bearisgray

Another trivial question -

I just used up small amounts of thread from about six bobbins this morning. (it was so freeing to realize that the color of thread I used for piecing really doesn't matter all that much.)

I've seen some "old-timer" bobbins that had maybe 10 or more very short lengths of thread wound on one bobbin - (At one time, thread was very "dear" - and people saved almost every inch of it.)

Do you have lots of bobbins so that you almost always have an empty bobbin when you want/need to wind a bobbin?

Or do you have only a few - and what do you do if you have no empty bobbins and need to wind a different color on one?

QuiltnNan

i mostly use prewounds. if my bobbin color has to match, i take a bobbin with little on it, unwind the thread and toss it. i'v accumulated so much thread, i'll never use it up

cashs_mom

I have tons of bobbins. Especially for my Bernina so I rarely have to unwind thread from a spool in order to rewind it. I've started using my mom's old "spindles" as she called them to stack my empty bobbins on. I've also been known to use a bobbin in the top of my machine when making muslins or other sewing where thread color doesn't matter just to get the thread used up off of the bobbins.

Wanabee Quiltin

I don't have many bobbins for my Bernina, maybe 12? I keep 6 aside for the project I'm working on and when those 6 are empty, I oil and clean the machine. The other 5 have red, navy, black, green and brown on them. I will use the thread on those too if I can, I don't want old thread on my bobbins.

lynnie

I just wind new on top of the old.
people cringe over that. why???
it's the same as winding one color throughout.
I don't have that many bobbin that I have a color on each one. I wind as I need

Donna Bates

I, too, am doing 'colorful' piecing these days. Lots of thread dregs on lots of bobbins here. And, No, it isn't so old it breaks, I purchased the good stuff way back then then (70's till now) and still do. My bobbin stash looks like a rainbow. My piecing has another scrappy element these days. One thing I never do is wind over thread already wound.

Boston1954

I have at least one wound for every color of thread I own, plus about 8 or 10 extra in case I buy a new color.

tessagin

I'm using the lower content bobbins for piecing, especially for crazy piecing and hexies and very random scraps. If the bobbin gives me any trouble I pitch it after looking for burrs and any small spots of rust that might be on som older bobbins.

bakermom

I do the same, never seems to hurt anything. If I need to, I will use a bobbin in place of the spool to free up a bobbin but I try to keep a few empty ones around.

Boston1954

I have started using just any color for the bobbin. I bought a bunch of Connecting Threads thinking that I would use them for applique. I did not know. So now, I use them for the bobbins but saving a bit for hand sewing the bindings.