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What are SpoolPods?

One of our most unique and bestselling products is SpoolPods so we wanted to let you know more about them. SpoolPods are a silicone case perfectly designed for storing or transporting your spools of thread, with the matching bobbins too. Clare invented them after getting frustrated trying to find the matching bobbins for her thread when sewing. So she came up with the perfect solution for keeping them together, in an easy to store manner.

Image credit: Coffee Rings Studio

Because they are made from silicone they are flexible, which means you can fit several different brands of thread in the slots. We’ve tried Gutermann, Aurifil, Coats and Wonderfil and they all fit without issue.

The silicone also grips the spools so they don’t fall out (as I tested in this video). You can even roll the whole thing up to pop it into your bag, or you could make our Spoolpod case project to carry up to 4 at a time. They can stack on top of each other, or stand upright next to each other for easy storage. Plus if you buy a 5 pack you get a £3.50 discount, which means one is almost free.

You don’t have to use your SpoolPods for storing thread, it works great for just holding bobbins too. You can fit 6 bobbins per slot, so one SpoolPod will hold 60 bobbins.

Order your SpoolPods here. Plus don’t forget if you join our newsletter you get a 15% discount on your order.

What are SpoolPods?

General tips and points to remember…

  • The terms jersey, knitted and stretchy fabric can get used interchangeably, not just here but generally as you look around online you’ll see these terms being used to refer to similar things.
  • This fabric can be made from a variety of fibres such as cotton, viscose, modal, polyester, wool and bamboo. Usually they will also have a percentage of a stretchy fibre such as elastane or spandex.
  • The thickness or weight of them can be described in grams per square meter but as this number is hard to put into context and isn’t always available more subjective terms can be used to describe them such as light weight, medium weight etc
  • They can also be referred to with special more technical names such as ponte roma, double knit, single knit, sweatshirting and loop back. I’ll cover the most common ones below in more detail
  • I've tried to keep things are relevant as possible for the home dressmaker. These is lots of other more detailed and technical information out there but I hope this summery helps you understand more about this great fabric and how to sew it into your handmade wardrobe.

How to work out the amount and type of stretch

They stretch in different ways by different amounts. Some fabrics have a two way stretch and will stretch between the selvedges. Some have a 4 way stretch and will stretch lengthwise as well as between the selvedges. Use a swimsuit as a way to remember - it’s a 4 way stretch as it must stretch the length of your body as well as the width of your body.

The percentage of stretch refers to how much the fabric physically stretches, NOT the percentage of stretchy fibre (spandex or elastase) that is in them. Sewing patterns will typically as for a minimum percentage of stretch the fabric must have.

Why is percentage stretch important?

Sewing patterns designed for this type of fabric are typically designed with negative ease. This means that the garment you make will be smaller than your actual body measurement so that it stretches and fits around you. That’s why it's really important to use the right amount of stretch, otherwise you won’t be able to get the garment on/off or move in it!

How to use your Stretch Percentage Measurer

If you’re using a pattern which is designed for jersey fabrics then it will probably tell you the stretch percentage that the fabric you use needs to have. This is different from the stretch content, which is how much elastane or lycra is in the fabric.

Step One

Hold a 10cm section of your fabric, stretch it as far as it will comfortably stretch, without over stretching

Step Two

Every centimetre over 10 will correspond to 10% of stretching. So if your test piece stretches to 14cm, then the fabric has 40% stretch.