Thread Spool Device

My husband is very supportive of my quilting activities, and I have repeatedly acknowledged his advice and willingness to carry rotary irons down into thebasement, or large sewing tables up to the first floor, or to assemble longarm machines  over a series of several days.

But for various reasons (which I understand and regretfully respect) he would never make me something as beautiful as this thread spool holder, which I saw recently in Barbara Lange’s   work room. 

Her husband is a fantastic woodworker and makes all kinds of cool stuff like this. She wouldn’t rent him out, though, and to be honest I did not dare ask him directly... But as my boxes in which I had been keeping my large thread spools (and which I have written about on my German blog here) were getting too small, especially now that I stocked up on threads for the longarm machine, I figured I had to find a solution.

After some thinking and several trips to hardware stores I had made up my mind as to what I was going to do. Loosely based on the thread spool storage I had seen in the room I was teaching in in Landshut a couple of years ago, I developed a plan.

I got myself a wooden board, screws, and various pieces of equipment.

I took exact measurement

and then I started attaching six metal bars that can hold supports for shelf boards. 

The board is larger than I need right now - first calculations mentioned up to 90 spools, a number which I don't have right now, if I am correct (haven't counted, actually), but assume that I could reach in not too far a future. But I can add a few more of those metal bars. My husband's battery-driven screw-driver was very helpful, but as I have some experience in putting up shelves entirely on my own I had not expected any difficulties in this stage of the evolution of the project.  (The only difficulty I encountered was when I was trying to bring this board home from the store on my bike, and I had to throw out all my womanly pride and call my husband to come and pick me up, uh, well, the board. And then he told me he had been expecting me to call...!)

Anyway - it's finished. And I will install all the holders on it tomorrow and  put it in the workroom .