Hello, and happy Friday! Today I’m sharing more on sewing room organization with practical thread storage ideas. I also have a video to share near the end of this post where I walk you through my storage methods and ideas. I hope you’ll enjoy this post and find some inspiration and helps for keeping your threads in order. (Note: this post was originally published in June 2020).
I love having an assortment of threads for different types of quilting and sewing, but along with having a good variety of thread comes the need to effectively organize and store it. Here are some of the ways I’ve found to organize and store my various threads to keep them easily accessible and neat.
As quilters we have many choices of thread available. I’ve been using Aurifil thread almost exclusively for about ten years now. It works well in my machine (details on my machine in this post), works well for binding and mending, and has good matches for the fabrics I use. There are several weights available, and I like the 50 weight for most machine sewing and binding. I will use a thicker thread when doing hand quilting and sometimes a thinner one for machine applique’. (Aurifil did not sponsor this in any way, this is just my personal opinion).
I love being able to use wall space and a thread spool rack for thread storage (mine isn’t available anymore, but there is a similar one here). The brightly colored spools provide a décor accent to the room, and seeing them makes it easy to find and use the various spools. However, I don’t have space to store all of my thread on the wall, so I’ve provided some other options below.
Several years ago I began storing my larger spools of thread in the large Aurifil Thread Storage boxes. (Also find them in sets of two here). As you can see in the picture, you can fit two smaller spools in one compartment sized for the larger spools.
I also use empty Clover Wonder Clips boxes to store small spools. I haven’t found those available for purchase empty anywhere, but I store Wonder Clips in a patchwork bag so I can use the boxes for thread! Additionally, I use some small tin boxes to store other spools and threads.
While I do love the option of keeping my threads together in small containers, it’s also nice to be able to corral those smaller containers into well-labeled bins like I’ve shown above (link to bins is below in the product links list at the end of this post). A drawer would also work well to store your organized containers.
I don’t have a lot of embroidery floss and other specialty threads right now, so I store them right along with my threads. I did make sure to add “floss” to the label so I don’t forget where they are. If you have a lot of embroidery floss, you might want to consider one of the many floss storage systems and floss cards available and also consider using floss keepers to keep floss organized for current projects.
In the video I talk about my bobbin storage methods (my bobbin stash is pictured above in the round bobbin keepers) and also talk about how convenient it is to take these along when traveling. These and other bobbin storage options are linked in the products list below.
If you’re unable to keep your thread storage together (or even if you just want to be sure to be able to find any specific thread you have stored), keep a list by thread type and storage location.
Watch my thread storage ideas video above or go here to watch it on my YouTube channel.
Below are links to the products I mentioned and shared in the thread storage video.
I hope this post with thread storage ideas was useful and gave you some good ideas for storing and organizing your threads. Happy quilting, and thanks so much for stopping by!
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Whether you have a handful of spools or hundreds, you know that finding the best thread storage ideas is critical for an organized sewing kit and sewing room. When all your thread is organized you can easily find what you need and spend more time on creating and sewing and less time on rummaging and searching.
Whether you’re looking for tips to organize the thread, the best organization products or ingenious thread organization hacks, you’ll find them all right here.
I am a casual seamstress. I started with about 10 mini spools of thread that came in a dollar store kit. As my sewing skills improved, I purchased spools of thread and built a collection of 20-something thread spools.
Both my grandmother and my mother were skilled and prolific seamstresses. I inherited hundreds of spools of thread from them over the years. And if you’re as sentimental and practical as I am, you know that I have to keep each of those spools. (It even worked out well when crafters in our neighborhood were requesting thread to sew masks to donate to our hospital. I was able to donate a bunch of thread for the cause.)
But as my thread stash grew, I needed to find better ways to store it. At first I didn’t have a sewing room, so I stored thread in several different sewing boxes. When we moved and I joyfully got to set up a craft and sewing room, I began to research more thread storage ideas.
I chose to keep some thread displayed in glass jars. It’s a beautiful design element that makes me happy every day.
The thread that I needed to figure out how to store fell into several different categories, each with different storage needs. That started me on my hunt to explore all the best thread storage ideas and find what works best for me.
To determine the best way to store and organize thread, you have to determine your needs and limitations. Once you assess your requirements and preferences, then you can choose the thread storage products and hacks that will work best for you.
If you have more than a handful of thread spools, you should start by sorting and organizing them by categories of thread. This will allow you to accurately assess what your storage needs are. For example, if you embroider all the time, you may want to have your embroidery thread out visible and easy to access. But if you rarely use your serger, you can store the serger thread away.
There are several different categories you can use to sort your spools of thread. Consider how you think about and use your thread to find the best organizing categories to choose.
For example, do you think, “I need orange thread” and then go look for the proper type of thread. Or do you think, “I need cotton thread” and then go look for the orange cotton thread.
You will most likely find that you first organize your thread by a main category and then organize them into one or more categories. How many categories you choose to use will depend on:
The main categories to consider in organizing your thread spools are:
Many of us store our thread spools in the drawers of a sewing cabinet. But you can also use a thrifted dresser or a craft or office drawer unit to store threads.
Containing the thread within drawers is the key to keeping them neat and organized. Storing thread spools in a drawer works best by using shallow drawer organizers. These trays and compartments hold the threads in the categories you’ve identified and keep them from tumbling around when you open and close the drawers.
If you have extra thread trays from a sewing basket or sewing box, you can place those trays in drawers for neat thread storage.
If you’d like to keep your threads visible, you can use wall shelves with a lip or wall-mounted baskets to store your thread. These shelves are designed as book shelves, picture frame ledges and display shelves.
This keeps thread visible and easily within reach whether it’s near your sewing machine or sewing table.
A thread rack takes your thread storage and makes it a piece of art decorating your sewing room. Many thread racks can be set up on a table or hung on a wall. They come in a wide range of sizes so you can find a combination to store all your thread spools.
Often thread storage that works on a desktop or sewing table makes the most sense for your needs. There are even rotating thread storage racks. And many of these storage units would also fit into a drawer.
We’re all familiar with mom’s or grandma’s sewing box. It’s been a staple of thread organization for centuries. I currently have thread stored both in my own sewing box and the one inherited from my mom, so the old-fashioned sewing box is still a great idea.
In addition to the tried and true sewing basket, there are new takes on thread holders in all different types of thread cases.
If you sew and have thread on bobbins, you know what a hassle it can be storing those little round bobbins. They roll around and off the table. The thread can start unwinding and get tangled. Finding good bobbin storage ideas makes sewing so much more enjoyable.
First off, thread unwinds and gets all tangled. Luckily, there are all kinds of bobbin keeper gadgets to keep the thread neat and secure on the wound bobbin. There’s even a clever gadget to keep the matching wound bobbins with the spool of thread. And I’ve shared a couple of great hacks below for keeping bobbin thread organized.
Organize the thread bobbins in a way that makes sense for your bobbin storage. You can organize them in boxes by fiber type, by use or by color.
In addition to storage designed specifically for bobbins, there are many plastic containers designed for crafting, beading and fishing that will work just as well.
You may even be able to find plastic containers that are packaging for products you purchase that you can repurpose for bobbin storage. There are many cheap ways and options available to organize bobbins.
I don’t know what makes me happier about storage hacks, that they’re a cheap way to store thread and bobbins or that they’re just so creative and brilliant!
You can often find some of the items much cheaper in a thrift store or in an online yard sale group.
Thread spools are similar in size to bottles of nail polish. Racks designed for nail polish storage also work well for storing thread spools.
A plastic ice cube tray is a great way to store bobbins. Each compartment can hold 2-4 bobbins and the trays can be stacked. Ice cube trays are also a great alternative for drawer thread storage trays.
You can go old school and use repurposed tin cases and cookie cans like grandma did. Use smaller metal cans for smaller spools and larger containers for larger spools or thread cones. I actually use a large plastic ice cream tub with a handle to store my buttons and it would work equally well for thread storage, particularly for large thread spools or cones.
You can use a coffee stirrer or thin straw to attach the thread bobbin to the matching spool. Simply thread the straw through the middle of the spool and bobbin and then stand them up together on your shelf in a drawer.
Peg board hung on the wall or set in a drawer can be a clever way to store spools of thread. You can purchase hooks designed for peg boards or glue dowel rods into the board at different intervals for the different sizes of thread spools you have. Add a frame to your peg board and it becomes a functional work of art in your sewing room.
You can purchase peg board at your local hardware or home improvement store and often they will cut it to size for you for free. Or you can purchase peg board kits and display boards.
Golf tees attached to a board makes a brilliant spool holder. You can also press the golf tees through foam core board and place it in a drawer to create a thread holder.
You can use a rubber band to keep the thread neatly wound on the bobbin. In addition to rubber bands, you can use a small hairband or tiny scrunchie. You can often find these at the dollar store.
Keep the thread wound neatly on the spool or bobbin with a toe separator used for painting toe nails. Simply insert the thread spool or bobbin into the opening and it will hold the thread in place. You can cut the longer ones into individual thread holders if you want.
It’s often difficult keeping embroidery thread neat and keeping track of the color numbers once you’ve opened the package. A key ring with tag from the office supply store is a great solution. Simply loop the embroidery thread through the ring and tie it loosely. Write the thread color number on the tag and you’ll always know the exact color. You can store the embroidery floss on a key rack or laying in a drawer or container.
Be sure to pin these thread storage ideas so you can find them again as your sewing and storage needs change and grow.
Find all my best organizing tips, hacks, printables and favorite products in the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.