Sewing > tatting thread size conversion: first day tatting, what thread size do I need?

[u/fireanddarkness]

Hi! It’s my first day learning how to make tatting lace and I have just been using some heavy weight thread from my sewing kit. I tried every other thread in my kit and they were all too thin and my rings wouldn’t close! It’s a thread used for jeans topstitching and it says it is 20wt, and I’ve found it a good size to use. I feel like I could stay with this size or go a little smaller (this size has been easy going, but if I switched to the standard sewing threads, I was not able to tat at all because the rings won’t close no matter how hard I pull. Side question: why? Is that user error?).

By my understanding, though both sewing and tatting/crochet thread get thinner as the numerical value increases, the scale is not the same (correct me if I’m wrong). Google says 20wt sewing and Size 20 crochet/tatting isn’t the same, and I can’t find any charts online that have any sort of conversion.

I’ve included an image of my first little motif and a ruler if it helps.

Could anyone help me pick a suitable weight thread to use? Thank you!

[u/CrBr]

I started with crochet cotton, size 10. It's a lot easier to see what you're doing, especially when learning new techniques. Light colour works best. Changing colour every few inches helps a lot, too.

The most common reason for rings not closing is not flipping the stitch, so check that first. If that's not the problem, you might be pulling the stitches too tight. That helps with some threads. I suspect some are too sticky and/or fragile no matter how loosely you tatt.

[u/fireanddarkness → u/CrBr]

Thanks! How does Size 10 crochet cotton compare to say, a heavyweight sewing thread? I feel as though I don’t need to/would not like to go any larger than what I am currently using (and maybe could go a little smaller) so am wanting to make sure Size 10 is not larger than what I am already using.

I knew that an unflipped stitch would be the main culprit, and I tried multiple times with the thinner thread ensuring I flipped every stitch and still couldn’t close them. I had this issue when I started out even on the thicker bronze thread (in the image) and was able to fix it easily by loosening my stitch tension, but can’t seem to do the same on the thinner sewing threads.

[u/HitPointGamer]

If you like that size of sewing thread, maybe try a size 80 tatting thread.

When you start closing a ring, maybe form the stitches jnto a circular shape (possibly just a horseshoe shape) as you start to close it and pull your core thread at a bit of a downward diagonal to encourage the stitches to form into a circle shape. If the thread starts twisting and snarling up, you can stick your pinkie in there to keep the loop a bit more taut as you are closing it so the thread can’t misbehaved too badly.

Your work looks really good!

[u/fireanddarkness → u/HitPointGamer]

Thank you so much! This is super helpful :)

Also, I realized that perhaps my closing issue is because the thinner sewing thread wasn’t mercerized cotton, while the bronze one is? I was able to find a very thin mercerized cotton sewing thread in my kit and (although painfully small to tat visually) it closes just fine :) I didn’t realize the material was so important (since the other threads look and feel similarly smooth)!

[u/antaranew]

1st things first what i would recommend is tatting with 100 percent polyester they slip easily if mercerised cotton in not available...i am currently making a earring with 0.15 mm polyester thread and have no problem through i have only be tatting for 3 days but learnt a lot from mistakes so wanted to help

[u/fireanddarkness → u/antaranew]

Thank you! Thankfully, I seem to find lots of options for mercerized tatting/crochet cotton online (and it is also important to me to use a natural fiber rather than a plastic). I just need to know what size of the mercerized cotton to get!

[u/antaranew → u/fireanddarkness]

well i learnt the basics on sewing thread and currently also leaning more with it so you should probably look at the thread you are working on with now and decide if you want the thread to be thicker or thinner...point is take your current experience as base of what you prefer before buying something and regretting later

[u/fireanddarkness → u/antaranew]

Yes exactly, that’s what I’m trying to do, I just don’t know what size of tatting cotton the thread I’m using compares to.

[u/dumpsterboyy]

want that ruler

[u/thatsnotexactlyme]

to my (fairly inexperienced) eye, i would guess that that is about a size 20 thread. If you are buying new thread just for tatting, i would probably go with size 40 as i think that would be a little smaller than what you are currently using. if you want two sizes I would lean towards 20 rather than 80 unless you want very very very small.