“Reverse work” and “turn work” are techniques in tatting that are so simple that they usually get little to no explanation. Yet when I was learning to tat, these techniques confused me at times, and I still feel there is more to these seemingly simple tricks.
THE BASICS
All right, let’s start with the basics. To “reverse work,” you turn whatever you are tatting upside down. Then continue tatting in the new direction. That’s it. If you’d like to view this in action, watch my video on combining rings and chains. Patterns abbreviate reverse work as RW.
To “turn work,” you simply turn your tatting over from left to right like turning a page in a book. Same deal as the reverse work, except in a horizontal instead of vertical direction. You will see this in patterns as TW or “turn.”
The concepts are simple enough, but putting them into practice can sometimes be a bit confusing. This is mostly because not all patterns tell you when to RW or TW, and you have to know when to apply the concepts. So let’s talk some theory.
A LITTLE THEORY
- Tatting is always made in a clockwise direction. That is, the whole project, as well as individual sections within a larger project.
- Tatting stitches have a natural curve to them. Notice that the top of each double stitch is a bit wider than the bottom, and that when you bunch up a bunch of them next to each other the bottoms curve in together.
- Each ring or chain you tat will follow the direction of the stitches, but that is not always clockwise.
So unless you only want to tat in circles—that is, rings—you’ll have to make those curves go which way you want them to go.
LET’S PRACTICE
Take this pattern as an example. R 3-3-3-3-12. Ch 6-6. R 12-6-6. Try it with me, and pay attention to the curve of the stitches. As I tat the first ring, the stitches curve clockwise. Then I close the ring and get ready to make the chain. If I continue the chain at the base of the ring,
the stitches will follow the curve of the ring, clockwise, but when I turn the ring upright the stitches go off to the left, counterclockwise.
That’s not what I want. I want the chain to go toward the right.
To fix this, when I finish the ring I will turn it upside down and then make my chain. Now I have reversed the ring so the bottom is up and the back of the stitches are facing me. When I continue tatting the chain in a clockwise direction, I am making the front of the chain stitches to align with the back of the ring stitches.
When I then turn the ring the normal way up, the the back of the chain stitches will be on the same side as the front of the ring stitches, and the chain is going to the right.This is what I want. The ring and chain are both moving toward a clockwise direction.
To finish the pattern above, I’ll make one more ring. At the end of the chain I will again RW so the second ring is facing the same direction as the first one.There you have it. Turn work is the same thing as reverse work, except flipping horizontally.
In this pattern the rings and chain curve in different directions, so we needed to reverse that curve between each ring and chain. This is completely normal. You will almost always RW when you switch between rings and chains.
Some patterns will create interesting design elements by reversing work in unexpected places, or not reversing work where you normally would.
WHEN TO REVERSE OR TURN
Since the point of RW or TW is to change the direction that the stitches curve, look for places in patterns when you want the curve to go a direction it naturally wouldn’t. This will usually be between rings and chains, but another common place is between separate elements of a design.
When you finish one section of a pattern, look closely at how the next one will connect. If the pattern is written or abbreviated, try drawing it out as a diagram to get a better visual idea of where each part will lay. If the pattern is already diagrammed, trace the order you will make each bit with your finger. Each place you pause to turn your finger (or pencil) is a likely place to reverse or turn your work.
TO REVERSE OR TO TURN
That is the question. Whether you will either reverse or turn the work in any given spot is not all that complicated, for two reasons.
- It doesn’t really matter most of the time.
- When it does matter, it will be specified in the instructions.
Hunh? Doesn’t it matter? Well, yes and no. There are times when it will matter to make the pattern look right. If you turn it and the curve is going the wrong way, backup and try reversing instead. Also, if the pattern makes a point of emphasizing one or the other, then there is usually a design reason.
MIXING IT UP
However, the two terms have long been used interchangeably, so what one designer means by “turn” is often what another will mean by “reverse.” This is especially true in vintage patterns, as there was no distinction between the two until around the middle of the 20th century.
Even today, though many modern designers try to differentiate between them, some do not, so it is not always possible to tell in a casual reading of a pattern which term is really meant.
There is one more factor to muddle things up. In this picture of closing a ring, notice that the ring is more or less upside down.
When finishing a ring, some tatters immediately turn it upright, give it a final tug, and consider that the “end position,” while some tatters call the upside down position the “end” because that is the way the ring looks when they finish closing it.
Which way is the “end?” If having the thread coming out of the top is the final position of the ring, then you don’t need to turn it upside down to flip the stitches; you only need to turn it over sideways. But if the thread coming out of the bottom of the ring is the end, then flipping it vertically will both change the direction and the side the stitches are facing.
So, when an author is writing a pattern, their point of view will make a difference in the directions they give. Since they might “finish” their rings in a different direction than you do, when they indicate “reverse,” you might need to “turn,” and vice versa.
TO END WITH HOPE
If all of this sounds complicated, take heart that putting this into practice is not as difficult as it seems. If you get stuck and are not sure whether to flip the stitches over, or which way to go, just try one out and see how if it works. You’ll be able to tell after just a few stitches if it is turning in the right direction.
With a little experience, all of this will become easier to sort out. Though I sometimes still have to pause and figure my way through a pattern, it is much easier after years of developing a better understanding of what I am looking for. I hope this exploration will dramatically shorten the process for you.
This post is part of a series of Absolute Beginner Tatting Lessons. Go back to the previous lesson, Starting with Two Threads and Hiding Ends Under Picots, or jump ahead to the next lesson, Reading Patterns and Making Projects, Part 2.
Great post. I always put instructions at the end of each line as I’ve learnt by experience that it’s useful especially when taking tatters in a slightly different direction to the usual.
Jane, that would be really helpful, thanks for including the instructions.
Heather,
That is the BEST instruction I have ever read on this topic. I am dyslexic and have to re-invent the wheel every tat. Your explanation made it past my comprehension barrier to understanding WHY I have to reverse. Thank you!
Fox : )
Fox, Wow, I am so glad this helped. I was afraid I was making it more complicated than it needed to be.
I, also, am dyslexic, and big surprise, I have the same problem. I figured a way to keep the RW and Turn figured. The W is two arrows pointing down, and Turning is like turning a page in a book. That really helped me out. I love your website and now is on my Favorites. Thanks so much.
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Ok, another thing I’m confused about ( and I’m sorry, I know there’s a lot) is when it says to turn, the shuttle thread is already cuming out of the side of the ring it’s supposed to be. If I flipped it pver like turning a book page, wouldn’t I also have to flip it upside down so the thread would still be on the right hand side. Other wise, wouldn’t it be crossing over the ring? I’m having a really hard time with this for some reason.
Sam, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The tricky bit about all of this is that not everyone holds their project in the same direction, so sometimes when it seems natural for the designer to turn or reverse the work, you don’t need to. The important thing is for you to be able to tell in what direction you need the stitches to go, and what direction you need to hold the tatting to make that happen.
If your thread is already coming out of the side of the ring where it looks like it should, and the stitches from there will go in the direction they should, then you can safely ignore the direction to turn. Use your own best judgment. Hope this helps. –And you’re not asking too many questions! Keep ’em coming.
Thanks! Figuring out the clockwise direction thing helped so much! I’ve finally got a pattern going.
Great!
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I’ve been working your tutorials in order and thought I was doing fine until I came to a screeching halt at “Tatting is always made in a clockwise direction. That is, the whole project, as well as individual sections within a larger project.” I’m left handed and started with your left handed video, then I took your subsequent videos, downloaded them to my pc and flipped them. Should I not have done this? My rings work in a counterclockwise manner, and the pieces (for example the hen and chicks piece) progress from right to left. Is this going to be a big problem?
Hi Laurie, congratulations on your tatting successes so far. About tatting clockwise, I guess I hadn’t considered the long-term implications of left-handed tatting. I honestly can’t imagine there being a problem with your going counterclockwise, as long as you are consistent.
When you are looking at new patterns, especially diagrammed patterns, you will need to know which direction you usually make the work in, in your case counterclockwise. That way you can see which part to do first, second, etc. and can plan your route around the pattern.
I hope this makes sense to you. If you have any other questions, let me know and I will be happy to do my best to talk you through it. Good luck!
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I thnk as long as I mirror the images I’ll be able to keep up.
I am doing fine with stitches and things but I am having issues with the thread that goes around my left hand getting tighter. Is there a way that I can prevent that? Tips please!
This will always happen to some extent, but you can learn to minimize it. What I do is after every couple of stitches I flex my left fingers out and then in once, allowing the thread around them to slide through slightly and not slowly strangle my fingers. Hope this helps.
I am having the hardest time figuring out how to make the chains in the reverse work without making a ring. Can you please Make a video throughly explaining how to do the reverse/turn work?
I will put that on my list of videos to make in the future, but unfortunately I don’t have the time now to make more.
As to making the chain without it turning into a ring, all that you are doing is switching the two shuttles so the thread is in different hands. You will end up making the stitches exactly the same way, and the chains exactly the same way. Hope this helps a little.
I agree with what Fox said. This is the best explanation on this topic I’ve read and like you stated in the article, it may be easy for someone who has tatted for years, but it is hugely confusing and frustrating for a beginner. I’ve been trying to tat both needle and shuttle for almost a year and was going to stop trying because I could not get my rings and chains to flow correctly….I did the exercise in the article and it came out beautiful…..you are very smart and I’m glad you are choosing to teach….thank you!
I am a left handed tatter. I learned many years ago, sitting across from my right handed grand mother. I can tat with two shuttles, I just can’t get the reverse work to work correctly, no matter what I try. Do you have any advice for me? Or should I just start teaching myself to tat right handed?
I am learning to tat, and have finished 2 doilies, although I’m not really pleased, as I seem to get the rings twisted, somehow. Anyway, your lessons/tips/etc are very helpful. I’m trying to make a doily from a 1984 Workbasket, and it says to “rw” which I understand, but what’s confusing me is that if I do that, then the picots are going up, and the rings are going down, and the pattern shows a “loop”/arch with 2 p, then 3 rings, then 2 p, the p’s and rings are all UP on the arch. Does this mean I really won’t flip (rw) from my ring to my chain? Just continue the rings as if they are picots, and go on? Sometimes, I think it’s easier to just look at the picture and go, but somehow I’m making a mess, still. Thank you so much for having this site to come to (and the videos), so we can perpetuate this beautiful craft. You can email me, if you prefer (assuming you answer, at all), or post here, and I will continue to look for an answer.
This is probably going to sound strange, but I can’t be the only person who has ever had this problem. I am just learning to tat and I am having a pretty successful and annoyance time, but I noticed in this tutorial you mentioned that tatted stitches usually have a natural curve to them and I am concerned that perhaps I am doing something wrong. When I close my rings they are fine, but my chains are perfectly straight with no natural curve. I can easily manipulate them when I am connecting rings and give the chains the curve they should have, but why do my chains not naturally curve? I don’t think my stitches are loose, but that’s the only explanation I can manage. Any advice would help. Thanks and I love your turorials!!
I’m a beginner and decided to tat the Heart’s Desire pattern. I did fine until I got to the end of the pattern which creates the bottom of the heart. At this point, I’m confused. Do I tie off and start the pattern over and sew the two pieces together or work the other side of the heart reading the pattern “backwards”?
Thank you. I enjoyed reading your article and learned a lot.
Cherrie
I’m a beginner shuttle tatter. I have a question regarding do not reverse while tatting with 2 shuttles. I’m tatting a chain and the pattern reads do not reverse and make a ring. At this point, my chain thread is still on top. Since I am not reversing my work does this mean my chain shuttle now becomes my ring shuttle. Noting my ring shuttle thread is on the bottom. Sincerely would appreciate your assistance.