3.05.2013

toolin' around tuesdays: magnetic personality


alright y'all!  i am just coming up for air after four straight bachelorette days of home improvement, test sewing and other debauchery.  I.  NEED.  DETOX.  luckily, ruggy will be home from his travels in a mere sixty minutes, and cocktails are imminent.


wrenches, drill guns, screwdrivers, nails, i've been contractoroona, it happens when the rugs gallivants, i get a wild hair and start to hammering.  so many tools in my hands, and yet i almost forgot the next installment of toolin' around tuesdays!  (for those of you just joining us, this is a new feature here in kalkatroona.  i'm sharing my favorite tools with you, and to celebrate my fifth bloggy birthday, i'm giving five in a row away.)

numero three in this five part giveaway; THE MAGNETIC BOBBIN HOLDER.  behold this thing of beauty!  i first spied it in a costume shop of a musicale i was doing.  whaaaaaaaaaat!  i cried!  where? where?  WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?  it was wooden, you see, and i was sure it was something passed down from generation to generation, and was an heirloom tool of the head of the shop.



um, nope, you can get it right here in the city.  and, probably, many of you have found it in your own supply shops, but at the time, this was a revelation to me.  it has a magnetic strip that holds your bobbins in a neat, colorful row.  well, you know, depending on your thread.  i never did find a wooden version, but when i brought this baby home, my plastic bobbin cases went directly to recycling.  NO I DID NOT PASS THEM ON TO ANOTHER SEWIST.  THOSE THINGS ARE USELESS.



and it sits ever so neatly in my desk drawer!  pretty bobbins all in a row, with no risk of spilling out or getting knocked askew by a hand, or a beverage, or a cat...

would you like one?  i'd like to give you one!  (a bobbin holder, that is, the cats either a. blind or b. obese, which makes them hard to ship.)  just leave a comment on this post telling me how you store your bobbins, and you're in for a shiny new accessory!

update: contest now closed, winner announced later today (tues mar 12th) along with a new tool for you to win!  come on back now, y'hear?

72 comments:

  1. Hi there Oona! These are so cute! Right now I store my bobbins in a plastic box with a spongy liner that has slots for each bobbin. It works ok, but does not hold very many bobbins!

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  2. My bobbins are thrown in my desk drawers. Basically no good storage yet!

    You are costing me a lot of money with this little series of yours! I have already purchased your other two tools you featured ;)

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  3. Ooooh... that could be the solution to the Great Bobbin Jungle behind my sewing machine. I'll be looking out for one here in Oz (don't worry about including me on the giveaway - I'm too far away). (I try to store my bobbins in those useless plastic bobbin trays, and I tell ya - it's a JUNGLE behind my sewing machine!)

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  4. Oh this is sew cool! But DON'T enter me in for the running, cos I can only use plastic bobbins on my Husqvarna! !sigh! wish I could use those big metal bobbins, they hold so much thread...

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  5. Hey Oona, I am currently waiting for my hubby to make me a spool/bobbin wall hanging, so atm i store them all over the table haha

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    1. oooh also dont enter me! :) I (hopesully soon) wont need one ;)

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  6. Oooh I have been dying for one ever since I started working in a costume shop! Unfortunately they do not sell them around here, so I have been stuck storing them in the plastic boxes that don't stay closed and cause a big tangle of threads!

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  7. Its kinda sad, actually. One word: gladware. Beyond tragic!! If random does not come me way, please tell where to buy, as my situation is quite grim. That little beaut would spunk up the sewing shack and put the lunch container back in the cabinet. Cocktail time!

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  8. How cool! I store mine in a plastic bowl.

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  9. Oh well I will have to go and buy a machine that uses metal bobbins I have seen doughnut shaped rubber bobbin holders for plastic ones thanks for the reminder that I should fix the bobbin situation. Don't include me in the giveaway. :-)

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  10. That is so cool! I keep mine in one of those silicone donuts. I ran out of space pretty fast so the rest are loose in my sewing junk drawer.

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  11. Timing is everything: I just got my hands on a machine that takes metal bobbins! For now I have just a few and they are stored in the top of the Featherweight box.

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  12. My 5 plastic bobbins are in an old baby food jar. Easy to grab them all at once, and with a top, they don't spill out at first tip. Magnetic would be fun, though! (it would be a good excuse to buy new bobbins...)

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  13. My bobbins are so messy! I just have them thrown in the drawer of my sewing machine and it's so annoying! It's really sad. So I sooooo need one of these!

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  14. I have an octopus thing from Nancy's Notions that works, but it's not pretty. Gimme.

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  15. I store my bobbins in a big tangle of threads in my sewing drawer- very annoying

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  16. I store mines in a mini clear plastic drawer :)

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  17. Oh man I want one (or three) of those! My bobbins are in a plastic bobbin box - nice and neat and all, but a pita to get the box out of the drawer, take the lid off fish out the required bobbin, re-lid the box etc etc etc without spilling the contents all over the floor. You sure do have some cool tools.

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  18. I need this! I have two machines worth of metal bobbins stored in their respective accessory trays, but they're starting to overflow into my sewing desk drawers. Please save my drawers, lady!

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  19. I still have one of those crappy plastic boxes.

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  20. Drool! I store my bobbins in an old tin just rollin' around all wild and free, refusing to be tamed. I'm sure this will set 'em straight.

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  21. i have one of those plastic snap shut bobbin boxes, but it's too small and all the thread ends are sticking everywhere making a mess. love the magnetic holder!

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  22. Mine are in a pile on the table.

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  23. I store my bobbins all in a ziploc bag. You can imagine this gets very, very hairy. :( I'd love a chance to win one of these snazzy magnetic ones!!

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  24. Mine are stored in clear plastic bobbin boxes. Magnetic strips look appealing!

    Inglesidebelle
    (for some reason the comment approval gremlin won't accept my wordpress ID)

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    1. GRRRRRR BLOGGER... okay i'm going to try and reply to you using my wordpress, here goes...

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    2. wow. okay, it worked, but jeezum crow that was a lot of unnecessary steps! the case for wordpress grows ever stronger...

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  25. I have the peg type storage case for my thread and I just put my bobbin underneath the thread spool. But I like the idea of this strip in case I want to wind more than one bobbin of the same color. Great idea! Thanks for the give away!

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  26. Store my bobbins? You make it sound like there's some sort of system in my sewing drawer. They're pretty much just thrown in there to learn to assimilate with zippers, bias binding and buttons. It's a tough world...

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  27. I have 2 clear plastic bobin boxes and one of those silicon donut thing.
    But then I have 2 machines with different bobins. But yours look so cool! I want some.

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  28. That is cool. I have a silicone box that grips the bobbins into place so it is awesome. They also come in donut shapes, which is handy and easy to grab a hold of. :)

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  29. Wow that's fab! I was going to say I absoloutely must have it when I remembered all my bobbins are of the plastic variety. Definately need to find myself some better storage for them though.

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  30. Thats amazing, I just throw mine in my sewing box . . .oh dear!

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  31. I have one of those [athetic little plastic boxes. I would love one of these instead!

    Shanda
    shandam05@ymail.com

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  32. That's a thing of great beauty! It speaks to my practical heart. My bobbins live in my sewing box, de-spooling and getting all tangled up!

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  33. That is way cool - I definitely need me one of those ....... please!

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  34. Wow, that's amazing - I want one. I store my few bobbins in a little store case thingie that came with my Bernina.

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  35. My bobbins are stored in some little plastic boxes that were handed down from my mother when I also inherited her old Bernina (the bobbins weren't compatible with her new one). The lids have long since lost their hinges, and since I'm a natural slob who never mastered the art of picking up after myself anyway, my bobbins are also often stored underneath a pile of fabric or on the floor. (Just being honest here.)

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  36. I had never heard of just a thing -- smart idea! Because i have no storage space for my bobbin, I only keep the bobbins for the project I'm working on. So I keep these three bobbins or so in the front storage box of my machine.

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  37. MEEE!!! My new machine uses metal bobbins, and the free arm does not magically transform into a bobbin/foot holder (like on my old machine, wah, I miss that) so my bobbins are a big ol' mess in my drawer. And by "big" mess I mean there's like 10 of them... those things are expensive!

    If I don't win, can you show me where to buy while I'm there please and thank you :)

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  38. That is the coolest thing I've ever seen! My bobbins are currently floating freely, along with my thread and other sewing supplies, in a large bag. It's so difficult to keep organized without a desk or designated craft spot so this would definitely help!

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  39. I store my bobbins in an ikea spice jar. Yuk. Its a mess in there and trying to get one out is impossible let alone getting all of the knots untangled. Please help!

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  40. My bobbins are stored in a mini tote bag, along with other sewing odds and ends... would love a new gadget!

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  41. Amazing! Right now my bobbins are split between a handful in my Bernina tool bag, a stack on a hook over my table, and the extras in a vintage plastic bobbin case. Ho-hum, would it be nice to have them all together in one convenient space!

    ~Heather
    sabine 4242 at gmail .com

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  42. I only have like three bobbins so they just hang out in that little secret compartment on the front bit of the sewing machine (you like how technical I can be?), or in my sewing caboodles. That's right, those little plastic jewellery boxes from the 90s. I still have one (three actually). Thanks for the giveaway!

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  43. I stack mine 3 high on the thread spool holder on the wall, but I really need that room for the threads! I would ♥ to have the shiny new accessory! summz@live.com

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  44. My bobbins live in a plastic box and are forever jumping the fence and running wild in my space. Please help me corral them:)

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  45. Umm... my bobbins live in a ziploc bag. Horrible, I know.

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  46. I'd love one of these but I probably don't need one. I have a thread rack and my bobbins won't fit on the dowels (I have an old pfaff) so I glued magentic strips to the front of the rack. That way I can store the bobbin by the matching thread, and I can fit two per spool if I need to.

    Mixing all my bobbins up like your other readers would be terrible - but mostly because I have like 7 grays and 5 blues - it can be hard to make sure I have the right bobbin!

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  47. My bobbins are in a a little transparent plastic box in the drawer/

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  48. My machine prefers plastic bobbins. I would have totes taken those off your hands!!

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  49. I store them on the same spindle as the coordinating thread. Though I am running out of room REALLY fast.

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  50. mine are unceremoniously dumped into a little drawer. tangles ensue.

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  51. I store mine in the compartment on my machine for storing things and in a small cup. Not very organized!

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  52. Oh, cool, it's practical *and* pretty! I store my thread in one of those teabag-boxes-with-a-glass-top, loosely sorted by colour, and just throw my bobbins in with the spools. I admit, just about half of them are plastic, too.

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  53. I store mine in a jumble in a little plastic box from the Container Store! They're plastic and I hate them!

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  54. Mine are all in your favorite little boxes :) I'd love a new option for them!

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  55. I keep all mine in two little plastic boxes.

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  56. Mine are in a baggy in my sewing basket

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  57. Oh, you are so right about those plastic bobbins. I've been storing my metal ones in a little clear plastic case...but this would allow me to have one in every color of the rainbow and not worry about them spilling. Excellent tool.

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  58. I would love to say something amazing about how I creatively store bobbins but alas, i do not. Mine simply go in a box. Shameful really.

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  59. Wow, so cool! I also dislike the plastic cases, so my bobbins have a tendency to land on a magnetic pin tray (making it hard to get to the pins), in a zippered case, or on a shelf. I tried a jerry-rigged contraption of wood and dowels once, but it wasn't meant to be, and certainly wasn't compact enough to move, so I abandoned it.

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  60. OK, now that is one of the coolest sewing toys of the decade! MY plastic cases always dump out right when I don't need any more aggravation, and the darn spools not only have the bad manners to roll under the furniture, but unwind as they do so. I love that this tray also displays all the pretty colors. Makes you salivate about starting that next garment. WOOO!

    Icravethisstuff, Etsy

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  61. HI BABES, I keep my bobbins (I think I've got about 6) in a melamine 60s teacup, but I have about 4 of the teacups (some hold pencils, tiny snippy scissors and needles) so they always go missing or get muddled up near my machine... I always have a black and a white bobbin threaded... but I tell you now... my sewing room is a catastrophe after the painters have been through our house... it's landfill but my landfill, so I still love it. xo

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  62. I find my bobbins in the Bernina tool case, on the table, in a box etc. Have many and no good container to keep them all sorted.

    I'll definitely look for this holder. Why aren't they everywhere??

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  63. I keep my bobbins in a small metal box, I stand the bobbins upright that are filled and lay the empties down. But pretty soon they are all face down so I can't see what colors I have. I'm always thinking of how I could better organize, but haven't discover any thing. Your method looks wonderful!

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  64. OMG PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me win this. Unpacking my bobbins has been a disaster of thread and needles. Looking into the bag of bobbins fills me with despair. This would save my life and a headache, for sure! If I don't win, point me in the right direction so I may purchase one when I am in your neck of the woods :)

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  65. Wow that's so cool! I'm buying one if I don't win the giveaway. I currently keep mine in plastic bobbin containers. . . but not for much longer!

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  66. I love sewing machines and containers so I store different types of bobbins in different containers. My main machine's plastic bobbins are in one of those donut shaped rubbery thingys. My featherweight and 301's are in a little round, flat clear plastic box that looks like a petrie dish ( and in fact may be :) )
    My 99's share the donut thingy, since they are side by side. If I don't win, I'll have to start googling this great device!

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  67. Squeee! My stupid little bobbins are always driving me mad because for a while I just threw them in a box (stoopid) and now I have them in a little tin, but neither of those methods are efficient. I need to organize my life.

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  68. Squeee! My stupid little bobbins are always driving me mad because for a while I just threw them in a box (stoopid) and now I have them in a little tin, but neither of those methods are efficient. I need to organize my life.

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  69. a box made out of a book with small compartments. they line up just fine but goodness help me if I accidentally tip one over!

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