I don't think I ever blogged about this, but it is one of the greatest additions to my sewing room. A spool stand! Once I got into the snowflake quilt I realized that those 12" squares EAT thread. Seriously, I had a mostly unused 1000 m spool and it was gone in just TWO squares. So I researched my options and found out that I definetly need to go with large spools. I order my Isacord from IMachineGroup.com The shipping isn't cheap (it's the actual shipping price, so it is fair though, I'm just used to cheap shipping), so I usually get 10 at a time, and it is the best price per spool (with shipping) I've found online. (Have you found a better deal?) Without shipping, a 1000 m spool of thread costs $3.25 (a fantastic price, btw). But a 5000 m spool- it costs $6.95! It would cost $10 more to buy that much thread if I only bought the small spools. But large spools, well, they don't fit on the machine.
Enter a solution. The spool stand! Again, I'm cheap. I looked at those and they seem to range from $15 to more than $50! The cheapest ones had lots of bad reviews about them being tipsy, the most expensive are decorative, and the one I decided I wanted is about $25. Now, $25 buys a lot of fabric. I didn't really want to spend that.
So I showed it to Kevin and he told me he could make it. And he did. And it is perfect. And the best part: free. It was made entirely with scraps that were around his shop. And it fits the spool perfectly, and it isn't tipsy at all, and now I have PLENTY of thread to make snowflakes. If you sew with the same color a lot, I highly recommend going this route. It is MUCH more affordable!
Kevin was also very smart when he made this. The hooks up the top direct the thread in two different directions. The thread moves so slowly when I sew, that I really only need one. But when I wind a bobbin, it flies off the spool- so it usually comes out of the bottom hook. The top hook is oriented differently, so it stays in. So this does work for winding bobbins! And they aren't hard to thread at all- there is a teeny opening on the side, so I just slip the thread through that (and that is how it escapes) I don't have to actually thread UP through them.
4 comments:
I have homemade thread holders too, and they are wonderful. I have not bought small spools in.....forever!
i would love to learn to sew and knit and have toyed with the idea of taking a class a few times. I just wish I already knew how to do it rather than actually having to learn! ugh
I'm having such a hard time using a 5000m cone for the first time with my Bernina 440. Just found this post whilst researching my options. Can you tell me, does the cone just rest on the wooden base or is there a little pole that sits inside it? I think I'm going to have to DIY as I don't think I can find what i need here. I'd love any tips for how do make this. Did you need to drill a hole for the big pole to sit in or is it just screwed in place from underneath? Thanks so much!
We used a drill press to put the dowels into the stand, but you could screw them from underneath.
There is another dowel under the spool.
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