I have had my smocking pleater for nearly four years and I've been wanting to get one of those nifty thread boxes for it for the longest time. I have always just kept my thread spools in a cardboard shoe box on the floor as I pleated my fabric on the edge of a table. The threads would get all twisted around as the spools spun around and I would always end up with a mess!! I've always dealt with it since I don't smock that much anymore and because the thread boxes I've seen are quite costly. In the past I have made several sketches of how I planned on making my own thread box out of wood, but I just never got around to it. Recently I have been getting back into sewing and smocking and I came across several posts on Delphi's Heirloom Sewing & Smocking Forum that gave instructions on how to make an inexpensive thread box out of a plastic craft box. I immedately ran out to JoAnn's Fabrics & Crafts to pickup the supplies I needed to make my own thread box!!

Supplies needed:
gather supplies together I bought this divided plastic craft box at JoAnn's Fabrics & Crafts on sale for $1.49. This box has 16 sections the size of the spool of thread and one double long section that you can use to place two spools of thread. Since I rarely need that many rows, I am using the double long section to store extra pleater needles.

I took a sheet of paper and cut it to the size of the inside of the box. I laid the paper inside the box on top of the dividers and placed small marks on the paper of where the dividers were. After removing the paper from the box, I joined the marks using my ruler and pen. I then drew diagonal lines across each square in order to find the middle. Next I drew big dots on the lines to determine placement of my drilled holes. When you do this, keep in mind that you should stagger the hole placement so that the threads aren't all in line with the others when their ends are all drawn toward the edge where you will be placing the velcro strip.
drill the holes

Once you have determined hole placements on the paper, place the paper back into the box and close the lid. Take the Sharpie marker and draw dots on the lid where you have placed them on the paper. Remove the paper from the box.

Carefully drill small holes where you have marked with the Sharpie marker. I started by using a 1/16 inch drill bit, but the hole was way too small. I switched to a 3/32 inch drill bit that made perfect holes! Not too big and not too small!!
drill the holes Now you are ready to adhere the velcro strip to the top of the box. The velcro is used to keep the thread in place and keeps it from tangling. It also helps to keep your box threaded without losing the ends back inside the box or elsewhere. Although the thread is between the two pieces of velcro, it still flows freely without issue.

I had 3/4 inch velcro and decided to trim it because I thought it was too wide. I trimmed it to the width of the narrow frame/ridge of the top of the plastic box. I am very particular about my stuff, so I chose to use a piece of self-adhesive velcro to adhere to the box top and a plain non-self-adhesive piece for the top. The instructions I read on Delphi said to use the self-adhesive velcro but just don't remove the backing from the top piece. That would annoy me.
Finished!" The bottom piece I used was the rough plastic part and the top was the softer, cushiony part. If you decide to trim the width of yours also, be sure to stick the two pieces together and trim them simultaneously to assure that they are trimmed equally and evenly.

Place your thread spools in the box and thread the ends thru the holes. Make sure that you are pulling the thread ends thru the proper corresponding hole in the lid or you'll run into problems. Once you've threaded the box close the lid. Lift the top velcro piece and place the threads neatly against the velcroed edge making sure not to tangle or cross them. Re-place the top piece of velcro and the threads will stay in place.

Thread your pleater making sure that you don't cross over threads. Now you're ready to pleat!!