what do you do with all your finished spools?
 

I can't throw them away, after lots of machine quilting they really stack up.. Plastic, not wood any longer but thinking that there has to be a use for the spools.. Found mine ! I used only a few by comparison of what I own.. What do you do with you spools after quilting?
Face stamps one side, opposite side the corresponding face printed on circle and both glued to spool.

I don't have any problem throwing them away. I don't need more useless stuff in my life and house. Too bad the manufacturers don't print the recycling symbol on the spool to let you know if you can recycle them.

Me too. Away with clutter.

I throw mine in the recycle bin. We have one source recycling and everything goes together.

I too have no problem throwing used spools away. But you may want to consider buying your thread by the cone instead of the spool if you do a lot of machine quilting. You are spending a small fortune on thread when it isn't necessary. It is much more economical to buy the large cones and very easy to adapt your machine to take them. You just need a coffee cup, a safety pin and some tape.

I do keep some for Otis, my Avatar, If she can bat them around the room she will leave my thread alone, usually. LOL

I would like to know how to use a cone instead of spools. Could someone explain what to do with the safety pin and tape. I know the cone goes in the cup.

I don't throw any spools away. There is a place here that takes all kinds of stuff like that. Teachers, troop leaders, etc.. can go in and get stuff for kids crafts. It is a really neat place. I try not to look at anything when I drop stuff off. I would hate to come home with more stuff!

I purchase cones of thread and when they are empty, I make angles out of them......to give or sell.

Put the cone in a coffee can or other container to keep it frome toppling over. Put the large safety pin over the thread post and thread the thread thru it and on to the rest of the way. Can also use a jumbo paper clip.

Very cute idea for stamps - What is the actual stamping surface made out of? I make soap and do have one stamp for that, but it is a very solid material.

I just gotta tell you that those are "happy spools".

I collected for years till had had so many! Empty cones , spools of all sizes , finally I just tossed them out ! I figured after all those years and I still had not come up with a use... time to move on. Darn near filled the recycle bin. What a relief it was !

Your spool upcycling is very inventive and cute! I kept the 4 spools that came with one of my sergers, other than those, spools get pitched.

Unmounted self-clinging clear photopolymer stamps..stamp to be used with clear acrylic blocks as temporary mounts...this is copied from a name brand, but not using that brand name of scrap booking, paper doll faces. Soft rubber where back surface is more cling than sticky...I glued the faces on the spool. Tonight the kids Loved (!) the recycled spools. :0)

I toss them. But did come across this site with 35 ideas for you :)
http://beforeitsnews.com/green-livin...s-2443230.html

One quilt store I went to sold empty plastic cones for use as a binding winder. I think they had a slot in them to hold the end of a binding strip. I also hate to throw stuff out, but am gradually learning to dump the clutter, so trying to get rid of stuff.

I donate them to local Girl Scout troops, Nursing homes, and animal shelter. Kitties love playing with them. I also donate empty med bottles to the animal shelter to use to dispense meds to foster animals.

I keep them in a basket in my sewing room for my 2 year old granddaughter to play with when she is in my sewing room with me. Sometimes it keeps her busy seeing how many she can stack up before they topple.

I have mostly spools, but have no problem just tossing them.

I toss mine into a large pop corn tin then when it's full I give them all to either the local boy scout troop or during the school year I give them to the local elementary school- those kids/teachers are pretty creative & find great things to do with them- they are always very happy to receive them.

I heard a long time ago about a woman who had a bushel basket of empty spools in her estate sale. I started saving mine, thinking I would never have that many. I have them in several boxes now and I'm sure I have at least that many, maybe the second basket if I had them all together. Some day someone will talk about that eccentric old lady, "what was she thinking?"

I still keep the wooden spools but toss the rest.

I throw them away without a second thought. I've been getting rid of lots of stuff lately. There's a thread in the personal diary section of QB in which many people talk about downsizing and getting rid of stuff that they thought their children would want, but found out they didn't and things they thought they couldn't live without, but realized they didn't actually need.

I had an idea in my mind to make a quilt portrait of "someone" and use the spools for curly hair. It would make it 3D and I thought a fun project. Didn't get around to it yet though, of course. If someone tries it please post it.

Great idea! I used to do stamping, and still have a ton of stuff that I just can't part with. I have it all packed away in bins in case I can't quilt anymore. Who knows what I might want to do when I get"old"! ;-)

I kept mine and the extra long shoe strings that come with new sneakers. Thought my grandson would like stringing them like beads. That lasted all of 2 seconds.

I toss the spools to the cat to play with :D.... until I step on one :mad:... then I throw it away!

Never thought about saving them and passing them one to an organization. Thanks for the idea.

Nan

what an awesome site ! Thank you !

I have a huge plastic jar that is filled with empty wooden spools. My granddaughter played with them and now my grandson loves to spill them out. I keep a few of the different size plastic spools for spool adapters for some of the odd size spools of thread.

I have a friend who uses them for crafts. She uses them to make off the floor storage racks for their mudroom (writes the kids names on the end with their favorite color marker. Doesn't matter if they're plastic or wood.

I keep them am wrap embroidery thread around them that I use for hand embroidery.

Google "DIY Thread Stand" and pick a method that works for you.

I am collecting them to make a garland out of them. Wrap a scrap of fabric around the center, then thread them together. Our quilt guild uses these garlands around special exhibits at shows and visitors always love them.

This is a great idea! I actually saw this on Pinterest and was going to post it, but you beat me to it! I save the wooden ones but threw out the plastic. Now I am saving the plastic one to make this garland.

I use a cone holder at home, but when I go to class or one of my groups, I use a coffee cup too. Instead of a pin I clothespin a ruler to the side of the cup. (with the ruler tucked into the cup on the bottom) Thread the thread thru one of the holes and VOILA! A traveling cone holder

What a cute idea. You have the knowledge to make your own stamps? Nice! I have a huge drawer in my basement filled with rubber stamps. I don't know how to make them though.

My answer to your question, I toss them when empty or close to it.

I keep one plastic spool to use as a cookie press for sugar cookies. It makes a neat design on the cookies.

I taped a safety pin to the top of my machine on the back right hand side, so that the eye hole (not where the pin latches) is upright. Then I feed the thread from the cone through it and then it threads on my machine just like a spool. I don't even use the coffee cup, just place the cone behind my machine under the safety pin. Works great.

I give mine to a friend who gives them to a friend of hers. lol The final recipient uses them for her birds, apparently to peck at.
Hope everyone is having a great day.