Some time ago I saw a thing about useing empty spools to wrap bind on until you were ready to put it on the quilt.

I made ornaments out of them and decorated a small artificial "sewing" tree for Christmas. I used safety pins, measuring tapes, sewing notions! It was cute and I got lots of compliments on it.
I also make a binding tool to hang "binding" on around my neck to bind my quilts.

I haven't thought of this in years, but when I was a child, my Mother would give me spools and a bowl of soapy water to play with. I can't even begin to tell you how many bubbles came from those spools. I need to get that going with my own GD. Much fun!

I once saw a victorian doll bed made out of spools and painted. It was soooo cute! I have thought I'd try my hand at it and have saved lots of spools, but I only have grandson, and they aren't very interested in doll beds :roll:

Thanks for this link. These will make great ornaments for family and teachers that the kids can do. I can't wait to get to a craft store and start collecting items!

My empty spools are used with fabric paint to make designs for new fabric and I also glue unmounted rubber stamp images to the bottoms for handles to stamp with. Moosegirl

Now that is really cool.....35 years ago....WOW :thumbup:

I use them to wrap my embroidery floss around. Especially if I use only 3 strands instead of 6. I hate it when it get tangled up!

Bunkhouse Quilt Shop NH has a large container. You stand behind a line and try to toss the empty spool of thread into the container. If you get it in, you receive 10% off your next purchase.

gail pinet

I took them and egg cartons that I had been saving to the kindergarten class. Teach was happy to get them.

I use a lot of pearle cotton when making prayer quilts and those skeins can really get tangled when you start pulling them apart. So, when I have a new skein, while it's nice and tidy, I wrap them around an empty spool. Works great and saves a ton of time to untangle the thread.

Nephew made a corner whatnot shelf with old wooden spools and used dowels to hold them together.Thin plywood for shelves.

Only save what I need , maybe about 4 or 5 to rewrapp quilting thread on when I have ladies in to quilt, so you don't have to be passing one spool around all the time.

wonderful for rolling bits of lace and trim etc around. Wish I had a few dozen. I do dolls for kids with cancer and have all this trim to organize, and it is hard the right trims some times in all the bags I've put it in.

If you decide you don't want them, please send them my way. giggle

seriously, just roll bias or whatever around the spools and secure with a short straight pin

Some people decorate or paint them and make 'spool doll' arms and legs using the different sizes.


good luck.

Kitty toys!

The serger spools make great angels. You can buy just a doll head or you can use a wooden ball that you have painted a face on. Cover the spool with a tightly gathered piece of fabric with the gather at the, attach head. Tie a ribbon around neck to cover gather, make or buy a pair of wings to attach on back. If you do a nice job you will find it on the top of the Christmas tree since the spool is hollow. I use feathers for wings. I just can't save enough spools for all those who want angels.

They roll just right and the dog loves to go after them...later I find them under the couch or somewhere she has chased them...probably should just pitch them.

I buy cones of threads, then my husband winds the thread with a drill onto my empty spools. Get my thread for my money buying cones.Mary

I'm a pre-kindergarten teacher so I save them just in case we might find a craft to use them for or an activity.

I got a boat load of wooden spools, when I got my grandmothers sewing stuff. And at the time I was looking for knobs for my laundry room/ sewing room cabinets. I spray painted them in colors to match and used them as my cabinets knobs.

I take them to the school and the art teacher uses them for projects.

I just throw them in a large pickle jar along with old thread spools. Just little decorative for a sewing room.

I buy cotton yarn to make dish/wash cloths and they come in the cone shaped spools.....thanks for this idea! :lol:

our guild collects them, they put a small amount of thread on them to help teach "impaired" women to hand sew

You can make doll legs, arms, toys, etc. Use as small stools for minature dolls.

I toss them think I already save too much.

I save the large empty spools to wrap left over bias strips that I have pressed to use for stems on my applique. Aslo for celtic work.

I give them to my Granddaughter to play with or rather she comes in my sewing room and takes them.
I will probably offer them to the School art classes to see if they can use them.

I'm starting to save them for my little grandson to use in stacking and building play.

Thanks for all the great tips, have lots of empty spools and was wondering what to do with them. Thanks Irma for posting this question. ♥

If anyone has any wooden spools for sell or trade, please contact me. I have been a kindergarten teacher for 1,000 years, and we use them for multiple purposes.

I'd be more than happy to buy/trade for wooden spools. I have been a kindergarten teacher forever, and we use them for all kinds of projects & activities.

I use them to wind strings of beads or ribbons on,( or bits of fancy stuff like that). I sometimes put them into wall hangings in decorative manner and the rest go to the local kindergarten so that they can string them or count them or use them in craft.
When I was a child my father made French knitting tools out of them for us to play with. He also used to attach them to all of the doors in the house at our height so that we could use them as a door handle.

Shirley,

I love your idea using the spool. . . I always have trouble keeping my tape measure in place when not in use. . . Thanx for sharing.

me too, with a couple of empty peanut butter jars, dgs is occupied moving them back & forth for an hour at a time...

I use spools to wrap my binding or bits of trim until I need them.

There is an local annual fundraiser that is centered around Xmas. One of the events is the sale of miniature decorated Xmas trees. The ones that sell the best are theme based trees. I have used the wooden spools to make a quilting themed tree- they are really cute!

Just a quick idea..I like to make christmas tree ornaments with my empty spools. Pretty with narrow christmas ribbon wrapped on them to look like the thread. Loop a gold cord by which to hang them. Spools can be painted in holiday colors before wrapping the ribbons. Large spools, small spools, makes no difference...EnJoy!!!!!

Helen C...MO

cool idea, I use them to make bird toys for the cats and birds. I've seen them as decorations on packaging, wrap felt arround them of many colors, they make cool Christmas wreths.

wrap binding on them