There are several places on this board about building your own thread stand. It stands behind your sewing machine and allows you to put large spools of thread on the stand and thread your machine as you regularly would. I also heard that ones you build are not heavy enough so they don't hold the thread and your stitches get uneven. I bought one on the internet through a quilting store but can't remember which one. This is a heavy metal one.
Their internet address is
www.superiorthreads.com
I think it was about $15-20. Hope this helps.