The Easy DIY That Turns A Vintage Jar Into A String Dispenser For All Your Crafts

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Ask a group of crafters what their biggest time waster is, and scrabbling under the table to retrieve overly optimistic balls of twine will be right up there along with detangling thread. If you're looking for a solution to hold those rolling balls steady while you work, a genius craft room organization hack can help. Using a jar and a lid with a hole in it, you'll create a perfect DIY dispenser that will control your string for you. No more runaway thread!

Find a vintage jar, one used for canning with a screw-on ring that holds down a metal lid. For some extra style, TikTok creator @whimsybarn shows how you can swap the standard flat lid with a stylish upgrade — an aluminum dessert mold. You may find some of these molds in thrift shops, or you could buy new Weilan Cup Cake Molds. Make sure the ring fits over the mold but catches the lip to hold it firmly onto the jar. Make a hole in the bottom of the mold. As aluminum is a soft metal, this shouldn't be difficult. You can use a revolving punch pliers, a drill with a small bit, or a simple nail and hammer.

Pop your string into the jar, and feed the thread through the hole in the top. Place the ring over the mold, tighten it onto the jar, and you're done! This works best when the ball of thread is small enough to fit into the container without pressing against the sides. The vintage glass jar provides enough weight to prevent it from toppling over each time you tug on the thread.

This simple DIY comes into its own when a project requires multiple colored threads to be used at the same time. An example of this is Fair Isle knitting, where you make patterns with many colors of wool. As you're working with a vintage jar, though, you might find the ring is corroded. If you have some vinegar and salt, the secret ingredient you can use to clean up rust, it'll be effortless to refresh the lid. Once the rust is removed, spray paint the ring and mold in colors to match your craft room. Or, color code the lids according to the type of thread inside if you intend to make a bunch of these and store materials like wool, craft twine, and ribbon. As the jars are made from glass, it's easy to see inside, which does away with the need to label them. 

While this is a craft room idea that you'll want in your own home, you may be wondering how to stop the string from slipping through the hole, back into the bottle. A simple option is to cut a small slit off the hole to tuck the string into and avoid it falling into the jar. Depending on the thickness of the thread, a paper clip can also prevent that from happening. Place a paper clip on top of the dispenser, and slide the loose end of the thread under the two central pins. The thread will be wedged between the outer and inner pins that should hold it in place.