Sunday 15 July 2012

Beaded Shuttle Bag Pattern

Here it is.  This pattern was written by Marie herself.  I only formatted it and added pictures.  So it's all thanks to her.  Her email address is at the top of the pattern if you wish to contact her.

This is the one Marie sent me as a gift.
Tatted in silk.

I took the plunge and bought two Tatsy shuttles especially for this pattern.  I must admit though:  I never thought they would be THAT big!!  They are HUGE.  I think I may have to do a video of what it looks like to tat with one!  Actually, when all loaded up with the beads and enough thread for the whole bag, it's not even half full.  So I need to find another shuttle that is bigger than an Aero but smaller than a Tatsy.  And one that I can buy in the UK.

As you may have noticed, I had to "doctor" the Tatsy though...  I just couldn't work without a hook attached.  Takes just too long to stop, pick up a hook, make the join, put down the hook and then carry on...  So I added some hooks to my Tatsys!



When I first opened the package and saw how big they were, I thought I wouldn't be able to work with them but then I said to myself:  "Don't be so silly, you've got to tame the beast!"  And tame I did.  Can't go as fast as with the Aeros but it's do-able.  Actually, what really takes time is to wind and unwind the shuttles to get one bead at a time for each ring you are making.  But the result is so worth it!


I hope you'll enjoy making these lovely bags and I look forward to seeing other people's versions of it.

Best wishes,

18 comments:

  1. The Handy Hands Starlit shuttles are bigger than the Sew-Mates from Lacis, smaller than Tatsys and would probably be perfect for this pattern. However, they are Post shuttles with just a spike on the end - no hook for you!

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  2. You are a dear friend. Thank you for the great job of formatting and putting the pattern on your blog. I hope all of your readers enjoy! Big ol' hug, Marie....

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    1. It's all you Marie! Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

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  3. Thanks for the pattern Marie and Frivole.
    how did you attach the hooks to the Tatsy shuttles? if you can do that, likely you can do it with the Starlit shuttles too.

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  4. Hi Ladytats,
    I cut the hooks, then heated them and carefully melted them into the plastic. I added a very thin layer of crazy glue on top to make sure it wouldn't come out under use. It's worked out well. So yes, I could probably try that with the Starlit. Or maybe that long nose is good for joins? I've not tried one yet but I'm not overly handy with a Clover pick either!

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  5. Thank you, Marie and Frivole! I look forward to trying this pattern.

    I agree that the Starlit shuttle might be a good choice. It would definitely need your adaptation of the hook. The pick is not usable at all, in my opinion. If I had any idea how to get started, I would take the pick tip off and add the hook. Hmmm... could adaptation of Starlit shuttles be a new business venture?

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  6. Lovely! I liked it the first time I saw it, and I'm so glad you share the pattern! Maybe a nice holiday project...

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  7. Thanks to you and to Marie for the pattern. Big shuttles are useful sometimes, but they do have a different feel that takes a bit of getting used to.

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  8. I've actually seen a Tatsy shuttle in person. Our pastor's daughter was taught by her grandmother to tat, she uses a Tatsy shuttle. I couldn't believe how huge it was or that she could actually tat with it! I LOVE that you added a hook to yours! Thank you and Marie so much for the pattern!

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  9. Merci pour le motif et merci aussi à Marie Smith...J'ai rencontré le même problème avec les navettes Tatsy mais par contre les Starlit sont très pratiques pour les perles mais pas la pointe au bout que je trouve inutile dans son utilisation......

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  10. Thank you for posting the pattern. I have the Tatsy shuttles. What a great idea to attach a hook. I love your website and tatting.

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  11. That was so good of you to format Marie's pattern! It would be great practice for adding beads, and an attractive and useful object as well.

    Your ingenuity always amazes me, and the Tatsy story amuses me. I've had a Tatsy since 1989 when I learned to tat (really long story - all my stories are long - LOL!), which I partially wrote about in my blog early on.

    Although I prefer bobbin shuttles with a hook, I have always used a Tatsy to demonstrate with (I have a solid blue and a clear one), as it holds a lot of cotton 'yarn' (the kind used for knitting washcloths) and the knots can be easily seen, especially with the two-color chain. Therefore at the end of the day I have a very long chain with some rings! I always point out, however, that I wish they had put a hook on the end of the Tatsy, but never thought it was possible. Of course, you figured out a way!

    Are you aware that Sally's husband made a larger wood (post) shuttle with a hook embedded in it, specially requested by Martha Ess? The relative size is shown in Martha's post of June 22, 2010. I would love to have one of those!

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  12. excellent, very good, thanks for showing your work.

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  13. And yes, I started it on my holiday in Sweden, and finished it yesterday. If you want to see it: http://handwerktuin.blogspot.nl/2012/10/shuttle-bag.html

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  14. i am thinking of making one...my question is, with the 14 ring round, what size shuttle does it fit?

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    1. Hi Shannon, it will fit a Clover, an Aero, up to a Sewmate.

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  15. Thank you for putting this pattern up! One quick question. Can you do the bag without the beads?

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    1. Hi Barbara, yes, of course you could. You might want to make the rings a tiny bit bigger if you were omitting the beads though.

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