Bobbin Storage

I cannot be the only quilter with a box full of half used, tangled bobbins.  Some days I feel like they are the bane of my existence.  There is never an empty one when I need it, and they are never all the way full.  Life is hard.  (I don’t have a photo, because I have only found a few of my bobbins so far, but the handful I did find were tangled.  I didn’t realize they would lead to a project until well after the sorting, and I just cannot bring myself to tangle them back up for a photo.)
I imagined that a magnetic strip attached to the wall would be perfect.  A search of Amazon turned up zero magnetic bobbin holders.  Odd.  I can’t be the first one to think of that.  I discovered magnets do not stick to my bobbins.  Mystery solved.  (Actually, they do.  I just didn’t figure this out until I was done with the whole project, and found a mischievous bobbin stuck to my pin cushion.  Magnets do not stick to the outside of my bobbin, but they do stick to the middle.)
My next idea was finding some kind of tiny wire clamps from Home Depot or the auto supply store and attaching them to a piece of moulding.  This would involve wandering the aisles at these stores, trying to find just the right thing.  Then I would need to paint some wood.  Painting is not my favorite thing.  I don’t do it well and I tend to get paint all over the house and myself. Fortunately, other solutions presented themselves.
I discovered these cute little bobbin clips at Amazon.  (This is an affiliate link.  If you buy these clips, I will make a small commission for the referral.)  Fun colors you say?  Ship it!
I picked up this hook bar from Target. (Non-affiliate link.)  I selected 27″ in white.  You are supposed to select whichever hooks you like from their collection and slide them on.  I did not realize this while I was at Target.  Once I did, I ordered this basket to hold empty bobbins.
I chose some white mug hooks, because the standard brass ones I already had didn’t do it for me.  I started 1/2 inch from the end, and drilled a pilot hole every inch for 20 inches. Then the hard part – I screwed those little torture devices in.  I would suggest finding some kind of tool, because after the first five, they hurt my fingers.  I eventually used some felt pads I stick to the bottom of my kitchen chairs.
IMG_1093
IMG_1094IMG_1095IMG_1109Et voilà!  Now I have a little bobbin organizer right under my Gutermann thread display.
What is your favorite organizing idea for your studio?  I would love to see them.
 
 
 

4 thoughts on “Bobbin Storage

  1. I only have 10 bobbins, so I only keep colors on a bobbin that I use frequently: light gray for piecing, black, and white. Everything else I only wind a small amount at a time and then pull off the bobbin when I’m done with that project.
    I like how colorful the clips make this display!

    1. You display a lot of discipline in all of your work. I always fill a bobbin, sometimes more than one if I am machine quilting. I try to use the leftovers up when I am piecing. I hate throwing anything out.

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