Monday, April 16, 2007

Happy dancing!

Some girls love diamonds and fancy cars. Not me! Give me some little plastic boxes and pieces of cardboard and I'm a happy camper!

You all know how much I love organization. Well, when I ordered some longarm supplies I also ordered 6 floss boxes. I was tired of my broken down system for holding embroidery threads. I set this up years and years ago when I did counted cross stitch - now I use the floss for blanket stitching appliqués and embroidery. I'm thrilled embroidery has come back into fashion - my mother had me doing my first embroidery at about age 5-6.

And look what arrived today! I can hardly wait to wind all my thread around these little bobbins and put them into cases where I can actually see what I have and what all the colors are. These will take up WAY less room than my current shoe box system. It will also make it much easier to see the thread colors!

Now I can bring the rest of my freezer paper boxes out of the closet. Would you believe I have 6 of them? (This doesn't include the roll I'm currently using either!) Some of you may remember when Reynolds decided to discontinue the production of freezer paper. This was right after appliquérs learned to depend on it. We raided the store when we could find it - stockpiling it for the day we couldn't get it any more. Word would pass from quilter to quilter as to which store go in how many boxes. I was so afraid I'd run out - I kept thinking "I'll buy just one more". As it is I think I've got enough to pass along to a granddaughter to use for all of her quilting life LOL!

Update: I don't want to start any rumors! Reynolds is NOT discontinuing the production of freezer paper. This happened about 1990. A huge letter writing campaign was launched by hundreds and hundreds of quilters all over the country, and petitions were circulated and sent to the company. After a year or two they stated publicly that they would not be discontinuing making it. Unfortunately in the meantime those of us who'd become addicted to appliqué during that time had stockpiled a lifetime's supply.

16 comments:

Susan Freebery said...

Patti - is that true? Reynolds is going to discontinue making freezer paper? I have never heard this! I hope that I can still find a dozen or so rolls around here.... Well, my day is sure cut out for me tomorrow!

Judy said...

Sounds like a very good plan Patti!

ForestJane said...

I have a roll too, sitting on top of my freezer, but you know, I have NEVER used to wrap anything up to freeze... lol

I'll use baggies and foil before I use the freezer paper to wrap and freeze something!

Unknown said...

Patti - thank goodness you clarified the situation there - you almost set me into a flat spin - and I also have three unopened boxes plus a part used roll - freezer paper, THE best!!!!

Unknown said...

I wish you luck and patience for reorganising your threads. The boxes sure look handy. Freezer paper has reached Germany (the US made ones) and I am very glad it is not to be discontinued. Take care.

Lily Mulholland said...

Looks to me like your dance cards are already full! Have fun reorganising and least you know you'll never run out of freezer paper!

Cynthia said...

i have a couple of floss boxes and they are best way to store your embroidery threads. Looks like you are going to be busy for awhile winding the threads on to the cards.

Nancy said...

I had those floss boxes back when I did counted cross stitch. Wish I hadn't given them away when I moved now. And I have almost 2 full boxes of freezer paper. such handy stuff.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh seeing the colors will be so pretty! And I agree - Yeahhh for freezer paper!

Judy said...

Good for you on the organization front! Being organized makes sewing time so much better! I bought a 750 foot roll of FP - unfortunately it may be a life time supply!! LOL!

Nicole said...

I am so impressed with your organization! I hope to make some sense out of my neglected sewing room this weekend. I remember the big scare in the 90's that Reynold's was going to stop making freezer paper. Wonder if anyone other than appliquers buy it?

Quilting Kim said...

You are going to love those floss boxes- although your arms will get tired winding all those cards.

I had to laugh when I read your post about Freezer Paper - I bought so much of it that I actually started using it to wrap stuff to put in the freezer - and it works good for that, too.

Jeanne said...

Aaargh -- my floss is just lumped by color into ziplock bags! I NEED a better system!!

Jeanne :)

Hanne said...

Can I come and help you with the embroidery thread. I like to organize too - maybe we share a gene or two? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Reynolds probably decided not to discontinue making freezer paper based on their astronomical sales of the stuff! :-)

I've seen it for sale in quilt shops too.

Sweet P said...

After searching every major grocery store within 15 miles of my house I founf freezer paper at my local butcher shop that I visit once a week. How stupid am I? I bought two rolls . . . just in case . . .