Thread Storage

Sandra Hatch

Joyce shares her method for sorting thread. "I always had to dig around in my thread stash when looking for white thread versus ivory or black thread versus navy. I stored them upright in a drawer, but had to pick through them to find anything. I had to hold the spools up to the light and squint and compare to be sure I had selected the color I wanted. One day I got smart and took a small Sharpie marker and coded on the top and bottom of the spools. I wrote a W for white, I for ivory, N for navy and B for black. My life is much simpler now. I just look for that letter marking and presto, I have the color I need. By the way, I love your newsletter!"

I can understand Joyce's problem. The older we get, the harder it is to see slight color differences, especially when the lighting is not perfect. It's amazing that something as simple as coding the spools takes the aggravation out of the routine of selecting the right-color thread.

Rachel writes: "I found a clear plastic case at a yard sale intended for Hot Wheels cars. It holds 48 cars and has two sides. It is also the right size for thread. Each space holds one large and one small spool, plus you can see at a glance the color you need. The thread does not collect dust and stays clean. Of course, I needed two of these containers for my thread collection, but I found another on eBay. I love getting your newsletter."

I met Rachel many years ago when I spoke to her quilt group in New Hampshire. I have heard from her several times since then. I know exactly what kind of containers Rachel is talking about because I bought some for my husband several years ago. He keeps lots of nuts, bolts and other small items in them. I never thought about using them for thread, but if I did, I would need more than two of them!

Becky wants us to know that "the plastic thread boxes that Rachel talked about in the June 16 newsletter are still being made by the Plano Molding Co. (www.planomolding.com). I have used these cases for years and just recently introduced all my quilting friends to them. As a consequence, I had to figure out where to get them, and then I ordered about 60 for others. They were a lot cheaper going directly to the company -- $4 each, plus shipping."