_SILK EMBROIDERY._
This beautiful work has been practised from the earliest times; and
the ancient Egyptians particularly excelled in it. Much of this was
done on linen--to which we shall refer afterward. The very sails of
their galleys were embroidered; and their “divers colors of needlework
on both sides” seems to mean that it was done so that the work was
the same on the wrong side as on the right--a method of working that
requires an immense amount of skill and patience, and which is now
found only among those eminently painstaking races, the Chinese,
Japanese, and Hindoos.
Silk embroidery is done on almost any material except cotton and
coarse linen; but silk and velvet seem the most suitable fabrics for
groundwork. If well done, it is handsome on anything; and as it is an
expensive kind of needlework, great care should be taken in doing it.
As a general thing it requires framing, and especially when floss-silk
is used. Frames are of various kinds; the best for large pieces of work
being the standing frame (see Figure 14), which has adjustable screws,
and can be lowered or heightened at pleasure.
The hand or lap frame (Figure 15) is more convenient in embroidering
smaller articles.
In putting work into the frame, a strip of strong tape or linen should
be stitched along the woof ends of the material--which must then be
firmly sewed with strong double thread to the webbing on the frame.
It should be made as tight and firm as possible; the strain being
increased gradually and cautiously until the tension appears to be
sufficient. The woof ends should be braced to the side pieces with
fine twine. A packing-needle threaded with twine must be drawn through
the upper right-hand corner of the tape or linen, and the end securely
tied. The twine must be sewn over the lath till the lower corner is
reached, knotted securely, and cut off; the other side must then be
done in the same manner.
When the material is larger than the frame, it may be sewed on to
the bars and rolled round one of them, with tissue paper and wadding
between to prevent the stuff from creasing; and when the part in the
frame is finished, it is rolled round the opposite bar, and so on,
until the whole is completed. The centre ring, marked 1, is a hand
frame used for small pieces of embroidery.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.]
In working with a frame it is desirable to use both hands--one to
put the needle through from the outside, and the other to bring it
up again from beneath. This will be slow work at first; but practice
and patience will enable one to do it quite dextrously, and the great
convenience of working in this way will fully repay the trouble of
learning it. Two thimbles will be necessary, one for each hand.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.]
THE STITCH FOR SILK EMBROIDERY
is the same as for crewel-work, except that it is shorter. Other
stitches are often introduced, which will be noticed in their place;
but the proper stitch for shaded embroidery, the most attractive of
this fascinating work, is to draw the needle upward from the right and
finish by putting it down to the left. The right hand should always be
above the frame, and the left beneath--making the stitches as long as
the work will admit of their being, as the brilliancy of the silk is
destroyed by crowded and short stitches.
Silk embroidery is both dainty and effective; and as the materials are
expensive, great care should be used in doing the work, that it may
not only give satisfaction at first, but prove sufficiently durable to
repay the outlay of time and money. It is best to avoid touching the
silk by drawing it through the fingers while working.
Anything like a regular embroidery stitch is to be avoided, except in
those portions of the work where it is necessary; as the most charming
effects are usually produced where there seems to have been the
greatest indifference to mechanical regularity.
When the work has been properly arranged in the frame, the first step
in artistic embroidery is to observe the position of the flowers and
leaves--taking it for granted that the outlines have been properly
traced--and if the model is of natural blossoms, so much the better. It
is particularly advisable, before beginning the embroidery, to study
the lights and shades; the edges and rounder parts, both of the leaves
and petals of flowers, as they embrace more surface, naturally receive
the light first and are worked with the palest tints.
In a group of flowers (see Figure 16) it is recommended to begin with
the smaller parts, such as the stems, buds, and leaves; and great care
should be taken to have every portion clearly outlined--although a
visible outline should be avoided in filled-in work. Again, the careful
blending of shades mentioned in crewel-work must be enforced--the
stitches being so nicely placed to produce the right effect, that their
beginning and ending are quite lost.
GROUP OF FLOWERS FOR SILK EMBROIDERY.
The stems of slender flowers should always be done in stalk-stitch,
as they can be made more neatly and with less trouble than in
satin-stitch. The centres are worked in French knot stitch. This is a
pretty pattern for a variety of small articles: glove-box, letter-box,
pincushion, case, etc. Or it may be enlarged for a footstool,
sofa-cushion, or chair-seat.
In working leaves, one half should be done first; and great care taken
to follow the direction of the fibres. Figure 17 shows the direction
the lines would take if we were shading the leaf in drawing. In working
a pansy the stitches should take the direction of the lines in Figure
18; and not _cross_ the petals, as in Figure 19. Figure 20 shows
the proper filling up of a thick stalk.
For narrow leaves, where one stitch will reach from the middle to the
edge, it is best to pass the thread from the edge underneath to the
middle--as this makes each stitch begin in the middle, and the under
side is nearly the same as the upper. A broad leaf or petal requires
more than one stitch between the middle and the edge; and for these,
the needle may be brought up again wherever the next stitch seems
to be wanted. But two together should not begin nor end on the same
line--except on the outside edge to preserve the outline, or in showing
the middle rib.
[Illustration: Fig. 16.]
Unless the embroidery is very large and bold, the line formed by the
meeting of the stitches down the middle of a leaf, as in Figure 21,
will sufficiently mark the mid-rib. If in the real leaf it is very
deep and plainly defined, a very narrow space between the two lines,
tapering till the threads meet again near the point, will generally be
sufficient. See Figure 22. Lateral veins need not usually be indicated
at all; but if they are very marked, and of a different color from the
leaf itself, they may be laid on by a cord or a piece of thick silk
twist--fastening it down with small stitches in silk of the same color.
This must only be done in large and rather coarse work.
Another important point is the distinct bringing out of the different
characters of the stalks. The three examples given (Figures 23, 24
and 25) will show how the different joinings vary, and that care must
be taken to make these distinctions, as well as to finish them off
properly. It has been well said that the difference between mechanical
and artistic embroidery consists in showing judgment and finish in all
these small matters.
Other stitches used in silk embroidery, besides the one
known distinctively as embroidery-stitch, are satin-stitch,
French-knot-stitch, stalk-stitch, point-russe, herring-bone or
feather-stitch, ladder-stitch, chain-stitch, etc.
Satin-stitch is used a great deal in white embroidery, and many persons
are familiar with it who have never attempted to work in colors. It is
also called
[Illustration: Fig. 17.]
[Illustration: Fig. 18.]
[Illustration: Fig. 19.]
FRENCH, OR FLAT EMBROIDERY.
The stitches lie smoothly in a diagonal direction close to each
other--little or no attention to light or shade being necessary. It may
be done very effectively in one color, and is then often enriched by
gold or silver cord around the edges.
It looks best worked with Mitorse silk--which is also the most durable,
as it does not fray in the wear nor so quickly lose its glossy
appearance as when done with floss or Dacca silk. This work is suitable
for articles of furniture and dress, as well as for small ornamental
work. Figure 26 is a good illustration of flat embroidery in a pretty
border pattern, which may be edged with gold thread or with silk of
another color.
_BORDER IN FLAT EMBROIDERY._
THE FRENCH KNOT.
This is very useful for the centres of such flowers as the daisy and
sunflower, and for filling up leaves in a showy manner. It is made by
bringing the thread through to the front of the work, and holding it
in the left hand, four or five inches from the work--the needle being
in the right hand; the thread is twisted two or three times around the
needle as close to the work as possible; then the point is turned down
into the material nearly, but not exactly, where the thread came up;
the needle is pulled through to the other side, and the thread drawn
carefully till the knot is firm. The thread must be drawn round the
needle close up to the work before the needle is pulled quite through,
lest the knot should hang loose and spoil the effect.
[Illustration: Fig. 20.]
[Illustration: Fig. 21.]
[Illustration: Fig. 22.]
[Illustration: Fig. 23.]
[Illustration: Fig. 24.]
[Illustration: Fig. 25.]
STALK-STITCH
Is very easily and quickly done. In veining leaves and working small
stems, it is more manageable than any other stitch; and it is formed
by making a straight stitch rather more than a sixteenth of an inch in
length--then for the next stitch, putting the needle about half-way
back into the first one and working it the same length. This is so
quickly done, that there is danger of doing it carelessly; but if
properly worked, it resembles a finely-twisted cord, and gives a very
neat finish to the embroidery.
[Illustration: Fig. 26.]
POINT-RUSSE.
This is a stitch frequently mentioned in new embroidery; but the
_modus operandi_ does not seem to be so well known as that of many
others. Possibly because of its very simplicity--for Point-Russe is
merely a succession of back-stitches neatly and regularly done. It is
used for many small articles; and is a useful adjunct in more artistic
work.
[Illustration: Fig. 27.]
The illustration in Figure 27 shows the effect, and the uses to which
it can be put. Every line of the design must be carefully followed
in working it; and very pretty borderings and ornamental figures in
long stitches are often made with it. Medallions are very pretty in
Point-Russe; and we give one in Figure 28 that is worked entirely in
this stitch, and made very effective in scarlet and gold. This is
intended for a purse, and is worked on light brown leather or kid.
Figure 30 is also very pretty, and may be worked in one or more colors.
Figure 31 is a border pattern that is very effective. The diamonds are
outlined in black and white, and the leaflets within are of green silk.
The stars are outlined in black and blue, the crossings are red, and
the dots yellow. The figure between the stars is black and yellow.
[Illustration: Fig. 28.--MEDALLION IN POINT RUSSE.]
[Illustration: Fig. 29.--MEDALLION IN POINT RUSSE.]
[Illustration: Fig. 30.--BORDER IN POINT RUSSE.]
HERRING-BONE, OR FEATHER STITCH.
This is an old-fashioned embroidery stitch revived, which is always
effective.
In ancient times, fine pieces of linen were embroidered all over with
flower designs in outline, with here and there a portion filled in, and
the stems worked in a close herring-bone stitch to give them strength
and substance. Sometimes the whole design would be worked in this
stitch, done so closely as to have the appearance of braid.
Some of this filled-in work was done in a peculiar manner from side
to side. An oval leaf to be filled would be begun at the base with a
few satin stitches, then when a point was reached where it was wide
enough, instead of passing the thread all the way underneath to the
opposite side, about one-third of the width of the leaf is taken up in
the needle, and the next stitch is done in the same way on the opposite
side of the leaf--working from side to side until the leaf becomes too
narrow again, when it is finished with a few satin stitches.
This stitch throws all the silk to the top; and the crossing of
the threads in the middle of the leaf has a very rich and soft
effect--giving also the appearance of a vein.
Feather-stitch seems too well known to need description; and there is a
great variety of it, from the simplest “herring-bone,” to the prettiest
feather-like vine; and it has the advantage of being very easily and
quickly done.
It is merely button-hole stitch, in alternate loops and long stitches,
sewed backwards. A design may be drawn first, if needed, to make the
work regular; but with one straight pencil line as a guide, if the eye
is not very correct, almost any one who can use a needle will be able
to do feather-stitch.
This stitch is very much used in appliqué work; and it makes pretty
dividing lines in ornamenting large articles.
We lately saw a table-cover worked entirely in feather-stitch, that
had quite an Oriental appearance. The ground was black cloth; and all
colors of worsted braid, of different widths, were sewed on with this
stitch--being placed around an oblong piece in the centre, and in
strips across to the edge for the border.
CHAIN-STITCH.
Another well-known and simple embroidery-stitch; and more beautiful
effects may be produced with it than are known to the philosophy of the
ordinary worker.
Chain-stitch is sometimes used for filled-in embroidery; the lines of
the chain being laid very close together, and following the form of the
leaf or flower until the space is filled. It should always be commenced
on the outside, and worked to the centre.
[Illustration: Fig. 31.--BORDER FOR FURNITURE COVERS,
PORTIÈRES, ETC.--CHAIN STITCH EMBROIDERY.]
Some very rich kinds of Algerian and Eastern work, often embroidered
entirely with gold thread, and generally with a mixture of this with
silk, are done altogether in chain-stitch. It is often found, too,
in ancient crewel-work; and is made by holding the thread firmly over
the point of the needle, while it is drawn out, so as to form a loop.
The needle is put back again into the centre of this loop; and the
thread again passed over the point to form a second one--and so on, the
succession of loops forming the chain.
The objection to this stitch is that it has a mechanical effect,
and can be exactly imitated with the sewing-machine. The long
embroidery-stitch is much more elastic and natural-looking, and able
to accommodate itself better to varying forms. Chain-stitch is useful,
however, for outline-work, and wherever a stronger line is required
than that made by the long stitch.
Curtains, table-covers, portières, etc., are handsomely embroidered in
chain-stitch; and Figure 31 gives a very rich bordering pattern for
this purpose. Turkish embroidery is nearly always done in chain-stitch;
and covers for small tables, with a light blue or scarlet ground,
worked all over in chain-stitch arabesques with bright silks, make a
pretty “bit of color” for a shaded corner.
Another effective way of working a table-cover in chain-stitch is to
get black, red, and white cloth or flannel; the black for the centre,
the red next to the black, and the white for the border--and joining
them by lapping the edge of one a very little way over the other,
proceed to chain-stitch the whole with various colored silks.
The effect is very handsome; and the bordering may differ from the
other part by being done in loose overcast stitch over straight pieces
of zephyr, and finished with little tassels of the bright silks.
[Illustration: Fig. 32.--ORIENTAL BORDERING.]
Figure 32 is a very pretty Oriental-looking pattern suitable for a
bordering, or it can be used in other ways. The figures placed together
are worked in chain-stitch with silk of two contrasting colors--two
shades being used in each figure. The outer row of the first is
dark-red, and the inner one bright-red. The second figure is of two
shades of green; the third of two shades of blue; and the fourth of
two shades of yellow. The knotted stitch in the centre of the ovals is
violet. The dots outside the ovals are worked in satin-stitch, and are
alternately red, yellow, violet, and blue. The stems are of black silk
in point-russe stitches. The four ovals are worked in chain-stitch with
silk of two shades of brown.
LADDER-STITCH.
This is sometimes quite effective in ornamental embroidery. Figures 33
and 34 give two different patterns. The material is partly cut away
in these illustrations, and in some kinds of work this is a great
improvement. Ladder-stitch makes very pretty border lines--the outer
edges being done in overcast, and the cross-stitches in point-russe.
[Illustration: Fig. 33.]
[Illustration: Fig. 34.]
Exquisite pieces of work have been wrought in silk embroidery from time
immemorial; and there is scarcely a material to which it may not be
applied. A fragment of old embroidery, worked more than a century ago,
is represented as a good subject for study in the way of coloring.
This fragment is about eight inches deep, intended for bordering, and
is worked on white satin. The material is ravelled out in a fringe at
the bottom; then comes a line about an eighth of an inch wide in dark
red floss--then a row of disks shaded in a dark and a light green;
above these and touching one another are two broader lines of red,
one the same color as the first, the other paler; then there is a
representation of moss worked in chenille of three shades of green--and
from this mossy ground spring roses, carnations, forget-me-nots, and
leafy sprays. This part is treated quite decoratively; and no attempt
is made to preserve the natural proportions of the flowers in relation
to each other, or to their stems and leaves.
In the sprays, one or two leaves are of peach-blossom color. Above
this row of flowers are branches in festoons; of which the stems
are olive-brown, the leaves shaded, or rather, party-colored, with
peach-blossom inclining to pink, olive-brown, and two or three shades
of green. It will be seen that nature is no more strictly adhered to in
color than in form.
Over these branches is a pattern in two shades of peach-blossom,
mingled with a very little blue. Except the moss, the embroidery is all
done in floss silk split very fine. Seen by artificial light, this
beautiful piece of work has the brilliancy of cut and polished gems;
while the general effect of color is extremely rich and sweet, and
would harmonize with almost any surroundings.
A beautiful way of treating the ground color, particularly if it be
one that seems to attract too much attention to itself, is by working
a small diaper pattern all over it in a darker shade of the same
color--this gives depth and richness to the whole. A network of dead
gold may be imitated in silk of the right shade.
Dark, brownish greens, deep, dull blues, and rich maroons, make good
grounds; but black is best for a brilliant effect. The ground must be
decidedly dark, or decidedly light--no half-way shades being allowable,
as it is far more important for the colors of the work to contrast
strongly with the ground than with each other.
CHINESE EMBROIDERY.
The French and Chinese excel in silk embroidery; and the painstaking
double work done in China is well known. The great care with which the
Chinese embroider preserves their materials bright and shining. These
materials are floss and twisted silks--also the bark of a tree spun
into a fine thread. Flat lines of gold also glitter among the silks,
and are used as stems and connecting links.
The drawing of these embroideries is sometimes as uncouth as that
of their paintings; but in some of their flowers (probably copied
from nature) they are often even botanically correct. The iris, for
instance, which frequently appears in their designs, is very true to
nature; and so is the time-honored stork. The iris, Figure 35, is a
good flower for embroidery; and may be made as effective in borders as
the sunflower.
The modern art of embroidery in China is thus graphically described by
a traveller:
“For 22 cash, or _tseen_, I purchased an elegant book filled with
choice subjects of the graphic art as patterns for the use of the young
needlewoman. She is assumed to be poor, and hence the little manual
is printed at about one penny of our money. It has a cover of a fair
yellow, studded with spangles of gold; and contains between two and
three hundred figures culled from the various stores of nature and art.
“In fact, the objects are so well-selected and so numerous, that they
might serve as illustrations to a small encyclopædia. One acquainted
with Chinese literature and natural history might deliver several
lectures with this book before him. The meadow, the grove, the brook,
the antiquary’s museum, and the pages of mythology, with the adornments
of the house and garden, are all laid under contribution.
[Illustration: Fig. 35.]
“The book is said to be for the use of the person who belongs to the
_green window_--which is an epithet for the dwelling of a poor
woman; while the _red gallery_ denotes the residence of a rich
female. The industrious poor plies her task near the green lattice,
which is made of earthenware and lets in both the light and the breath
of heaven; while the rich dame leans upon the vermeil-tinted balusters
of the gaudy veranda, and gazes carelessly at the sunbeams as they
sparkle among the flowers, or waves the soft breeze which agitates the
green roof of the Indian fig-tree.
“The title-page presents us with a venerable man in the weeds of
office, holding in his hand a scroll with this motto: ‘Heaven’s
Magistrate confers wealth.’ Over his head are bats disporting among the
clouds; the emblems, I suppose, of wakefulness--for these animals are
on the alert while men sleep.
“I once saw two girls at this work in the village of Mongha. They were
seated upon a low stool, and extended their legs across another of
twice the height of their seat. In this way, a support was provided for
the frame on which the piece to be embroidered was spread forth. Their
faces wore a sickly hue; which was owing, perhaps, to close confinement
and the unnatural position in which they were obliged to sit.
“The finest specimens of embroidery are, so far as my observation goes,
done by men, who stand while at work--a practice which these damsels
could not imitate, as their feet were small. They were poor, but too
genteel, in their parents’ idea, to do the drudgery of the humble
housewife; and so their feet were bandaged and kept from growing beyond
the limits of gentility. Their looks were not likely soon to attract
a lover; and hence they were compelled to tease the sampler from the
glistening dawn till dewy eve.”
Chinese embroidery is particularly rich and effective for screens,
with its clear outlines, its gorgeous flowers, and showy birds and
butterflies. It bears the closest scrutiny--each stitch, even the hair
lines, seems to be placed just in the right spot; and appliqué is often
brought in so successfully, that it looks as if woven in the material.
The vivid clusters of crêpe flowers are beautiful; and the judicious
introduction of gold thread here and there gives a marvellous richness
to the whole work.
Very fine floss-silk is the most common material used, and the
embroidery is done in long irregular stitches. Silk and satin are
generally used for the foundation; but whether the color is vivid blue,
bright scarlet, or pale gold, the effect seems to be equally good.
The apparent carelessness of this work is one of its great attractions;
the bold, free outlines seem easy of imitation; and a study of the
cheap Chinese and Japanese fans will be found very suggestive in the
way of design and coloring. A simple design on one of these fans has an
intensely blue sky at the upper edge--a white moon in its first quarter
at the upper right-hand corner--while at the left-hand lower one, a
small bunch of intensely pink flowers send a warm glow over the whole.
The effect is extremely pretty.
_Japanese embroidery_, although similar in style and design, seems
finer and more dainty than the Chinese; and yet it is said that their
best specimens of work are kept for home decoration. The finest of
these are the cloths used as covers for the presents given by persons
paying visits of ceremony; these cloths are not given with the presents
they cover, but are family heirlooms. Really good Japanese work is said
to be rarely seen elsewhere.
The pieces of embroidery which are done purposely for a foreign market
are often very handsome; but they do not compare with those which are
executed for their own critical eyes. White birds, usually storks, on
a black satin ground, from which they stand out so clearly that they
seem in the very act of flying, are the most common subject. Some rare
pieces are occasionally seen in which the work is exquisite; in one,
the ground will be a deep, soft blue satin, like the sky of a summer
night; while the leading colors of the embroidery are gold, pale blue,
and white.
In another piece, the ground is of scarlet moreen, of a sufficiently
bright yellow scarlet to harmonize with the gold that forms the
principal color in the embroidery. The subject is a long flight of
storks; not less than eighty of them are flying upwards in a zigzag
line--the angles of which are very carefully studied from the bottom to
the top of the picture.
Most of these storks are embroidered in white silk, the direction
of the stitches giving much of their form; they are pricked out
with black, and there is a little pale pink or pale yellow-green
in their beaks and legs. About a quarter of them are worked all in
gold--representing the birds in shadow, or seen against the light;
and these have little or no detail. Each bird is distinct, separately
drawn, and having his own expression, mode of flight, and position in
the line.
The rest of the space is filled by horizontal bars of gold of varying
widths, and groups of fan-stitches also in gold; these seem to indicate
the flat sunset clouds and the tops of the distant trees passed over by
the storks in their flight.
Both in Japanese and Chinese work, the subjects are sometimes partly
painted and partly embroidered; and the two are so happily blended,
that it is difficult, at a little distance, to see where one kind of
work stops and the other begins.
In imitating this kind of embroidery for small articles, unmeaning
kinds of lines in the way of reeds and grasses, as in Figure 36, have a
particularly characteristic look. Small fans may also be introduced to
advantage; and Figure 37 would admit of a small bird and bough at the
top on a gold-colored ground, with brown lines for sticks; while Figure
38 might have a top of pink floss or embroidery silk with black lines
at the bottom. These fans may be very much varied, and can be made
extremely ornamental. Figure 39 is a still different shape.
[Illustration: Fig. 36.]
A full-sized fan with small ones embroidered over it would be a pretty
conceit; or to introduce them in connection with flowers, butterflies,
and other emblems of summer.
It must be borne in mind that this kind of work is never over-loaded--a
few grasses, a butterfly, and a flower, often sufficing for a
good-sized object.
[Illustration: Fig. 37.]
[Illustration: Fig. 38.]
[Illustration: Fig. 39.]