Canada Kate

Recently I was given a box of sewing supplies from the daughter of an elderly woman who passed away. In the box there were many old wooden spools of thread. I'm wondering what everyone does with them? Is there a way to display them or use them? I think they are really cool and I want to "honour" them in some way.

Also in the box was a collection of paper bobbins. I have attached a picture of them below. I have never seen these before and am wondering what kind of machine ever used them? Some are two-sided, like the ones in the picture that say "Belding Corticelli Style F" and "Clark's Bobbin Style C, SZ 30", but others only have paper on one side, like the beige one in the lower right of the photo. If anyone knows any history on these types of bobbins, I would be very interested in learning about it.

ragamuffin

Some people string the spools between large red wooden beads. I have seem them with different fabric on each spool, and made into a garland. Also, if you have a nice vase or plastic clear container, you can throw the spools in and display them. I do this with old play blocks too. I love the old spools. You can make dolls out of them too with yo-yos in between. I have a lot of them and I would not part with them. It is pieces of the past.

ghostrider

I use the thread on wooden spools...have tons of them. Unwind the outer layer, see if you can break the thread by pulling it, and if it doesn't break it's as good as any new thread to use. Most of mine are from the 60's and 70's when I was into sewing full swing, but some (my mother's) date back to the 40's. All of it remains strong and I see no reason not to use it.

EmbQuilt

I use the paper side ones in my Pfaff, I take the paper off. They are L size.
I have seen old spools displayed in clear jars.

Painiacs

Those are really neat!!!

Rose L

The wooden spools...I would find a large glass jar with a lid (to keep the dust off) and just drop them in nilly willy for a decorative piece. You could do something similar with the paper bobbins. I love vintage vignettes, especially when they can be displayed with a vintage or antique sewing machine.

deemail

i don't worry about the 'rotten' factor anyway, i just toss these all in a basket and use them for basting...comes right out when you're done...and when the spools are empty, they move into my lamp. I bought a lamp kit from a hardware store. i attached the kit to a gallon size pickle jar. All my wooden spools are inside and I enjoy the lamp in my sewing room every day.

And the paper bobbins? they're still sold today... usually referred to as 'pre-wound,' and many pros use them in longarms or industrial machines...just faster not to have to wind bobbins...

soccertxi

I have wooden spools in a large glass jar with a lid ( I bought mine at WalMart) and also in a glass lamp (the kind you can fill with whatever you like) . I seem to have them all over my house!

TexasSunshine

I would put them in decorative jars and display them on a shelf.

Canada Kate

Thanks for the ideas, I really like the idea of putting them in a glass jar to display them. I was planning on using the thread - waste not, want not. I had no idea that pre-wound bobbins were made out of paper! I have never seen pre-wound ones so this was brand new to me. Thanks everyone who posted!