ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY:
Containing Practical Instructions
IN THE
Ornamental Branches
OF
NEEDLEWORK,
_WITH NEARLY TWO HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS AND
EXPLANATORY DIAGRAMS_.
BY
ELLA RODMAN CHURCH.
[Illustration]
ADAMS & BISHOP, Publishers,
46 Beekman Street,
NEW YORK.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by
ADAMS & BISHOP,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.
INTRODUCTION.
There is a wide difference between artistic embroidery and mere
fancy work. Besides the manufacture of innumerable airy nothings
for fairs and other purposes, the patient following of a glaring
pattern in bright wools also comes under the latter head. There is no
individuality in this kind of work, nothing that fairly expresses the
worker; the pattern being designed by one person, the putting it on
canvas done by another, while “filling in” is frequently the task of a
third.
A piece of embroidery should have in a degree the same expression as a
painting; and there is no good reason why the needle should not be as
artistic an implement as the brush. To produce the effect of painting,
however, it is necessary to follow very much the same rules; the first
of which is that the selection of the materials, the designing of the
pattern, and the work itself should be, as far as possible, done by one
person.
It may be urged that every one is not sufficiently gifted to do this,
and particularly to draw the designs; but this part is by no means the
difficult matter that the beginner is apt to imagine it, for in art
needlework all superfluity of detail is scrupulously avoided. Various
plates and illustrations may be found that will serve as guides to the
uninitiated; and ancient patterns can often be adapted to present
needs.
There is no doubt, however, that the most artistic work will be
produced by those who have a natural gift for design and color.
It has been well said that needlework should be in every way adapted to
the material used. As the sculptor’s chisel and the painter’s brush
have each their separate function and domain, so has the needle of the
embroideress; nor should anything lying beyond its proper powers be
attempted by its means. Flowers and foliage being the decorative part
of nature, we instinctively choose them to represent in needlework. The
grand productions of ancient tapestry, containing whole histories of
wars and sieges, are never likely to be repeated in our days, in which
leisure and industry are both lacking; and we must content ourselves,
at least for the moment, with speaking of the lighter works which lie
within the ordinary compass of time and patience.
As _everything_ cannot be accomplished in the attempt to
imitate nature in this way, much should not be undertaken. For this
reason, conventional or stiff forms, with no tendency to detail, are
preferred; and this is one of the most prominent characteristics of art
decoration. Things that are constantly handled and used should not have
their ornamentation elaborated like water-color painting.
Good materials are indispensable to satisfactory results; and true
artistic work is that which not only pleases the eye, but bears the
wear and tear of time. Perishable work of this kind is not worth the
doing; but when executed according to the rules of art, it should be as
enduring as painting and as worthy of admiration and respect.
This little volume is intended to give practical information to
beginners in artistic embroidery; showing the best and easiest methods
of going about this branch of art, which is rarely made sufficiently
plain to those who have had no previous knowledge of it. Several
English works have been consulted in its preparation; and the writer
has drawn upon her own experience as well as that of practical workers.
CHAPTER I.
_WORSTED EMBROIDERY._
Embroidery has been defined as “the art of adding to the surface of
woven textures a representation of any object we wish to depict,
through the medium of the needle, threaded with the material in which
the work is to be executed.”
From the earliest times, it has been the amusement of women of leisure,
and the occupation of those whose skilful fingers must be used to bring
in returns of daily bread. In the Middle Ages, a regular work-room,
or “studio,” was set apart for this especial purpose in the dim old
castle; and there the whole paraphernalia of embroidery-frames,
materials, and implements, were always to be found. There, too, the
chatelaine sat with her maidens embroidering cushions, or book-covers,
or those wonderful pieces of historical tapestry afterward displaced by
the more mechanical arras.
“Tapestry richly wrought
And woven close,”
was the favorite needlework of those days; and these hangings, or
“veils,” were rendered necessary by the style of building, which
afforded many convenient chinks and loopholes for the wind. Some of
these ancient pieces of embroidery were very rich, the designs being
worked with worsted or silk of various colors, and often mixed with
gold or silver threads, on canvas, cloth, or silk.
The oldest specimen of this kind of work now in existence is the famous
tapestry of Bayeux--the work of the English Matilda and her attendants.
A piece of embroidery over two hundred and twenty feet long, although
not much more than half a yard wide, is no trifling accomplishment; and
in spite of the red, blue, green, and yellow horses, some of them with
two legs of a different color from the rest of their bodies, one cannot
but reverence this curious triumph of the needle that can claim eight
centuries of birthdays. It is entirely worked with worsted in very
little variety of coloring, as the Norman princess had few advantages
of this sort, but she has represented to the best of her ability the
invasion and conquest of England by Duke William and his followers. The
battle of Hastings is ingeniously emphasized by a bordering composed of
the bodies of the slain.
Few would have the time or the inclination for such a piece of work
in these days; and “some of our moderns are inclined to think that,
in days of old, when the chief employment of a woman’s life was
needlework, she must have had a very dull, dreary, monotonous time of
it. But when we survey ancient heirlooms, veritable works of art--the
smooth, mossy crewel-work, the frost-like point-lace, the shining
gold-threaded ecclesiastical work, or even the conventional forms of
the now despised cross-stitch--we imagine every happiness and beauty
connected with the age of chivalry, as we are conscious of a sense of
wonder akin to that felt on beholding some magnificent ancient jewels,
or plate, or pictures.”
As late as the days of the _Spectator_, it was written: “How
memorable would that matron be who should have it inscribed on her
monument that she wrought out the whole Bible in tapestry, and died in
a good old age, after having covered three hundred yards of wall in the
Mansion House”--but no such exploit is on record.
The most fashionable worsted embroidery of the present time is
CREWEL-WORK.
This style of work was much in vogue during the latter part of the
eighteenth century, and has recently been revived, and the _modus
operandi_ dignified by the name of the South Kensington stitch.
But people with great-grandmothers produce pieces of work done in a
similar manner; and the stitch is the same as the long stitch in silk
embroidery, only longer and more careless.
Crewel work was brought to such a state of perfection by the famous
Miss Linwood, who literally painted pictures with her needle from her
thirteenth until her seventy-eighth year, copying the old masters so
successfully that, at a little distance, the needle-worked picture
could not be distinguished from the painted one, that every one wanted
to imitate her; but few having the same gift, this branch of art fell
into disrepute.
Miss Linwood’s pictures were marvels of patience and skill. They were
embroidered on a stiff, twilled fabric called “tammy,” on which the
outline was drawn in chalk; and the entire ground was covered with
close, irregular stitches, of great fineness in the more delicate
touches. The shading was perfect, the crewels being dyed under the
artist’s own supervision; and her first needle-painting, the “Salvator
Mundi,” from Carlo Dolci, was wonderfully true to the original.
Her collection, which was exhibited for some time in London, contained
sixty-four pieces; and among them was a portrait of herself in the
bloom of youth and beauty.
The great beauty of crewel-work is its freedom from set rules; in
taking the stitches, the needle is used more like the brush in the hand
of the artist.
THE CREWEL STITCH
resembles the wrong side of long back-stitching more than anything
else; and is illustrated by Figures 1 and 2.
[Illustration: _Fig. 1._]
[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]
The needle is put in at the back of the material and brought out at 1,
put in again at 2 and brought out at 3, put in again at 4 and brought
out at 5, and so on to the end of the line. In outline-work the thread
should be kept to the left of the needle, and great care taken to bring
the needle up exactly in the line of the pattern, or a wavy, uncertain
outline will be the result, and the character of the pattern will be
lost.
This method of working is to be used when the material is put in a
frame; but when the work is done in the hand, it is best illustrated by
Figure 2. The easiest and quickest way in this case is to begin at the
bottom and work upward--putting the needle through (from the back) at
1, and back again at 2--through again at 3, and back at 4--until the
entire distance has been traversed.
It will be seen that the stitch is very simple, and that much is left
to the discretion of the worker. Care must be taken that the worsted is
not pulled too tight, nor left too loose, as the effect must be smooth
and even--with the curves clearly defined, and the points sharp and
complete.
In ordinary crewel-work, the stitch should be from three-eighths to
half an inch long, according to its position--some stitches must
necessarily be shorter--as in filling in, they must dovetail into
each other like the tiles of a roof, that no sharp line of color may
indicate the different shades. To produce the desired effect, all the
stitches should not be taken close up to the inner edge of color.
Figures 3 and 4 will give some idea of this shading.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 4.]
A leaf or stalk should never be worked across, but always (and the same
rule, of course, applies to flower-petals) in the same direction as the
fibres in a natural leaf. With such leaves as brambles, and others that
will suggest themselves, one side should be a darker shade than the
other. Figure 5 shows the natural way of working a leaf.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.]
In working the stalk of a flower, it is better to begin at the lower
end first, and work on the outline until it is crossed by a leaf or
terminates in a flower; then pass the needle to the other side, and
work back again to the lower end; then work another line of stitches
_inside_ the outline till the stalk is filled up. See Figure 6.
Leaves of one shade are done in the same way, and the veins are put in
last.
Crewel-work has many recommendations; it is easy, is done with
comparatively little labor, and yet it affords scope for the exercise
of artistic skill of the highest order. A great variety of beautiful
shades may be had, and the worsted washes beautifully, thus possessing
a decided advantage over many other styles of ornamentation. The
materials are also quite inexpensive, and taking it altogether, it
produces the best effects with the least outlay of labor and expense of
any other kind of embroidery.
Floral designs suit this style of work best; and somewhat
conventionalized models are most suitable--flowers that can be
expressed by the fewest lines in form and the fewest shades in color.
Daisy-shaped flowers are particularly suitable; and the well known
sunflower, not _too_ much conventionalized, but with the tendency
of its long petals to droop a little just indicated here and there, is
represented in Figure 7.
Simple, old-fashioned flowers are most successful in crewel-work.
Wild roses being simple, and having very distinct petals and well
marked centres, are better than the double and treble triumphs of
the florist--to which painting alone can do justice. The daffodil,
narcissus, and lily tribes, with primroses, honeysuckles, pansies,
and daisies, bloom out charmingly in crewels; and almost any clearly
defined leaf is pleasing.
Butterflies and vases may also be successfully introduced, but the
latter should be chiefly in outline.
[Illustration: _Fig. 6._]
The experienced crewel worker may study nature for designs, and
discover unending combinations of beauty and delicate touches of
detail which give a character to the whole. In the veining of leaves
especially this is shown; and the leaf of the common scarlet poppy,
veined and unveined, in Figures 8 and 9, will show how much depends on
careful finish.
[Illustration: Fig. 7.]
But embroidery in general should not attempt too much detail--a thorn
here and there on a rose-stem being sufficient to suggest the thorny
nature of roses, while only a few of the larger serrations of the
leaves should be retained. The bramble, when shorn of superfluous
outline, is a very desirable leaf for embroidery; and Figure 10 shows
it in its natural state, which, if worked, would be a confused mass
of nothing in particular--while in Figure 11, its shape and general
character are preserved, but all unnecessary notchings and veinings are
pruned away.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.]
[Illustration: Fig. 9.]
An important point in embroidery is to know what may be to advantage
left undone; and as crewel-work is entirely free from all artificial
raising, it is merely suggestive of general form.
The crewel itself is a particularly strong, twisted woollen yarn, quite
unlike zephyr and the other wools in use. The shades of color are very
soft and numerous, and blend beautifully in delicate flower-petals and
varying leaves. The work is usually done on heavy linen sheeting, as
this wears well, is easily washed, and is particularly suitable for
tidies, doilies, and many small articles.
[Illustration: Fig. 10.]
Other materials may be used to advantage; but cloth, velvet, or silk
is not suitable for crewel-work. Serge makes a very nice foundation;
and a pair of invalid’s slippers, made lately, were worked on white
_felt_. But these were done in Canada, where many materials are
to be had which cannot be found here. Said slippers were merely to
thrust the toes in, as all the rest was sole; and this white felt
pointed piece was ornamented with strawberries in crewel-work. This
beautiful fruit is quite as effective as flowers are; and in Figure 12
the clusters may be used separately, or continued indefinitely for a
border. A very pretty footstool could be made by grouping them closely
for the top, and putting the bordering on the band. The fruit may be
either red or white as best suits the groundwork.
[Illustration: Fig. 11.]
Velveteen makes a good background for crewel embroidery; and this is
suitable both for footstools and hangings. It is also handsome for
mantel lambrequins. But the favorite material is crash towelling--which
is so generally used for the purpose that crewels seem inseparable from
it, and the work is quite as often called “crash-work” as crewel-work.
Crash is very serviceable for tidies, toilet covers, toilet mats,
travelling bags, etc.; but it does not hang in graceful folds for
curtains and portières, and it is not worthy of being embroidered in
silks.
There is a ribbed velveteen in different shades of drab and brown,
which looks remarkably well as a foundation for crewel-work, if the
latter is done in a rich, bold design. It should be remembered, as
a general thing, that while rich materials may be used on cheap
groundwork, worsted embroidery is very unsuitable on a rich foundation.
We have attempted suggestions only in the way of patterns, as these
may be bought in great variety wherever the crewels are sold; and for
those who are unable to design from nature this will be found a great
convenience.
It is not long since all worsted work was done in mechanical patterns
on canvas; and some of this work, with stitches laid as regularly as
minute mosaics, and the shades blended as by the hand of an artist,
is still very beautiful. It is the mosaic-work of embroidery, and
bears the same relation to it that the real mosaic does to painting;
but crewel-work has the advantage of being more quickly done, and of
expressing better the individuality of the worker. How quickly, for
instance, with needle and crewels, the very essence of a May morning
may be condensed into the cluster of apple-blossoms from the laden
bough beside the window; but who could extemporize them into a pattern
of set squares on the spur of the moment?
ARTICLES TO BE WORKED IN CREWELS.
It is always more satisfactory in a work of this kind to find some
practical illustrations of the suggestions given; and many people like
to know exactly what to make. We shall be more explicit, therefore, in
this little volume than would be possible in one of greater pretension;
and mention articles to be made, as far as our limits will permit.
[Illustration: Fig. 12.]
Being quickly done and effective at a distance, crewel-embroidery is
very suitable for large pieces of work, such as curtains, portières,
friezes, and so forth. Portières and friezes have a pleasant suggestion
about them of old tapestries; and the latter are really wall-valances.
One would scarcely undertake
AN EMBROIDERED FRIEZE
even in crewel-work, for a large apartment; but a moderate-sized room
could be adorned with this wall drapery without an unreasonable outlay
of time. Claret-colored serge, or velveteen, if in harmony with the
other coloring of the room, worked with perpendicular sunflowers or
lilies (Figure 13 is a good pattern for the latter), with a bordering
of gold-color and green at top and bottom, would be very ornamental.
The frieze could be finished with a fringe and hang loose at the lower
edge, which is prettier, or fastened at both sides, paper-fashion.
Colors and figures may be varied indefinitely--for the latter, a
standing army of storks would often be preferred. Dragons, too, are
now so generally regarded as cheerful domestic animals in the way of
adornment, that a procession of them across the walls of an apartment
on an elaborate frieze would, doubtless, add a pleasing element in
the way of decoration. But those who say, Give me beauty, or give me
nothing, in the way of ornament, will prefer designs of flowers and
leaves.
A DADO IN CREWELS
may be done in the same way, only that there is more of it; and being
nearer the eye, the design should be more close and elaborate. The
patterns on rich papers will be found suggestive studies; and it may be
remembered that the material for groundwork can be adapted to the purse
of the embroiderer and the other belongings of the apartment, from
velveteen at a dollar a yard to crash-towelling at ten cents.
[Illustration: Fig. 13.]
The wide material known as jute, and just the least bit in the style
of brown straw-matting, would make a very nice dado worked in crewels,
with a darker brown picked out with gold color; and this same material
hangs in graceful folds for curtains and portières. A brown room could
be made very beautiful in this way; and quiet though it is, there is a
richness about brown that is always suggestive of gilding.
A WORSTED-WORKED PORTIÈRE
should be of velveteen, if this harmonizes with the other hangings of
the room, as the material has a particularly rich effect in doorways,
and artistically executed crewel-work suits it admirably. Brown
velveteen with golden sunflowers, or gray with wild roses, or dark blue
with lilies, will be found very handsome.
In working portières, it is necessary to remember that they should be
well covered with embroidery, because the light falls on all their
parts; while an embroidered border suffices for curtains, as the edges
only are likely to catch the sun’s rays.
Other hangings may be made for the open shelves of cabinets and
étagères; these should also harmonize with the general decoration of
the room in color and style, but may be richer and more elaborate than
the larger pieces of embroidery, as they will be subjected to closer
inspection.
CURTAINS WITH SPRAYS OF SUMAC.
These were really beautiful. The ground was a pale sage green, in
perfect keeping with the prevailing hue of the room; and the soft
bright shades of the crewels were so delicately blended, that the
effect was a perfect needle-painting of these bright-hued darlings
of the autumn. They were embroidered on the plain band of the
sage--colored material that formed the simple cornice--down the front
of the curtains, and here and there, on the body of the drapery, a
spray seemed to have dropped by accident.
A SWEET-PEA TABLE COVER
which emanated from the same hand, was also a thing of beauty. The
table was a round one of moderate size, and the top was tightly
covered with maroon-colored flannel. A straight band of white flannel
between two narrow strips of the maroon formed the border, and on this
white ground the sweet peas were worked in delicately-tinted crewels.
Feather-stitching, of black and bright green, marked the joining of the
white flannel to the maroon on either side. The bordering was fastened
to the table with silver-headed nails, and finished with a worsted
fringe to match the maroon flannel.
This beautiful work was all copied from natural models during hours of
summer leisure on a country piazza, and many beautiful thoughts and
memories were wrought into the bright-hued leaves and petals.
SCREENS IN CREWEL-WORK.
We saw a honeysuckle screen lately, that might have been beautiful,
but was not because it had altogether too sombre an air to be viewed
in the light of an ornament. The workmanship was fine, and regularly
done according to the rules of art, but as the ground was black and the
coral honeysuckle was represented in very dull reds and greens, the
effect was not enlivening. A gray ground of a silver tinge would have
been a great improvement, but dark work on a dark ground is a dismal
production.
The woodbine honeysuckle can be reproduced in crewels in very natural
colors, and we have seen some that almost diffused a June odor about
them. They were worked on very fine, soft crash, and intended for a
tidy; but a beautiful fire-screen could be made of them on a blue or
plum-colored ground.
The large folding-screens, so often in strips of coarse Berlin-wool
work, are very handsome in crewels; and climbing vines of all kinds
are particularly suited to them. A crimson ground with water-lilies
in one corner, and the wild morning-glory, with its nearly white
blossoms (that grows in damp places and therefore harmonizes with the
water-lily) trailing its beautiful length across the largest space,
while the inevitable heron, balanced, of course, on one foot, stands
sentinel among his reeds and rushes, where classic cat-tails bristle
like spears, is _vis-à-vis_ to the water-lilies on the other side,
would be found bright in coloring and handsome in effect.
But a screen that looks as if some one had come in and thrown a handful
of daisies over it may be quite as pretty, and is certainly less work.
CARRIAGE WRAPS
of fine crash, ornamented with crewel-work, are handsome and
serviceable for warm weather. A bordering of strawberries and leaves
near the edge, or one of periwinkle with its delicate blue flowers,
would be very pretty; and this bordering, with a large monogram in the
centre, would sufficiently ornament the article.
But endless are the uses to which this simple and charming style of
embroidery may be put; and the suggestions given maybe indefinitely
multiplied and rearranged in various forms.