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Craft Ideas for Old Wooden Spools

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Date: 01/12/2006 Topics: Craft Tips > Advice | Readers Request > Recycling  
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I have empty wooden and plastic spools from thread. These are from small sewing machine thread. Does anyone know easy crafts we can do with them? We do missionary work and we try to make things out of trash.

Thanks,
Tee from Lafayette LA
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Post By em (Guest Post) (08/13/2008)
Yet, another possibility you take the wooden or plastic spools and cut them from top to bottom. Lay them lengthwise in a old cigar box creating rows, leaving a small space, then cover the rows with any fabric cast-off you like creating a ring box. this would work especially well with smaller spools.

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Post By alice m (Guest Post) (05/07/2008)
Take a picture of them and put them for sale on ebay or craigs list. I need spools for winding my needle point threads that come in bulk. I have strings laying all over the place and I need empty spools to load the threads on. Or send the picture to me and I will make you an offer.

amaynez AT roadrunner.com

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Post By Bev (Guest Post) (02/13/2008)
If you still are looking for a fun craft from wooden spools, make topsy-turvy spool dolls. Carol Duvall show had them today. very easy and fun to pass out to children. You will also need 4 beads for hands, 2 large beads for heads, and jute to hold together. Scraps of material for clothes. Very cute and easy.

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Post By Connie (Guest Post) (01/08/2008)
Take a piece of homespun material, wrap it around the spool, glue it in place. Do several spools, string them on a piece of jute, tie another piece of material in a knot & put in between each spool. then when you have the length you want make a loop at each end for hanging. these really look nice on a Christmas tree or hanging over your curtains.there's endless uses for these. I hope you like this idea. Connie Windsor, Pa

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Post By crafty (Guest Post) (10/08/2007)
My Mother used to make cars out of the round oatmeal containers (cut out area for seat). She used a straight piece of tinkertoys for axle and attached wooden spools to end. I don't remember exactly how they were attached, but it's a great memory.

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Post By Jan (Guest Post) (06/10/2007)
I used 2 spools about 6 inches apart with a thin piece of wood on top of them as a handle on an outside door. That was 20 years ago, and the door handle is still sturdy. Jan

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Post By baylee (Guest Post) (05/29/2007)
I have just made a spare bedroom into my craft room.
I purchased (cheap) printers drawer on ebay and then I took all the wooden spools and stained the tops & bottom all the same and then painted the middles in a whole slew of colors. Then I antiqued all of them and sprayed a sealer on them. I hung the printer's drawer on the wall and then placed all the finished spools in the slots. It looks great. You would think it was real thread. I am very pleased with the results.

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Post By Taffy. (Guest Post) (02/13/2007)
My Father, (back in the 40s) would paint them bright colors, and thread them with rope,or twine, for baby rattles, they seem to love them

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Post By Stacy (Guest Post) (06/13/2006)
I have painted a snowman face on the smaller thread spools and attached orange clay (the kind you bake) for a nose. I used jute cord running through the center to hang it from and tied a piece of homespun to the top. Cute ornament.

I've also used the spools in felted wool garlands. I felted wool sweaters and cut them into irregular 1" squares and strung them with jute cord and a yarn needle with the spools, wood beads, buttons, and jingle bells. I too love to use items I can recycle in my crafts.

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Post By (Guest Post) (01/28/2006)
The spools could be used for wheels on a block of wood children love making cars or trucks.
Another toy can be made by putting a rubber band through the cotton reel on one end you have a matchstick which holds the rubber band in and on the other side a longer piece of wood which you wind upand it drags on the ground and the spool moves along under its own power.
I have seen dolls or robots made up of spools and plastic bottletops threaded together with elastic they look really good. Good luck.

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Post by Campnluray (40) | (01/19/2006)
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Several years ago, at a flea market, I bought a beautiful hand painted wooden spool that had dried flowers glued into the hole in the center. It didn't look like it was hard to do but they certainly caught my eye as I walked by. I still have it. Hope this helps.

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Post By kim. (Guest Post) (01/16/2006)
my daughter made a photo clip out of them from school. they took the spool and they covered it with tissue paper then they inserted a piece of wire into the hole (so the wire would be standing straight up) then at the top of the wire they looped it around in a circle and they inserted a photo of themselves or a picture that they made.. it was real cute!

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Post By Glinda (Guest Post) (01/13/2006)
Have you thought about donating the spools to a nursery school, or nursing home to be painted and threaded through with yarn, and other ways to just do simple crafts for small children or elderly, and disabled folks? We have even painted them, and used them to stack, or weave yarn through, and hang up for decoration. Just a thought...

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Post by cr8zecrafher (11) | (01/12/2006)
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If they are small sewing spools , wrap a a torn strip of homespun around and tie a bow. Find a candle to fit in the center. Make a little card to attach to it saying something like--"Let your light so shine before men--Matt.5:16, or John 8:12 - I am the light of the world..." or use any verse that appeals to you. May God bless you in you mission.

Crystal in South Carolina

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Post By cindy (Guest Post) (01/12/2006)
Idea 1:
One cute idea is to make dolls. Instead of beads thread the spools onto embrodrary thread, string etc.. 4 strands(two folded in 1/2) Put some wool or colored tread thru the top loop for hair. You can also put a longer string tied in a loop thru the top loop so the doll can be hung up. thread one bead on for the head, separate 1 thread on either side for arms and put two spools on them then make a knot.. then 2-3 for the body separate the two threads and put two spools on for the legs. Make a knot. Decorate the head with eyes etc.. I've seen this idea on several websites.
IDEA 2: for smaller spools. wind colored embrodiary thread around each to cover. Then glue together in different patterns and when glue dries put a pin back on.

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Post By Dolly (Guest Post) (01/11/2006)
Bought a big plastic bag full of empty assorted wood spools for a quarter at the thrift shop today. Haven't a clue as what to use them for but I love anything that has to do with sewing.

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Post By Michelle (Guest Post) (01/04/2006)
You can get harden Aida cloth (I don't remember the name for it) and do cross stitch, then attach to the wooden spool. Add a tassle for the hook, maybe some fun ribbon etc to hide the seams at the top and bottom and wha-la you have a personalized ornament. I'll be doing that for xmas in 2006 using people's names.

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Post By Eleanor (Guest Post) (12/04/2005)
I can't bear to throw out old wooden spools, so am saving them for just the right project. I plan to use a few as drawer pulls in my sewing room. I recall MANY years ago of spools cut in half lengthwise and glued onto small boxes, old cigar boxes, perhaps. However, this would destroy the historic value of both.

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Post By Joe MacDougald (Guest Post) (11/15/2005)
A loop of 20 or more wooden spools hung at a doorway or on a door will keep out bad luck.

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Post By craftypatty (Guest Post) (02/11/2005)
the tall ones can be made into footstools.

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Post by Mr. Thrifty (118) | (02/06/2005)
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In those old wooden thread spools you have a bit of history. They are conversation pieces in themselves.
If they have the threads maker still on them that is even more historic value.
If I were you I would make up a small display case to enshrine some of those spools of thread before you start the other ideas.

As to the other ideas may i suggest depending on how many sizes of spools you have the possibility of making a minature table and chairs.
.
I can recall from my youth .My grandmother made a spinning top out of one. I still can see the YOYO she made me .I never got it to work well but it did work.

Oh and why not Christmas tree orniments A bit of paint here and A bit of glitter there. They would be unique.
You could let your children just use them as stack blocks Maybe make a family game out of them .

The threads on the spools themselves might me woven to gether into some kind of design of knots
Possible make a picture of thread much like the pictures of wire you still find around.

How about fastening a spool to your ceiling fan chain?
Anyway these are just a few ideas . If I had a bag of spools I would probably come up with a hundred more.
Good Luck

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Post By Annie (Guest Post) (02/05/2005)
Stain them with a walnut or dark cherry stain. Let them dry and wax them to give them a bit of a sheen. Hot glue pinecones, nuts and tiny ribbon bows and some small dried flowers and you'll have beautiful candle holders for Christmas Gifts.

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Post By wannaquilt2 (Guest Post) (02/05/2005)
For the spools that measure the same diameter on the ends, you can simply glue these together to the height you desire for very attractive candle holders (pillars). It is nice to have 3, each a different height arranged in a group. Leave wooden and natural or paint or finish as desired.

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Post by ThriftyFun (3756) | (02/05/2005)
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I have a bag full of old wooden spools - not the spools you find today - the old spools anywhere from 8-12 inches, some have the yarn/thread still on them & some don't. I'm looking for crafts to use them in.

Thanks for any help.
Dawn

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