DIY Thread Holder

     I'm pretty sure I saw this pin ages ago, and I'd been meaning to get it started for a long time.  At first, I was intimidated because I thought I wouldn't be able to do the drilling at home, but I figured it out, even in my little apartment!

     So Melissa at Melly Sews did her project by cutting out a piece of wood into her custom logo, but I didn't care that much about making it a particular style/font of "S" (for my last name), so I just bought a precut unfinished wood S at Hobby Lobby.  I also found a great website to buy them from, if you do care about the specific font or size, but Hobby Lobby was cheaper for me.  My letter S was 0.5" thick, and 18" tall. 

     I bought some long skinny dowel rods (0.5 cm thick) at the same time, and went to work.  First, I sanded the letter S with a hand-saving sandpaper sponge, and then I decided where I wanted my dowel rods -- make sure you use some actual thread spools to help you determine spacing!  I got a drill bit that was the right size (3/16" I think), and started drilling.  I didn't drill straight on all my holes through like she shows she did; I thought it worked better to drill only partway in.  The dowel rods I cut with the sharper section of pliers, and then sanded the ends down too. 

     With a little Gorilla Glue wood glue in the holes, the dowel rod pieces were ready to go in (plus a little pressure for adherence), and then it's just a matter of letting the glue dry.

      I decided not to paint mine, since the wood was the same color as my desk in my sewing room, but it'd be easy to spray paint a fun bright color it if I ever change my mind. Ta da!

     Of course, the first thing I wanted to do was go buy more thread to fill up those spots, but I guess I will wait and just have room to grow. :)