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A couple people have e-mailed me about the cardboard shuttles I gave to the teens and featured in my last post. They are quick and easy to make, and are handy for handing out in beginner classes.
Also, I’ll occasionally find myself stuck somewhere without any tatting, reading or anything much to do and a long time to wait. At this point I’ll find a clean box in a trash can (or even a sturdy business card will do), cut out a small shuttle or two, and wind some extra thread. Nuts? Maybe. But it keeps me busy and makes me happy. Plus, it sometimes attracts the attention of an interested onlooker and I get to teach them a little tatting while we’re waiting and send them home with the shuttles.
In any case, I drew up this template so that you can make your own shuttles out of any random, study material you have lying around. Plastic yogurt lids work well, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc. What else have you made extra shuttles out of?
Download the template here:
I practically learned to tat on wooden clothespins, the kind with the spring. The work quite well actually :o)
I am glad my suggestion helped! Great simple template.
I have cut this sort of thing out of cardboard, plastic lids, and a stripe of paper.
I think the weirdest thing I have used as a shuttle was a pen cap – and it was in my first days of tatting too!
What a great idea! I cut mine out of old milk cartons and keep some loaded and stored in a zip lock at home so I can grab them quickly. I also carry a few loaded ones in my purse for when I am sitting at the doctor’s, etc. They are always handy. Thanks for your ideas – they are greatly appreciated! I have been known to just fold over an index card and wind it with some colors I like to carry along just in case I think of another idea I want to try. And another idea I find helpful is when I get down to the last little bit of thread and only have a few stitches to finish, I usually unwind the bobbin and tie the end of the thread to a small paper clip and use that to finish the project. Too bad they don’t make actual bobbins that small – but then I guess there wouldn’t be enough thread to complete a whole project unless you wanted to just keep adding more thread.
Thanks for this great idea… I work in a craft store and am a bit reluctant to buy shuttles with my boss because officially I haven’t learnt how to tat yet. (we give tatting classes in our store as well…) So I can practice first now and than buy my shuttles when I am able to produce some reasonably goodlooking tatwork… ha ha ha
I have just decided to learn to tat. I’ve learned the basics of needle tatting and am quite comfortable with producing pretty little things. I’ve noticed (through pictures) that shuttle tatting has a much neater appearance and would like to learn shuttle tatting. I found your site and am loving you beginner lessons! I made my shuttles with polymer clay and they seem like they’re going to work quite well. Thank you for taking the time to post the lessons and help those of us that are willing to learn the “almost” lost art of tatting!
What a great idea. you encourage me to learn this things. thanks. your video is quite good and very clear. good luck.
Thank you so much! I’ve been wanting to get started, but none of my local stores had needles or shuttles, and I hesitated to invest before I got the hang of it. I made mine with a styrofoam egg carton and it worked fantastically!
A few years ago I bought a tatting shuttle intending to learn to tat one day. I didn’t get around to it. Then when my mother passed last year I found another one, still in its wrappings, in her things. I wondered what I would do with two! (I know now) She obviously had a similar idea. I decided it was time to follow through on both our wishes and learn. I tried videos and I tried written instructions but neither made much sense to me. Then I found this website and had both written and video together. It has worked well for me and I have produced some quite passable snowflakes and given them away as presents.
I tried some beading and that worked for me too. I like the look of these simple shuttles and think they will come in very handy.
Thank you for all your good work and the help you have given me.