Advice - Not the Colors, But the Size
 

I drew this up in my EQ5. I am thinking that the spools are just a bit wide. I am wanting them to be closer to realistic. I know I can easily make them as skinny as I want. What do you think?

I agree, the thread part looks a smidge too wide. Love the stripes to simulate threads. For some reason I want to see white spools. Isn't it funny how conditioned I am to what I sew with. Your's looks like wood which is traditional. Good Job.

I agree the spools are a bit too wide. I love the design though.

if you had not called them spools, i think i wouldn't have noticed that's what they are. i would try to make them narrower, but now they wouldn't be squares... or would you just have more space beside them?

I also think the spools are too wide. In fact I did not perceive them as spools at all until I read your message. I do like how you filled the spools with two different fabrics very close in value and color.

Like the others, I didn't see them as spools, at first glance.
Though with the explanation, they do come to mind as the old wooden spools.
Plus, thinking back, way back .... , there was a wooden spool that more chunky, and would be more like those proportions.

Something to think about ... there are so many different types of spools today, that I so seldom see this older style, even if re-proportioned. Maybe you would want to emulate Aurifil spools? There is a free pattern to make those, somewhere on the web.

I agree, the two close-coloured-tonals works well to emulate the thread.
Good Luck! ... and have fun with it.

I found a different drawing I'd done a couple of years ago. This looks more like a spool, however it's not square and forces me to face them all the same way.

I agree that the thread needs to be narrower. I really like the second picture.

The second one looks like spools to me.

No reason why you couldn't turn the alternates on their sides .... just provide more background top/bottom for the horizontals and left/right for the verticals to fill the space.

That second photo is awesome!!! Jennifer Bosworth from Shabby Fabrics did a tutorial on the spool block. Another project I'm interested in doing :)

The second photo is beautiful. I couldn't recognize spools at all in the first photo.

Your second photo is perfect, love the spools that way!

Don't think the spools are too wide (they really show the 'thread' well). I think the spool ends are a bit too thin. If you made them half again wider, that would also bring the spools closer together. Personally, I like the distance between the spools, so I might just make it a bit bigger by increasing the spool size but leaving the same gap.

I agree with QuiltE. I like the second version, all you need to do is make the backgrounds larger.

I like the second picture. I would probably add a couple more rows to make it longer. If it will be a cover or quilt it would need more length.

The first row of three standing on end, next row one on it's side with fillers on ends or two or three smaller. Such pretty fabric choices.

You can square these up by adding a strip of background to the short sides and then you can alternate them. I really like the first picture. They look like the little squat spools of yesteryear. Maybe just a tone darker on the spool part. I like the bit of abstract the little square spools provide. The second picture of spools is more traditional and says spools.

I think that part of the problem maybe the color of the background fabric. The green and the golden 'wood' are just too close so the wood disappears and the spools just look like boxes. It looks like you designed it on a computer you might try changing the green to a white (like the older sample) or even try a dark.