Organizing a floss stash
You don't need a perfect system. You need one record that answers "do I already have this colour, and how much?" whenever you're about to buy.
File by brand + number, not by colour name
Colour names are informal and differ between brands and shops. The brand plus its colour number is what you'll find on the skein band and in a pattern key. Skein Tally matches threads on brand + number, ignoring capital letters and spaces (so "blanc" and "BLANC" match). The colour name is just your own note.
Record partial skeins
Wound bobbins and leftovers count. Enter them as fractions (0.5 for about half). They reduce the shopping list without hiding that a colour is running low.
Note where it lives
A "storage location" field (box, drawer, bobbin card number) saves hunting later. It also helps if your stash is split between kits and loose bobbins.
Keep the list where you shop
- Print the stash list or the shopping list as PDF, or export CSV to a spreadsheet.
- Many stitchers also use printed number-order checklists. Lost in Cross Stitch publishes a pocket-sized one.
- After shopping, press Bought on the shopping list to add those skeins to your stash.
Keep a backup
Skein Tally saves in this browser only. If you clear site data or switch devices, it's gone. Save a JSON file from time to time and keep it somewhere safe.
Sources
- Lost in Cross Stitch, "Printable floss inventory tracker mini book" (number-order checklist idea).