When the beautiful wife of David Gaylord, one of MatterHackers’ esteemed designers, came to him with a problem, 3D printing was his solution. Gaylord’s wife, who works with autistic children, found that she was having a difficult time training her younger students how to tie their shoes.

“She asked if I could design and print something to help her with shoe tying training at work. It needed to be portable, sturdy, and replicate a shoe that is easy to lace. She wanted to print a few of them in bright colors with the intent of having a familiar object at the house, school, and office for training continuity.” Gaylord said, “So I got to work.”

The Bunny Loop

Gaylord digitally designed a strong mock shoe, made with holes for lacing. Eight hours later, the printed prototype was ready, and the Bunny Loop was born.

The Bunny Loop, named after the “bunny loop” method of tying shoes, is a plastic print that looks similar to an old-school wooden shoe shaper, mimicking the classic sneaker. To honor the name and legendary shoe-tying method, Gaylord included a playful outline of a bunny's ears, nose, and whiskers etched into the top of the replicated shoe.

 

The Bunny Loop in Action

The Bunny Loop has proved to be extremely effective:

“She came home very pleased. It worked great, and was very repeatable. The ability to have the same mock-up shoe at their house, school, and therapy office made all the difference,” Gaylord said.

Gaylord’s wife recommends the Bunny Loop to anyone who needs concentrated training to tie shoes. This led another MatterHackers team member to give the Bunny Loop a try:

“Not only was it helpful, but it was more fun. She loved working on it, and showed no signs of frustration,” said Christopher Moore, a member of the MatterControl Support team, who introduced his daughter to the Bunny Loop. 

So, whether you are a fan of the bunny loop tying method, or a tried and true loop-and-swoop connoisseur, the Bunny Loop will help anyone avoid meddling knots when perfecting the art that is shoe tying.

Moore's daughter, Savannah, practicing on the Bunny Loop.

Download the Bunny Loop for free in the Digital Design Store!

Bunny Loop