Ingenious ways to store thread - got any? :)
 

Rather than baggies and boxes, what are your creative ways for storing threads with their corresponding bobbins? I'd like to be able to see the colors but they will have to be stored when not in use. Nothing premade seems to make me happy and this is starting to make me nuts.

Please share your brilliance!

I also store mine seperately, keep them in bobbin boxes to keep them neat.

Mine are separate now but hate the bobbin box. They shake in their little pockets and unwind. I used to have one with foam inserts and it kept them snug but haven't seen those around.

I take the tail of the thread and push it through one of the holes in the bobbin. It helps keep it from unrolling.

When my son out grew his matchbox cars I confiscated his car garage, it is exactly like the double sided thread storage boxes sold at Joann, holds a lot of spools and is see thru. Since my cat played soccer with my bobbin box I have switched to those rubber donut bobbin rings, I have 4, one for cool colors, warm colors, poly thread, and machine embroidery threads. the donut rings hang on my peg board. Sorry kitty!

I do the pipe cleaner thing. Mostly because I don't want to get the different thread thicknesses mixed up.

Oh I forgot to mention I use an old school spice rack to hold my thread spools.

I get the little foam things that you put between your toes for manicures. You can get two for a dollar at the Dollar Tree. Each one will hold four bobbins and they don't fall out at all.

Toni, that's clever.

Great idea, Toni!!! Mine keep falling out of the bobbin box (or I opened it the wrong way!). Then I have thread everywhere!!

I only have 5 bobbins. I wind them when I need them.

I keep my bobbins in an old Altoids mints tin.

I store mine separately. The spools are standing in little organizor baskets by color. The bobbins of regular sewing thread are in the organizers tha Nancys Notions sold- like 3 tubes together. Bobbins snap in, stored by color and ina basket. Embroidery bobbins are in a bobbin box as are my quilting bobbins. Emb. Threads and quilting threads are stored in separate places in my pattern file cabinet's top drawers. I also write a "Q" on my quilting bobbins with a Sharpie so I don't get them mixed up. The same with my embroidery bobbin thread.

I have three kinds of bobbins for my three machines, my Janome, my Featherweight, and my Sweet Sixteen which complicates this problem. I love Toni's idea and am going to see if that would hold the different sizes. My stuff never seems organized no matter how I try to create systems.

Since I piece with Aurifil I wind 5 or more bobbins of the same color and keep them in an empty rx pill bottle. Each pill bottle contains a different color, tan, black, white, etc. The other not basic piecing colors go in one of those donut bobbin holders.

My Gammill bobbins are another problem...I wind the colored thread of those bobbins and if I don't use it all I store them with their cone thread on a moveable 2 side pegboard set up my dh made.

I have a cupboard that was made with 1x4 that has shelves and doors. Keeps the light off the thread. I have also seen a bathroom cupboard ( the one with the three mirrored doors} Would make a great place to store thread and cones.

Someone just gave me a spice rack that hangs on the back of a door - I'm using that to store my embroidery thread. I don't use it for embroidery, I use it for quilting, so I don't usually have corresponding bobbins. Seems to work great so far...

You can use the spine of an old book cut into strips to put bobbins in; the spiral kind, but need to get the right size for bobbins. I bought some soft baby ponytail bands at $$$$ store and put them around filled bobbins and that works good, too. Hope this helps. Oh and some of the catalogs have self stick tape to use for this, but I think its a little too much for too little.

delma

I use those blue or white thingys that fit in the top of the thread spool to keep my bobbin and spool of thread together. A reinforcement circle used for notebook paper holes is used on the top of my bobbin to hold the thread end and keep it from unwinding. This would work in a bobbin box/holder, also. I like the idea of having the exact bobbin with my spool as some of my threads are so close in shade/color.

Out of the box (or off the flower) idea. This time of year I occasionally buy cut mums. At my local Costco they come with each flower held together in a mesh tube about 4.5 inches long. This is enough to hold a 2.5 inch high spool and a bobbin on top and neither will unwind. Only problem is I like yellow mums and white would be more practical. This has got to be a standard floral item. I also like the donuts - a different color for each machine.

I store my thread in plastic boxes, labeled with the type of thread inside.
The boxes are tall enough that I can stand the thread up, and use a golf tee to attach the bobbin to its corresponding spool.
I got 3" golf tees, and they are easy to break (cut to score a line only, then break on the line) if they are too tall

[ATTACH=CONFIG]438152[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]438153[/ATTACH]I just use the rings from staples and the hair bands for little kids, as pictured... That is how I store bobbin threads

if you go to the home depot or lowes or menards ...and get some clear tubing [like you use for fish tanks only bigger ..3/4x1/2]cut it just a smidge smaller than the width of the bobbin slit the side ..slip it over the bobbin and the thread stays put....and you can see what color it is

Just a quick note. Thread in open storage gets very dusty and can be hard on our machines. I now keep mine in boxes. With all the fibers floating around in my quilt room it gets dusty.

[QUOWhat a good idea!TE=hopetoquilt;6314157][ATTACH=CONFIG]438152[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]438153[/ATTACH]I just use the rings from staples and the hair bands for little kids, as pictured... That is how I store bobbin threads[/QUOTE]

Storing bobbins
 

Found this idea on Pinterest. Use the plastic that is used for spiral binders to hold your bobbins. Should be able to find at office supply stores.

What a great idea! How come I never think of things like this :D! Thanks for sharing.

When all the school supplies came out, I purchased ALOT of the 96 cents plastic pencil boxes at Walmart. I can put 6 (I think it was) large spools of Floriani embroidery thread in each box. I do this by turning every other one upside down. I think there is enough room in the boxes to add the bobbins also. Then label the boxes with the thread numbers or colors and stack away!

To keep the spool of thread and the bobbin together, cut a drinking straw to the appropriate length. Slip the piece of straw into the spool of thread and put the bobbin down over the straw.

[QUOTE=patchwork;6313069]I have a cupboard that was made with 1x4 that has shelves and doors. Keeps the light off the thread. I have also seen a bathroom cupboard ( the one with the three mirrored doors} Would make a great place to store thread and cones.[/QUOTEYou could use a medicine cabinet in your sewing room and keep your thread in there and also a bottle of Advil or Aleve or whatever if needed, tube of muscle cream--for those aches and pains that you can relieve with the cream. I have one round one that has lights for it and I am going to hang that in my room. Maybe even keep a brush in there in case I am working and someone comes can check to see if presentable.

Use those pipe cleaners to hold them together. Can have different colors purchased at the dollar store.

My sisters have Bernina sewing machines and apparently those machines do not play well with Dual Duty thread.

They gave me two gallon Ziplock bags of various colors of large spools of thread.

How in the world do I begin to organize that much thread!!???

I did a post on my blog about my thread storage solution. Feel free to try it.

http://uggabearcottage.blogspot.com/2013/10/thread.html

The thread my sisters gave me is crazy. They had about 25 spools of pink, blue and green each...big spools too. I wonder how old this thread is.

How can you tell if thread is worth keeping or if it should be tossed out?

Jusmom -- love that idea. Amyjo -- love the pipecleaner idea too. Innovative and affordable.

I really like the bobbin cases that has the foam rubber in it. They don't fall out of it like the old ones.

I use the standing food seasoning racks that were advertised on TV a couple years back,,each one has two double shelves that pull out and push in. All is visible and then the bobbin is put on top of the thread with a golf tee thru it. ( I am so sorry I cannot remember the name of the racks, too many senior moments)...works very well, sturdy, visible, etc.

That is awesome. I like it better than the pipe cleaner method I'm using now.

I just saw your idea on the foam pedicure things. Loved the idea so much I rushed into my bathroom and had four good one. Deed is done, now I don't have loose bobbin thread all over my case. Thank you for a great idea, I am going to go buy more and so inexpensive.