DIY Bobbin Covers

It's hard to believe more than half a year has passed since my last blog post.  I've had a pretty busy work schedule and there never seems to be enough time in the day to do all the things you want to do.  Nonetheless, I have been working on various sewing projects which I hope to share with you soon, as well as fine tuning the organization in my sewing room.

One area that I wanted to "neaten" was my supply of bobbins.  I store them in a plastic storage bin with a snap lid and customized compartments.  I like using this option because it keeps the bobbin threads clean and dust free.

In an effort to tame the thread ends and keep the bobbins from unwinding, I used these stickers to tape the ends against one of the bobbin flat sides.

While it would work, it would prove to be a temporary solutions because the sticker would eventually loosen and the threads would tangle.

When I bought my Brother SE400 last summer, it came with 2 bobbin clips.  And while they did a great job of corralling the bobbin threads, it did interfere with being able to easily see the color wound on each bobbin. Plus, they seemed a little pricey at $10.43 for a supply of 10 on Amazon.

Then, I remembered a blog post I read a while back on Sew Many Ways where Karen shared details on her DIY bobbin covers using plastic tubing found in the plumbing aisle at her local hardware store.  So, while I was out today, I stopped by my local Home Depot store and picked up a 10-foot roll of clear flexible tubing for $5.23.  Loving the price!

I estimated the height of the bobbins to be about 3/8-inch, measured and marked the first section of the tubing accordingly and cut it using my paper-scissors.

I then split the tube section so I could open it to fit around a bobbin of thread.

Being satisfied with the first segment and how snugly it fit around my full bobbin, I used it to measure, mark and cut additional sections.

I had to "trim" the cut edges a little to make them smoother and ensure they'd fit within the bobbin ends, but here are all of my bobbins with their new DIY clips.  And although each one was at different levels of fullness, the clips fit very nicely around each one.

The thread ends are controlled and I can easily see the color contained on each bobbin.

I cut a small length of tubing to store in the storage bin as newly created bobbins are added.  So, now my bobbins are nice and neat within their bin...

...stored away on the shelf, still protected from light and dust.

I love practical and frugal solutions.  What storage method do you use to organize your bobbins?

Be blessed!

Aisha