Side Winder

[Batty Tatter]

I had been reading how tatters like to use a sidewinder to fill shuttle bobbins. So, in my enthusiasm, while visiting Seattle, I bought one. Well, at the beginning of my Lizbeth thread, it works great. That's because the start is wound around the middle of the ball. But, when you get to the part of the ball that is wrapped all over, top, bottom, etc. The winder stalls out, because the thread has to come from every which way. So, people who use the Side Winder for tatting thread...please tell me what you do to compensate for that problem.

[Lynn]

I hurried to read this post, wondering what in the world rattlesnakes have to do with tatting. Sorry, I'm no help in your query, as the snake is the only sidewinder I know anything about - and I do know enough to keep away from them!

[Batty Tatter]

That's what I think of too.. I think sewers must use them alot to wind thread. But someone said they used it for their tatting thread.

[MercyPres]

I use one and love it. I put my lisbeth in a plastic tub on the floor (to keep it corralled) or in the lisbeth thread holder and have no problem with stalls. The ball of thread bounces around down there and winds beautifully. I use to have a problem when I kept (or tried to) the lisbeth ball up by the sidewinder though.

[Sherongb]

Agree with putting the thread in a bag or bowl on the floor and letting it do it's thing. It winds the thread much more evenly than I do by hand.

[Batty Tatter]

Thank you for the information. I can't wait to try it.

[Tammy]

DH made me a bobbin winder years and years ago. What I did was find a throw away dish, like a margarine dish, cool whip etc and put a hole in the top of it. I made sure the edges of the hole were smooth so that it didn't snag the thread. Put ball of thread in the dish, thread the thread through the hole in the top, remembering to go the correct direction as you want to put the top back on the dish. I would then thread my handmade machine and place my yarn dish in a location that would allow the thread to feed freely onto the bobbin.Sometimes that was the kitchen chair next to me sometimes it was the floor. It worked really well for me as it could jump around in the dish all it wanted to and wouldn't hurt a thing. It did make it look like the dish was dancing. lol