Crafty Monday: Recycle Plastic Thread Spools

The Internet is full of functional and crafty reuses of vintage wooden thread spools. Let's admit, these things are cool. We certainly don't want to throw them away because they are vintage. And they don't make them anymore. Now we have plastic thread spools. But what do we do with them?

I hate throwing them away because they take up room in landfills and leave a horrible carbon footprint. To put it lightly, my 4x great grandchildren could come across a discarded thread spool in the remote future. Hopefully people are still sewing by then and they will know what it is. Or at least have some idea what it is. But it will be in near perfect condition without any signs of disintegration. Wow. Ok, now back to the post. 

So I need to put those things to good use NOW. I was on Pinterest the other day (surprise, surprise) and came across a post where someone was selling fabric covered vintage wooden spools. I thought, now why can't I make something like this with the plastic ones? And how would I do it? 

Answer: Decoupage. 

I really love decoupage. It's quick and always turns out great. Well, almost always. 

So here's what I did: 

Materials: 

scrap of fabric (hey! great way to use up scraps too!)

Mod Podge or something homemade

scissors

thread spool

foam brush or paint brush

Directions: 

1. Measure the inside distance of your spool. Mine was about 1 1/8 
   
2. Cut a piece of fabric the width of the spool
   
3. Wrap the fabric around the spool and trim so that it overlaps by about 1/2". You could also wrap a fabric tape around the middle making sure it overlaps and cut your fabric to that size. 
   
4. Using the foam brush, apply Mod Podge to the spool
   
5. Smooth your fabric over the top of the Mod Podge and pull it around. Apply a little more Mod Podge where the strip overlaps to secure it down. 
6. You can choose to let it dry or go ahead and cover the fabric with another layer of Mod Podge. I just did mine, because I'm not real patient. 
   
7. Let everything dry for a few hours. 
8. Go back, marvel at your new creation, and then use it as a decoration is your sewing room. Hang it from some jute cording or ribbon to make a banner. 
   
   
   

I only had the one to use, because sadly I have been throwing mine out. Now that I see their potential, I'm thinking of other uses for them. Like wrapping unused elastics around them and securing with a pin. Ribbon, binding, cording, piping, and so many other things that end up scattered around in piles or boxes could also be wrapped onto these. They make adorable decorations, too. As a quilter, I generally have many empty thread spools at the end of a quilt. You could also Krylon paint the spools to make them look more like wood or any color you want before adding the fabric. You could use scrapbook paper instead of fabric! The possibilities are unlimited. 

If you make something, would you please consider uploading it to our Flickr group? I'd love to see your creations, as I'm sure many others would too!