Let It Shine Design: Organize-A-Long Week #2 ..Threads

YEY! You have survived the fabric section!!!

Now, close your eyes for a moment, inhale deep, exhale slow, open your eyes and then dive into collecting all your threads and bobbins. It’s time to organize and log your thread & bobbin inventory. This should be a breeze in comparison to the fabric.

If you haven’t completed your fabric, that’s okay.. you can continue on your fabric logging journey and catch up with us at your own pace! This is not a race, the organize-a-long is being featured to help people stay on track and to utilize the notebook. We are each other’s cheerleaders and we can commiserate with each other b/c we understand the insanity and obsessive collecting of this craft!

Okay... so here goes:

Organizing Spools of Thread:

I organize my threads by color, that way when I glance at them I go directly to the color family I want and find the exact color. You can also organize them by color #, but that could be confusing as some thread companies don’t use a specific number as a code for a color family.

Storage:

For my larger spools such as Maxi-Locks I use under the bed bins, they are narrow (fit the ML spool perfectly) and fit approx 80 Maxi-Lock 3,000 yd spools (1st pic & bought from Target). For my smaller Gutermann Thread spools (110 yard) I use the Slimline Storage boxes (pictured below) that I bought from Joanne’s with a 50% coupon. I also have Gutermann Bustling thread and I keep them in a clear plastic shoebox sized bin.

Of course there are the wooden thread spool holders that attach to the wall making threads easily accessible. I personally don’t care for them b/c the spools collect dust..and from my experience.. dust & sewing machines don’t mix.

Other thread storage ideas: wood spool cabinet chests, stackable multi-size thread organizer bins, thread boxes, wooden spice racks, peg boards and stackable sterilite bins. I have also seen cool wall art created from wooden dowels holding spools of thread.

Here are some other great ideas for thread storage:

After all of your threads are organized and inventoried it’s now on to the bobbins.

BOBBINS:

We can’t forget about the bobbins. I included a space on the thread inventory page to note if you have a matching bobbin or not.

If you store your bobbins in a bobbin case (like I do), I designate a spot specifically for that color. I use 1/2 x 3/4” self adhesive labels and write down the thread name & color #/name:

example: ML # 4465 Rad Turq. That way when that spool runs out I know that I don’t have that color available in a spool. I know that the bobbin spot is reserved for Maxi-Lock #4465 Radiant Turquoise bobbin thread.

If you have a lil extra cash flow you can buy bobbin attachment pieces that easily attach the bobbin to the thread spool. Such as: Bobbin Mates or Handi Bobs. I have tried the Bobbin Mates but w/out much luck, I don’t use standard size spools so the bobbin attachments don’t actually “attach” to the spools of thread.

For my unfilled bobbins, I keep them stored ina windowed square spice tin magnetically attached to a magnetic board. If I do need to make a bobbin, I can glance over at the board to see if I have any available bobbins.

I use a magnetic board for the storage of everything! I simply LOVE the spice tins for that purpose.

Other great ideas for bobbin storage: