LA's empty or buy more bobbins?
 

I have been doing LA quilting for a few years and I have thrown out a lot of thread from unwinding bobbins to use for a new color. So, my question to others is what is more cost effective unwind bobbins or buy new more bobbins. I use Aurifil so it is quite expensive to throw so much thread.. just thinking??:rolleyes:

Can you rewind them on a bobbin for your DSM and use them for piecing?

If I can, I will take the bobbin and use my dsm and wind extra thread on one it's bobbins.

Ummm, never thought of rewinding on for my DSM, what a good idea. This IS a good board!

That is a great idea transferring bobbin to bobbin for any machine!

That's what I do, wind it on to a DSM bobbin.

If the thread color works with your binding you can use it to stitch on the binding and hand sew the last part.

I bought new bobbins.

I would buy more bobbins

I take my LA bobbins to me domestic machine & wind them onto sewing bobbins to use them up piecing.

I just take them to my domestic machine and use them there for piecing. I don't even rewind, just put the thread cap on. Seems to work fine... I bought size M 100 bobbins on ebay for around $40, A few, maybe 10 or so, were slightly bent, so I discarded them.

I use bobbins as a spool of thread all the time on my regular machine. Especially when machine appliqueing and need lots of different colors. I don't need a whole spool of tangerine orange but one prewound bobbin of it is perfect.

When I was machine quilting professionally on my Bernina, I bought more bobbins.

You could do both. Buy new ones to have on hand, and wind the ones you might not use on the LA, and use on your DM. :)

I was tired of having so many extra bobbins wound. I DO have many bobbins, but it seemed that they were wasted holding thread I might not use again for a year. When I find a color I REALLY like, I buy two spools: one for the machine and one for the bobbin winder. Then I can wind as I need them with no extras laying around. I don't do that with ALL my thread, just my faves.

Can you buy prewounds....superior thread are what I use...if I don't use the whole bobbin for L/A, and not enough for another quilt, I use the remaining for EPP.

I like to use BottomLine for piecing, so the thread I use on the LA is not useful on my DSM. If the bobbin is really low, I often throw the thread away, but if it's got quite a bit left then I save it. I have lots of bobbins.

Bobbins are cheap. Build a board to keep the partial ones on with little labels describing color and type thread.

When I have thread left over in my bobbins, I tend to use them when I start attaching the next quilt to the frame. Basting the batting to the backing, then the quilt top to the sandwich and usually the 1st set of basting the sides. Then I'll change over to the color I need for the quilt. In time I'll use up the leftover thread and have an empty bobbin again. When I get down to the last of the spool, I use it for piecing on my regular thread. I hate to waste anything and at the price our bits and pieces for our hobby or business I feel I need to save where ever I can. All my quilts are gifts to others so I try to find a way to save whenever I can.

I would buy more bobbins but I have also used them to wind on domestic bobbin and used for binding the quilt.

Many great ideas that I had not thought of..Thank you all for commenting.

Instead of rewinding couldn't you put the bobbin on the spool on top of DSM and use for piecing. I've done this with a bobbin from the DSM When I was desperate to keep colour of thread and it worked fine.

I bought a box of 100 size M bobbins on ebay. As already stated, a few are no good---seems the center hole is too small for the spindle. But at the price I paid, they are still a bargain. I just keep the partial bobbins inside the cones of the matching spools for the next use.

I just bought new bobbins.

Can you use them for the top thread? I mean just put them on the spool peg like you would a spool of thread.

Hands down, buying more bobbins has to be cheaper.

I wind unused thread onto bobbins for my DSM and use it for piecing. Don't throw thread away.

I would buy more bobbins and incorporate the cost into charge for quilting. I am assuming you quilt for others.

I do not have a LA, however, for my DSM I have extra bobbins, provided the Sewing Goblins have not run away with them. It has saved me hours of time and frustration. I try to have at least 2 bobbins threaded when I begin a project, so when I run out of bobbin thread, I just pop a new one in and continue sewing. To me it's worth it to have extra bobbins, as it not only saves time, it saves the chance of getting frustrated when the bobbin runs out, typically when I just have inches to sew to finish. Except for sewing garments for our DGD I usually try to use neutral colored thread when quilting.

I take my bobbins and use them for piecing. I just thread the machine like normal with the thread on the bobbin. When empty, I will rewind with the new color for the longarm.

I have several customers who hand quilt. They bring the quilts to me to place on the long arm and baste them together. I use odds and ends of bobbins for this. I just use the biggest stitch length I can and run a straight line of stitching across the quilt and the next row is about 6 inches from that. The thread color doesn't matter because it's taken out after its hand quilted.

I must have a hundred partially filled bobbins (M size). I use them as is on my home machine..just like a spool of thread...don't even rewind them onto anything else...unless I need bobbin thread..then I wind from the big bobbins, if the big bobbin contains sew fine or 60 wt thread. Both my machines are sewing/embroidery, and regular 40 wt thread does not do well in the bobbin cases of those machines. I do use the 40 wt poly threads for embroidering monograms, etc...small items. I've been so busy though...no time for much other than quilting.

I have used the remaining thread on bobbins to hand stitch the binding down. And I will use the leftovers when testing tension and patterns for a quilt.

I always have extra bobbins for my machines. This way I don't have to waste thread. I just save the ones with about a 1/4 of the thread left for handsewing and replacing buttons on clothes.

I put my the bobbin on the thread spindle of my dsm and use the thread up that way. Haven't tried re-winding it on to the DSM bobbin.