Itty Bitty Mini & Quiet Cricket Shuttles

[Journey]

Sherongb - A grill, maybe, for the other gift card holder? (the store I work at has grill-shaped ones, although I don't think they're quite big enough to fit tatting/shuttles in)

Susiearnholt - would you maybe be willing to post a quick how-to on making the corian shuttles (or PMing me with it)? Do you make multiple pieces and glue them together or do you make them out of one piece? Since I have easy access to the materials, I'm seriously considering doing this! :-)

[susiearnholt]

I always keep my corian in one piece and just carve it to look like my other shuttles. I'll typically drill two 3/8 or 1/4 inch holes in a small rectangle either in the sides (for a "quiet cricket" look) or in the top (for a "lady hoare" look). I also put the hole for the hook into the shuttle at this point since it is easier to drill a rectangle than a finished shuttle shape. Then, I use the "fast carving" bit to shape the shuttle. Last, I'll use my small diamond bit to cut two slices for winding the thread (need to be more vertical for easy winding than I thought originally; usually, I take a thread and hold it over the shuttle as I'd wind it to get the right angle). I've also tried to duplicate the look of a "silent tatter" in the classic shape (one blunt end/one tip) but the hardware was expensive and it is difficult to adjust the tension with corian (cracked a finished shuttle once trying to get more tension). I had better luck with the "silent tatter" shape and "pop-a-bobbin" construction (just a dowel that fits tightly into the bobbin I wanted to use). I may be able to get pictures of some of my recent attempts by the weekend so you can see what I'm describing.