Cleanup In The Shuttle Aisle

I don’t actually have a shuttle aisle, but I have a messy craft room that needs to be cleaned up. While going through things in my craft room I came across a bag that had a lot of miscellaneous itmes in it, including a bunch of shuttles. I need to “clean up” all of these so I can use them for other things!

Shuttles and other stuff

Almost all of these shuttles were partially wound. Some of the threads I recognize and can match, but others are shades that are not so easily done. So what to do with them?

Some shuttles had more thread than others. There was enough on most to do more than single ring flowers and four ring butterflies, which are my go-to for snippets of thread left on shuttles. The little flowers and butterflies can easily be added to cards and notes. I did finish off a couple of shuttles with these.

Flowers and butterfly tail ends

But the ones with a bit more thread I put on buttons. The two small buttons are just doodles, simple things just to get around the button. These work well as accents on bags and collars. Or just to do with no purpose other than the joy of making them.

Buttons and doodle

The two-color button is trying to recreate the decorated grey button that I did a couple of weeks ago. I made a couple of changes that seem to change the overall look of it, not what I had in mind. But I ran out of one of the blues. And I have a lot of threads that are shades of blue. It may be hard to match it and finish it.

The metallic doodle was not started with shuttles found in the bag. This was an idea that I got when I found the doodad in the middle as I was looking through other things in my craft room. I started it before I made last week’s decorated button. I haven’t decided if this is done or not.

I really need to do more cleanup in my craft room than I need to with the shuttles. But the shuttles are more fun!

“You never know what you have until you clean your room”

Several bookmarks

I've been tatting bookmarks lately.  And trying to make them with shuttle and ball only. I was in places where I only had one shuttle available (the others had different thread on them) and thought it would be a good mental exercise. Do you know how hard that is when you do almost everything with two shuttles?  Not having that second shuttle available really messes me up!

I started with two cross bookmarks.  The one of the left is in Lizbeth #611 Gold and #604 Black.  The one on the right is in #663 Bright Turquoise Dark.  See, only shuttle and ball :-)

Trying to do something a little different I made this bookmark in #122 Caribbean and #604 Black. Other than being very ruffle-y I think it came out well. And only one shuttle and ball.

Then I made these, something I tried before but hadn't been able to work out. This time it did. But not with just shuttle and ball. Notice the end?  It just needed that thrown ring to look good. As I was only using one shuttle I used the shoelace trick to make it.  Okay, technically, they are made with just shuttle and ball only, but not exactly what I meant about using shuttle and ball only.  The top one is made with #670 Victorian Red, the bottom in #131 Vineyard Harvest and #644 Boysenberry Dark.  

I liked the way I made the end of the those last bookmarks so well I tried the end just by itself in #663 Bright Turquoise Dark. All of these bookmarks are in size 20.

Notice the center of the doodads?  There is an indent there, probably for a jewel.  Most of the time I make this the backside, using the other side where it's flat in the middle, as the front. Being bookmarks either side could be up so I added a little paint to the center.  It's white craft paint that can be used on metal.  I had seen some metal enamel by Martha Stuart at Micheal's a week or so ago and thought about trying it. The tube of enamel wasn't too bad, about $4, but you had to buy a tube of activator to make it work, and that was $14.  I decided to go with the FolkArt outdoor paint from Walmart instead, at $2 a bottle.  I'm just trying white right now, I might try other colors later. 

Anyone else having kind of odd weather this spring?  Other than a few storms here and there we've been having pleasant, cool weather here, but Oklahoma just can't seem to get a break from the weather, one storm front after the other going through.  My prayers go out to all the families that have been effected by the severe weather down there.

"It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it."

Amelia Barr

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Doodads in the middle

Just a couple of motifs with a doodad in the middle

I was inspired to buy more doodads ('links' in the catalog) and see what I could come up with using them.  It took quite a while to look through all that is available at Fire Mountain Gems - wow, there are a lot of things you can get to make jewelry!

I'm actually thinking of making snowflakes with doodads in the center, and maybe beads, for Christmas this year.  Not sure I'd call either of these a snowflake but I think they came out okay.

This motif has a gold link in the center and gold beads I already had.  I put a ring at the top but I'm not sure if it should be for a necklace or another zipper pull. The thread is Lizbeth #652  Royal Blue in size 20. 

#6 in my 25 Motif Challenge

#7 of the 25 Motif Challenge

This one is also in Royal Blue - it was on the shuttles already - but the center link was part of a chain bought at Walmart.  I used gun-metal seed beads instead of silver.  I'm sure I like them that much but that's what I used so I'll have to live with it. I changed my mind mid-stream while working on this so one side is a little wonky.  I have no idea what I will do with this. 

Choosing to use beads and other jewelry findings is a bit of a challenge for me, taking me out of my comfort zone.  It's good for me :-)

"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it."

Buddy Hackett

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Diane's Double Dare

 Diane dared us to! 

She double-dared us! 

Then she enabled us by sending us doodads!

Isn't she a special lady?

She sent me two 1/2 inch doodads with eight petals.  I thought about it a little bit, then found some thread and beads that worked well together and gave it a try. 

My first try is made in Lizbeth #662, Turquoise Lt in size 20 with matching seed beads. 

You can't see it in this picture but it didn't want to lay flat, it was three dimensional.  Because of the length of the chains on the outside round every other leg was raised.  It looked pretty cool but made it a real bear to photograph.   

I liked the result well enough that I thought I'd try it again but shorten up the chains a bit. 

My second try is made in Lizbeth #638, Christmas Green and silver seed beads.

The reflection off the silver beads and the doodad really made this hard to capture with a picture.  And the darker thread made finding a good background hard, too.  The picture doesn't show just how striking the green thread set off the silver beads and center.  In person this looks much, much better!

Thank you, Diane, for sending me the doodads, and for daring me to use them!  These are #5 in my current 25 Motif Challenge. 

p.s I have posted the pattern on the Pattern Page if you're interested.

"Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare."

Dale Carnegie

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