Wednesday 7 January 2015

Thread Storage ~ Unique Solutions...

Today I thought I'd show you how I store my reels of thread. No fancy schmancy thread racks in my sewing room. Not because I don't like those lovely wooden racks. Simply because I've gone for low cost thread storage solutions.

Unique Thread Storage Solutions... affordable, DIY ideas for storing your sewing thread ~ Threading My Way


I group my thread together by type, rather than by colour. If I have enough of any one type, then colour groupings come into play.


My polyester thread is stored in small Ferrero Rocher chocolate boxes. It's easy to see at a glance what's inside each box and they stack neatly on my IKEA Expedit shelves in front of fabric.

Unique Thread Storage Solutions... affordable, DIY ideas for storing your sewing thread ~ Threading My Way

Specialty variegated thread is stored inside a tin case. Last year I had to take a lot of thread to the quilting retreat and the tin case was a very convenient way to transport it.

Unique Thread Storage Solutions... affordable, DIY ideas for storing your sewing thread ~ Threading My Way

I have several tin cases to store other sewing bits and pieces, too. They've all been given to me by my daughter. She sells them over at Little Ladybird and on MadeIt. The one above contains clothing labels and was a birthday present. The other tin cases are adorned with photos of the family - a practical way to have photos in my sewing room without taking valuable space with photo frames.

The little tin case once contained Haigh's chocolates, but now houses business cards. Hmmm... there's a bit of a theme with chocolates here. Haigh's is an Australian company and they make the BEST chocolates!!!

Unique Thread Storage Solutions... affordable, DIY ideas for storing your sewing thread ~ Threading My Way

Overlocker thread is stored in small IKEA Expedit drawers. Behind the overlocker thread, you can see some curling ribbon. I think I have enough to last the rest of my life. Now that I tend to use fabric off cuts and selvedges for ribbon, the curling ribbon hardly ever gets used.


The rest of my threads are stored in plastic containers - some sit on shelves, while the lesser used thread is in drawers. The bottom container in the photo above works well for Rasant thread (polyester core with a cotton covering). Same as with the Ferrero Rocher chocolate boxes, I can see the threads at a glance. They sit upright as the container is the perfect height and there's enough of them to fill the container.

Cotton thread is stored in the rest of the containers above the Rasant thread. I haven't found containers that suit the spools. They're handy to where I sew, but I'm on the lookout for a new solution, or different sized containers, to store the cotton thread.

Bobbins are stored in the two little containers, as well as in racks in my Bernina tool box, again, stored by type of thread.

In the main, these simple and inexpensive thread storage solutions work well for me. And some of them involved the eating of chocolate, so that's a bonus.

Following are some more unique and low cost ways to store your thread...

As you can see, storage for thread doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg for it to work well.

Are you happy with how your thread is stored?

... Pam

21 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I like how you can easily see the colors of thread.

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  2. That's exactly how I store mine, but I bought my boxes at a local mall in Manila. I have organized them by shade/hue and have clear boxes in colorless, blue, red and green. I stand my spools up on their ends though. They all fit (I think I have eight or ten; I'm on Guam and haven't photographed them yet) inside a nice wicker basket that I slide off the shelf like drawer.

    The smog was destroying my threads perched on one of those spool holders, and they all wouldn't fit on there. This way of organizing them keeps them smog and dust-free and also out of the bright afternoon sun that streams into my lovely Inspiration Station windows.

    I know this post is helpful to SEW many.

    Hugs,
    Kelley~

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  3. I have been working on reorganizing and cleaning my sewing area the past few days. (Seriously- I haven't seen this much of the sewing table in years!) I have a wooden spool holder that was a gift for the most used threads. I store my extra thread in a plastic container I got on clearance at the fabric store- it has several layers that snap together and the others hold velcro and elastic. I did get 2 shoebox totes of thread at a yard sale last summer, though (blues and reds- they must have sorted by color). I moved the overlock thread to a basket. (Of course, I have so many of my baskets put to good use!) I love your organizing posts. I am always trying to keep things tidier since the sewing area is in a corner of my bedroom and it haunts me as I try to go to sleep. Haha!

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  4. Love the tin idea! I have serger thread on shelves my husband made that fit it perfectly. My spools are by color in plastic drawer units I got on clearance one year. I also use them for trims -- so far I like it.

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  5. I've been working on organizing & cleaning my sewing supplies and this is the perfect solution for storing thread! I'm going to keep my eye out for small clear plastic boxes. Too bad I don't like chocolate!lol;)

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  6. We're gonna need a bigger (load of) chocolate!! *insert Jaws theme music here* :D

    I use a couple of thread racks on the wall (well, one is on the wall, one is on the floor behind my sewing machine, lol) plus a big glass jar plus two wicker lidded baskets - my thread is all over the sewing room. I think I need to get me some clear containers like yours!

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  7. I could really do with organising my threads, they are all stored in a wicker box at the moment so I have to rake through them all to find anything. It sounds like I need to start eating more chocolate :)

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  8. Great idea Pam they all look so neat and tidy! And a good excuse to eat lots of Ferrero Rocheres! Yummm!

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  9. You have neatly organized your threads!!:) Reusing Ferrero rocher box is a great idea!!
    I don't have so many threads, just one box, that's all. I am going to see those links too. Thanks for sharing !! It is always exciting to know how others organize their stash.

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  10. I love your storage ideas Pam. I don't have a lot of thread yet but I may just have to start eating more Ferrero chocolates so that I am organised for when I do, ;)

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  11. What would we do without you gathering up all sorts of sewing ideas! I've got a ton of thread sorted by color just separating the specialty ones--metallic, button, upholstery and such. They're in a plastic set of drawers. I recently changed them from standing upright to lying sideways because it was a constant up and down to find the colors I wanted. It's handier, but messier. I really need to have some kind of dividers. Off to check out that nice little list of links for a solution or two.

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  12. The 'little threading my way sewing mouse' looks good sitting there on your shelf!

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  13. Pam, thanks for linking to my thread solution! I have so much thread, but then you can relate!
    The tin lunch boxes are tooooo cute. LeeAnna at not afraid of color

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    1. I can totally relate, Leanne. Have just purchased a lot of woolly nylon and looking to see where it'll fit in my room.

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  14. Good ideas - pinning this to my Craft Room Organizing board:) Thanks for linking up to Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do!

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  15. Hi Pam,
    I am starting a link party 'Messy-to-Classy' on organising crafting stuff where bloggers can show their organising work from a tiny box to entire craft space whatever they have to show. I also invite them to share organising ideas, if any, with due permission from the owner. I would like to share this post of yours in addition to what I will have my craft cleaning done this month. Please let me know if you are fine with it. I will link to your post as ideas for organising.
    The link party still needs to be set in schedule properly as it is confusing to bloggers and they are submitting link to sign up page. I will write my first post next week.
    You may view the details here http://createwittyunleashed.blogspot.in/p/messy-to-classy_5.html

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  16. loving your ideas and your blog fab and thanks for sharing too...
    bestest Daisy j x

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  17. Interesting method of storage for your spools. I would prefer a method that lets you see what colours you have, but that's just me. It's more important to have them neat and out of the way! Haha!

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    1. Yeah, sometimes I have to rummage through to get the colour I want, but it works for me.

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