Blog DIY Sewing accessory Tutorials

Make the vintage thread spools

August 8, 2019 by Ilona No Comments

As far as I know, there is no such thing as enough thread spools 🙂 Especially those wooden ones, which are very practical tools to help storing what is left from the threads, or small pieces of decorative ribbons and bands. And, when they are smartly adjusted, they can transform into charming sewing accessories.

Basic wooden thread spools (without any surface treatment) can be easily found in any crafting store and they come in different sizes. Afterwards, they can be personalized in thousands different ways. I always loved the old wood patina, so I’m explaining below how I adjusted my spools in order to obtain a lovely vintage sewing decoration – which is at the same time very practical.

Supply list

Wooden thread spools (with no surface treatment)
Dark brown wood stain, clear wood varnish (for dark spool)
Light grey chalk paint, white glazing paint (for grey spool)
Brushes, printed thread spool labels (if needed – I easily found those on Pinterest for free)
Small cup of coffee, pair of scissors for paper and some glue

Technique

To begin, apply a first layer of grey chalk paint for one spool, then some dark brown stain for the second one, using a small brush. Do not worry it colors are spread unevenly – on the contrary! This will enhance the shabby effect 🙂

Then, once the spools have dried up, add a small touch of white gazing paint on the grey spool. The white color is added in a really small quantity and spreaded using a small brush, in a very uneven way. The idea is to not completely cover the grey chalk paint base. The dark spool has been varnished with a clear top coat, which enhances the stained wood texture.

And then – coffee time ! 🙂 In case you would like to create beautiful vintage thread spools labels, it will be necessary to create patina surface on the paper, so that the labels look very aged. Use a small amount of coffee, then spread it randomly using a brush on the label picture. It is not necessary to cover all the surface of the label; white and brown stains will actually contribute to its aged look. Once it is dry, simply stick your label to the spool using the glue.