Improver · about 12 minutes · 5 strokes
Reverse shells practice sheet (tip 21, free PDF)
Quick answer
The reverse shells sheet is free to download and print. It is an improver sheet for open star tip 21 with 5 strokes of shells and takes about 12 minutes: print the A4 or US Letter PDF at 100%, pipe over the grey shapes in the numbered order, then photograph it for a score out of 100.
Shells that lean one way, then the other, so they hug into a rope. Great for tall or vertical borders.
You need a piping bag with tip 21 (open star).
Free for personal practice. Print at 100% scale ("actual size").
What the reverse shells sheet trains
Reverse shells lean one way, then the other, so they hug together into a rope. They suit tall or vertical borders, which is why most of this sheet runs top to bottom: two rows across the top, then three columns down the page.
Pipe one shell leaning left, the next leaning right, and keep the tails tucked in. The second row has a little more swing, so let each shell curl into the one before. On the columns, turn your wrist and work down the line, staying relaxed so the shells match all the way to the long, even pull on the last tail.
- On the sheet
- 5 strokes of shells, 71 cm of piped line
- Bead size
- 11 mm wide
- Speed
- 10 mm a second
- Bag angle
- at 45°
- Squeeze rhythm
- squeeze → ease → pull
- Separate starts
- 5: every line, unit or letter stroke begins with a fresh squeeze
Stroke by stroke
Bead is how wide the icing should be (or how big each unit is); speed is how fast to move along the line.
| # | What you pipe | Bead | Speed | Bag angle | Squeeze rhythm | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a 177 mm row of about 18 shells | 11 mm, every 10 mm | 10 mm/s | 45° | squeeze → ease → pull | Pipe one shell leaning left, the next leaning right, and keep the tails tucked in. |
| 2 | a 196 mm row of about 20 shells | 11 mm, every 10 mm | 10 mm/s | 45° | squeeze → ease → pull | A little more swing this time: let each shell curl into the one before. |
| 3 | a 111 mm row of about 11 shells | 11 mm, every 10 mm | 10 mm/s | 45° | squeeze → ease → pull | Now top to bottom: turn your wrist and work down the line. |
| 4 | a 111 mm row of about 11 shells | 11 mm, every 10 mm | 10 mm/s | 45° | squeeze → ease → pull | Stay relaxed: aim for matching shells down the whole column. |
| 5 | a 111 mm row of about 11 shells | 11 mm, every 10 mm | 10 mm/s | 45° | squeeze → ease → pull | Last column: finish with a long, even pull on the final tail. |
Print the PDF at 100% and check the bar at the bottom measures 10 cm, fit tip 21, pipe strokes 1 to 5 in order, then photograph the sheet from straight above with all four corner squares in view. Printing and photo tips.
Watch the ghost nozzle
Press play and pipe along with the green ghost: it moves at each stroke's target speed.
Stroke 1 of 5
Pipe one shell leaning left, the next leaning right, and keep the tails tucked in.
Mistakes to watch for on this sheet
Each column should look like one even rope. If the left and right shells are different sizes, count the same squeeze, ease and pull on both sides.
- Different sizes
Most likely on strokes 1 to 5 (shells). Count the same rhythm for every one (squeeze, ease, pull) so each gets the same amount of icing.
- Gaps and breaks
Most likely on strokes 1 to 5 (shells). Keep the same gentle squeeze all the way and only stop squeezing at the very end.
- Drifting off the line
Most likely on strokes 1 to 5 (shells). Hold the bag at 45 degrees and aim the tip right on the grey line, not beside it.
The reverse shells sheet in the 30-day challenge
The 30-day piping challenge uses this sheet on days 11 and 19. It comes after rosettes and before C and S scrolls.
- Day 11 · New sheetOne shell leaning left, the next leaning right, tails tucked in.
- Day 19 · RepeatRepeat of day 11. Aim for matching shells down the whole column.