What Can Be Made With Wooden Thread Spools?

Plain wooden spools are used for a variety of items.

Once, all thread came on wooden spools, but now they are manufactured mostly for crafters and are purchased for the purpose of making crafts. Wooden spools can be acquired at most craft and hobby shops. Vintage wooden spools are sometimes found at antique stores or in bulk on online auction or craft supply sites. Wooden spools are used as elements in many craft projects.

Coat Racks

Create a coat rack or hanging plaque. Purchase a pre-designed plaque at a craft store or sand down a flat board in the size and shape desired. Space your spools evenly on the rack so that coats and other objects will hang well. Prime and paint the plaque and spools, if desired. Drill screws through the center of the spools until they are fastened firmly onto the board. Embellish it with painted designs or buttons, if desired.

Spool Dolls

Spool dolls are fashioned in a variety of ways. Create a doll with spool arms and legs, or by using the spool itself for a body. Make flexible limbs by stringing two or more spools on a length of stout twine and sewing the twine to a cloth doll body. Animal dolls are also fashioned from spools by using a large spool for a body and small spools for legs. A wooden bead can be glue on for a head, with felt scraps used for ears and other features.

Time Capsule Scrolls

Cover a paper towel tube with gift wrapping, leaving one end open. Have each family member paint a wooden spool in whatever manner they wish. Allow the spools to dry. Cut a foot-long strip of paper that is the width of each spool and have each family member write down fun memories of the past year. Tape the ends of each paper to their corresponding spools and wind the paper tightly. Place the spools into the paper towel tube and cover the top with gift wrapping. Write, “Do not open until (year desired)” on the outside of the tube. The tube can be stored in a safe place until the year desired, then opened to share the memories with family.

Spool Toys

Create a variety of sturdy toys with wooden spools. Fashion a top by pushing a pencil halfway through a spool, so the pencil is sticking out of both ends. Cut a 3-inch disc out of cardboard and cut a hole in the middle. Place this over the top of the spool, so the eraser end is facing up. The top is spun on the pencil point. You could blow bubbles through a wooden spool, or thread small spools onto a length of twine to create a play necklace.

References

• Craftzine; Vintage Spool Peg Rack; Jessica Wilson
• Artists Helping Children: Spool Crafts for Kids