Saturday, March 15, 2014

Thread Ends


Very rarely do I have just the exact amount of thread on my shuttles that I need for a project. I like to wind my shuttles continuous thread method and full. That could be wasteful, you know. All those thread ends have to end up somewhere. Some I just toss away (that's the wasteful part). Some I scatter all over the house (not intentionally -- it just happens -- more waste).  Some I make into bugs and flowers and hearts (hooray! useful!).  


What gets made depends on how much thread is left on the shuttle. Lots of thread gets turned into big butterflies or hearts, medium sized left-overs get turned into small butterflies or dragonflies, small bits of thread end up as caterpillars, spiders, flies or flowers.  Right now I have a box of bugs and flowers and a tin of hearts.

 What do you do with your thread ends?
(I take all these things to the tatting demonstration at the fair and give them away.)

10 comments:

Batty Tatter said...

Your pictures are very pretty. I leave thread on my bobbins and start a new project. Then when that runs out, I square knot some more on. But your pictures look like a collage. You could glue a lot down and frame it for a gift for someone. It's so pretty and colorful.

Miranda said...

Sadly, I mostly just toss mine, unless there's really way too much. I'm also more inclined to use up every bit of an HDT or other expensive thread; whereas with Lizbeth I don't care so much.

So what do you do with all the butterflies and flowers?

Ladytats said...

That is a lot of little cuties. Do you have plans for them? Diane at Lace Lovin librarianis using little tatted cuties as incentives for her student tatters. most of the 3rd 4th & 5th grades at her school are learning to tat.

As for me, if it is small amounts, I use them as magic threads, I am forever losing the ones I have. or larger amounts are wound back on the ball to be used later.

Valerie said...

Marty, you are not alone, aren't you glad I too have leftovers on my shuttle?! LOL
I used to tat butterflies. Lately I expanded to tat tiny hearts, and am looking to use them more meaningfully. I now have a huge ziplock bag (or are there already 3?!) full of these leftovers wound around bread tags! I accumulate more than I can tat. Oops. :D

Jane McLellan said...

I try to wind on just enough thread for a round or whatever, but still end up with short pieces. Jane E's very small butterfly is my favourite for using them up. I mostly give them away, though I've also used them on things like food covers. Oh yes, and I also finish up with bits of thread all over the house!

Margarets designer cards said...

Marty you do a very similar thing to me, left over bits are small butterflies and flowers, ends not big enough but still useful are put in a little bag, for butlterfly annteners or if I need a long end for something.
The waste bit is anything that is just too small to do anything with and it decorates the bin until emptied. I try not to waste too much.
Margaret

Lelia said...

I tatt doodles, too. I have a hard time throwing away the fiber left on shuttles. AND, I really like an empty shuttle to start anything.

I give them away, too.

Unknown said...

I saw a great idea on Pintrest, take a suet cage and put your string ends or yarn ends in them and hang them in a tree and the birds nests will be decorated with your scraps:)

God's Kid said...

Those all look fabulous!! And so many!! :) I have made some flowers and butterflies, but also tatted around rings too. :)

muskaan said...

OMG !!! Your collection of cute leftover thread doodles is amazing ; underlining the fact that you do tat a Lot :-)
I have also started using up leftover threads to make tiny flowers, etc.
The very short pieces, I use as markers for knitting. They don't fray easily, yet are not too thick to create spaces between stitches.