Do it Yourself Thread Spool Rack

Hard to find your spools in the sewing basket? Sick of trying to dig through your tools to find the color you want? Or maybe you just love sewing so much that you want to display a little symbol of your craft? A thread spool rack is a useful tool, and can be a lovely decoration.

Putting Together the Base

The backboard of the thread spool rack can be as simple as a piece of plywood, as utilitarian and easy as a few pieces of wood, or as decorative as trim. If you are using wood, you will want it to be about half an inch thick. The beauty of creating your own rack is that you can use whatever materials you want and size it as narrow or wide as you want.
If you are using trim, you will still want two pieces of flat wood the height of the rack to use as a back piece---possibly three or more if your rack is wide. If you want to use plywood, cut a square or rectangle to the desired size and move to the next section. Otherwise, cut two pieces of wood to the height you want the rack to stand (or more if necessary), and lay them down parallel to one another. They should be vertical in relation to your position. Next, cut your wood or trim to the width that you want your rack to be, and lay each piece across the two back pieces horizontally. One piece should match up to the bottom, and the other to the top. Make sure that each piece matches the width exactly. Space the center pieces evenly, leaving room in between them, and nail the structure together with small ¾-inch nails.

Adding the Thread Pegs

Once the base of your rack is assembled, you may want to stain it. You can use any paint or wood stain that you like, and get as creative or decorative as you like. While you are waiting for it to dry, cut a small dowel into 2-inch lengths. The width of the dowel should be such that you can insert your spools easily onto the dowel. Use a scrap piece of wood to drill a hole at a slight angle, and insert the dowel. You are testing two things here: first that you can drill at a good angle. It should be no less than 45 degrees, but less than 90, and second, that the dowel fits in snugly. When your rack has dried, drill holes at the appropriate angle every 2 to 3 inches, making sure not to puncture the back of the wood. Use wood glue to glue the dowel sections in to each hole.

Finishing Touches

If you want your rack to be free-standing, use a hinge to attach a piece of wood to the back of the stand. You may need to cut the base of the wood so that it leans your work back at just the right angle. If you prefer to hang it, attach wall hangers to the top or back of the piece. You can also add finishing touches like glued on silk flowers, extra painted touches, or even paint the dowels (which will mostly be hidden by the spools). Have fun with it.