Genius bobbin storage ideas

Looking for inspiring ideas for thread and bobbin storage? Storing and organizing your spools and bobbins doesn’t have to cost you a thing when you make these bobbin storage ideas yourself!

Thread and bobbin storage

Hey guys! Today’s tutorial is gonna be real quick! I just wanted to show you my bobbin storage solutions in case you’re dealing with a case of messy sewing room. Trying to keep all those crazy spools and bobbins in check but they keep ending up all tangled messy and hard to use? These bobbin storage tips are real live savers!


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I started sewing a few years back and I’ve had troubles keeping my notions and supplies in order  since day 1! Their number keeps growing with every project, so it’s a continuous challenge. With so many tools, fabrics, threads and things to work with, finding what you need in a short time can get complicated.

Frugal sewers would use the same bobbins, again and again, winding over an already-wound bobbin, and not keep tens of half-wound bobbins around the whole room. Who knows if we don’t need the same color again for a smaller project someday? (never mind we add so many layers, that sometimes we even forget what colors we have, or that the color we need is the last one on the bobbin). For those of us who like to move fast but stay neat and organized, this is not an option. We want to find the right one quickly!

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For those of you that are really patient, I heard of some quilters that only use two bobbins for a whole quilt. They are not using thread frugally, but keep one bobbin in the winder, and the other in the machine. When the one in the machine is finished, they just switch places. I think that is a fantastic idea and I’ve recently started using this tip with great success!

I’m a freak when it comes to keeping my house tidy but I had to relax a bit regarding my sewing room. It was just too much to handle, I had no choice! It’s been a learning curve but I think I finally got the hang of it and my sewing room looks much better than before. These bobbin organizer ideas contributed greatly!

Bobbin organizer

Of course, there are specialized bobbin storage towers, bobbin doughnuts or other dedicated solutions, but you have to go shopping or ordering them online, thus spend more money on them. My DIY bobbin holder solutions in this tutorial are always at hand and cost (almost) nothing.

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When it comes to bobbin storage I have two main handy solutions. If I know I’ll be sewing with the same thread colors for a while, I prepare those spools, I wind the bobbins, sometimes multiple bobbins per spool if the project is big and attach the bobbins to the spool as seen in the photo above. This works great for thread and bobbin storage! I’ll highlight the exact steps in the step by step description below.

Most times though I simply use a toe separator to store my bobbins, so this is my second solution. Honestly I prefer this option, to me it not only looks better but the bobbins are tightly stored so the thread never unwinds. The toe separators are cheap and if you find some with glitter as mine, they’ll add a nice dose of cuteness to your sewing room.

Bobbin holder

How to keep bobbin thread from unraveling

In addition to the toe separator idea which is great at keeping the thread ends under control, I have a couple of “tricks” to keep my bobbins from unraveling when not in use.

  1. I spray a little hair spray on my fingers and smooth out the thread ends in the bobbin. Once they’re all tamed, I spray a little more hair spray directly onto the thread ends then I allow the spray to dry before storing the bobbins.
  2. I get a plastic or rubber tube (a large straw would work too) and cut a bit of the end. Then I cut this piece in half, height-wise and insert the halves into the bobbin as stoppers for the thread ends.

 

What is a good sewing thread spool storage

There are several ways you can keep spools organized. My favorite method is keeping the stool stored into cups or plastic containers that are sturdy and roomy enough to hold a spool. For example, pill storage boxes, tackle boxes and ice cube trays make great storage spaced for spools and bobbins. I like to keep my spools organized like this in a drawer under my sewing desk because when I need to use the spools I just grab the container from the drawer, place it behind my sewing machine, thread my machine and start sewing. Makes it so convenient and the spools and the tread are always organized and tidy.

I keep all the treads and spools in a little cabinet I bought from Ikea. I store the cabinet right under my sewing table so they’re always easy to reach, making my life so much easier and my sewing projects a little faster. Here’s how I do the bobbin storage number one. It may seem silly but someone has to teach silliness too lol

Other ways of storing spools and bobbins

  • Metal bobbins rest just well on a magnet band on the wall, though this won’t work for plastic ones;
  • Embroidery hoops and some wood sticks or nails would make a quick bobbin rack;
  • Also, large metal or plastic rings do just well for storing bobbins, but the thread would still unravel if you don’t stick it in place;
  • Clear jewelry organizers with pockets can hang on the inside of your closet to save space;
  • To prevent unraveling, old hair ties are great helpers. We all have some extras that we don’t use. If not, those from the dollar store do just great;
  • DIY thread racks are another handy way to keep your bobbins organized, but it does take some time to make one yourself. You can always buy one if you like to keep them like this. A quicker way would be using a pegboard.

My favorite storage solutions are the ones that keep the spool with a matching bobbin so that I don’t need to search for or thread a new bobbin every time.

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Bobbin storage ideas

Bobbin storage ideas

Materials:

  • spools of thread
  • corresponding bobbins
  • elastic bands

How to store bobbins?

  • Pull the elastic band over the spool of thread.

  • Insert the opposite end into the bobbin until the end reaches the other end of the bobbin.

  • Grab this end and pull it over the spool as you did in the first step.

  • A little tip you might have missed above: to prevent the thread from unwinding on both the spool and the bobbin I spray the ends of the thread with hair spray. Then I move the elastic so that it covers the thread end on the spool to make it even more secure.
  • And that’s pretty much it!

I find that this is the coolest DIY bobbin storage idea and an excellent solution to keep spools and corresponding threads together! And my go to way of keeping my spools and bobbins organized by color!

If you liked these tips, please let me know in the comments below!  And also, what is your favorite way of storing spools and bobbins, and why?

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Bobbin storage

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about petro

ABOUT PETRO

Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…

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48 Comments

  1. Aileen K Douglas says:

    Great idea, Honestly I’ve been cutting small pieces of tape, and putting it on my bobbins when I’am finished with them. It helps to de clutter my sewing box too;-)

  2. Great way to keep bobbins close at hand.

    1. Thanks, Linda! I’m always looking for ways to keep myself organized & have tools and notions on hand!

  3. Rudy Schmidt says:

    Interesting ideas. Especially the thread and bobbin one.

  4. Jan Stenberg says:

    I love the rubber band around the thread to connect the bobbin idea. Thanks so much.

  5. I use the small stretchy hair bands to keep bobbin thread from unwinding, also. Then insert a golf tee through the bobbin center, then into the top of the thread spool. I keep garden shears to cut the golf tees if they are too long. It all goes into an oblong box with a handle on top that I made from 2 yard sticks.

    1. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us, Karen!

  6. Annie Taylor says:

    Dear Petro, I love your site. You have wonderful and creative ideas, especially the latest for storing bobbin with thread. I’ve incorporated into the organization of my sewing room. Great tutorials. Annie from US.

    1. Hi, Annie! Thanks so much for stopping by and your lovely comment! Have a wonderful day!

  7. Love your tips. I wish I was as creative as you ! Thanks for the great ideas.

  8. Joe Oliveri says:

    I raided my old unused bolts that were the right size to fit thru the middle of the bobbin, but the bolt head would not pass thru. They only need to be around 1″ long. I then just set the bobbin on top of the thread with the bolt to hold them together. This makes it easier to find in the thread drawer and easier to find the color too since the bobbins are a little bit smaller in diameter. They still unwind a little bit, but I never said it was perfect.

  9. I use wall holders for thread and bobbins. To keep thread from unrolling I use small stretchy hair bands used for pigtails and hair bunches. Look for the plainest ones. They last forever and bobbin used ones can be used for thread spools when they stretch out.

    1. Hi Deinya. Thanks so much for sharing your tips with us!

  10. How do you store these once they are banded together ?

    1. Hi Debbie. I keep them in plastic boxes, stored in a little Ikea cabinet.

  11. Susan August says:

    In addition to using the fabric-covered elastics, I also use baby-sized hair ties to keep my bobbin thread on its bobbin. The combination works great!

    1. Cool tip! Thanks for sharing, Susan!

  12. Susan August says:

    I use the elastic trick too and It works great–except that I use the thin cloth-covered elastic bands because they go on and come off much easier (I also believe it’s easier on the thread).

    1. That’s great advice! Thanks, Susan!

  13. I hope when someone keeps a bobbin on the winder it is empty. I was told by machine repair person never leave a fill bobbin on the winder because the thread could get into the machine.
    Happy Creating.

    1. Hi Donna. Thanks for commenting! But how would that be possible? The winder on all of my machines is far away from all the sewing mechanism and doesn’t move a bit, it’s locked in place while I sew. It’s only moving when I manually push the winder which takes a bit of an effort. Even if a bit of thread dangles it’s impossible to get to the motor. Maybe other machines are not built like mine, maybe closer to the sewing mechanism otherwise I fail to see how the thread from the winder can get into the machine.

  14. Love the idea with rubber bands to control thread clutter.
    I’ve used the toe separators but I like having the bobbin thread with the matching spool thread. Saves time hunting matches!

  15. Judy Munson says:

    Have always had loose bobbins in a bag…forever pulling thread off. Love your elastic holder idea!!

    1. Hi, Judy! Glad you found this idea useful! Have a wonderful day!

  16. Thank you!! I love this simple solution! What is your IKEA cabinet?

  17. Denise Doganieri says:

    Hi Petro ,

    I just watched the video on attaching the bobbin to the thread .What a Great Idea ! Thanks . I have a bobbin plastic box but …. most of the time it doesn’t make it back in there .lol Going to give this a try for sure.

    1. Hi, Denise! I’m glad you found these tips useful! Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

  18. I am trying desperately to love sewing….I want to sew, I just get frustrated, so any helpful hint,ingenious idea is super wonderful to me! Thank you for your helpful ideas!

    1. Hi Vicki! Sewing may be a little frustrating in the beginning. I can’t begin to tell you how many projects I started only to throw away after struggling for a few hours to complete them. I started on the wrong foot though, as I picked projects that were too complicated for my skills. I decided to take a break for a year and then start fresh with easy projects. In between these projects I was practicing with sewing tips. And there wasn’t a day where I didn’t sew for at least a few minutes. When you are a beginner you need to sew every day, practice makes best! This site is full of easy projects you can start with and also great sewing tips. I’ll just highlight a few here but feel free to browse around, I’m sure you’ll find more that are suitable for your skills:
      https://theseamanmom.com/fabric-weights-tutorial/
      https://theseamanmom.com/diy-fabric-keychains/
      https://theseamanmom.com/diy-bunny-banner/
      https://theseamanmom.com/diy-butterfly-hair-bows/
      https://theseamanmom.com/bunny-sleeping-mask-sewing-pattern/
      https://theseamanmom.com/bunny-hair-clip/
      https://theseamanmom.com/diy-knot-headband/
      https://theseamanmom.com/paper-bag-skirt-tutorial/
      https://theseamanmom.com/color-block-tote-bag-tutorial/
      https://theseamanmom.com/how-to-sew-a-zipper-on-a-skirt/
      https://theseamanmom.com/hem-curve-sewing-tutorial/
      https://theseamanmom.com/french-seam-tutorial/
      https://theseamanmom.com/10-minutes-skirt/
      https://theseamanmom.com/sewing-an-invisible-zipper/
      https://theseamanmom.com/how-to-add-a-magnetic-snap/

  19. Jacqueline says:

    That is a great idea! I like my bobbins to stay with their spools…many shades of blue or any other color are sometimes difficult to match back up…