Tracking Thread Colors

I recently learned a lesson the hard way and thought I would share my carelessness with you so you don't make the same mistake I did!

I noticed a few weeks ago that I was running low on several thread colors. When I lived in Richmond, VA, I had a great local shop where I got a great deal on thread and I could just go in and match whatever color I needed.

Now, I am 30 minutes or so from a good thread shop so I decided to try to order my replacement thread online. I found a great site...and the prices were better than what I paid in Richmond. However...several of my low thread spools were missing their identification number sticker! I tried my best to match colors online...how do you think that turned out???

Let me show you...



low baby blue on the left "replenished" with silver on the right...



a pretty lime green on the left "replenished" with a more yellowy green that doesn't quite match any of my fabric!!!



and look at this...a pretty pink on the left that perfectly matches the pink on the right. You know why???



Because the magic sticker was still on top of the spool!!!

So...my advice to you is to make a list of your thread color whenever you buy it! You never know when you want to replace it and if that oh so important sticker is still going to be around!

I recommend keeping track of the following information as a document on your computer:

1) Thread Brand 2) Thread Identification (color/code) 3) Where you purchased it 4) Specific Project - if you purchased it for a special project or to match a particular fabric you might want to note that too.

Hope this helps and keeps you from ordering unmatched thread in the future!

If you have any additional thread tracking tips...please leave a comment below!