Buttonfly

You will need three buttons. Start with upper wings. jtb=joint to button, SLT=shoe lace trick. The joining picots between rings on the wings around the buttons can be adjusted - use larger picots for a larger button, small picots for a small button, to keep the wing from cupping.

R 3-3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3
*R3j3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3* repeat
R 3j3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3j3, ch 3-3-3, join to base of 1st ring
CH 3 jtb, ch5-2-9, slt
R 3-3-3, ch 3-3-3
*R 3j3-3, Ch 3j3j3 (joins are to upper wing) *R 3j3-3, Ch 3-3-3* repeat 2 more times.
R 3j3j3 - one half is finished
Ch 5
R 3-3-3, ch 3-3-3
* R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3* repeat 2 more times.
R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3j3, SLT
ch 9j2j5jtb3
R 3-3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3 R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3
* R 3j3jtb3-3, ch 3-3-3, R 3j3-3, ch 3-3-3* repeat
R 3j3jtb3-3, ch 3j3j3 (to lower wing), R 3j3j3, ch 3-3-3, tie into base of first ring of upper wing, hide ends.

Antenna:
R 8, Ch however long you want the antenna to be :-), jtb3jtb, ch, R 8, hide ends.

Spider!

Tatted spider - mine was tatted with Turkish Simli thread (black with silver metallic). You will need a 4-hole button.


Wind one shuttle and ball using CTM.

Head:
R 9 ds
Body:
//ch2 then make a really, really long picot - about two feet or so (probably don't need quite that long, but better safe than sorry!). Repeat 3 more times (4 really long picots), ch2.//
Shuttle join to any hole on button.

Chain enough ds to fit around 1/4 of button loosely (mine took 12). Shuttle join to next button hole. Repeat all the way around button, shuttle join last chain to first join.
Repeat section between //
Join to base of 1st ring.

Now cut each of the long picots about 1/2 up the right side of the picot, so you have a shorter end on the right and a longer end on the left. These will become your new 'shuttle and ball threads' (the shorter end is the "shuttle"). Fingertat a chain of 20 ds. Knot the ends and cut off, leaving a bit of thread for "claws". Repeat with each picot to make the 8 legs.

Stiffen and arrange the legs to look "spidery".

Simple Angel

I tatted up a variation of the SuperSimple Angel (a pattern that I need to overhaul) today using a button instead of a center ring. I thought it turned out cute, and it is very fast. Maybe make the head a little bigger next time around?

Button Cross

This pattern is very easy and quick to tat up. I've made these in size 10 crochet cotton for Easter or Christmas gift tie-ons.

clover: R 4-5-5-4, R 4j5-5-4, R 4j5-5-4

chain: 5-5 join to any hole of button 5-5

repeat clover

ch: 5j5 join to next hole in button 5-5-5-5

repeat clover

ch:5j5j5j5 join to next hole in button 5-5

repeat clover

chain: 5j5 join to last hole in button 5j5

tie into base of clover and finish off.

Adjusting the tension in the chains so that it "sits" right can be a bit tricky. I haven't found any perfect solution for that though...

I've also made this into a pendant (with a tiny mother-of-pearl button) - just attach a jumpring to the top picot, and run a ribbon through it to hang.