Here is a lovely chance for you to do some Berlin Woolwork. This is
done on Penelope Canvas. You have already learnt to work cross-stitch
designs on Penelope Canvas, haven’t you? so you have not so very much
that is fresh to learn here. When you did the work before, however, you
pulled the threads away afterwards, but here you do not pull any away,
but you cover the whole of the canvas square with some pretty pattern.
It may be alternate rows of two colours, or it may be a little square
pattern, or it can be the “upstairs and downstairs” pattern that you
see in the kettle holder on this page.
The easiest kind of kettle holder to start with would be one like the
mat on page 103—in green and purple—working a row of green crosses, and
then a row of purple crosses. When you are working several crosses in a
row, you do not finish each cross before going on to the next. You make
the halves of the crosses all one way, and then go back and cross them
all. You will see what I mean by the top illustration in the picture on
this page, showing the stitches.
You will want some Penelope Canvas, and some purple and some green
Berlin wool—J. and J. Baldwin’s English-made Berlin wool is the kind
to get, as we all like to buy things that are made in England, don’t
we? You also need a piece of thick serge or cloth to line the kettle
holder, and a pretty cord to finish the edge.
To start the kettle holder, take a piece of canvas, about 7 inches each
way. Before you commence the pattern, thread your needle with wool, and
take over-and-over stitches all round the edge to keep the canvas from
fraying out while you are doing the pretty work.
Now, starting half an inch in, work the cross-stitch, first doing a row
of purple and then a row of green, leaving half an inch all round the
edge. This will give you a worked square, 6 inches by 6 inches.
[Illustration: HOW THE STITCHES ARE DONE.]
Having finished the cross-stitch, turn in the edge all round as far as
the work, and tack it. Take your piece of cloth, turn in and tack the
edge of that all round to the same size as the kettle holder. Place
them together with the wrong sides facing, and hem the lining to the
holder, not letting the stitches show through on the right side.
The only thing to be done now is to sew the cord to the edge. This
finishes the kettle holder very prettily, and at one corner it can be
twisted up to make a loop to hang the holder up by, as you see in the
picture on page 100.
Do you see the little piece worked in squares at the bottom of the
picture on page 101. This is a lovely design for a kettle holder.
You see nine crosses are worked in light wool and nine in dark wool
alternately.
[Illustration: BERLIN WOOL WORK ON A BAG.]
The “upstairs and downstairs” pattern is just a little bit more
difficult, but even this only requires careful counting. You start in
the top left-hand corner, and work six crosses in a row. Then take
four downwards, then four more in a row with the last one down, then
four more down, and so on. When you have worked from one corner to the
other in this way, you start filling in the space at each side of
that diagonal line, working two rows in each colour. Light and dark
green would look very pretty for this. The kettle holder worked in this
design is shown hanging cornerwise, but of course it has to be worked
straight, as in third specimen in the picture on page 101.
[Illustration: A MAT FOR A HOT WATER JUG.]
There is another thing that Grandma would find very useful, and that is
a mat to stand on the table for her hot water-jug. You can make this in
the same way as the kettle holder, with just two little differences.
When the work on the front is finished, turn the canvas on the wrong
side over a piece of cardboard before tacking it. Then line it with a
strong piece of sateen. The cardboard keeps it firm, and it will then
be quite a useful mat to stand the jug on. Then you do not make a loop
to hang it up, as you did the kettle holder, but you simply finish the
edge with a straight piece of cord.
If you have a thicker wool, or use the wool doubled, you can work the
design in half crosses only, that is to say, just take a half stitch
and do not cross it. You will see what I mean by the second little
specimen in the picture on page 101.
Does Grandma knit? If she does she will need a strong bag to keep her
work in, as steel knitting needles have an aggravating way of poking
their heads through the corners of a bag that is not very strong. You
will see how to make a bag on page 11, and a way to make it extra
strong is to work a strip of Berlin wool-work and sew it to the bottom
of the bag, so that when you join up the seams of the bag, you sew in
the strip of wool-work at the same time. Isn’t that a sweet bag on page
102. This is made of pretty grey material, and the work at the bottom
is done in several lovely colours, purple, green, black, yellow and
white, and you would hardly believe how lovely they all look blended
together. The ribbons to draw up the bag, and the feather-stitching,
are of a beautiful purple colour.
Preparing for Visitors.
We’ve been so busy all this week,
Spring-cleaning Dolly’s rooms.
We’ve shaken carpets, scrubbed the floors,
We’ve cleaned the walls, and rubbed the doors,
With dusters, pails, and brooms.
We’ve made new curtains and new mats,
A carpet for her feet,
A bedspread fit for any queen,
A hearthrug worked in pink and green—
It all looks very sweet.
You see, when Cousin Mabel comes
And brings her doll, Rose Gerty,
It would be shocking if she found
A speck of dust upon the ground,
Or thought our doll’s house dirty!