I've been straightening up my sewing room today and my thread is a nightmare. I would love to see how you quilters store your thread. I don't have any wall space left for the ones that hang on the wall. Most of my threads are the old plastic style of spools both large and small.

I have a huge amount of thread because I'm not just a quilter but do all kinds of sewing.

Thanks!

I store my serger thread and embroidery thread in plastic thread boxes. I store my regular sewing thread in a plastic storage unit with drawers. I keep my thread stored so it doesn't get dusty.

I store mine in plastic boxes, labelled by brand, type. It keeps it free from dust, and fading.

Most of my old coats and clarks thread (which I used for garment sewing) is in two of those plastic thread boxes in a shelf. For quilting I use very few colors so I just keep the spools and bobbins in a tin basket on my sewing desk.

Do you think you come to my house and make my sewing room look that wonderful!
My hubby is always on me about the state of my room. Too much going on at once. Yours looks great!
christina

I'd like to know of a great way I have them in a plastic box and it just isnt working out well.

I went to Joann's and bought plastic thread boxes to store my thread and also they have many organizer plastic bosex that work too.

I store my thread in photo boxes. they are strong card board and cost less than 3.00. My serger thread fits perfectly. The smaller spools i have in a small plastic box so i can see thru it and get what i need quickly.

Mine is EVERYWHERE! Mostly because I sew everywhere. I have some upstairs in an antigue cabinet with very shallow drawers. It used to be used for short wooden dowels, screws, etc. in a furniture refinishing shop. Downstairs there's some in a three drawer plastic cabinet by my machine, some in the rolling carrier with my quilting class machine, some in a case that I always take to retreats and classes.

If they still make them there's some little plastic things that fit into the center holes to keep the thread neat when the little slot is no longer usable. If you can't find those you can always use the cheap foam earplugs.

I too use the plastic thread boxes for regular and serger threads, sorted by colors.

Look at Walmart in the fishing tackle aisle. I got some neat clear boxes there with compartments for my bobbins for less than $3.They had a lot of styles and sizes,so you might find one great for thread.

I have that thing that hangs on the wall except I have mine hanging on a door. I used those over the door hangers. It's a door that goes out to the attic and is very seldom opened. Works good for me.

Wow!! Thanks everyone!! Some great ideas here. And Lalaland...what an impressive room!! It gave me a light bulb moment. I have a big bookcase just full of books that I have not opened since I put them in it 8 years ago!!! I think it is time for them to be donated so I can have the space to organize.

You guys are the best!

I bought my thread boxes at Walmart in the toy department. If you look with the Hot Wheels and other toy cars, usually on the bottom shelf, you will find double sided, clear plastic cases. They have dividers to hold toy cars - they are also the perfect size for threads! And, only $6 each! Similar "thread" boxes in the fabric department are $20 on up!

:)

me too!

Mine is also everywhere!! I'm so disorganized! :D
Getting to that part shortly. I've been completely re-doing
my sewing room.

Mine are in one of those Sulky plastic carriers. They are about $30 at JoAnn's from what I remember.

I also purchased a pattern for a wall hanging that holds thread from a quilt show in PA. Haven't made it yet. One day.........

I have a 4 drawer chest of drawers for all of my thread :D:D:D

i have some on the wall and the rest in one of those stackable scrapbooking drawer things..

i bought 2 of them and stacked them,left the casters on the bottom one, so i could move it, if i needed to. i used a labeler and got the drawers organized and labeled. each one has 6 drawers! got them at joanns and used coupons, of course!

Mostly only piece occ machine quilting use neutral thread and buy minimally small plastic thread holder for hand work and a cute little tin for machine. Love the term SIMPLIFY

I do a lot of machine applique so I have nearly every color known to man. I went to the sporting goods dept at Wal-Mart and got the flat tackle boxes that have dividers. I threw away the dividers and just use the boxes. I have separated my threads by color, then arranged them from light to dark. It makes choosing the right color easier if I'm sewing at night or a cloudy day. My threads are always dust free and contained.
I was lucky enough to get a new sewing room last year. My island cabinet that holds my machine has a door next to where I sit. You open the door and it has 7 pull out shelves that each accommodate 2 of the tackle boxes. They are arranged by rainbow. ROYGBIP
reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, indigos, purples,basics.

I know it sounds like I'm anal about order but after working at Wal-Mart nearly 30 years and having a military hubby, I have found that I spend a lot more time sewing instead of looking for things when it is kept in a somewhat strict order.

I keep most of mine in a Fish & Tackle box my thoughtful husband gave to me the Christmas after we were married. It's not pretty but it's pretty handy!

I also found a cute thread rack at a craft fair years ago, and just googled "wire sewing machine thread rack" to find a dozen sources that you can buy these ranging in price from $17.95 to $29.95, holding 23 to 67 spools of thread.

I keep my bobbins (and buttons and wooden spools) in a clear old-fashioned canning jar on the window sill.

poowopddbop, love your tackle box, thread rack and mason jars. DH had some little containers with lids that he didn't use so I divided my embrodiery thread by colors in them. I have regular thread divided by color and stored in foldout cabinet DH made me years ago, it sits by my machine on floor and I also keep notions and odds and ends in it. I like to keep my thread out of light and as dustfree as possible.

I have a chest under my counter where my machine sits. It's 30" x 30" so the three drawers are very deep. It's on my left since I'm left handed. I store all my regular sewing thread in shoe box tops. I can fit lids in one drawer. Also have space for maching bobbins. I store all my decorative thread in a 6 drawer high plastic unit from Walmart's. It's on wheels so I can role it to whichever machine I'm using.

I store my machine embroidery thread in plastic drawers I bought at Walmart. I have them numbered in the order they are found on the color chart, as I have every color of Isocord and this makes it easy to find.

I store my piecing thread like this - each spool and it's matching bobbins is stored in a little 2" x 3" zip lock bag from the jewelry dept. Then I store those in 2 plastic bins - the one is for warm colors, the other for cool. Embroidery thread I store in plastic cases. I try to keep them color coordinated in type, i.e. Sulky, RA. etc. but at the end of a big project, they seem to get all mixed in.

My embroidery threads are in one of those plastic boxes made for emb threads, the rest are in a camera slide storage tray that I found at a thriigt store for $1.00. The rest are in vintage storage cookie tins that the "fruit cakes" always used to come in at Christmas.

I love the idea of storing them in the jars..they look so pretty on display!

My thread is stored in boxes and bags. Keeps them clean and the room is not so clutered.

and what do you do with the earplugs? i don't get it. :?:

I have tons of drawers with spools of thread standing in them. They are colour - coordinated and thread - typed. I got the cabinets at a tool supply shop. They were supposed to be for car parts, nuts and bolts etc. Also do the same with a mechanic's tool box for my sewing machine feet.

i store my thread on thread racks (purchased at JoAnn's with a 50% coupon) attatched to the wall.
I put clear plastic over them to keep them clean. Since the pegs are short, I cut straws, fit them over so I can put my bobbins on the top of the thread. It really works well and I can see immediately what I have. Extras are in drawer. I keep all of the embroidery thread on a rack , cottons on a rack and the regular sewing thread on a rack.

I'll look there next. I agree, anything that has 'art' or 'sew' written on it is 5 times the price. That is why i go to the hardware shop and get tool boxes or tackle boxes.

I'd like to see a picture of your wall hanging when you get it made. It sounds like a good idea!

http://www.sulky.com/slimline/index_slimline.php
this is what i use mostly. took my threads down off the wall except for some hand quilting ones i still have.

I purchased a 6 tier cart on rollers and have labeled the drawers by colors --I keep all of my machine needles in the top drawer along with a needle chart. The white and off-white threads along with the black and greys are kept together; yellows, golds and browns; reds, oranges and pinks; blues, purples and greens. Works great for me. My bobbins are kept in a round, doughnut type thing that came from the dollar store. It has 5 "doughnuts" and each has 5 compartment. I have 3 machines and it works well -- 2 for each of the more used ones and 1 for the extra machine.

i store mine in plastic see thru bins that are stacked according to color

I store my regular 'ol C&C by color in zip bags and put them in a large drawer. My nicer threads are stored in small drawers in units that sit on top of my sewing workstation. :wink:

Wow, thanks for sharing this great tip. I'm going to check that out for myself.
:lol: :-P :D

I buy coupon day JoAnns the clear plastic boxes that have the spindles inside. and a cover.then I stack all of them on a counter. and label them cotton, poly, embroidery. but the rolling drawers look interesting & would hold more --just have to find floor space. I keep a lot of colors to match for quilting.