Butterflies: what became of them

Here is the answer to what I am doing with the butterflies,

These flat shuttles are made by sandwiching the butterflies between clear plastics.  First, I printed shuttle shapes on a piece of paper.  One page of A4 gives me 14 shuttles.  Then, I place the shuttle template under a clear plastic and glue a butterfly at the centre of each shuttle shape. Using spray glue, I glued two clear plastic together with the butterflies in between.
To cut out the shuttle shape, I placed each butterfly over a template and trace the shape out with a craft knife with only enough pressure to cut one layer of the clear plastic. The second layer is cut by using scissors following the cut mark of the first layer.  I did it that way because I don't want any ink mark showing if I were to trace the shape with a pen.  To finish off, I punch holes and snip to the edge for winding the thread.

The shuttles worked fine, though it slowed me down a bit.
And all this is in preparation for a tatting demo/workshop that I will be conducting two days from now.  I would really like to be able to use actual shuttles but I will not be able able to get enough in time for the event.  I need to place orders for them.  But, I will bring some real shuttles for them to get the feel of it.

My next post will be about the workshop.

Comments

  1. Now tat's clever and very effective.

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  2. Wow, what a great idea! Did you invent it, or were you inspired by something? I might try making some when I teach tatting, because it would be a great gift for a beginner.

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    1. I got the idea from watching this video,
      Disposable shuttles.
      Instead of cardboard, I used clear plastics.
      Thank you xstchntat for the video.

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    2. You are so welcome. You did way better than my simple little video. They are awesome!

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  3. How very cool! They look great and should work well for your students at the workshop. That's a lot of work, too!

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  4. How interesting. Great shuttles for students in class. Lovely butterflies.

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  5. Those are much prettier than my versions! Great idea. I hope your teaching will go well.

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  6. Wow what a brilliant shuttle, and well done on making them in plastic. Hope the demo goes well
    Margaret

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  7. That's true dedication on your part! You could have just used some cardboard but instead you created something very clever, attractive and special! I'm VERY impressed!

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    1. I could use cardboard, Kathy. But, since I'll be working with absolute beginners, I figured even if they did not managed to get 'it', they'll still have a piece of tatting to take back with them.

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  8. That has been a Labour of Love! - all those butterflies, and what gorgeous shuttles you've made.

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  9. I think those are great beginner shuttles! I might even like one for my collection. ;-)

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    1. I'm flattered that you could even consider to add this to your huge collection of shuttles. :)

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    2. I ages with Diane. They are beautiful.

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  10. Very clever. The tatted butterfly is a wonderful touch and keepsake.

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  11. beautiful creation... I am zero about tatting but they are all beautiful

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    1. Mila@Rimbun,
      I will be at the National Textile Museum (NTM) (dekat Dataran Merdeka) on Saturday 15th December to conduct a workshop on a beginners' introduction to tatting.
      My session is from 2.30pm - 5.00pm. This is a free workshop organised by the NTM, so space is limited to only 20 seats.

      Kalau berminat, sila datang awal untuk daftar di kaunter NTM. Tak perlu bawa apa-apa. Keperluan untuk workshop disediakan.

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  12. Excellent! Have fun at the workshop, I hope you inspire many new tatters :-)

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  13. What a clever idea :) I`m curious if it`s as comfortable in use as normal shuttle..? :-)

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    1. Anza, it does not feel as comfortable as a regular shuttle but quite sufficient for beginners because the focus is not on the speed but more to understand the movement of the thread for the flip.

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  14. soy de Chile y me fascinaron sus tejidos

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  15. May I ask what type of plastic did you use? What was the weight of the plastic?

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    1. I am sorry, I don't know the specifications of the plastic sheet. I bought them from the stationery shop. They are the type usually used as the top cover when binding papers into books or folders.

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