Having bobbins that are organized and easy to access makes sewing projects so much better! There are lots of products out there just for bobbin storage and I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites (plus some items you may already have around your house!) today:
1- Simple bobbin box : This is the probably the classic storage method everyone is most used to. These little boxes are great and easy to stack!
2- Metal rings: A big metal ring is a really simple and inexpensive way to keep track of bobbins! Just pop on similar colors or fill a ring with all the bobbins you’ll need for a specific project.
3- Handi-Bob: This little gadget really is handy! Keep your wound bobbins and matching thread spools together. These also have short arms that wrap around the bobbin to keep thread from unwinding.
4- Bobbini bobbin holder: These are cool and cute! They’re similar to the Handi-Bob in that they keep your thread and bobbins together, but they’re a little less bulky and add color to your sewing space.
5- Ice cube trays: These are kind of a small storage no-brainer, but really useful and simple!
6- Acrylic recipe box: This is a little unorthodox but I think it would be pretty to fill one of these up with bobbins and store it on a shelf near your sewing table!
7- Bobbin porcupine: This adorable holder fits every brand of bobbin and helps keep them organized and within reach. It actually holds quite a few bobbins (up to 30!) and it’s just SO CUTE!
8- Bobbin tree: These holders are stackable so you can get more sets and snap them on as needed or take off sections and store them wherever you’d want bobbins. The actual holder parts are strong but flexible and should fit any bobbin brand and keep the threads snug.
9- Bobbin saver: This is a great little tool for keeping bobbins tidy and ready to be used. It holds up to 20 bobbins!
10- Gray bobbin storage box: This is kind of like a mash-up between number 1 and number 5!
11- Bobbin clamp: You pop your bobbin into the clamp and it holds the tails in place then you can attach a bunch of bobbins together and hang them wherever you need to!
12- Toe separators: I know! Seems silly and the name “toe separator” sounds less than cool but these work! And they’re inexpensive and lightweight. Pop a few bobbins in where your little piggies usually go and you’re set. ;)
How do you store and organize your bobbins?
I store mine in a used cigarette lighters box – I just asked at my nearest shop, they throw the empty display boxes away. So the lady gave me one. One box houses 100 bobbins (at least could, if I had that many). To see a picture of what I mean, just put “100 Cigarette Lighters” in Google search – I mean the black box that is used to display the lighters. :-) My bobbins fit inside perfectly.
I use the toe separators and they work great. The bobbins fit perfectly and no loose tails.
I use #10, the gray bobbin boxes, and I love them. You missed what I consider the most important part about them: the gray stuff is foam and the bobbins stay in them securely and don’t unwind. If you wind the thread well and put them in so the loose end is in the foam, there are no loose threads ever.
I love # 9!!! I have them in different colors for different machines & different threads!!!
I use #10 – the foam lined bobbin containers. They’re inexpensive, compact, and they keep the thread tails corralled. I’ve dropped the open box from my sewing table without anything flying out – no more chasing bobbins around the floor :D
[Popping over for Today’s Featured Tutorial from sewcanshe.com :)]
I use a little box that I got at Office Max (during the school supply sales) it’s similar to the recipe box idea, I might have to try another method because my threads are always tangling.
I’ve been using toe separators too.Works great, easy to store, and keeps them snug so no thread unwinds. :)
I have two of #9, one for my Janome and one for my Bernina, and they work great. I’m looking for the perfect storage for my bobbins for my Innova longarm – they are bigger then those used in sewing machines. Currently I use baby hair bands (little and feel like terrycloth) around each bobbin to prevent unwinding and keep them in a box on my longarm and some on a bobbin holder kinda like #7 but made to be attached to my bobbin winder…but I have too many bobbins for both places!!
I have a box and a tray, but to keep the thread from unwinding, I cut 5/8 in. clear plastic tubing into narrow slices (the same width of the portion that holds the thread), then cut each ring open and slip that over the bobbin.