Double use: adding a cone thread stand to my yarn bowl | #LRCrafts - DIY Passion: if you can think it, you can make it
This past birthday, my husband surprised me gifting me a wooden yarn bowl, something I’d wanted for my lucet projects for a while. He always seems to know the perfect tool to make my crafting life easier.
A while back, I’d also mentioned a desire for a cone thread stand for my sewing machine. His immediate response was, of course, “We can make it”. I always say our motto is “If you can think it, you can make it!“, right? We talked about the materials, most of which we already had stored in the garage, though we hadn’t yet found the time to build it.
Once I placed my new yarn bowl in my crafting corner next to my sewing machine, it not only served its purpose beautifully, but it also made a lovely decorative addition. That’s when he had the idea: why not integrate the two?
For those unfamiliar, a cone thread stand is a sewing tool designed to hold taller thread cones, guiding the thread smoothly into the machine without tangling. By keeping the thread elevated, it allows larger cones to be used seamlessly, and it helps prevent snags as you sew. Typically, it’s a vertical rod with a slight curve at the top to hold the thread in place. It can also have a smaller rod used to hold the cone. By guiding the thread upwards and over the machine, the stand prevents tangling and allows larger cones of thread to be used with ease.
Seeing the potential, we went to the garage to check our stash for repurposable materials. Among other things, we had a few metal sticks from an event, where they’d been used as flagpoles. We’d initially taken them home for a project idea, but they turned out to be too thick, so we set them aside. For this transformation, though, they were perfect!
We measured the ideal height for a cone thread stand to fit my sewing machine setup. My husband, using plyers, bent the top of the metal stick to resemble a “4” shape, perfect for guiding thread.
With a careful measurement of the wood’s thickness, he drilled halfway into the bowl to attach the metal stick without going through. A bit of final height adjustment, and voilà: a multifunctional tool was born.
Now, I have a dual-purpose bowl that can work as a cone thread stand and yarn bowl, fulfilling both functions equally well. It’s great as a thread stand and it also serves the yarn bowl function pretty well. And if I want, I can remove the metal stick and just keep the bowl, for easy storage. I haven’t tested it with yarn balls yet, but the new addition might be helpful with lucet projects too.
What do you think? Have you ever repurposed items as sewing tools or added multifunctional features to your tools? I’d love to hear your creative ideas: share your stories in the comments below!
by Rici86.
