Bobbins plastic v card

With so much in the media about our use of plastic these days there has been a lot of questions asked in the cross stitching community as to whether we are best using the plastic or card bobbins on which to store our silks.

When I first started cross stitching nearly 30 years ago, the only bobbins available were card. It made it easier to be able to write the number of the silk, or to add the symbol from the chart you were working on  Over the years I have collected many of the available DMC colour threads, which meant in time if I was kitting up a large project the initial outlay wasn't going to break the bank and as and when a new colour came out I could add to those I already had if needed for the next project.  But as time goes on I found the card bobbins started to bend or rip especially those that were probably 20 years old and has been re filled a few times and this made it more difficult to spot in the storage boxes.

It was by pure chance whilst kitting up a new project and needing some additional threads that I by accident picked up a packet of plastic bobbins. I immediately thought these would be better than the card because they were much more robust and certainly wouldn't rip or bend. The only issue I had with them was that they are not easy to write on and even a permanent marker doesn't seem to last over a long period of time.  You can of course buy a set of the DMC floss stickers for very little money but these really only come into play I feel, if you are intending to collect the whole set of DMC threads. 

I did however come up with a money saving solution and one which I have been using ever since. I now cut the number from the label wrapped around the thread    

and attach to the bobbin with sellotape which means the label doesn't get damaged and therefore the number doesn't wear off. It also means you can refill the bobbin with the same colour over and over again or remove the label and recycle back into your empty bobbins to be used again at a later date.

It took away the need for purchasing of any stickers and means that if you have to purchase more than one skein for your project you will have a ready made label to add to your bobbin. 

Although using the DMC stickers has worked for me in the past I am finding this new way of keeping my silks to work much better. Some stitchers prefer to use Anchor threads, some choose to use both depending on the type of project they are working on. Either way this system would work. 

So my initial question posed by the cross stitching community was whether the traditional card bobbins were better than the plastic or vice versa.  And if plastic were deemed to be better,  with us being so conscious about the use of plastic whether we should be using them. In this case my answer has been. I would definitely advocate for the plastic as they will last forever or at least the remainder of my lifetime at which point they will be handed onto my daughter and therefore I will continue to use them going forward. I am not going to go completely mad and change all my bobbins over at once but as and when the opportunity arises I will swap it over which could possibly take me the next the 30 years.

Hope this is helpful to any seasoned cross stitchers or to those who are new to this wonderful hobby.

Mx