Use of Empty Plastic Thead Spools???
 

I give mine to our local schools 3rd grade class. I have no idea what she does with them, but is always excited to get a bunch :) Ask around, maybe the art teacher would like them!

The serger thread spools make cute angles. I would put a picture on here but i gave them as gifts last year and of coure i don't have one for myself. Use a wooden ball for the head, glue doll hair on, make a halo out of gold pipecleaner, you can either paint a face on the wooden ball or leave it plain, you may even be able to buy them with the face on, i know you can for the small ones, then a just made a dress and glued wings on that i bought. At the neckline i glued gold ribbon and a gold bow to dress it up. I din't put any hands on them but it would be easy to do with the arms you can buy in the craft stores. Don't have any ideas for regular size spools and will watch to see what others suggest for them.

My cats usually swipe them as soon as I set them down. They love batting them around. I also teach kindergarten and take them to school for the craft centre. They make necklaces etc out of them. One day some of the boys took some over to the block area and added them to their "fort". My advice, find a teacher, she'll do something with them.

I agree with the Teach/School idea. I started to send them to school with my 9 year old this year. His school also looks for other recycling items. They have a room for all this to be stored in and then the kids get to go "shopping" in the room when it comes to making projects during a variety of classes. Just imagine what a kid would come up with with one of these, some string and a few other items... It makes my brain hurt when thinking about it :shock:

I will be coming there in a week. Don't hurt your brain to much. I will need it so we can get into lots of trouble.:D Moanawahine's mom

our local nursery school wants them for some reason

I'm currently in school to be a teacher (Graduate in May!) I never thought of keeping my spools, but now that you mention it, it's a great idea!! Thanks!

my kids love playing with them, and they stack so nicely! I haven't tried to find any crafts for them yet

I also made a fiberart/beaded doll using a serger cone. Turned out great and sat right up.

My great nieces/nephews & I make Christmas decorations out of them.

Hi do you have any pictures of your Christmas decorations made out of the spools, would really like to see what you do with them.

I give em to my cats. Just peel off the labels and let them play :)

I use to give them to a friend who had birds in her backyard. They enjoyed using them for their nest.

She unfortunately moved so I just put them in the recycle bin.

i give mine to the local scout troop- they seem to have all kinds of uses for them- i've also given them to a preschool, and a 4-H group. i throw away very little- there is always a group of kids who need what i no longer have use for

Some good ideas here. I just emptyed two today. I am trying so hard to down size the sewing room and finish up some UFO'S.

They would make great pin cushions. A smidge of batting and fabric and your set.

I give them to the local school. They make good stamps or wheels for cars or anything else 'creative' such as legs for things...the kids love them.

I gave mine to the fabric lady at my Wal Mart. She gives them to a lady for her class at a per school.

thread spool ornaments
 

They used wooded spools here, but I made 26 ornaments this year with plastic spools....

I buy cones of thread and wind them with a drill onto my empty spools to save money on thread.

I use some of mine to wrap binding on.

I cut the ends off (use a hobby/craft saw or have even used a kitchen bread knife-the one with the jagged blade)
then use the 'center' part of the plastic spool as an insert into the center hole of the larger spools. This 'insert' fills up the hole in the larger spool and centers it on the spool pin of the sewing machine. After the end pieces are cut off, if there are rough edges on the ends, these can be smoothed down using a fingernail file.

I've made angels with the serger cones too. They're perfect for a tree topper.

Many have said something about donating them to schools. As a former elementary school teacher and preschool director, those little bits of "junk" are gems. Preschool children use them as counters, additions to blocks for creating new structures (like the little boys and the forts) and for developing fine motor skills by stinging, stacking and learning how spools move. All in a days work for a child and an innovative teacher. At the very least as one message said, they make great additions to art projects for children of all ages.

If you have donated and wonder what the kiddos do with them, ask. Most teachers are happy to show off what their children can do. You may become a very special friend to that group children and can them how it happened that you got so many spools. Our quilts are another whole lesson in color, shapes, traditions and geometry for children.

At my Guild's bi-annual quilt shows there is a huge clear plastic jar filled with empty thread spools of all sizes, shapes and colors and whoever guesses the correct number of spools (or nearest number to it) wins a nice prize. I've been saving mine in a large empty pretzel container and will be handing them in soon as our show is in May. The DH of the gal in charge of the thread spool contest is the only one who counts the spools and knows the correct number. May in Jersey

my 4 yr old grandson stacks/tosses them in the back of his trucks to "haul" the logs. lol

I've been saving them for some reason, now I can offer them to my grandaughters school.

That is what I had in mind Ellageo. Something beautiful and neat. Thanks for the pic.

Doll furniture
 

Me and my sister use to make barbie furniture with them as we couldn't afford the real stuff... can make a table, and chairs...LOL bet kids don't think that way now

I just started saving them (at the request of my 6 year old granddaughter), and they are collecting fast!

My grand kids love to build with them. I have bought them the lincoln log sets and they ad the spools to them to have more variety to build with.

I love your Christmas decorations! You gave me an idea to make one to put on my pull string for the ceiling fan in my sewing room!

I give mine to the school near me. Also egg cartons.

Love all the ideas. My uncle used to make end tables, etc out of the wooden ones. He put a metal rod or wooden dowel thru the middle to strengthen the legs. I have a big tub of all kinds and sizes so one day I will get them out and play.

You can string together to make dolls or clowns. I remember my older sister would collect them, paint them and they would be clowns with a ruffle around the neck and ankles. For the head, she would use a large wooden bead on which she would draw a face and then put a conical hat to finish it off.

Here's an interesting use: at a Christmas fundraiser, I bid on and won a cookie jar filled with "Amish Sugar Cookies." They were round with the most interesting raised flower. Turns out, to make the flower, after rolling the dough in colored sugar, you press the end of a large plastic spool (the kind with a hole and "spokes") in the sugar and then lightly on the cookies, then bake them... they were delicious and pretty, too!

I thought about it for a while...last night I ended up with and empty spool finishing up a UFO from 2010 and thought I could make a binding buddy out of this. All I used was a long piece of red yarn from my Raggedy Ann makings, threaded it through the spool, taped the binding on the spool using masking tape, rolled the binding on it, and hung it around my neck. To my delight and surprise it made adding binding super easy!! It took me half the time it normally does.