Something You Can Do

Do you like to build things out of wood? Do you know someone who likes to sew a lot and needs a rack for big spools of serger thread? If you have permission to use a drill or can get someone to help you, you can make your mother a special

Serger Spool Rack

You will need:

• a piece of 3/4-inch plywood
• a saw (a jigsaw if you have one)
• 3/8-inch drill bit and drill
• 3/8-inch wooden dowels
• wood glue
• sandpaper

1. Measure and cut a piece of plywood 13“x26”—about the height and length of a sewing machine.
2. With a ruler, draw a grid on the board with lines about 3” apart. This is for the spacing between each spool, so you can make the lines closer together or farther apart if you want. If you have a jigsaw, draw the shape of a sewing machine on the plywood—you’ll cut out the shape later.
3. Wherever the lines cross inside the sewing machine shape you drew, drill a hole most of the way through the plywood. Try not to drill all the way through. If the spool rack is going to be hung on the wall, you need to drill the holes at an angle, so the spools won’t slide off the dowels later.
4. If you have a jigsaw, have an adult help you cut out the shape of the sewing machine. Sand all the rough edges.
5. Find out how many holes you have, and cut the dowels into 5” lengths. They should be just a bit shorter than the height of the spools, so it will be easy to put the spools on and off. Sand one end of each dowel piece, and glue the other end into the board. Put some newspaper underneath to catch the extra glue.

When the glue has dried, you have the perfect gift for your mother!