spool-cotton

Kate had a fine head for mathematics, and, on the whole, she rather preferred a slate and pencil to needles and spool-cotton.

What Might Have Been Expected Frank Richard Stockton 1868

In using spool-cotton, thread the needle with the end which comes off first, and not the end where you break it off.

American Woman's Home Harriet Beecher Stowe 1853

In using spool-cotton, thread the needle with the end which comes off first, and not the end where you break it off.

A Treatise on Domestic Economy For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School Catharine Esther Beecher 1839