Originally Posted by KenmoreGal2

Sorry to say but I am still struggling with this. I've been given even more thread, in even bigger sized cones that my first photo!! Like a couple dozen cones of serger thread which I was going to use for piecing only.

Turns out I can't use some of the methods suggested here since I have an old machine with an externally mounted motor on the back. That completely interferes with the coffee cup methods, my thread was traveling over my motor and the motor interfered with the path. I then put the cone on an old CD spool, to the right of the machine but the thread was traveling so low that it was hitting the external belt.

Plus the tension was off and I was getting nests every few feet.

I put my cone into a tall vase but I could tell the thread coming to my machine was still way too loose and floppy. It was not tight like a regular old spool of thread is.

I tried to rig up something to hold the thread up high but didn't have success with that.

I put an empty spool inside the cone and stuck it on the regular thread holder of my machine but I could feel the tension was way too tight when I pulled the thread through the needle. It sewed just fine, but when I had to pull the thread through to cut it off, the needle was bending. That's not good.

For the time being, I have gone back to regular sized spools. I put the cones away for another day.

If I bump into a good price for the commercially made cone holders, I'll grab one and try it. I have heard that they don't always work for everyone either though so I'm not going out of my way to get one.

Thanks for all your help and I'm still open to suggestions.