prefer, what works for your own brain and eyes.

But, DMC’s own colour card, the lovely (and pricey) one with real thread snippets that all designers use and many stitchers covet, is arranged in colour order, not number order.

The company that assigns the numbers still chose to display its threads by colour when it built its reference.

BUT they didn’t abandon numbers. The card has a number index showing where each colour sits, so you get the visual layout with a lookup path back to the numbers. Best of both worlds, in other words, and a fair hint at where the convenience really lies.

So which one suits you?

Neither order is right or wrong. Most of us lean one way without ever having put it into words. If you’re still not sure, this quick check might help:

If you ticked mostly down the left, number order is your system. If you ticked mostly down the right, colour order will feel like home.

And if you landed somewhere in the middle, you’re in good company, that’s what DMC does too :)

The tools, in whichever order suits you

We make our printable floss organising tools in both orders, because stitchers genuinely split on this and we’d rather you had the one that fits the way you work.

• The Single-Page Floss Inventory gives you the whole collection on one sheet for a quick check at a glance, in your preferred order.
• The Three-Page Floss Inventory adds room for notes, for stitchers who like to track a little more detail.
• The Floss Planner Stickers are super convenient if you’re a planner lover. The small pages stick right into your planner and you can even cut them into strips.
• The DMC Floss Inventory Mini Book is the pocket-sized one you carry to the craft store to mark off what you own and spot what you’re missing.
• Floss Organiser Cards keep your threads in long, ready-to-use lengths, with a card for each colour. Available in number order and colour order.

Every one is an instant download, ready to print at home, and updated to the latest DMC floss chart (2023). There is space for you to add any discontinued floss colours you might own.

Note that printed colour swatches are a faithful guide, but every printer renders colour a little differently, and ink on paper will never be a perfect match for dyed thread. Treat a printed colour reference as a strong guide rather than an exact match, and you won’t be caught out.

Get it sorted, and get back to stitching

The order you choose matters far less than choosing one and sticking with it. Once your floss has a home and a sequence, every project starts faster, the duplicate-buying stops, and you spend your stitching time stitching rather than searching.

If you’d like the bigger picture, our Complete Guide to Embroidery Floss Organisation pulls together everything from first sort to full collection, storage to tracking, in one place. Then pick your order, kit up, and enjoy getting happily lost in cross stitch.

A cross stitch project kit can make a real difference when your projects, patterns, and supplies are scattered across different places. When everything for one project lives together, you spend less time setting up and more time stitching. Your floss is ready, your pattern is there, and you can sit down and get straight into the part you actually enjoy.

Creating a kit for each project doesn’t add work to your stitching. It removes friction. Over time, that gives you more chances to get lost in cross stitch, with all the calm and focus that comes with it.

When Your Projects and Supplies Are Scattered, Stitching Gets Harder

Stitching is meant to be absorbing and relaxing, but it can start to feel oddly effortful when things aren’t where you expect them to be. Even when you know what you want to work on, small interruptions creep in.

You might find yourself:

• deciding which project to stitch
• checking whether you already have the right floss
• trying to remember where you left off
• digging through bags or boxes for tools

None of this is difficult on its own, but it quietly eats into your stitching time. This kind of time suck happens once you have more than one project on the go, or a growing stash of supplies.

What a Cross Stitch Project Kit Actually Is

Like a kit you buy from a retailer, you can make your own kit that has everything you need for one project, kept together as a set.

That usually includes:

• your pattern
• your fabric
• the floss for that project
• scissors or snips
• a needle and needle minder
• a frame or hoop
• anything else you like to use while stitching, perhaps a magnet board and magnet strips to keep track of your pattern.

The important part is that the kit stays together. When you pick it up, you’re not collecting pieces from different places. You’re opening one kit and stitching. A project bag can help you here too.

There’s more on keeping your pattern with your kit in our guide to cross stitch patterns for beginners.

Why Making a Kit Saves You Time Every Time You Stitch

When your project is already kitted up:

• you don’t spend time deciding what to work on
• you don’t stop mid-session to look for floss or tools
• you can pick the project back up easily after a break
• your stitching time stays focused.

This is one of the best ways we’ve found to get more time to cross stitch. You’re just protecting the time you already have.

Preparing Your Floss Once Is the Real Time Saver

The biggest time saver in a project kit is prepared floss. By this we mean floss that is pre-cut into the right lengths, and stored in a way that lets you pull out just one or two strands.

When you prepare your floss at the start of a project, you do the work once:

• you cut the skein into usable lengths
• you separate strands if needed
• you attach those lengths to the project

After that, stitching is fast. You pull a strand, thread your needle, and keep going. You’re not unwinding skeins, cutting thread mid-session, or dealing with leftover bits (floss orphans) you’re not sure what to do with and that end up in your OORT jar or the bin!

This is a do-once job that pays you back over months of stitching and over the life of the skein itself. This approach grows naturally out of long-term floss organizer systems, where preparing floss upfront saves time again and again.

Why Project Floss Organization Cards Tie the Whole Kit Together

When you’re at the stage in your stitching life that you’re doing multiple projects (several works-in-progress are normal), this way of work is such a time saver.

A Project Floss Organization Card holds just the floss for one project. All your colors are visible at once, fixed in place, and easy to grab. The card lives with your project kit, so your floss never drifts away from the project it belongs to.

I always write the project name and floss numbers on the card. Dates are useful too, especially when time has a way of slipping by. Writing down the fabric helps if things ever get separated. Everything else on the card is optional. You fill in what helps you and ignore the rest.

Because the cards come in different sizes, you can choose one that suits the number of colors in your project, whether you’re working with three colors or thirty.

Choosing the Right Card Size for Your Project

You usually know how many colors a project has before you start, so choosing a card is straightforward. Larger projects use larger cards. Smaller projects work well with any size, including the fold-up card.

Cards can be reused too. You can use the back for a new project, use pencil for initial markup, or repurpose it for stitch-alongs. They’re designed to be part of your stitching cycle, not something you throw away. The different formats live alongside other printable tools for planning and stitching.

Why This Works From Your First Project Onward

This way of kitting projects works no matter where you are in your stitching.

If you’re new to cross stitch, it helps you start with useful habits. Your floss doesn’t tangle. Nothing drops loose into the bottom of a bag. Everything stays together. Over time, those habits make stitching feel easier and more enjoyable, which is why many beginners appreciate simple systems like this when learning cross stitch basics.

If you’ve been stitching for years, kits make it easier to manage multiple projects without mixing things up. You always know which floss belongs where, which is helpful if you rotate projects or stitch away from home.

Using Project Kits for Travel, Gifts, and Stitch-Alongs

Project kits are ideal for stitching away from home. You grab one kit and go, knowing everything you need is already there.

They also work well for stitch-alongs. You can reuse a card from month to month, turning it over or updating it as the new design is released. If the SAL is well designed, you’ll be using the same colour set for every pattern so you might only kit up once for the duration.

Kits also make thoughtful gifts. If you’re giving a chart to another stitcher, you can turn it into a complete kit by adding fabric, floss, and a Project Floss Organization Card.

The fold-up card was designed with small projects and travel designs in mind, making it a natural fit for gifting and portable stitching.

What Happens When a Project Is Finished

When you finish your project, any remaining floss goes back into your master set. The card goes back into your stitching box, ready to be reused. We generally get at least four uses out of each card before they get too tatty.

But mainly, you’re not left with any “just in case” floss scraps, and nothing gets lost between projects.

A Simpler Way to Protect Your Stitching Time

Creating a cross stitch project kit doesn’t change how you stitch. It changes how easy it is to start.

When your floss is prepared, your tools are together, and your project is ready to go, you spend less time setting up and more time stitching. This is our favourite thing – more time to get lost in cross stitch :)

If keeping your projects contained sounds appealing, Project Floss Organization Cards support exactly this way of stitching, both practical and quick.