If you have a sewing machine then it is inevitable that you will have a ton of bobbins floating around. Some empty, some half full, some pre-wound, some for embroidery, some with colours you will never use. Well, you get the picture. So with this in mind, we thought we’d give you our best bobbin storage options.
Between the two of us, we have hundreds of bobbins and we all know what happens with those little suckers. The thread doesn’t stay where it’s supposed to and you end up with a tangled mess.
In the past, we used hard plastic container type cases like the one in the pic below but the bobbin threads wouldn’t stay put and kept getting tangled. Plus you can see the elastic band around the thing – that’s because the latch doesn’t really stay closed properly. They also have a tendency to break easily around the hinge. We had a couple do that.
So we went on a mission to find a better system for storing bobbins.
We ended up finding two different types so this is kind of our review of the ones we now use.
THESE ARE OUR FAVOURITE BOBBIN STORAGE OPTIONS?
This is a quick summary of our favourites but you can scroll down further more detail on why we like them.
(Note that we receive a small commission if you buy through these links at no extra cost to you.)
- Bobbin Saver – Buy from Amazon here.
- Bobbin Clamps – Buy from Amazon here or you can buy from Madam Sew which is where we purchased ours.
- Bobbin Toppers – Buy from Amazon here.
Bobbin Savers
The first is what’s known as a Bobbin Saver. This would have to be one of the best bobbin storage options available today. It’s so simple but it works extremely well. We bought ours from Amazon here.
It’s really easy to add and remove the bobbins and they stay in place even if its turned upside down.
You can see we bought the red version but they come in multiple colours. I think next time we will buy different colours to distinguish them from different sewing machines and bobbin types. But in the meantime, we have just written on the back of them with a Sharpie.
They each hold 20 bobbins and you don’t have to fill it to capacity for it to work. You can add just one bobbin if you like and the threads don’t come loose.
About the only negative I can think of for these is that they aren’t covered, so they could gather dust if left out. I keep mine in a draw.
Other than that, we just love them!
Bobbin Toppers
Another favourite are bobbin toppers. These are such a neat idea. You place the bobbin in the topper and then place the topper in the spool. This keeps the bobbin together with the matching thread.
It also has what they call a thread lock to keep the threads in place. You can see that in the image above – where the thread is coming out, you can see the groove.
Personally I found this wasn’t perfect and the thread would come loose if just tossed into a container with other threads. If you are neater than me and keep your threads neatly lined up then I can’t see you having this problem.
You could also purchase the Spool and Bobbin Buddy (see image below) to hold the spools. As you can see in the image below, we did buy one when we got the bobbin toppers. However, we found we didn’t really use it.
I just wanted to show you though how neat it keeps everything and you can place different sized spool threads in it although not the really thick spools – for example, I wasn’t able to fit a Gutermann 800m spool in it.
You can buy the Bobbin Buddy at Amazon by clicking the link below:
- Spool and Buddy Pin – Buy from Amazon here.
Bobbin Clamps
Since writing this blog post, we have found a new method that we really love. These are called bobbin clamps and as the name suggests, they clamp around the bobbin to keep the thread from coming loose. Really simple and easy to use and store.
You can easily see the colour of the thread and it doesn’t matter how much thread is on the bobbin, they will keep the thread in place. And if you drop them the bobbin it won’t roll away on you.
- Bobbin Clamps – Buy from Amazon here or you can buy from Madam Sew which is where we purchased ours.
Readers Suggestions
Our lovely reader, Idonna, sent through her method of storing bobbins. It’s inexpensive and I thought it was a tip worth sharing. What she does is purchase cloth hair ties from the dollar store and wraps them over the bobbin. When they get too stretched out she simple tosses them and replaces them with a fresh hair ties.
Thank you for sharing your idea Idonna.
Nancy Orbi says
yeah. sometimes the bobbing mess around and i can not find the right one for me. its to difficult job to keep them in a proper way. the tinny things always messed up. the bobbin case can store them in a proper way. thanks for the suggestion. and a great review.
Pat says
I tried a couple of those ideas for storing my bobbins. But then I found that my eyes didn’t recognise different shades of the same colour when in slightly less than good lighting. So now I have two containers that hold the bobbin on top of the matching thread. Best of all, they stay together even when you toss the box around a bit. Every size of regular height thread spool fits in the container boxers. And the lid locks in the closed position.
Haven’t tried this out for my embroidery machine as I only use it for my sewing machine.
My embroidery threads and bobbins are kept separate to my sewing machine threads and bobbins.
For going to class, I have bead containers that hold two bobbins – one on top of the other. Found them in Lincraft a long time ago, but never since.
Mary Teague says
I’m in the same situation with trouble seeing colors. Plus I use different weights and composition of thread so I need to keep the bobbin with the spool. For example, cotton weights 40, 50, 80 or 100 weight cottonised polyester. I also keep brands together because 50 weight, for example, is not the same between brands. It’s quite tricky so I use thread boxes with compartments that hold both spool and bobbin, and I attach stickers to provide specific information.
Thea Turner says
Where can I get container with a locking lid that will hold gutermann spools with bobbins fixed on top to hold matching thread? Thanks
April G. says
These are all great ideas! But, I have found that using a pipe cleaner, or craft stick, as they are called now, works great. I just fold a 6″ piece of pipe cleaner in half and then press down on the folded end to form a “T” shape. Stick the long ends into the bobbin and then into the top of the matching thread. The end of the bobbin thread is held by wrapping a piece around the “T” top. Or on bobbins with thread color that I don’t use often, I just put a baby’s hair holder. You know, one of those pony tail holders for babies fine hair. They are tiny and sell in packs of 100 or less. I have the all over the place. (My cat likes them too. She will grab them from the box when I get it out to corral my threads.) Thanks for the ideas. I love the clamps though. I have already placed an order!
Alanda Craft says
Great ideas April. I particularly like the hair ties idea. I’ll be looking out for those.
Beth says
I have the first kind of bobbin holder (the one that you don’t like). I bought a package of the circular hair ties for tiny girls (the soft tiny ones not the stiff elastic ones) and they are the perfect size to put around the bobbins & hold the threads in. It has worked well for me saved me from buying another bobbin holder. They are inexpensive & it works!
Alanda Craft says
Will definitely be getting some of those hair ties.
Arlinda Atwood says
A great source is Dollar Tree and the like.
Ginny C says
I love using a cheap alternative small hair ties from the dollar store or Walmart the kind you use to put pigtails on little read toddler girls
Alanda Craft says
Seems like the hair ties are popular. We will be getting some to try out.
Arlinda Atwood says
If these are what I am thinking of, they are the tiny versions of the larger colorful stretchy knit hair accessories.
Elizabeth Williams says
I use flexible polythene tube cut into slices then slit open. Clear tube lets you see the thread colour. Wrap the slice around the bobbin. Neat!
Alanda Craft says
That’s an excellent tip. Thank you Elizabeth 😊.
Joyce says
While on the subject of bobbin ‘keepers’….what about spools of thread? I have a thread holder – the kind that has a dowel and you pop the spool over the dowel. My problem is that the tread gets dusty! I looked at spool cases and the problem with those is it can hit your pocketbook kind of hard. I bought clear plastic cases at Big Lots and places like that but the thread just rolls around in there, clamps come off the spool and there is thread all over. Anyone have a suggestion for keeping thread tidy and free of dust?
Thanks for your tips on storing bobbins, much appreciated!
Joyce
Alanda Craft says
I know how you feel Joyce. I do have a hemingworth cabinet for my embroidery threads and each spool has a plastic cover which is really lovely.https://www.alandacraft.com/2017/06/14/our-new-hemingworth-embroidery-spool-thread-cabinet-has-arrived-review/. However I keep my regular cotton in the drawer of my sewing table. I have them in containers that are color co-ordinated, but it’s not ideal. I also have one of those dowel type arrangements but had trouble finding somewhere to put it. So come on ladies, please share with us how you keep your spools of thread nice and neat.
Ruth says
I typically just wind bobbins as I need them but that can be time consuming when you run out of thread in the middle of sewing or embroidering a design.
I think I’m going to try the pony tail ties.
For storing my thread I have one of the drawer organizers (not sure what they are called) but it has 7 drawers and is on wheels. I drew a grid on the bottom of each drawer and used a hot glue gun to attach golf tees in the center of each square. I also found a plastic tape that clings to itself that I cut strips from and wrap out the spool of thread.
Alanda Craft says
What a great idea Ruth 😊. Thank you for sharing. You ladies are so full of great ideas. I think storing bobbins and threads is the bane of most quilters lives.
Hillary Lilly says
I purchased spool holders from Joann Fabrics (now out of business), they are white in color and have a large end that sticks in the spool of thread and a longer narrower end that the bobbin slides onto. I can still keep them on my thread holder rack. I went to the hardware store and bought clear tubing ( I measured the inside of my bobbin for the correct size) purchased a length of it and then came home and my husband cut them into the size I needed to put around the bobbin to keep the loose thread in place and made a slice in the tube so it would go around the bobbin.. If they get a little stretched out, you simply squeeze them back together and they work. Usually both ends of the tubing don’t touch each other and you and grab it with your finger or a tweezer I keep in my sewing drawer. Hope this helps. I had trouble with the other types mentioned here too, as I could never quite match the color of the bobbin to the correct spool of thread. Thankfully I had purchased enough of these holders before Joann went out of business. Now if I need more the task will be to find them or something similar. Thankfully, I don’t need them now.
Sioux Beyer says
I use the toe separated things people use to paint their toe nails