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.

See??? everything is a toy for someone! &lt;g&gt;

I save mine but don't know why. Someday I might find a use for them. I like Bevs idea of a cat toy. I may do that.

what about either leave them as they are, or sparypaint them and then glue them onto something and use them as hangers, u can put jewelry or craft stuff on :wink:

I throw mine onto the floor for the cat to play with! :-)

neither of my cats are bothered with them,lol

I put my dull needles in medicine bottles for disposal.

Funny you should mention this because just this morning, I finished one of those spools from Connecting Threads?
First I threw it away, then I grabbed it back out of the bin and tossed it on to the floor for our cat, Peanut! .... He sort of looked at it, and just about the time he figured out to play with it, I figured that he would probably lose it, but I have some selvedge tied on to a drawer handle for him to play with, and if I put it on there, he would probably be able to play with that spool better (it is a long cylinder for those of you who haven't seen those thread holders).
Just about the time I reached down to grab the spool back, because I had changed my mind, HE decided that I really had intended for him to play with it, and one quick swipe of his paw ... under the refrigerator it went!
I got down on my hands and knees, and saw it, just barely out of reach of my hand, and I went to get a ruler to coax it out ..
long story almost ended - - I didn't get the spool back, but if you had left the tip before I emptied the spool .... LOL
Isn't life just a HOOT???? Our lives get connected in such strange ways, eh? LOL

The Connecting Thread spools I saved a few to use as adapters for the big spools of Star quilting thread I have that are too big to fit on my machine spool pin. I remember having to buy an adapter for the spools and it wasn't cheap but I have misplaced it somewhere.

I just throw mine away.

I save them in a baggie in my sewing closet. My guild uses them for a door prize during our quilt shows. A huge jar is filled with spools of many colors and sizes, people guess the number of spools in the jar and the person who guesses the correct number or comes the nearest to it wins a prize.

I've also sent some to teachers or scout leaders who were collecting them for projects with their kids. May in Jersey

I have a huge pattern box full of the wooden ones I have saved all these years of quilting and sewing. Many children have played with those spools. LOL! I used them in the past to do some wooden toys and furniture legs, and dowel ends. If you cut the ends off, it is a great wheel for a pull toy. I also have used them for weights when I used to braid. But, for now, they are there for my niece who stacks them up and rolls a ball to knock them down, like bowling pins. :D

Thanks for all the ideas! I think for now I'm going to save them for a Guide/Scout group or a Kindergarten. I just need to organize my sewing closet better so I have a bag or box to collect them in.

This is what we used to do with the wooden ones when we were kids:
http://users.bigpond.net.au/mechtoys/tank.html

Jan

Omak, my vet uses the med bottles for meds for her clints-our beloved pets. I started collecting mine and drop them off wheni,m either going there or have a stack. also some of them are recyclable (if that is available where you are)

sorry about all the typos

I'm afraid I'd be the one stepping on them and taking a dive.

yep, I used to toss them on the floor for the cat, until I stepped on one, now if he gets one it's tied to something just above the floor. I save the ones from the small cones to use as handles for stamps or stamp handles for homemade stamps to use when painting on fabric.

My 2 year old loves them. She puts everything in bags and carries it around these days. There's always a "pocketbook" on her arm. She loves going through it and it keeps her occupied.

Well, by golly! If those med bottles would save my good veterinarian money, I will just do that! Thanks for letting me know about this fine option!

I would probably toss them in the recycling bin.

Most recycling takes more chemicals and energy than it took to produce the first product.
The exception, so far as I have seen, is aluminum ... I will ALWAYS seek to recycle aluminum ... but the other items are better used up and worn out than recycled.

This is a response to what to do with pill bottles.

some mission groups collect pill bottles to send overseas. When the clinics receive meds, they are packaged wholesale so when it is time to dispense the meds, the pill bottles are great.

Depending on what size your med bottles are they make really nice bobbin holders for taking to classes. Also, some of them are of a size to keep your crochet hooks in one place. Good button holders also.

I throw mine in the scrap bin....I have found that the cats like them to knock around :D

I am familiar with White Cross. If you have an outlet address so I can send my med bottles on, by all means! PM me (do this by clicking on my name and scroll down, you will see a place to click on PM - - means private message) ... I would appreciate sending on my bottles.
Also, how about the bottles that my vitamins and baby aspirin come in?

This is the spool lamp that i made after seeing one in an antique store for a lot of money. I got a 2 qt. canning jar that was my grandmothers from my aunt. Then i got my wooden spools that came from my great-aunts house when i cleaned it out after she passed away. Some of the spools still had thread on them which was neat. I wrapped the lamp shade with strips of fabric that i ripped and glued them on the shade. i wrapped the rest of the spools with leftover strips. bought a lamp kit from Lowes and had DH modify it to fit and i have a neat lamp with lots of memories and very little money. It sits on my treadle sewing machine that belonged to my great-aunt( same one i got the spools from-she didnt throw anything away)

That is way too cool! See why I never throw anything away??? LOL
I am sure there is an inheritance in my drawers for my offspring ... they will just have to be as clever as you were, and as capable as your husband is .... Thank you so much for sharing!

Sewmom, that is a great lamp!

Sewmom, I love the lamp. How perfect that would be for a quilting area!

I was going to say that they won't recycle the spools unless they have the little recycling logo. I can't see any on my spools, unless they're underneath the thread. Somehow I doubt it.

They might make good body cores for little dolls, and then you could use your small fabric scraps for the clothes.

If you have several of them, you could post on craigslist that you're freecycling them. And then, lol, someone will post on here that they found this great collection of empty spools and they know just how to use them.

I like the lamp.