Tip Tuesday! Cone Thread Help

"Tip Tuesday!" - Cone Thread Help

 

I love learning new things and then sharing that knowledge with my quilting friends. So, every Tuesday I'll provide some tips, hints, tricks, tutorials, shortcuts, etc. that I've learned over the years and share them here on the blog. 

 

"Tip Tuesday" will be a collection of information about a wide variety of subjects garnered from a large variety of sources.  I am not an expert by any means and do not take credit for being the great wizard behind all of these hints and tips. I will gladly give due credit whenever possible.

These tips will be archived and accessible to you just by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" tab above. 

 

Read, enjoy, and be inspired!

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I'll admit it.

 

I love thread!

 

Since I use a lot of it, I prefer to buy my thread by the cone. I feel like I get a much better deal and it is such a great feeling when you empty a big cone of thread. It makes me feel like I've accomplished a lot. :-)

 

My favorite thread is So Fine #50 by Superior Threads. I use it for piecing and quilting and have always been happy with the results.

 

 

Even though I generally use a neutral color for piecing, I do have quite a variety of colors, and just seeing all those colors makes me smile.

 

If you've been a reader of my blog for a while, you may remember these pictures from a few years back. Quinn and Sadie were entertained for a very long time while playing with thread.

 

 

This is my version of "thread play" and it always makes me smile. All of the grandkids love to play with my thread; and yes,  I let them. They've been known to spend up to an hour organizing the thread by color, type, etc. They play "server" and ask us if we'd like a green and blue thread combo. They even try to create pictures with the spools. 

 

These pictures don't show it, but there are a few cones that I allow them to play with, but's usually just the smaller spools because they are easier for them to handle. (I really do need to get an updated picture. Ronan, Avery, and Peyton love to play with the thread and I'm sure Bailey will when she's a little older.)

 

I have a number of students who tell me that they cannot use cones because they won't fit on their machines. I have a couple of suggestions to help with that problem.

 

First, I love my thread stand!

 

 

There are a bunch of thread stand out there but this is my favorite. It's from Superior Threads. This holder can be used for cones and spools up to 3.5" in diameter. It can be used vertically or horizontally, and it's portable. The "mast" fold down and the entire stand fits right in  my machine case.  

 

Before I got this stand, I had this one. (I still have it and use it when I have friends over to sew.) I bought this from Superior Threads and even though it looks like the ones you can get at the discount stores, this one has a metal base which provides stability and doesn't tip over easily. It can be dismantled for travel, which is great.  

 

 

So what do you do if you want to use cones but they don't fit on your machine and you don't have a stand?

 

How about making it work by putting the cone over a smaller spool that fits on your machine?

 

photo from Quilting Hack

 

The cone now fits on the machine!

 

photo from Quilting Hack

  

Do you have another way to use cones of thread that don't fit on your machine? If so, please share your tip.

 

If you've never tried it, why don't you give cone thread a try and let me know what you think? 

 

I have a suspicion that you are going to love it. :-)