DMC Vintage Wooden Chest thread storage review
Keeping your thread stash organised is a great time saver. It lets you easily find the colour you need for your project and ensures your threads stay protected whilst not in use.
And let’s not forget how great it feels to keep your floss organised too. Having it all in order allows you to relax and really enjoy your stitching.
Whilst a traditional sewing box is still a must-have for needleworkers, you may find this soon overflowing with your stranded cottons. So where should you store your precious thread collection?
We’ve got our hands on the ultimate accessory in embroidery thread storage to review – the Vintage Wooden Chest with 500 Skeins Mouliné (SKU: 7600B/I) by DMC, one of the leading global needlecraft companies.
DMC’s iconic Mouliné Special stranded cotton thread is the standard colour reference in embroidery and cross stitch patterns used by designers and stitchers around the world.
DMC stranded cottons are sold in 8 metre skeins, with six strands that separate easily. Colourfast and fade resistant dyes ensure stitching can be washed without fear of colour loss or bleeding, so your projects can be enjoyed for generations to come. Find out more about types of thread with our ultimate guide for machine and hand embroidery.
You’ll also find DMC threads used and recommended by leading needlework magazines, including The World of Cross Stitching. Subscribe today to ensure you don't miss an issue, and put your DMC floss collection to good use with over 75 patterns to enjoy in every edition.
Summary
The DMC Vintage Wooden Chest is a collectable solution for thread storage, with options to organise your stranded cotton skeins either by number code or by colour.
With the full set of 500 DMC Mouliné Special stranded cotton threads included, this chest is ideal for passionate needlecrafters and is an heirloom accessory that's well worth the investment.
- Buy now from DMC
How we tested
We rigorously tested the DMC Vintage Wooden Chest with 500 Skeins Mouliné against the following criteria:
- Thread storage capacity
- Functionality
- Ease of use
- Build quality and durability
- Value for money
What’s in the box
- DMC Vintage Wooden Chest
- 500 skeins Mouliné Special stranded cotton
- 20 wooden dividers
- Glossy history of DMC booklet, translated in five languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish). Also includes a printed DMC shade card at the back.
DMC Vintage Wooden Chest with 500 Skeins Mouliné review
Key features
- Dimensions (cm): 45 wide x 27 deep x 35 high
- Weight (kg): 10400g
- Number of compartments: six - five drawers and one hinged section
- Capacity: Holds 500 skeins plus space for other accessories
- Materials: pine wood, metal handles
- RRP: £699
Thread storage capacity – 4/5
The DMC Vintage Wooden Chest contains five individual drawers stacked on top of one another, each sitting on their own runners.
The drawers comes with four wooden dividers to insert into pre-cut grooves, creating five separate storage compartments within each. This allows you to organise your threads into smaller sections to help you find them more easily.
You could opt not to insert the dividers or create wider sections as desired, making it a versatile design feature.
There’s also a hinged lid hiding a 5cm deep storage compartment in the top of the chest. This is divided into four handy sections for storing other accessories. Or you could use the top compartment to store other types of thread if you wish, including DMC Light Effects, Étoile and Color Variations (not included).
Given this a standalone box, there are no expandable add-ons available. If you need more storage than what's offered for your threads, you'll need to source this separately.
I found the storage capacity for the included 500 skeins to be plenty, but some compartments could potentially hold a few more too. I also added some metallic threads and spools to the top lid section, and any overflow can remain in my trusty sewing box for now.
This is, however, a sizeable product. At 45cm wide x 27cm deep, you will need a fairly large surface area to put it on. You'll also need to keep adequate space in front clear to access the drawers.
There is a smaller option in the range – the DMC Thread Storage Box for bobbins (26x17.5cm). Each plastic, stackable storage box holds around 100 bobbins wound with thread.
In comparison, this vintage chest is a sizeable footprint increase, but the wooden finish looks better on display. It ultimately comes down to how you prefer to store your threads.
I prefer to keep my stranded cotton collection as the full skeins as bought, making a larger storage solution the more appealing option. Plus, it looks a lot nicer and more professional than hiding my bobbin boxes away in a cupboard!
Functionality – 5/5
I found the DMC Vintage Wooden Chest to be highly functional for organising my threads. With the full set of 500 Mouliné Special stranded cottons included, I enjoyed sorting them all straight away.
There was plenty of space for all 500 skeins, fitting approximately 20 in each compartment (100 per drawer). I opted to arrange my threads numerically and keep them in allotted shade family groups, so some compartments ended up being a little fuller than others.
The deep design of the drawers means the skeins can stay intact – no time-consuming bobbinating required! It also allows you to order your thread skeins by colour code number or shade.
Whether you prefer the orderly numerical system (passionately neurotic organiser here!) or organising by visual aesthetics, the beauty of this storage chest is that the choice is totally yours. You can also change your mind at any time, unlike other thread storage solutions which are fixed or difficult to reorganise.
I love the top lidded compartment too. With four large divided compartments inside, it provides plenty of space for my other sewing accessories, including needles, fabric scissors, snips, small hoops, spools and more.
I managed to fit so many things inside, it's almost rendering my other sewing box redundant! This can help free up space elsewhere in your craft room and means everything can be kept together in one place.
You may also enjoy the glossy booklet about the history of the DMC company, which includes a printed shade card at the back. While I'd still always opt for the DMC Thread Shade Card for a more reliable comparison of shades, this is a handy extra to keep in the chest and refer to at a glance when needed.
Ease of use - 5/5
The chest design is very easy to use and the drawers open smoothly. The separate compartments within each drawer also make for easier sorting and less chance of mixing up the order of colours while you rummage through them.
Whist the versatility of the drawer design allows for many organisational options, some may not like that there’s no way to see what’s in each from the outside.
Personally, I feel this would ruin the aesthetics, and I’m happy to open a drawer or two to find what I need. If you’d rather, you could always stick small labels to the outside, although I'd be wary, as you don't want to damage the wood.
The brass-effect handles add a pleasing antique look and are ergonomically designed to hook two to three fingers underneath. You can easily glide the drawer out with little effort required, and you can even pull them out completely to have in front of you as you work or sort your threads.
The stranded cottons also come pre-arranged in numerical order, packaged within six polythene bags. If you favour numerical organisation, you can simply transfer them into your drawers.
You’ll need to do a bit of sorting work if you’re after the shaded colour look though. But that’s half the fun, right!?
Build quality and durability – 4/5
The Vintage Wooden Chest is sturdy and arrives fully built, other than the individual dividers packaged alongside the bags of stranded cottons. These were contained within each drawer for protection and space-saving during shipping
The product arrived well packaged, with the wooden chest enclosed in a tight-fitting box. This was then placed inside another larger box filled with packing chips for extra protection during shipping, which ensures it reaches you in pristine condition.
The pine wood is stained dark and some variation between colour and grain effect may be noticeable between products. Our review sample looks slightly darker than marketing photos shown on DMC’s website. However, the colour is even throughout, and I think the dark mahogany-looking tone only adds to the expensive, antique feel of the product.
The DMC branding is limited to an engraved logo in the wood at the top of the chest, which isn't too noticeable. This keeps it feeling classy and allows it to pass off as an aesthetic piece of display furniture, whilst still ensuring your passionate stitching friends will be filled with envy at what's inside!
The hinged compartment lid is thick and feels durable, with easy movement and no sticking, and the metal handles on the drawers feel securely attached.
The thin wooden dividers are the parts I'd worry about getting damaged, and I expected them to be a little less flimsy given the high value of the product and other components.
Whilst the flexible design of the removable dividers could be a plus if you want to create your own larger drawer sections, it might have been better for these to be fixed in place during manufacture. However, as long as they’re inserted correctly, you shouldn’t have to touch or remove them frequently.
Value for money – 5/5
Priced at £699 RPP, it may seem like a hefty price tag. However, DMC states the price is for the 500 Mouliné stranded cottons (£1.45 RRP each), with the chest included as a gift. The cost of the threads alone would amount to £725 if bought individually, making this a great deal if you intend on buying the full collection anyway.
And for one single investment, you have an instant full collection of standard DMC floss colours at your fingertips, plus a handy and professional-looking place in which to store them.
If you already own a substantial collection of DMC stranded cottons, you may want to consider the price as an investment in storing not only the ones you have but also a full collection of spares to keep and use in the future.
The collectable wooden chest alone is enough for many to consider this money well spent, as it offers you an appealing thread storage solution. The heirloom look and quality of the item means it's built to last and could be passed down through generations.
Where to buy DMC Vintage Wooden Chest with 500 Skeins Mouliné
- Buy now from DMC
Our verdict: Should you buy DMC Vintage Wooden Chest?
Ideal for the passionate needlecrafter, this chest may be seen as a statement piece due to the price. Nevertheless, it’s still worth considering as an investment even if you’re new to stitching.
Not only will you instantly have every DMC Mouliné Special floss colour to hand with the included full thread collection, but it could also save you money long-term when the stitching bug really hits!
The beautifully crafted five drawer wooden design allows for easy organisation of the skeins by number or colour – the choice is yours, and it's easy to change at a later time too.
We also love that the top of the chest opens to store your sewing essentials inside, meaning you can keep all your stitching accessories together in one unit.
The vintage heirloom style design means it’ll look great in any room – provided you have the space – and you’ll be the envy of all your stitching friends with this highly collectable chest on display.
About our tester
Fiona Baker is an avid stitching enthusiast and Senior Technical Editor for The World of Cross Stitching magazine. With over 15 years of experience in needlework publishing, she's also a professional cross stitch and embroidery designer for globally leading titles and brands.
Fiona has tried and tested numerous methods of thread storage over the years, and loves to keep her ever-growing craft stash as organised as possible.
Looking for more thread storage ideas?
If you’re still undecided about the DMC Vintage Wooden chest, check out these other thread storage options:
DMC Mini Wooden Box
- Buy now from DMC – £199
The DMC Mini Wooden Chest is available with a choice of three thread bundles: Essentials, Magic Winter and Hygge, with 120 DMC Mouliné Special stranded cotton skeins in the bundled colour scheme.
This comes with a small storage chest measuring 27cm wide x 22cm deep x 22cm high. It is embossed with DMC’s iconic horse head logo and has three storage drawers and a hinged lid for storing extra threads or accessories.
DMC Modular Storage Box
- Buy now from DMC – £132
DMC’s new Modular Storage Box offers an expandable thread storage solution, allowing you to grow your collection over time. This set of sleek scandi-style drawers come with 70 skeins of DMC Mouliné Special stranded cotton threads to keep inside.
Measuring 28 x 28 x 27.4 cm when fully stacked together, the portable top section of this three-layered box is ideal for storing smaller accessories and your current project.
You can also personalise it with a stitched design, protected under a Perspex window. Extra drawers can be purchased separately costing £45 each, allowing you to expand your storage in the future.
Get your threads in order with Gathered
Check out our article on 8 embroidery thread storage ideas and say goodbye to knotted threads and messy craft rooms!
