Tatting Shuttle Collection

I officially started my tatting shuttle collection on June 12, 2012.  Even though I already owned 2 plastic tatting shuttles since I was around 12 years old, it was not until then that I decided to collect them and started spending hours online learning more about the history of tatting and the different shuttles out there. I will post pictures of my tatting shuttle collection here, hope you enjoy them.

LAST PAGE UPDATE: February  24, 2013

SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST UPDATES OR CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE LATEST PICTURES 

• Celulloid BUCILLA tatting shuttles
• Tatting shuttle with Colorful Confetti Design
• Clear Tatting Shuttle
• Pearlescent tatting shuttle
• Rubber tatting shuttle by N.R.Co
• Detach-a-bobbin Tatting Shuttle

ENGLISH
The firsts Milward tatting shuttles were produced in England around the 1930s in plain black.

The Milward tatting shuttle was later produced between the 50s and the 80s in black and white plastic with an orange sticker with the Millward name on the center.

These shuttles were sold with a crochet hook.

In 1933 a very light aluminium tatting shuttle was produced marked "AERO ENGLAND". This shuttle was most commonly found without a pick, as a pick was not very popular int the UK.

This shuttle could still be found until the 1960's.

The AERO model is very special for me, it is the tatting shuttle that Ceci uses for her tatting work.






The aluminium Aero shuttle was later replaced with a plastic Aero tatting shuttle, originally produced in England. This shuttle is made out of plastic, has  a built in crochet hook and detachable bobbin.


Shuttle is marked "MADE IN ENGLAND"




I don't have much information on this shuttle, it came from the UK and can be seen on some English publications.

It is plastic and translucent.







Below are six plastic tatting shuttles produced in the UK probably from 1930 -1960. These tatting shuttles have very bright colors and very robust. Similar tatting shuttles can be found in Pam Palmer's book "Tatting Shuttles - Related Tools & Accessories" in page 66.

UPDATED 2/24/13 This clear tatting shuttle is very unique, I don't have much information on it, came from England.

CONTEMPORARY

TATSY


These are contemporary tatting shuttles called "TATSY", they are made out of plastic and  molded with the TATSY logo and slogan: "Tatting Made Easy". The TATSY tatting shuttle is large, measuring 1 1/4 x 4 1/4 and allows for large amounts of thread. In the picture on the right is a TATSY tatting shuttle next to a clover plastic tatting shuttle for size comparison. The TATSY tatting shuttles can be found in various colors both solid and translucent.

Pearl Cotton No. 3              -31 yds.
Pearl Cotton No. 5              -53 yds.
Pearl Cotton No. 8              -95 yds.
Crochet Cotton No. 10       -101 yds.
Crochet Cotton No. 20       -122 yds.
Crochet Cotton No. 30       -140 yds.
Crochet Cotton No. 40       -145 yds.
Tatting Cotton No. 70        -210 yds.



BOYE

Tatting shuttle by the Boye Company, originally produced in red, yellow, green and white, but can now be found in various other colors. (1952)













Boye Improved tatting shuttles (1923)

One marked "PAT APR 17, 23" discontinued on 1943.

Second tatting shuttle has no patent date mark, this shuttle produced starting1947 can still be found today.




Tatting shuttle by the Boye Needle Company. This shuttle introduced a swing arm to remove the bobbin. In the picture below two marked "PAT APPLD FOR" and one marked "PAT. APRIL 10, 1917" 

SUSAN BATES

SUSAN BATES WHITE DOT 

Tatting shuttle produced by the C.J.Bates company, marked "Susan Bates" " WHITE DOT", "PAT. APPD FOR", produced both with and without a pick, in red, black, white, blue and green. (1937)

These are other colorful examples of Susan Bates "WHITE DOT".

Susan Bates tatting shuttle produced after the 'Boye Improved' patent for its shuttle expired. (1940)

This shuttle, like the 'Boye Improved' can still be found today. 

ARTISTIC
CELLULOID ART DECO DESIGN 

Unmarked tatting shuttle made of celluloid with an art deco design. Estimated to be produced around 1920.











PUMPKINSEED 
The pumpkinseed was produced in different colors: ivory, pink, blue, black. and different sizes.








PEARLESCENT
UPDATED 2/24/13 These two pearlescent tatting shuttles are just beautiful. They both have different colors on both sides. Estimated to have been produced between 1920 and 1930. The pictures below show front and back views of these shuttles.


GREAT DESIGNS
THE PARKER PATENT 

This tatting shuttle has an internal bobbin that can be turned using a small handle that comes with it, unfortunately I don't have the one that came with this shuttle. The first parker tatting shuttles where primary made out of bone.


In my collection, a parker tatting shuttle design in real tortoiseshell.

Side view of the parker tatting shuttle









This shuttle design was patented on April 7, 1868 with trademark No. 76512.

If you want to see the complete patent documentation you can click on the following link: PARKER TATTING SHUTTLE PATENT










GODDARD 
In the picture below the tatting shuttle on the right is the Goddard tatting shuttle with removable bobbin. Produced in two different sizes, most commonly found in French ivory. It is marked "TRADE MARK GODDARD SHUTTLE PAT.PENDING"  (1914)

In the picture below the tatting shuttle on the left has a similar design to the Goddard shuttle, marked "PAT APL" (1917)

A side view of  two Goddard tatting shuttles, french ivory:

Detach-a-Spool by the Justrice Manufacturing Company.

This is one of my favorite shuttles to work with. They are marked "PAR APPLD FOR", however the patent was never filled for this shuttle.







UPDATED 2/24/13"Detach-a-Bobbin"tatting shuttle produced previous to the 'detach-a-spool' that uses the long sewing machine bobbin. -  (1915-1920) I am very happy to finally have one as part of my collection.

The Detach-a-Spool shuttle was later produced by the Hero Manufacturing Co. (1948)

Tatting shuttle by the Justrite Manufacturing Company. The Justrite tatting shuttle was designed to twist apart.

(1917)

Pelc two bobbin tatting shuttle. Patented in 1998 by Lauren Pelc.  It has two removable bobbins.











THE ROYAL

Royal shuttles manufactured by Justrice Manufacturing Company, different sizes. 1915-1940

Two of the shuttles have a cylindrical rivet in the center, this model was introduced around 1930.

RUBBER

UPDATED 2/24/13 This is a rubber tatting shuttle, is is marked 'N.R.Co' which stands for Novelty Rubber Company. These shuttles were produced in the United States in 1851 in NYC.

More rubber shuttles, all of these are unmarked.

GIVEAWAYS 

C.J.Bates bone shuttles, given away as advertisement premiums.

These shuttles are carved with leaf shapes.

Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co. tatting shuttle, was given away for filling out a questionnaire. Made out of French Ivory.
(1917-1921)

The back of the Lydia Pinkham shuttle reads "Yours for Health" "Vegetable Compound"

These tatting shuttles were given out to promote the Carnation Evaporated Milk. 1920s

Came in two sizes, with and without a pick and in five different colors: white, black, tortoiseshell, pink and blue.

In my collection there is a tortoiseshell with pick and pink with no pick.






GLORIA

The Gloria tatting shuttle produced by the MCoy & Jones Co. These shuttles are found on ivory, white, tortoiseshell and black. They were produced in two different sizes, with the smaller shuttles being produced with or without a pick. Marked "Trade Gloria Mark"

In my collection, a small french ivory pick-less Gloria Tatting shuttle.

I added two more Gloria shuttles to my collection: a small tortoiseshell imitation and a large black tatting shuttle. In the picture below the three Gloria shuttles:

ORIGINAL PACKAGE
HERO
Tatting shuttles by the Hero Manufacturing Co. 1951-1960 . These hero tatting shuttles are in their original display cards.

PLASTIC & CELLULOID

Various celluloid tatting shuttles of different colors with round edges. The first two have a pick, the other three are pick-less.

Very nice plastic baby blue vintage tatting shuttle.

TILCO

Tatting shuttles by the Tilco & Cook Co. (1945)

Colors black and white in my collection.

BUCILLA

UPDATED 2/24/13 Celluloid tatting shuttles marked 'BUCILLA' 'REG.U.SPAT.OFF' Came in various sizes and different colors, pink, blue, ivory, white and black. (1916)

Assorted plastic and celluloid shuttles...

VINTAGE AND COLORFUL

Another two plastic tatting shuttles with beautiful colors and designs, unmarked most probably from the 1940's - 1950's

No markings in these colorful plastic tatting shuttles.

Most probably produced between 1930-1960







Another unmarked tatting shuttle.












This tatting shuttle is marbled with tones of burgundy and gray. I am not sure of the age of this shuttle, a similar one can be found in Heidi Nakayama's Book "Tatting Shuttles of American Collectors" stated to be from the 1930's

UPDATED 2/24/13 A nice tatting shuttle with a very colorful confetti design.




GERMAN SILVER

German silver shuttles. With and without a pick.
(1917 - 1920)

 Marked "Ger.Silver"

German silver shuttles. Large and small sizes. 

 Marked "Ger.Silver"

STERLING SILVER AND ENAMEL

American sterling shuttles 1910-1940. Different manufactures: Nussbaum & Hunold (N&H) and Webster. Two shuttles are enameled, beautiful blue and green, hard to find.

NATURE SHUTTLES
WOOD SHUTTLES

This is a contemporary wooden shuttle. Pretty design shaped as a fish. 

Came from South America. 

Here are five special wood shuttles. Two of them are tartanware: 
STUART- completely made out of wood, this shuttle appears in the cover of Pam Palmer book "Tatting Shire Album 323". 
MC. FARLANE - wood with metal post. 

These are bone shuttles, most of them came from Europe.

This tatting shuttle came from Europe, it is bone imitation in a plastic like material.

Abalone shuttles, not sure if they are old. Beautiful colors, hard to capture with the camera.

The two largest shuttles are carved bone. The smallest one, probably the oldest of the set, has a more elaborated design in Cantonese style made of carved ivory.

The shuttles are beautiful in design but not practical to tat with as they do not allow for much thread. Mid-nineteenth century.

HORN

These tatting shuttles came from England. They are horn inlaid with silver and mother of pearl. 

Common in the nineteenth and twentieth century in Great Britain. 

TORTOISE 

These three tatting shuttles are made out of plastic - tortoiseshell imitation.

This shuttle is vintage, real tortoiseshell.

STARTING MY COLLECTION
UPDATED: June 20, 2012

Like many of my other collections, I started my search on eBay, my first buy added to my shuttle collection 6 new items:

-2 celluloid large celluid, pink and green.
-1 celluloid tatting shuttle: small and beige.

-1 Red plastic Boye shuttle.
-1 Susan Bates white dot red tatting shuttle.

-1 Royal Brass tatting shuttle.

UPDATED: June 12, 2012

My first two tatting shuttles a red and blue plastic Clover shuttles.  This is a picture of the red one, I am still looking for the blue one :(   it must be somewhere around my house.

When I started my shuttle collection I did not know much about these beautiful items. This book helped me a great deal, and I really recommend it to anyone interested in collection shuttles or just interested in knowing the history behind this needlework tool.

"Tatting Shuttles of American Collectors"
-Heidi Nakayama