I'm a relatively new quilter, but I'm starting to amass a collection of empty plastic thread spools in a variety of sizes. Back in the olden days of wood spools, I knew all sorts of useful things to do with them, but is there anything you can do with the plastic ones? I hate to just throw them out...

Jan

I pass them on to a friend who is an embroiderer - she winds her skeins of stranded cotton on to them.

I used to spray paint some of mine and leave some white and give to the kids to play with. They used them like building blocks. Seemed to make them happy.

Lynette

I throw them away. Life's too cluttered without wasting space on things I will never use. Little scraps of fabric get tossed out for the same reason.

Gather them and give them to a scouting group ... they like recycling things and have many projects that can use them quite well. Another place to donate is your kindergarten classes ... used as building blocks isn't a far-fetched idea, and they will use them for a lot of small muscle coordination things that they call art! bag them up and take them to the thrift stores ... you never know who will purchase them, but I am betting they won't stay on the shelf for very long ....

I've always just thrown them away, but I like the idea of giving them to a kindergarten or preschool class. Great idea.

<g> well, I have also seen fabric tubes, strategically knotted to turn the spools into little dolls ... but I haven't gotten around to that, either! LOL
I know that when my kids were in kindegarten the teacher was always happy to get things like the spools and yarn, fabric squares/scraps, and lids from jars ... now, to figure out what to do with all these med bottles I refuse to throw away! LOL

Throw them away...

LOL

I don't save all mine. I did save a couple, ran yarn thru the holes and hung it up on my door for my cat to play with.