[A] See at the end of the concluding chapter, the table of numbers and
sizes and the list of colours of the D.M.C threads and cottons.
[Illustration: APPLIQUÉ WORK ON SATIN SET WITH FINE CORD.]
Miscellaneous fancy work.
As the plan on which this book was constructed rendered a systematic
classification of the different subjects it treats of necessary, a
certain amount of miscellaneous fancy work, which does not come under
any of the previous headings remains to be dealt with in the present
chapter. In most cases the illustrations and the accompanying directions
are but an application to a practical use of the different kinds of
stitches already described in previous chapters and those who are
familiar with all these various branches of needlework will have no
difficulty in understanding what follows.
KNOTTED CORD (figs. 831, 832, 833, 834, 835).—The knotted cord
referred to in the letter press belonging to figs. 772 and 773 in the
chapter on Irish lace, comes under the present heading: in making it,
the fingers take the place of a crochet needle.
You tie two ends of thread or braid together, take one thread in the
left hand fig. 831, and with the forefinger of the right, pull out a
loop long enough for the left forefinger to pass through and hold the
end of the thread tight with the little finger of the right hand.
Then draw the left forefinger backwards through the loop and behind the
thread that is round the loop and lies in the left hand, fig. 832. As
you lay the thread round the left forefinger, you must pass the knot
and the ends of thread as well, over into the left hand, and with the
right hand pull the thread that lies on the right and draw up the loop,
fig. 833.
[Illustration: FIG. 831. KNOTTED CORD. FIRST POSITION OF THE HANDS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 832. KNOTTED CORD. SECOND POSITION OF THE HANDS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 833. KNOTTED CORD. THIRD POSITION OF THE HANDS.]
In fig. 834, representing the fourth position of the hands, you are
shown how the forefinger of the right hand lifts up the thread and
passes through the loop on the left hand; the end will consequently also
pass immediately into the right hand and the left hand will tighten the
knot.
It is by thus drawing up first a loop on the right and then one on the
left that this pretty cord is produced.
Skilful hands will soon learn to make a cord of the same kind with four
threads, as follows: knot the four ends of thread together, make a few
knots, using two threads as one, then dropping the loop on your
forefinger, put the next one upon it and draw up the knot, passing
however the threads over those that you dropped. Then drop the loop you
have on your finger again and take up the first loops.
[Illustration: FIG. 834. KNOTTED CORD. FOURTH POSITION OF THE HANDS.]
For the cord made with double threads, represented in fig. 835 on a
magnified scale, use Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C or one of the other
materials mentioned at the foot of the illustration. Soutache D.M.C will
always be found to be very suitable for this purpose.
BALLS FOR TRIMMINGS (figs. 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841).—Amongst the
crochet patterns are two that are finished off with balls; to make
these, begin by cutting a number of rounds of cardboard, two for every
ball, with holes in the middle, fig. 836.
[Illustration: FIG. 835. KNOTTED CORD.
MATERIALS: Fil à pointer D.M.C Nos. 10 to 30, Coton à tricoter D.M.C
Nos. 6 to 12, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 3 to 25 or Soutache D.M.C Nos.
1 to 3.[A]]
If you have a great many balls to make it is well worth your while
providing yourself with a metal die of the proper size, to cut the
rounds with.
[Illustration: FIG. 836. BALLS FOR TRIMMINGS. CIRCLE OF CARDBOARD.]
[Illustration: FIG. 837. BALLS FOR TRIMMINGS. OVERCASTING THE CIRCLE OF
CARDBOARD.]
[Illustration: FIG. 838. BALLS FOR TRIMMINGS. CUTTING THE STITCHES ROUND
THE EDGE.]
[Illustration: FIG. 839. BALLS FOR TRIMMINGS. PUTTING IN THE LOOP.]
[Illustration: FIG. 840. BALLS FOR TRIMMINGS. CUTTING OUT THE
CARDBOARD.]
[Illustration: FIG. 841. BALL COMPLETED WITH LOOP ATTACHED.]
Lay two of these rounds together and cover them closely with stitches,
fig. 837, using for this purpose Coton à tricoter D.M.C (knitting
cotton) or Coton à repriser D.M.C (darning cotton).[A]
When the round is entirely covered, put the scissors in between the two
circles of cardboard and cut open the stitches all round the outer edge,
fig. 838; then draw a piece of thread between the two circles and knot
it firmly round the stitches that meet in the centre hole, fig. 839;
leave sufficiently long ends of thread hanging to form a loop by which
the ball can afterwards be fastened to the heading of the fringe; when
the stitches are knotted together you cut and pull out the cardboard,
fig. 840, and snip the thread with your scissors until it becomes quite
fluffy and the ball is perfectly round, as shown in fig. 841.
TAMBOUR WORK (figs. 842, 843, 844, 845).—Since the introduction of
the sewing machine, by means of which this charming kind of embroidery
can be so quickly and easily executed, it has somewhat gone out of
favour. As however, the fine patterns with a good deal of shading in
them, can be far more accurately worked by hand than by machine,
tambouring, which is in point of fact merely a form of crochet, has
lately been revived. The piece of stuff on which the tambour work is to
be done must be mounted on a frame.
[Illustration: FIG. 842. THIMBLE FOR TAMBOURING.]
[Illustration: FIG. 843. TAMBOUR NEEDLE.]
The loops which are made with a small hook, called a tambour needle,
form a fine chain stitch and must be regular and even; to facilitate
this a sort of thimble, fig. 842, is worn on the forefinger of the right
hand, formed of a small plate of sheet brass, rolled up but not joined,
so as to fit any finger; it is open at the top like a tailor’s thimble
and has a little notch on the side which is placed above the nail, and
in which you lay the tambour needle whilst you work. From the thimble
being cut slightly slanting at the top, it follows that the inside where
the two ends meet is a little shorter than the outside.
The thread is drawn through in a loop to the front of the work by means
of the hook, whilst it is held at the back in the left hand, and when
the needle is put downwards through the stuff, laid round it. The needle
in its downward and upward passage, should be kept in the notch in the
thimble and the stuff pressed down with the thimble, as the needle is
drawn up to the surface of the work, fig. 844.
[Illustration: FIG. 844. POSITION OF THE HANDS IN TAMBOURING.]
A little practice is necessary to acquire the right action of the hands,
there being always a tendency, the same as in tatting and macramé, to
confuse the movements of the two. As soon as you realize that the upward
drawing of the needle and the downward pressure of the stuff with the
thimble must be simultaneous, you will find that you can work with
great rapidity and with admirable results. Thread with a very strong
twist, which the hook will not split, is the only suitable kind for
tambouring. Of the D.M.C materials, Fil d’Alsace[A] and Fil à
dentelle[A] are the most to be recommended.
Numbers of patterns, originally intended for other kinds of embroidery
can be executed in tambour work; amongst those contained in this
Encyclopedia, figs. 192, 210, 216, 219, and 227 are the ones that are
best adapted to the purpose.
[Illustration: FIG. 845. DRAWING OUT THE THREAD WITH THE NEEDLE.]
SMYRNA STITCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET-NEEDLE (figs. 846, 847, 848,
849).—In the chapter on tapestry, p. 137 we remarked that Oriental
carpets and mats could be worked in different other ways, to be
subsequently alluded to at greater length.
[Illustration: FIG. 846. SMYRNA STITCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.
FIRST DETAIL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 847. SMYRNA STITCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.
SECOND DETAIL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 848. SMYRNA STITCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.
APPEARANCE OF THE KNOTS UNDERNEATH.]
[Illustration: FIG. 849. SMYRNA STITCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.
APPEARANCE OF THE WORK WHEN FINISHED.]
Smyrna stitch requires only a crochet needle and is worked on very
coarse canvas or Java linen. You take a coarse mesh of cotton, such as
Nos. 6, 8 or 10 of Colon à tricoter D.M.C (knitting cotton), cut it into
lengths of 8 c/m., fold two lengths together in half, stick in the
crochet needle from above, under two threads of the canvas, take hold of
the loop with the hook, fig. 846, and draw it in; then push out the
hook to seize the ends of the cotton and draw them through the loop
which is on the needle, as indicated by the little arrow in fig. 847.
The stitches or tassels should be two or three double threads of the
canvas apart. As you finish each row, comb the ends of the tassels out
carefully with a fine metal comb. When the whole piece of work is
finished shear the entire surface, quite even, with a pair of sharp
scissors. Fig. 849 shows a square of the work completed, presenting that
warm velvety appearance which distinguishes the Smyrna carpets.
[Illustration: FIG. 850. MALTA STITCH. FIRST DETAIL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 851. MALTA STITCH. SECOND DETAIL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 852. MALTA STITCH. THIRD DETAIL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 853. MALTA STITCH. FOURTH DETAIL.]
MALTA STITCH (figs. 850, 851, 852, 853, 854).—This stitch is much
used by the Maltese; it is the same as the «point tricot» excepting that
in the latter, the loops formed by the return of the thread are open and
the stitches packed very closely together, whereas in the Maltese work
there is always one close loop and two open tassels.
[Illustration: FIG. 854. MALTA EMBROIDERY. MATERIALS: Coton à repriser
D.M.C No. 25.[A] COLOURS: Jaune-vieil-Or 680, Vert-Mousse 469,
Bleu-Indigo 311 and Rouge-Cornouille 449.[A]]
It is worked as follows: take a thick bunch of lengths of Coton à
repriser D.M.C, pass it under two vertical threads of the stuff, from
right to left, fig. 850, leaving an end, 1 or 2 c/m. long, lying on the
surface of the work; put the needle in again under the two threads that
are in front of the first stitch and leave the tassel, formed by the
first stitch, above the one by which you bring the needle back between
the two stitches.
The needle must now follow the same course it took for the first stitch
and the thread must be drawn out far enough to form a loop as long as
the tassel; you then repeat the second stitch, carrying back the working
thread however this time above the loop, after which you cut the two
open ends the same length as the loop. In the Maltese work, three times
as many threads have to be left between the tassels as are covered by
the stitch.
Thus if your stitch cover 4 threads of the foundation, you should leave
12 threads between the tassels, and if it cover 6, you should leave an
interval of 18 threads, that the stuff may always be visible between the
little tassels or balls.
Fig. 854 represents a portion of a curtain, embroidered on Flemish linen
in the colours indicated at the foot of the engraving; these may be
arranged according to the taste of the worker.
Malta embroidery is mostly done on coarse coloured linen fabrics or on
single thread canvas.
TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH (figs. 855, 856, 857, 858, 859). Amongst the
many pretty stitches for which Turkish embroideries are distinguished,
there is one in particular, which though apparently very difficult, is
in reality quite the reverse; it resembles line stitch upon straight
threads, only that in the East it is generally worked in diagonal lines,
each row requiring two journeys to and fro.
In the first, fig. 855, the needle must always be carried, first over,
then under two threads in a diagonal line and so on to the end of the
row.
Coming back, you pass the needle under the stuff and the stitch on the
right side, and bring it out at the bottom of the stitch; then you make
a back stitch over two horizontal and two vertical threads, pass the
needle over two straight threads, put it in behind the same, bring it
out again near the upper stitch and then insert it near the bottom
vertical stitch; after this you carry it to the second stitch lower down
and pass it over the same. Four threads should meet in every hole which
the needle makes. The third and fourth row should be worked in a colour
that forms a sharp contrast with the one in which the two first rows are
worked and constitute with these one complete row of stitches, fig. 856.
Figs. 857, 858 and 859 show how the same stitch can be worked in
straight, instead of in diagonal rows.
[Illustration: FIG. 855. TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH WORKED DIAGONALLY.
FIRST JOURNEY COMPLETED AND SECOND BACK, BEGUN.]
[Illustration: FIG. 856. TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH WORKED DIAGONALLY.
TWO JOURNEYS TO AND FRO FORMING THE COMPLETE ROW.]
The dark shade in fig. 859 shows the first row of stitches, the light,
the second, or rather the third and fourth, as four rows of stitches are
required to make one complete row of triangular Turkish stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 857. TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH WORKED HORIZONTALLY.
FIRST JOURNEY.]
[Illustration: FIG. 858. TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH WORKED HORIZONTALLY.
FIRST JOURNEY BACK.]
PATTERN WORKED IN TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH AND GOBELIN STITCH (fig.
860).—The diagonal lines are all worked with Chiné gold and blue, and
gold and red. The stitch we have just described is most effective in
conjunction with other kinds of embroidery, as illustrated in fig. 860,
where it is combined with Gobelin stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 859. TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH WORKED HORIZONTALLY.
SECOND JOURNEY BACK.]
The running foundation is divided into slanting squares; the diagonal
lines are all worked in gold and red. The squares number 9 stitches
inside, these are followed by a tenth which is covered by the first
stitch of the next square. Where two kinds of coloured gold thread are
used, one square will be framed on all sides by one kind, say, gold and
blue for instance, the next by the other, gold and red.
[Illustration: FIG. 860. PATTERN WORKED IN TRIANGULAR TURKISH STITCH.
MATERIALS: Chiné d’or D.M.C. COLOURS: Gold and red, gold and dark blue,
gold and light blue, gold and green.]
The stalk that divides the two little leaves and has a small lozenge at
the top, is begun above the fifth of the 9 stitches; you make 5
stitches, but in such a manner as to end at the top of these 5 with the
stitch that runs in a diagonal direction over the threads, turned to the
inside of the stalk, so that the last stitch of the first row may form
with the first stitch of the second row, a triangle at the top of the
stalk, which is surmounted by the aforesaid lozenge.
The lozenges in Chiné gold and light blue, of which there are three in
each of the half squares, besides those that terminate the stalk,
consist of 9 stitches, the first, extending over 3 threads, the second
over 5, the third over 7, the fourth over 9 and the fifth over 11; the
four next decreasing in a similar manner. The leaves in Chiné gold and
green, on either side of the stalk, also begin with a stitch over 3
threads of the stuff, followed by 8, each increasing in length by one
thread on the side of the stalk, but all equal on the other, the last
extending over 12 threads of the stuff. After these 9, the subsequent 8
must decrease in the same manner by one thread on the opposite side;
then you make 4 more extending over only 3 threads and set the contrary
way to the others.
The zigzag border and the small squares of 5 stitches within it are
worked entirely in Chiné gold and red.
[Illustration: FIG. 861. TURKISH EMBROIDERY. MATERIALS: Chiné d’or D.M.C
No. 30 and Coton à broder D.M.C No. 40.[A] COLOURS—For the Chiné: Gold
and red, gold and dark blue and gold and green. For the Coton à broder:
Noir grand-teint 310.[A]]
TURKISH EMBROIDERY (fig. 861).—The powdering of flowers and also the
border are worked like the preceding pattern in two-sided Gobelin
stitch. Embroidery of this kind looks best on Algerian linen, which is
exactly like the Turkish stuff. It is not absolutely necessary to count
the threads for the little flowers and stalks, but it is as well to do
so for the border, that you may be sure to get the zigzags perfectly
regular.
The petals of the flowers are worked alternately in Chiné gold and red,
and gold and blue, the centre in Or fin D.M.C pour la broderie and the
leaves and stalks in Chiné gold and green. The petals are set with stem
stitch in fine black Coton à broder and if the embroidery is to be the
same on both sides this setting must be repeated at the back.
The distribution of colours in the border is left to the taste of the
worker, but we should recommend for the zigzags Chiné gold and red, as
being the most effective.
APPLIQUÉ WORK (fig. 862).—Appliqué work means the laying on of pieces
of one kind of stuff on to a foundation of a different kind, so as to
form a pattern—these pieces of stuff of various shapes and sizes,
taking the place of solid needle-made embroidery.
Appliqué work may be done on linen, silk, velvet, plush and leather. The
stuff out of which the pattern is cut has, in most cases, to be backed
first with very fine tissue paper.
This is done in the following manner with starch paste, which dries
quicker than any other. Spread the paste on the paper with a brush,
carefully removing all the little lumps; it should only be just liquid
enough to make the stuff and the paper adhere perfectly together and
above all must never penetrate to the right side of the stuff. When the
paper has been evenly spread with the paste, lay your stuff upon it and
smooth and press it down with a clean cloth, stroking it out carefully
in the line of the thread to prevent its becoming in the least dragged
or puckered, or any air remaining between it and the paper.
You next lay several sheets of paper without a mark or a fold in them,
on a perfectly smooth flat board, and upon these, your paper-lined
stuff, covered in its turn with several loose sheets of paper, all being
kept in their place by another board with several stones or heavy
weights laid upon it to act as a press. Leave the stuff in the press
until it be quite dry. You will find that any kind of fabric, even the
slightest, can be rendered available in this manner for appliqué work,
not even plush or velvet being in the least injured by the process.
You then transfer the whole pattern on to the foundation, whatever it
happen to be, but only the detached figures on to the paper-lined stuff,
carefully cutting out the latter with a very sharp pair of scissors so
as to avoid unravelling the threads along the edges.
The foundation, stretched in a frame, as described on page 115, fig.
236, is to be placed on a board or table in such a manner that only the
stuff rests upon it, whilst the frame projects on all four sides.
Then cover the cut-out figures with paste on the wrong side and fit them
into their proper places upon the foundation. In larger pieces of work
especially, this should be done as quickly as possible so that a board
with weights upon it, to serve as a press, may be laid over them all at
once.
The board must not be removed until the paste be dry; then you can begin
the needlework, fastening down the appliqué figures and finishing them
off round the edges by laying down a fine round, cord, or by flat
stitches.
[Illustration: FIG. 862. APPLIQUÉ WORK.]
You either sew on the cord with invisible stitches, opening it a little
at each stitch so as to slip the needle and thread in between the twist,
or else with ordinary overcasting stitches.
[Illustration: FIG. 863. MOROCCO EMBROIDERY. MATERIALS—According to the
stuff: Fil à pointer D.M.C, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C, Coton à broder D.M.C
or Coton à repriser D.M.C.[A] COLOUR: Rouge-Cardinal 346[A].]
In either case it must be so laid on as completely to hide the cut edges
and keep them from fraying.
Should you wish to frame the appliqué figures with flat embroidery, you
must bring your needle out close to the cut edge and enter it, 1 or 2
m/m. within the edge from above.
Both, cord and flat stitch setting, should be of a subdued shade and if
possible, of a colour to match the foundation.
MOROCCO EMBROIDERY (figs. 863, 864, 865, 866).—This work named after
the country where it was originated, belongs both to the class of darned
and damask embroidery.
[Illustration: FIG. 864. MOROCCO EMBROIDERY. QUARTER OF THE SUBJECTS OF
FIG. 863.]
In fig. 864, the stitches are formed by passing over 5 threads and
taking up the sixth. Coming back you take up the third of the 5 threads
first missed and proceed in the same manner over the whole surface of
the work, unless the lines of the pattern require you to depart from
this rule; as, for instance, in certain parts of fig. 864, where you
will notice stitches, carried over 7 or 8 threads; also in the borders,
fig. 865 and 866, where the stitches are arranged in a rather arbitrary
manner, in order to bring out the pattern more clearly.
Fig. 864 represents the fourth part of one of the subjects that make up
the design fig. 863; that is, four such, joined together, form one of
the squares of fig. 863.
[Illustration: FIG. 865. MOROCCO EMBROIDERY. SMALL OUTER BORDER OF FIG.
863.]
Figs. 865 and 866 are patterns of two little borders and an insertion,
suitable as a finish to fig. 863, which can be enlarged to any size by
the addition of other squares to those that are represented here.
[Illustration: FIG. 866. MOROCCO EMBROIDERY. BORDER AND INSERTION
SUITABLE FOR FIG. 863.]
Most of the stuffs, already so frequently alluded to in this work, can
be used as a foundation for this kind of embroidery, provided the right
working materials to go with it are chosen; Coton à tricoter or Fil à
pointer should only be used for the coarser stuffs, such as Rhodes linen
No. 1, or Russian linen and the different kinds of tammy cloth, whereas
the other kinds of D.M.C threads and cottons and especially the finer
numbers, are best adapted for embroidery on fine stuffs, such as Rhodes
linen No. 2, and Spanish or Algerian linen.
SPANISH EMBROIDERY (figs. 867 and 868).—Spanish embroidery consists
almost exclusively of button-hole stitch, fig. 171, and flat stitch, fig.
221.
[Illustration: FIG. 867. SQUARE OF SPANISH EMBROIDERY. MATERIALS: Or fin
D.M.C pour la broderie No. 40, Coton à broder D.M.C Nos. 50 and 100, or
Fil à dentelle D.M.C No. 80.[A] COLOURS: Bleu-Indigo 312, 322, 334 and
Bleu pâle 668.[A]]
The button-hole stitches, for which the more subdued shade of the colours
indicated should always be taken, or else yellow, dark or pale, to match
the gold thread, are made over two threads of gold and follow the
outlines of the pattern, which should be more or less appropriate to
this style of embroidery. One of the gold threads always keeps the
inside of the line and follows it throughout in an unbroken course,
whilst with the second, the outside one, you form picots, folding the
gold thread over from right to left and catching down the loop by a
button-hole stitch, which is introduced into the loop itself and carried
over the combined gold threads, as shown in the left corner of fig. 868,
representing one quarter of the whole design, where the position of the
needle and the way in which the picot is secured are plainly indicated.
For the scallops, a round material with rather a strong twist should be
used, such as Soie de coton D.M.C No. 100[A] or Fil à dentelle D.M.C
Nos. 70 to 100[A], wound on reels.
[Illustration: FIG. 868. QUARTER OF THE PATTERN FOR FIG. 867, IN THE
NATURAL SIZE.]
Where the picots have to fill up empty spaces of a larger size, you can
join several together by connecting them each in turn with the first.
When you have bordered all the outlines with button-hole stitches and
picots, fill up the spaces enclosed within the lines, which properly
speaking form the pattern, with flat stitch embroidery, worked in Coton
à broder or Coton à repriser; after which the whole surface is sewn over
with fine little spangles which give the sparkling look that constitutes
the peculiar charm of this kind of embroidery. The flowers are covered
with a fancy stitch that forms regular little lozenges, and every second
row of stitches is hidden under a spangle.
With regard to the colours indicated at the foot of fig. 867, this is
how they were distributed in the original, from which our engraving was
taken; all the outlines in button-hole stitch, in Bleu pâle 668; the tops
of the flowers in Bleu-Indigo 334; the bottom parts in Bleu-Indigo 332,
and all three shades of blue so blended together in the solid parts of
the design as to be undistinguishable from each other. It is not
absolutely necessary to keep to the colours here indicated; there is no
reason whatever why a greater variety should not be introduced, but in
every case the more subdued shades should be selected; a pale red, for
instance, for the flowers, a green and a brown for the arabesques, will
always be found to produce a very pretty and harmonious effect.
When all the needlework is finished, you cut away the stuff underneath
the network formed by the picots, with a pair of sharp scissors.
A word remains to be said with regard to the copying of fig. 868.
Our readers will notice that in fig. 867 the flowers and arabesques
succeed and grow out of each other; that whilst the four quarters are
symmetrical, yet at the same time, the curves in each quarter take a
different inclination.
You cannot therefore simply repeat the subject four times; when you have
copied the one quarter, given in fig. 868, you must lay this first
quarter on again at the cross + on the left side; when the second
quarter is finished, you again turn the copy to the left and tack it on
at the +; when you come to the fourth quarter the lines of the first
quarter must exactly meet those of the last. We beg here to draw
attention to the directions, relative to the copying of patterns, given
in the subsequent chapter.
BASKET STITCH ON LINEN (fig. 869).—This stitch has some resemblance
with the Greek stitch, fig. 278, and the Montenegrin, fig. 306, only
that it is not crossed like the latter.
[Illustration: FIG. 869. BASKET STITCH ON LINEN.]
Basket stitch can be worked on all kinds of stuffs, on counted threads
or on a wide or narrow tracing, with fine or coarse thread, and more or
less closely, according to the taste of the worker.
You insert the needle from right, and pass it under, from 3 to 6 threads
of the foundation, according to the stuff and the material you are
using, then downwards from left to right, and over, from 6 to 8 threads,
into the stuff again from right to left; then you push it under the
stuff in an upward direction and bring it out on the left in the middle
of the space left between the last stitch and the top of the second. The
dotted line in the engraving indicates the course of the stitches.
[Illustration: FIG. 870. OLD GERMAN KNOTTED STITCH.]
OLD GERMAN KNOTTED STITCH (fig. 870).—This is a stitch often met with
in old church and house linen embroidery. A beautiful design worked in
this way is given further on.
Contrary to most stitches, this is worked upwards; the needle is put in
horizontally under the stuff, the thread tightly drawn, then laid from
left to right and drawn through underneath the first stitch and a tight
knot made. We find the same stitch, worked in a variety of ways,
according to the taste and skill of the worker; for instance the knots
may be set slanting, as in fig. 870, or else straight and very close
together, as in fig. 873, where they present the appearance of a close
string of beads, or again wide apart, as they are in fig. 876.
All these ways are admissible but care should be taken in each case, to
make the stitches perfectly regular; it is the direction which is given
to the stitch and the number of threads taken up with the needle that
changes the appearance of the stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 871. RAISED STEM STITCH.]
[Illustration: FIG. 872. ANOTHER KIND OF RAISED STEM STITCH.]
RAISED STEM STITCH (figs. 871, 872).—Take a very thick thread, such
as Fil à pointer D.M.C No. 10 or 20, or one of the coarser numbers of
Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C, lay it as a foundation thread along the line of
your pattern and work over it wide stem stitches, as represented in
figs. 172 and 173, either in the same number of thread used for the
foundation thread, or a finer, according to the stuff you are
embroidering upon.
You may overcast the same stitch in the manner indicated in fig. 872,
using a different colour for the second layer of stitches to produce an
agreeable variety.
BORDER IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF STITCHES (fig. 873).—The straight lines
of this border are all worked in old German knotted stitch in écru
thread, forming a thick round cord which stands out from the surface in
high relief; the flatter outlining of the outside figures is done in
basket stitch in soft blue knitting cotton. The little oblong figures
within the two inner lines of the border are worked in Gobelin stitch,
in red embroidery cotton, and the filling of the figures, outlined in
basket stitch, in one or other of the Irish lace stitches, worked in
white lace thread, either so that all the stitches enter the stuff, or
form a network over it.
The work may be simplified by sewing Soutache D.M.C or Lacet superfin
D.M.C along the straight lines instead of embroidering them in basket
stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 873. BORDER IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF STITCHES.
MATERIALS—For the old German knotted stitch: Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C No.
2, écru—For the basket stitch: Coton à tricoter D.M.C No. 16,
Bleu-Indigo 312—For the Gobelin stitches: Coton à broder D.M.C No. 20,
Rouge-Turc 321—For the lace stitches: Fil à dentelle D.M.C No. 40,
white.]
ROUMANIAN STITCH (figs. 874, 875).—This consists of stitches that are
worked in the width of the stuff, intersected by back-stitches set
slightly slanting.
Though the engraving is so clear as to render it hardly necessary, we
subjoin an exact description of the way the stitches run.
Bring out the needle on the left, 2 or 6 threads beyond the line your
embroidery is to follow; with regard to the number of threads you take
up, you must be guided by the quality of the stuff and the material you
have selected: put the needle in on the right, the same distance in
advance of the line as before and bring it out in the middle of the
stitch; then passing the needle over the first stitch, put it in again
one or two threads in advance of the point where it came out, and draw
it out close to where the first stitch began.
The border, represented in fig. 875, is worked in great part in
Roumanian stitch.
[Illustration: FIG. 874. ROUMANIAN STITCH.]
The original, still very well preserved, notwithstanding its age, is
worked in silk of a brilliant red on a stiff stuff which has been
coloured by time and use.
Willems satin, Rhodes linen No. 2 and Algerian linen, make very suitable
foundations for this kind of embroidery and have that soft tint which is
almost indispensable to a satisfactory imitation of old needlework.
Any one of the shades of red named at the foot of the illustration, will
be found to be a good match for the original colours.
Roumanian stitch is used wherever the lines of the pattern are widest;
there where they narrow, in the indentures of the leaves and the twists
of the stalks, flat stitch is used instead.
By the repetition of the detached subject, this pattern may be made to
serve either for a stripe or for a grounding; if you use it for a
stripe, the centre flower of the principal subject with the stalks
lengthened, will look very well worked as a separate subject between the
large bouquets. Worked in a double row, base to base, on any stuff and
in any material, these large figures form a very handsome border which
makes an effective trimming for furniture and curtains.
PATTERN FOR PIQUÉ EMBROIDERY (fig. 876).—The stuff, called piqué,
such as it is now manufactured, is simply an imitation of an old kind of
needlework, almost unknown in these days, but very popular in the
fifteenth and sixteenth century in Italy, for making coverlets and more
especially curtains and blinds; the latter being highly esteemed,
because without intercepting the light altogether, they tempered it
agreeably.
A similar kind of work was common in Bohemia until a recent date for the
making of caps. It is done on two layers of stuff, of different kinds,
the upper one fine and transparent, the lower, more substantial.
The pattern is drawn upon the fine stuff, because on that side the
different kinds of stitches are made.
[Illustration: FIG. 875. BORDER IN ROUMANIAN STITCH. MATERIALS: Coton à
broder D.M.C No. 16, Coton à repriser D.M.C No. 50, or Cordonnet 6 fils
D.M.C No. 20.[A] COLOURS: Rouge-Cardinal 346, Rouge-Grenat 358,
Brun-Caroubier 355, Rouge Maroquin 3327 et 3328, or Rouge-Cerise 3317 et
3318.[A]]
You then tack the two stuffs together and work all the outlines of the
pattern in Old German knotted stitch with écru Fil à pointer D.M.C No.
20; that done, thread a tapestry needle with white Cordonnet 6 fils
D.M.C No. 1 or 2, slip it in between the two layers of stuff and secure
the end by two or three stitches; then push the twist quite close to
the knotted stitch and fasten it in between the two layers of stuff,
with small and very regular running stitches, in a fine pliable
material, such as Fil d’Alsace D.M.C on reels.
[Illustration: FIG. 876. PATTERN FOR PIQUÉ EMBROIDERY. MATERIALS:
Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 1 and 25, Fil d’Alsace D.M.C No. 100, Fil à
pointer D.M.C No. 30 and Fil à dentelle D.M.C No. 30.[A]]
Fill up in this manner all the ground of the pattern, leaving the
arabesques and the ornaments plain, or embellishing them with some kind
of lace or embroidery stitch.
When these stripes are intended for blinds, you can produce pretty
transparent effects in them by cutting away the underneath stuff, in
places.
ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE (braid) (figs. 877, 878, 879, 880, 881,
882).—This alphabet, which is one of the best of its kind, was taken
from a work published in Venice in 1662, by Giovan’ Antonio Tagliente,
secretary and calligraphist to the Republic.
The letters lend themselves, better than any we know, to being executed
in Soutache D.M.C.
[Illustration: FIG. 877. LETTER T OF THE SOUTACHE ALPHABET. MODE OF
INTERLACING THE SOUTACHE.]
The sewing on of the braid is done with very small running stitches and
the interlacing with a tapestry needle, into which the braid is
threaded; both operations are shown in figs. 877 and 880. The embroidery
of the connecting bars, and the small leaves and tendrils that complete
the letter are explained in fig. 881, whilst fig. 882 represents the
letter A in its finished state.
For sewing on the braid, a fine soft material is the best, such as Soie
de coton D.M.C[A] and for embroidering the small accessories, Coton à
broder D.M.C No. 50[A].
[Illustration: FIG. 878. ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE. LETTERS A TO N.]
[Illustration: FIG. 879. ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE. LETTERS O TO Z.]
For the ears of corn in fig. 883, use either Soutache écru, or
Jaune-d’Ocre 677 No. 2; for the marguerites, white Soutache No. 2½ and
for the corn flowers, Soutache Bleu-Indigo 322 No. 2. Nothing could be
simpler than the mode of working these flowers.
[Illustration: FIG. 880. LETTER M OF THE ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE. MODE OF
SEWING ON THE SOUTACHE.]
[Illustration: FIG. 881. LETTER W OF THE ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE. MODE OF
PLACING THE BARS AND EMBROIDERING THE LEAVES.]
[Illustration: FIG. 882. LETTER A OF THE ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE IN ITS
FINISHED STATE.]
FLOWERS EXECUTED IN SOUTACHE AND EMBROIDERY (fig. 883). Flowers and
sprays, such as here represented, make a charming trimming for summer
dresses, sunshades, aprons etc. and can be executed with admirable
effect in the D.M.C Soutache, now to be had in all the colours of the
D.M.C colour card. A very pretty running pattern can be formed out of
the spray, fig. 883, by turning the flowers first to the right and then
to the left and making the stalks come out underneath the ears of corn.
In order to reverse the position of the flowers thus, you will have to
make two tracings of the spray, one negative and one positive.
Thread a tapestry needle with the Soutache and draw it into the stuff,
and then pass it through from the right side to the wrong at the bottom
of one of the petals of the flowers, secure it on the wrong side by two
or three stitches and then bring the working thread, which should be of
the same colour as the Soutache, out again at the point of the petal,
then carry the Soutache back to the bottom of the petal and fasten it
down, like the gold threads in fig. 242, by a stitch rather wider than
the Soutache, fold the Soutache over again to the starting point, and
secure it by a stitch, and so on. In order to give a different character
to the flowers, use Soutache of different widths, fold it over more or
less closely and lay it down in shorter or longer lengths, as required.
The natural irregularity of the petals of a flower can be very
faithfully imitated in this manner. Fig. 883 shows the way in which, for
the ears of corn, the braid is folded back upon itself and fastened
down, whilst in the white flowers the two layers of the braid that form
each petal are separated at the bottom.
The stamens of the marguerites are worked in knot stitch with yellow
cotton and those of the cornflowers with dark blue.
The other little details are executed in flat and stem stitch in the
colours indicated at the foot of the engraving. With the pattern to go
by, the distribution of the colours for the different parts can present
no possible difficulty.
[Illustration: FIG. 883. FLOWERS EXECUTED IN SOUTACHE AND EMBROIDERY.
MATERIALS: Soutache D.M.C Nos. 1 to 3 and Coton à broder D.M.C No.
35.[A] COLOURS—For the Soutache: White, écru or Jaune d’Ocre 677, and
Bleu-Indigo 322.—For the Coton à broder: Écru, Jaune-Orange 444,
Bleu-Indigo 311, Gris-Tilleul 391 and 330, Vert-Pistache 319, 320 and
369, Rouge-Cardinal 348.[A]]
We need only point out that Rouge-Cardinal 348 is intended for the
little knot that connects the stalks of the flowers.
CHINESE SUBJECT (fig. 884).—This quaint and graceful composition,
copied from an interesting piece of Chinese embroidery, gives our
readers the opportunity of turning the different damask stitches,
already described in these pages, to quite a new use.
The kind of gauze which forms the foundation of the original work can be
replaced either by Spanish or Rhodes linen No. 2, by any stuff, in fact,
the threads of which can be counted.
The drawing has to be transferred to the stuff, and the different parts
are filled in with the stitches, clearly indicated in the illustration.
[Illustration: FIG. 884. CHINESE SUBJECT. MATERIALS: Coton à repriser
D.M.C No. 50, Or fin D.M.C pour la broderie No. 40 and Chiné d’or
D.M.C[A].]
By the introduction of several colours, this pattern is capable of being
infinitely varied.
Thus, in the model before us, the neck and bulb of the flask, the
leaves it stands upon and those attached to the flowers in it, are
worked in Vert-Pistache 367, the handles, the ornament on the bottle,
and the triangular figure in the centre are in white; the little flower
on the left, the second on the right, the straight staff, the upper
wings of the butterfly, as well as the three leaves underneath the
triangle are in Bleu-Indigo 334; the first flower on the right of the
flask, the knot above the triangle, the lower wings of the butterfly and
the middle part of the bottom subject on the right of the engraving are
in Gris-Amadou 383; and Violet-lie-de-vin and Brun-Caroubier 357
alternate in the pointed leaves that support the flask; the former
colour recurs in the ornaments of the staff, and Rouge-Cardinal 347,
black and Gris-Tilleul alternate in the other details of the drawing.
For the setting it will be best to take Or fin D.M.C pour la broderie or
else Chiné d’or D.M.C, used either double or single, according to
whichever the drawing seems to require.