There is a device called a Thread Pro which allows a spool to sit on a heavy metal bottom, a rod which allows the thread to feed off the spool and then it feeds into the thread holder on your machine. ( Clotilde or Nancy's notions?_) Also, if your machine faces the wall, hang a lamp near your machine and feed the thread over the lamp and into your machine thread holder.

That is exactly what the picture shows that my husband made for me. It is above this in the posts.

Go to my web sight at www.quilttilyouwilt.net and I think my thread holder is there. I have a man who makes all of my wood items and he does a great job. I will check later and see if it is there if not I will post one by tomorrow night. Pat

I got mine at Hancocks for $5.99 and it's plastic but it works great, just sits behind my machine. There big cones of threadare always on sale also.

I did not read all the posts (so someone may have mentioned this already) but I saw someone use a big jar to put their spool in. The jar sat behind their machine.

I bought a thread Cone holder from the local quilt shoppe, but thank you for more ideas! I will now be able to set up for two cones. I know JoAnn's has them too.

I use a wooden paper towel holder that set on my cabinet and was hateful for getting paper towels. It is heavy enough to hold the largest cones. Attach a pipe cleaner around the top(where knob screws on) to make the thread go up the cone. I like it better than my bought flimsy plastic one. Quilters make do with what they have.

I discovered yesterday when I was working with a big spool that
I could take my paper towels off the chrome holder and use it
for my big spool sitting behind my sewing machine. It worked
great today.

Try putting the spool in a canning jar and using a straw, I have done this to use the big spool to wind the bobbins. Works fine for that, haven't used it for sewing.

if you have a surger use the ones that hold them they are rubbery and fit in a cone then sets on a spindel like on top of your machine

The ladies at my class put an empty plastic biro/pen tube over their normal holder and stick the cone of thread over that, works a treat, and cheap :-P

Hi, I use over sized spools alot. I had my hisband make me a round wooden disc with a hole drilled in the center and a dowel placed in the hole sticking up . I put the spool on that to keep it in place and place that in front of my machine and feed the tread up from there. Or you can put the spool in a mug in front of your machine and feed the thread up from there too. They both workn wonderful. Try it. Jane

I had the simplest way of getting the thread off the spool: I put a push pin in the wall about 2 feet above the machine. I threaded the thread through the bottom loop of a safety pin and hooked it onto the pin. If you have curtains, you can pin the safety pin to them. Just make sure the spool of thread is directly below the safety pin so the thread comes off the top, and it is not pushed up against the wall. You go from the safety pin to the machine and thread like normal.

I had trouble using cone thread with my newer Kenmore machine. The machine was skipping stitches and I couldn't figure out why so I sent it in for service with the cone still on it. The report said that only spools could be used and the needle was wrong too. I had used a needle that would fit Kenmore machines rather than a Kenmore needle. I couldn't figure out how the cone thread fed into the machine differently than a spool, but if I use the right thread and needles, I have no problems. I can go through a spool a day when I get going on a project!
Janie

I use a wide mouth mason jar and it sits behind and to the right of my machine. I was at my friends the other day and forgot my jar, I saw a gallon? size fish bowl and it worked great and held two cones at once.

I have heard of people putting the spool in a jar on the floor, and then threading your machine, I have not tried it but it might work.

You can set a coffee cup behind your machine, put the spool in it bring thread up over machine and continue to thread machine as usual. This works also for nylon thread.

I use a lot of cone threads for my reg. machine. Cut a Pringle can in half, use the plastic top as the bottom for one of the halves. Insert a spray can top (the size of a deoderant or pam spray top) into each pringle half can - Drop your cone into the top, place can to the back and right side of your machine, thread and sew - no tangles, no wobbling, just smooth stitching. Upon reading, it may sound confusing but its easy as pie
I've been known to tape the two pringle cans together for easy access to two different threads when sewing some projects.
Love the board - but it IS addictive, have to control myself or I'll get no quilting done.

You can get a stand for using with a regular machine. I have one that's plastic. I've seen some that loving crafty hubbys have made for their wives also. I love mine.

Before I bought my large spool holder, I made my own out of a small square block of wood to which I nailed a tall 1/2 inch square length of wood. I then screwed in a coffee cup hook at about the level of my machine's thread holder. Worked for me...but the suggestion of a cut or jar is even easier.

Thanks for the chuckle none the less.... :lol:

I use a Toilet paper holder attached to the back of the sewing table. Works great and stays neat.

On some tuts I've seen where the spool of thread is placed into a large glass jar. The weight of the jar keeps it from falling over. I just sit mine on the right side of my machine but it will fall over once in awhile. Haven't had a chance to try the jar trick yet.

I saw a tute and the sewer had her large spool of thread in a jar next to her machine.

Here is what my hubby made me. It's a square piece of wood, a dowl in the middle, and a wire hanger in the back so that you can put the thread through and go to your machine.

I love it and it's so handy.

Designs by Sick has the Wonder Thread holder so you can put large spools on your machine. http://www.designsbysick.com/wonderthreadguide.php

How neat is that lol I will have to make me one of them !!! And if I can't get it right I will have to call in the reinforcements of the DH haha ty for the pics :thumbup:

Oh ty Rann :thumbup:

I was glad to see you selected the Janome Horizon 7700 QCP as I have one, too, and absolutely love mine. I use the heavy metal cone stand. There is a plastic one that looks identical but I was told not to get it because it wasn't heavy enough and I'm glad I took their advice. FYI... here's a new product I saw on the Martelli website but it's a little pricey.

Some great ideas here. Thanks everyone.

Thank you and I'm glad I got the horizon to I love,love, it lol
I called my dealer yesterday and she said there's one that fits on the horizon and she's gona get it for me yay !!

I saw it and ty I'm sure DH can make one of them for me to have as extras lol

I want to thank everyone for ALL the great ideas !!!
I had no idea there would be so many different ways to do this without affecting the tension and stitches !!! SO now I know !!!
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: to you all :)

Really happy for you! I have the 2-spool on my 7700 and the 5-spool on my 11000. I love them both. Happy Quilting!!!

my friend made me a large spool holder from a wood bannana tree by screwing an eyelet hook for the thread to go thru under the top arc & on the base she glued a woodsmall peg about 4" long & .5 "around, works great

The spools are mainly used for serging and longarm quilting, but sometimes "just the right color" is on the spool, so, I put a med sized (coffee) can behind my machine and put the spool in it, then thread the machine.

The spool does the flopping in the can and does not tip over and roll off the table or any of the other fancy tricks it can do without being contained.

I also have a dowel with a hole drilled in the bottom that fits on the thread holder mounted on the machine (made for this purpose), but don't use it, I like the can better.

afterthought: My Pfaff does not have a high "pole type thing" exteding above the machine to start the thread through so it feeds from above the machine, so I've taped a paper clip on the side of my machine to thread through before I thread the actual machine. The thread feeds across the top of the machine. This works very well...again I like this method better than the dowel that I have.

I have one of those spool stands. They will hold that spool. I got mine from Connecting threads. Not the pretty one but the cheapy. It works great.

They are so easy to make, and there are so many ways to make them that work well, it seems unnecessary to spend good fabric money on buying one.
My brother-in-law made us one that is just a piece of board with an 6" section of dowel glued into a hole he drilled towards one end, and a 12" section of a wire clotheshanger with a loop bent into the top end that he glued into a smaller hole he drilled near the other end of the board. He varnished and stained it up pretty, but you wouldn't even have to do that. It works great.

Buy an iron stand sits behind machine, one of my favorite purchases ever!

I have the spool sitting on the table behind my sewing machine and thread the thread through a safety pin on one end of a drinking straw that's resting on the upright spool holder. Clear as mud? Here's a couple pictures.