Vintage Frame Spool Holder DIY

I mentioned a post or so ago that I've been working on  making my studio space a little more usable. Part of that is finding accessible storage for all those little odds and ends. My ribbon spools for instance were just tossed into a paper bag that I'd dig through blindly whenever I thought I needed a bit. And I never remembered what I had. To solve this problem I decided I needed a ribbon spool holder that I could mount on the wall. Pondering this dilemma I happened to see an old bare frame I had leaning against the wall and inspiration struck. I'd use that.... Now how to hold the spools.... a trip to Lowe's was definitely in order.

 The result of that trip is this Vintage Frame Spool Display. It's easy to make and I think looks great on my wall. I'm a big fan of the make vintage work movement (also known as the "I found it in the back of my garage and painted it" movement). Anyhoo, take a look and have a fabulously creative day!!! I'm off to a christian artist's retreat this weekend and will post some pics when I return. Hope you have a great weekend too and thanks as always for stopping by. :)
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Vintage Frame> Ribbon Spool Holder Tutorial

Tools and Materials
Old frame with 16" x 20" opening
6-8 little screw in hooks to fit the size of your dowels
2 3/8" diameter dowel rods 36" in length (cut into 4- 18" lengths)
small hammer
saw or branch cutter
Measuring tape
Pen or pencil to mark
Assortment of spool sizes you plan on hanging to guide placement
wire to hang (only if your frame doesn't have one already)

Step One: With the frame upside down on the floor decide where you want to place your dowels (using the spools you have as a guide). Mark on one side about 3/4" from inside of frame. 

-I thought I'd be smart and put the hooks on the recessed part of the frame so the whole thing didn't sit out too far from the wall but when I tried this the dowel rod didn't fit because it was longer then the hooks and had to stick out from the surface (rather then be recessed) so that it was able to slide in and out of the hooks.

 
Step Two: With pen, use measuring tape to make sure you have the same mark placement on other side of frame as on the first. For instance, if your first dowel mark is 2 1/8" from the bottom, use your measuring tape to measure 2 1/8" on the opposite side so that your dowel rods hang straight across. Do this with all your marks. 

-In the finished pic you'll notice that I only have 3 dowels hanging that's because I didn't buy enough hooks and haven't been to the store yet to get more. There is room for one more dowel. Although I kind of like the gap bc it shows off my pretty wall. :)

Step Three: Screw in your little screw hooks where marked on frame. I hate trying to get these little things in so I cheat and use a hammer to tap them in as far as I can then start to screw them into the frame. This sometimes alters their shape so once in the wood I used a pliers to bend them back into shape.

Step Four: Measure and cut your dowel rods in half with branch cutter or use small saw. Thread spools onto rods and then hang on hooks. If desired you can probably stick something on the end of each dowel to keep from sliding off but I haven't had any problems with mine. 


* I didn't have as many ribbon spools as I thought I did so I hung the decorative tapes I buy compulsively on the very top dowel.



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And TA DA!!! It's like magic- all your spools are fabulously, artistically displayed and you'll never wonder what you have and where you put it ever, ever again. Hopefully. :)