Tatting Resin Shuttles

                           I am so excited! I finally finished a tatting shuttle, in the right size!

 

It did take about a month and a half to get this done. Primarily because I didn't have time to work on it.The blades were done a few weeks back. They needed tweaking because one side was uneven. Then there was the sanding and finishing.

 Even though it is smooth, it has a wavy appearance to it, similar to the glass top in the background.The blades were cast in all clear resin, but I added a secondary layer that had a small bit of lavender eyeshadow included for a tinting reaction. I was 'painting' it on, but had to use the side of a Popsicle/craft stick to smooth the resin and make sure it was a thin layer I was adding. Using the same stick, I painted a thin layer to the sides to get rid of the matte look that sanding created. One side of the blade is thicker than the other because of the depth of the mold I used.

 

The center post was actually made using a cut out from an unused stick of Oyumaru. It turned out to be the perfect width and height to keep the shuttle tension between the blades. In the photo above, it is still in it's gummy stage. I placed it between the two blades with a small bit of clear resin, to get it to bond with the blades.

 

In this side view you can see the tinting effects the eyeshadow gave to the resin. The center post is in all clear resin. I am planning on hand drilling a small hole as a thread lead into the center post when the resin is fully cured. The difference in thickness between the two blades is also noticeable here. When you hold it in your hands, it gives it a weighty feel to it, so you naturally want to hold the thinner blade up, like a boat on water.

Here I have it in relation to the other shuttles in my collection.

Moonlit ~ Large Clover ~ SewMate ~ Prototype~ Starlit Shuttles

 I did say I was aiming between a SewMate and a Starlit shuttle and I think I hit it. Once it's fully cured, in a couple of days to be on the safe side, I'll take it for it's test run. I began another one using size 20 thread for the motifs, to see if I can get it to come out the same without having to make the blades thicker. The original was made with a thinner size 40 thread. More than likely any more shuttles that I make like this will have to be made with motifs in size 80 or 40. If this secondary run works out, I know I can make it with size 20. I will be remaking the Green Knots adapted pattern

in both 40 and 80 to cast. These were motifs that I submitted to be made into shuttles by The Shuttle Shop that never got made. Also they were what started this entire project.

A touch of play and fantasy

Back to shuttle making. This one I got carried away with the glitter. It is so easy to get carried away with glitter.  I added a regular sewing machine bobbin for a center post substitute. I don't know why, but making that center post seems to be the most draining of all stages of making these shuttles. It's not just that you have to get the dimensions correct, you have to make sure it can maintain the weight and balance of the overall piece. It's such a pain for what amounts to such a small piece of the overall project. At least I finally found the sizing of the shuttle that I wanted, between a SewMate and a Starlit shuttle! Now to begin with the many small motifs to begin embedding into them.

This is my final submission piece for Resin Crafts'  challenge. Originally I wanted to do a 3D magnolia with a small butterfly landing on one of it's petals. Unfortunately, I did not have the correct size doming mold to cast into. I do like the blue metallic thread I used to tat the butterfly. I think it ties the glitter together nicely. The red butterfly was actually supposed to be an orange butterfly. Even after sealing it, the resin turned it darker, so it gives off the appearance of red. It's been so long since I've working with embedding threads into resin, that I had forgotten that bit of info.

A challenge

A request was placed for a resin project to be created with some new bezels that have yet to hit the market. I wrote the person hosting it, and a few weeks later, I received my two bezels.

I want to add some tatting to it. I made a magnolia with a butterfly resting on it. I've made this particular combination before, and have never been able to set correctly. Here's hoping it works out this time, if not I can always paint the resin on to stiffen the lace.

Along with this particular project, I've also decided to make some tatting shuttles. I'm making one with Umbreon, Espeon and Evee. I think I've added too much glitter to it. I wanted the edges to be lined with glitter because the background of the pictures were white and stood out too much against clear resin. There's also a larger shuttle blade with a picture of Mulan, stainglass stylized fanart picture of her. On this particular blade the glitter did stay on the edges, more or less. There's also a key chain with the same stylized picture of Ezmeralda from The Hunchback of Nortredame.