Has anyone ever MacGyvered way to have regular sewing machine hold thread cone?

On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:29:32 -0700 (PDT), wrote:


I saw a real "MacGyver" way on pintrest
they put the cone in a reusable plastic cup
with a lid with thread coming out the hole in lid
then thread the machine as u usually do.

I have a cone hanging point down over my sewing machine -- I fastened
some twill tape to it, then threw a loop of tape over the curtain rod
and pinned it to the tape sewn to the bottom of the cone.

About thirty years ago I was in a garment factory for a few minutes
and noticed that all the thread fed to the sewing machines was on
cones in racks that held them point down over the sewing machines.

But it might be that the thread itself isn't suitable for sewing
seams.

My cone is a cheap two-ply thread that I use only for basting and
break-away seams -- I used it, for example, to re-attach a pocket
after patching the fabric under it, in case the pocket got caught on a
doorknob again.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

Joy Beeson wrote:
:On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:29:32 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

:
: I saw a real "MacGyver" way on pintrest
: they put the cone in a reusable plastic cup
: with a lid with thread coming out the hole in lid
: then thread the machine as u usually do.

:I have a cone hanging point down over my sewing machine -- I fastened
:some twill tape to it, then threw a loop of tape over the curtain rod
:and pinned it to the tape sewn to the bottom of the cone.

:About thirty years ago I was in a garment factory for a few minutes
:and noticed that all the thread fed to the sewing machines was on
:cones in racks that held them point down over the sewing machines.

:But it might be that the thread itself isn't suitable for sewing
:seams.

:My cone is a cheap two-ply thread that I use only for basting and
:break-away seams -- I used it, for example, to re-attach a pocket
:after patching the fabric under it, in case the pocket got caught on a
:doorknob again.


The important thing to remember with cone thread is that it's cross
wound. Thread is wound on to spools, cones, reels, bobbins, whatever,
in one of two ways. It can be plain wound, the way your machine
winds bobbins, straight on, from bottom to top, then back down, etc.
Or it can be cross wound, where the thread is wound on at angle to the
spool, and the thread makes a sort of X pattern on the spool. Plain
wound thread should be pulled straight out the side of spool. Cross
wound thread should go straight up (or down, if you're hanging from
your curtains...) off the cone or spool. If you don't pull it
straight up, you can end up with an extra twist in the thread, and can
have all sots of sewing problems.

Most modern thread, and anything on a spool longer than about 1000
yards, is cross wound because it's faster and thus cheaper to do it
that way. Winding thread onto spools is a big part of the price,
particularly in smaller consumer put-ups. Not taking it off the spool
properly is one of the problems people ometimes have with old
machines, that don't have a spool pin or thread guides designed to do
this.

My solution for using cone threads on a domestic machine is usually to
put the domestic on my industrial's table, and use the industrial's
thread stand. I also have a generic industrial table thread stand
(cost $10 from my mechanic, holds two spools) screwed to a block of
wood. a weight or clamp holds it in place. Works great.

--
sig 94

This advice may be coming way too late, but at least you'll know what you can do in the future...

I buy serger thread instead of all purpose thread because it is far less expensive and works just as well.

In order to use it with my sewing machine, I simply plop the serger spool in a coffee cup, place it to the right of my sewing machine and thread my machine as normal. I use the same method to thread bobbins. The only real disadvantage of the larger serger spools is, I can't store them on a board that I put finishing nails in to store my spools and bobbins on. I am considering rigging a way to use my bobbin winder or rotary tool to refill some empty spools I've been holding onto so that I can store my thread more elegantly.

Have a wondrous day!




On Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 10:40:42 PM UTC-4, Craftsy wrote:
A couple of years ago or so, I saw a sale for cones of thread at a
very good price so I bought a couple. I've since never been able to
figure out how to use them on my regular sewing machine. When I went
around Xmas to fabric store, they told me that those were for sergers
and that I couldn't use them in any way on a regular sewing machine.

Well, I've never been one to believe something can't be done until
I've exhausted all avenues. I _still_ may not have figured out what I
can do to use the cones on the single slim spindle on my Singer but
thought maybe someone here had created something that would do the
job.

I thought it couldn't hurt to ask.

Has anyone figured out anything that works?

Thanks. D

On Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 9:40:42 PM UTC-5, Craftsy wrote:
A couple of years ago or so, I saw a sale for cones of thread at a
very good price so I bought a couple. I've since never been able to
figure out how to use them on my regular sewing machine. When I went
around Xmas to fabric store, they told me that those were for sergers
and that I couldn't use them in any way on a regular sewing machine.

Has anyone figured out anything that works?


I've always purchased 3000-yard thread cones and use them on my regular sewing machine with the vertical spool holder. I just slip a straw over it and then slip a chopstick inside the straw. Voila - longer holder to fit my large thread cones!

On Fri, 28 Oct 2016 11:31:30 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I've always purchased 3000-yard thread cones and use them on my
regular sewing machine with the vertical spool holder. I just
slip a straw over it and then slip a chopstick inside the straw.
Voila - longer holder to fit my large thread cones!

I have only one cone of thread. I sewed a piece of tape to the base
and hung the cone point down from the curtain rod over the window
behind the electric sewing machine. This exposes it to ultra-violet,
but it's basting thread.

I sewed a short piece of tape to the cone, then pinned that tape to a
longer tape thrown over the curtain rod -- that would make it easy to
swap out cones if I had more than one.

Surprise extra: the base of the paper cone has proven to be a good
place to stash threaded hand-basting needles and discarded machine
needles.

My machine has a lever on the back that has a hole in it close to the
spool pin. When thread from a cone set in a cardboard box on the
floor is drawn through this hole this hole, it is directed into the
rest of the thread path. I used to sew from balls of thread bounding
around in the box, but I seem to have lost the knack of preventing
them from pulling unevenly on the thread, so I wind them off onto
spools -- after putting them into a box on the floor and threading the
machine as far as the take-up lever to leave both hand free for
operating the winder.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/