crafts. Those who are not fond of needlework will find this a real
wholesome pleasure.
VII
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH ONE SKIN; CUT LEATHER BAGS, BELTS, BOOK COVERS.
ETC.
There is nothing so handsome for a library table or cushion in a
room of dark rich colouring as leather work. These articles are very
expensive to buy and are sold in arts and crafts shops or women's
exchanges and some of the department stores. You have doubtless seen
the dyed whole skin used on a library table, but have you ever seen
leather appliqué? That is the design cut out of a leather background
and lined, or pieces of leather applied to a background.
Different kinds of leather may be used for this work. The cheapest and
thinnest kind is sheepskin. Leather is usually sold by the square foot
and one has to buy the entire skin. Sheepskin costs about sixteen cents
a square foot; some stores charge more for it, while it is possible at
a wholesale and retail shop to get it for less. The skins come dyed in
all shades. Golden brown, dull gray or moss green are the most artistic
for general use. Many tailors like to trim ladies' suits with leather
and for this purpose many beautiful odd shades are dyed. Goatskin ranks
next to sheepskin and is a trifle dearer. Chamois is good for belts or
dainty opera bags. It comes in white or cream only. Calf is a beautiful
substantial skin, as is also Russia calf. Pebble calf is what its name
implies, very rough with a glazed finish. The other side presents an
undyed appearance.
[Illustration: Fig. 87. A well-planned skin]
If you get a skin you should not expect to get a sofa cushion as well
as a large table mat out of it. A skin carefully cut will give you one
large piece and the rest of it can be planned for smaller objects,
such as card cases, pen wipers, blotter corners, belts, picture frames,
possibly a magazine cover or a bag. The diagram of the skin shows how
carefully to cut out and plan every part of it (Figure 87).
Let us take the sofa cushion first. A bold conventional design can be
used in each corner. One that has each part separate like a stencil
design is one that I have in mind.
Cut each part out carefully so as not to impair the background. A
cheaper grade of leather of a tone deeper or lighter can be laid under
the design, though velvet is also in excellent taste for this work.
Broadcloth, satin, and sometimes taffeta are also used. If a shaded
effect is wanted a different coloured background can be pasted under
each different section of the design. It is a better plan, however,
for the amateur to restrict herself to one colour for the background
as the finishing of different pieces is no easy problem (Figure 88).
Library paste is the best means of making the leather and background
adhere, also it does not spot as mucilage does. The majority of leather
workers consider that the pasting completes the piece, while others
feel that it is necessary to machine stitch along the extreme edge of
the cutting. Yet again others prefer to work embroidery stitches such
as open buttonhole or couching stitches. Both of these are explained
at length in later chapters. A pen wiper can be made from a piece cut
in circular, diamond, or triangular shapes. Cut two pieces of chamois
leather the same shape. A plain piece of the leather also is needed to
back the pen wiper. The chamois pieces serve as leaves on which the pen
is wiped.
[Illustration: Fig. 88. Leather appliqué bag]
A card punch will be needed to make a hole through the four pieces for
the ribbon or cord which holds them together.
It is most necessary to plan the design so that it will be appropriate
to the object it is to be applied to. The leather should also harmonize
with the colour of the room or gown with which it is used or worn.
For those who are anxious to learn how to design, books on this subject
can be obtained from the public libraries. You should bear in mind,
however, that practice makes all things perfect.
The different methods of applying the design had better be gone into
before we proceed any further. Thick manilla paper or artist linen may
be used on which to draw the design. The pattern is then thumb-tacked
or pinned on a flat wooden surface, on the upper edge only, as it will
be necessary to raise the paper off and on during the tracing.
An orange stick such as used for manicuring or hard pencil will be
needed for the tracing. Trace along the pencilled design with a very
heavy pressure so that there will be an indented line on the leather. A
line once impressed is almost impossible to remove, so great care must
be taken to keep the design true.
Every time you stop tracing there will be a deeper indentation; for
that reason in tracing a curved line try to draw a full sweep without
stopping. A ruler will be an aid in tracing straight lines.
It may be found necessary to dampen the leather so that the tracing
will be distinct. In that case dampen the entire piece of leather with
a wet cloth. Dampening in sections only causes water rings. Once the
whole leather is dampened, however, it can be redampened in sections
without fear of marking.
Designs for leather may also be applied by means of a perforated
pattern and a stamping powder or paste or a transfer pattern may be
also used.
The leather for cut-work may be cut with sharp scissors and manicuring
scissors for round or curved places or two sharp knives of different
sizes. A board of soft wood is the best on which to work.
[Illustration: Fig. 89. A belt of leather of appliqué underlaid]
The best kind of paste is one that has been recommended by a successful
leather teacher and proves satisfactory to all who have tried it.
"Bring to a slow boil a half-pound of flour in two quarts of water. Add
to this mixture when cool, an ounce of nitric acid and a dram of boric
acid and a few drops of clove oil." The nitric and boric acid, as well
as the clove oil, can be obtained from the drug store.
If knives are used to cut out the design, thumbtack the leather before
commencing.
The paste is applied lightly on the wrong side of the leather, then the
lining placed over it. Lay the article with the right side up and put
it under weights until it dries. Any surplus paste that may happen to
ooze through can readily be scraped off.
A wide range of articles can be made from leather appliqué, whether
underlaid or overlaid, such as table covers, bags, belts (Figure 89),
medicine cases, card cases, mirror frames, book or magazine covers,
portfolios, memorandum pads, waste baskets, pocket books, bill folders,
chair covers, besides numerous other articles.
Sometimes it will be necessary to have two tracings of the design,
one on the leather and one on the other background. Leather is often
applied to heavy crashes for portières, or pillow tops. A bold
conventionalized poppy is an excellent design for portières.
Paper is often used to line centerpieces or mats.
Rough tinted cartridge paper can be treated the same as cut leather
and the daintiest of candle or lamp shades can be made of them. The
design is cut out as in leather and a thin China silk lines the whole.
Each section of the design may then be coloured the right shade of the
silk. For instance, a design of cherries can be painted with orange
and red for the cherries and the leaves green, while the paper is of
tobacco brown; a narrow gold braid finishes the shade at the top and
bottom, while the shade is held together with four tiny gold rivets.
VIII
TOOLED LEATHER AND TOOLS NECESSARY
Tooled leather is one of the oldest and most beautiful of crafts.
Instead of weakening the leather it simply makes it more beautiful. A
handsome box is made of soft wood or cardboard and covered with tooled
or embossed leather and is a possession that a queen might envy.
Boxes containing tools for leather work can be had for from five to
twenty-two dollars for the outfit. Twelve tools are in the box. Two
modelling tools, a steel hammer, two embossing tools, a punch, an
embossing ball tool, one cutting or trimming knife, and four chasing
and pearling knives (Figure 90). Now I know that there are not many
of you who would care to buy an outfit for five dollars, but for home
use there is a simple little article that can be substituted and yet
you can obtain very satisfactory results. A steel nut pick will work
wonders and then, when you feel that you can do very much better work
with other tools, invest in a case of them.
All leathers are not satisfactory for tooling. The best and most used
is Russia calf in a heavy quality. One skin is usually the least a
dealer will sell.
Let us suppose we are working on a card case. The design is traced in
the manner described in the last chapter, that is, by tracing over the
dampened leather.
[Illustration: Fig. 90. A case of tools]
After the design has been traced remove the paper and holding the nut
pick firmly in your right hand as you would a pencil, proceed to deepen
the lines. The leather must be kept moist or the tool is apt to scratch
and break the outer skin. It is a work over which you may become
fatigued, but you can just lay it aside till the next day and then
proceed again. The deeper the tooled line the handsomer the piece. It
will take several hours to tool a card case.
Another form of decorating leather is with the little geometrical die
that was used so much in past winters for decorating the background of
etched copper articles (Figure 91). The little die is placed on the
leather with its raised or embossed side downward and one knock from
a steel hammer is sufficient to make an imprint on the leather. The
entire background is filled out in this manner. Hammer with an even
pressure otherwise the background will be bumpy.
[Illustration: Fig. 91. The dies for backgrounds]
Sometimes you may prefer to have your background pressed or modelled
and the design to stand out in relief. In that case take the bowl or
thick part of the nut pick or modeller and press the background in
flat. If the leather wrinkles when rubbing it change the direction
of working. When the work is completed it will be noticed that the
modelled part of the leather is darker and quite shiny.
Designs such as cherries, cat-tails, and most floral forms give a
greater opportunity for elaborate working. They can be carried out in
relief. This relief is a much more difficult work. In the first place
the design is drawn on the finished surface of the leather and then,
after another sponging with water, hold the leather up from the table.
Holding the section to be modelled between the first finger and thumb,
work the tool backward and forward under the section.
Some workers prefer to hold the working side toward them, contending
that a greater pressure can be brought to bear on a downward stroke
than an upward one. In that case the design is stamped or traced on the
wrong side of the leather.
The oftener the rubbing is done and the leather is dampened the higher
the design will stand forth. The parts to be worked in relief may be
done before the background (Figure 92).
[Illustration: Fig. 92. A magazine cover]
To keep the leather from falling back to its natural shape some workers
paste the relief parts. My teacher used a paste that we found quite
stiff enough except for large heavy objects.
To make this paste an ounce of dextrin is left soaking in water for
about sixteen hours. Dextrin, by the way, is the only paste which will
not stain silk. It is a white powder, and when used as a paste can be
dissolved in boiling water till it is the consistency of a thick cream.
When used as a modelling wax, however, it requires to be thicker than
a cream. After the dextrin is dissolved mix in a pint of scrap leather
that has been grated to shreds, and a few drops of turpentine. The
scrap leather thickens the paste while water thins it.
Before applying the paste to the leather the raised side is placed face
downward upon the marble. Take some of the paste and press it into the
hollow places until they are entirely filled. After every space has
been filled lay a piece of paper over them and then a cardboard or a
piece of board large enough to cover all the design.
Turn the leather, paper, and board right side up on the working table.
While the places are being filled in the design is apt to be pushed a
little out of shape. With the finer modelling tool or your nut pick go
over the flattened places again. Let the work remain on the table for
four days without touching it so that it may be thoroughly dried.
Sometimes you will see a beautiful tinted leather. This is usually
done by the means of dyes, or chemicals. For the amateur the former is
recommended. The dye is applied to the leather with soft cotton or a
sponge. To deepen the shade wet the places desired to be darker two or
three times with the dye.
To obtain the brightly polished appearance so often seen in a handsome
piece of leather rub the piece with your bare palms. A little wax
rubbed on your hand greatly aids the work.
In all leather work it is necessary to leave a margin about a half inch
at least.
Another paste which may be substituted for the formula given in this
chapter is one made of equal parts of sawdust and rye flour with water.
The cutting or shaving knife that comes with the outfit is good for
cutting the leather. If a deeper indentation is desired than is
obtained by tracing the pattern, a slight slit may be made with the
shaving knife. Of course cutting the leather weakens it and it should
only be done on a very heavy piece of skin.
The hammer is indispensable for stamping in the little dies. These dies
are not usually included in the outfit.
The difference between the modelling (Figures 93 and 94) and embossing
tools is that the embossing tools are a greater aid in achieving fine
bas-relief work. The embossing ball tool is used to make the deep
indentations.
[Illustration: Fig. 93. A modelling tool]
[Illustration: Fig. 94. A modelling tool]
The punch is to make holes for rivets or through which cords or ribbons
may be passed to connect two or more pieces of leather together as on
a pad or book. The punch and pearling knives are used in fine carved
leather. As one becomes proficient in the art of simple leather work
she is tempted to branch out and try more elaborate work. A great many
books have been written on this subject which, though perhaps puzzling
to a beginner, will be interesting and invaluable if the work is taken
up as a serious occupation. The best specimens of this work can be seen
at the different arts and crafts exhibitions.
IX
THE SIMPLEST STITCHES IN EMBROIDERY--CHAIN STITCHING, OUTLINING,
HERRING-BONING, CROSS-STITCHING, SOUTACHE, CORONATION BRAIDING
It would be hard indeed to say just how many stitches there are in
embroidery, as so many are combinations of the others. The ones you
will hear about are the simplest ones.
Some years ago I had a large class in embroidery in a mission school.
Every seat was taken and many applicants were refused admittance. The
supervisor came in one day and said that there was a little girl who
was very anxious to join the class and that she knew how to sew. I
did not have the heart to refuse her, so in marched little Nellie.
She was just seven years old and said that she attended sewing school
every Saturday at her church and that her teacher had taught her _all_
about embroidery. I gave her a little stamped design and told her to
chain-stitch it and let me see how well she could do it. About five
minutes later I happened to turn around and there was little Nellie
frantically waving her hand. "Teacher, teacher," she said, "that is
the only stitch the Lady didn't show me."
Now, as I am most anxious that nothing like that will happen to you,
I will start with chain-stitching as the simplest stitch (Figure 95).
It is also one of the oldest stitches in embroidery. Every museum that
exhibits embroidered articles will have some elaborate designs carried
out in fine chain-stitching. If the stitches are worked in filo silk or
spool silk the effect is like machine work.
[Illustration: Fig. 95. Chain-stitching, showing how to turn a corner]
Draw a straight line on a piece of muslin and thread your needle with
a piece of red cotton. No knots should be used in embroidery. Fasten
the thread by taking three fine running stitches and one back stitch to
insure firmness at the end of the line. Now with the needle in position
at the beginning of the line, start by taking a straight stitch on the
line. Bring the thread under and pull the needle through the material.
You have made the first loop. Put your needle back into the last hole
or as near as possible to it, take another stitch on the line, repeat
until you come to the end of the design.
Take the same length stitch every time or you will not have a
good-looking chain. If you will look at the links in your chain
bracelet, you will see that every link is the same size as the others.
Suppose you wanted to chain-stitch a square or a triangle: when you
come to the corner do not try to make one continuous line, but carry
the needle down through the material at the end of the loop to fasten
the link and start the next row at right angles to it. Chain-stitching
can be put to many uses. It is a pretty stitch to cover a single line
in a conventional design. It is also the quickest kind of padding
for large designs. When it is used as a padding, the rows are worked
close to each other. If the work is to be raised very high, the
chain-stitching may be placed in rows one on top of the other. You
will, however, hear more about padding in a later chapter.
[Illustration: Fig. 96. Smooth outlining]
The next stitch we will talk about is the outlining, (Figure 96).
Some people think it is simpler than chain-stitching. It was the
first stitch I learned in embroidery, but it is not as pretty as
chain-stitching. The first thing I did in fancy work when I was nine
years old was a wonderful face cloth with a wild rose on the top, and
under it my name and the motto, "_Cleanliness is Next to Godliness_,"
worked in red cotton. After that I made face cloths for every member of
the family.
Outlining makes one think of plain sewing. There are two kinds of
outlining, rough (Figure 97) and smooth, the difference being in how
the thread is thrown. To make the rough outline, fasten the thread as
directed in chain-stitching and on the line take a stitch about an
eighth of an inch. Then work from left to right. Let the thread fall
under the needle and be sure to keep it this way. A smooth outline is
made by throwing the thread over the needle instead of under it; this
outline can be used as stems for flowers unless a more elaborate kind
is desired.
[Illustration: Fig. 97. Rough outlining]
Either chain-stitching or outlining is an excellent way to decorate
bureau scarfs, pillow tops, or table covers.
Herring-boning is used for finishing seams on a flannel skirt, or
it may be used above hems. The little flannel skirt you intend to
make for Sally Ann this winter should be finished in this way. Here
is a stitch for which we do not need guide lines, though while you
are learning, the lines might be helpful. Draw two parallel lines a
quarter of an inch apart. Take a stitch on the upper line, about an
eighth of an inch long. Then make one on the lower line, letting the
thread fall always to the right. When you have made a row between with
the lines, try to work one without lines and see if you can keep the
herring-boning straight (Figure 98).
[Illustration: Fig. 98. Herring-boning or cat-stitching]
A plain quilt or cover for the baby can be made very attractive, by
working herring-boning around the edge. If the cover is woollen, use
worsted or heavy silk for the stitchery, but if it is cotton material,
a heavy lustre is recommended. The needle to use depends on the thread.
A sewing needle will carry a round cotton thread such as D. M. C.,
Madonna, Utopia, Royal Society, or Peri lustre. A crewel needle, which
is a needle with a long eye, will be required for silk or worsted. An
easy way to thread a No. 2 or No. 4 crewel needle with worsted is to
hold the needle in the left hand and double the thread at one end and
run the needle through it. Hold the thread between the thumb and first
finger of the right hand so that the thread is just visible. Gently
pull the needle out with the left hand and run the doubled thread
through the eye. It sounds a great deal harder than it actually is, but
it will require very little practice.
[Illustration: Fig. 99. The first step in cross-stitching]
When you went to kindergarten did you have little pierced cards on
which you made designs in coloured silks or cottons? Well they had
these at my school and we made book-marks, needle-books and all sorts
of funny little things. If you remember the cross-stitching of the
kindergarten days, regular cross-stitching will be a simple matter.
The nicest material for this work is Java canvas, which is very coarse
and stiff. It is ideal for book covers or napkin rings. The holes in
the canvas are so large that working on it is almost like play. As
Java canvas is rather expensive you will find a coarse scrim a good
substitute. A lot of boys that I once knew took up this work very
enthusiastically, so simple is it.
[Illustration: Fig. 100. The second step in cross-stitch]
Do you know that you can make a gingham apron for mother and decorate
it with cross-stitching that will last ever so long? Get a piece of
gingham with squares about an eighth of an inch. Cross-stitch it in a
shade darker than the gingham or in white or red. The stitches are
taken on the diagonal as shown in the diagram (Figures 99 and 100).
If there is a great deal of cross-stitching to be done, the quickest
way is to make all the stitches that run in one direction first, and
then come back and cross them. Perhaps mother has a small piece of
cross-stitching that you can use as a model. Simple triangles are
easy to make. Begin the lower row with an uneven number, such as
seven, nine, eleven, or thirteen. The next row make two stitches less,
dropping one from each end, and so on till you have one at the top.
[Illustration: Fig. 101. A good hand design in cross-stitching]
Now suppose that you had a little linen or silk bag on which you would
like to have a cross-stitch design, yet this material is not coarse
enough for you to use as a guide for the cross-stitching. Do not think
you cannot do it, for I will show you a way. Get a piece of scrim just
as coarse as you can find, and baste it over the place you would like
to cross-stitch. Work the design on it and when the cross-stitching is
all finished pull out the scrim thread by thread. Sometimes you will
have to snip the thread of the scrim if your needle accidentally gets
caught in them. (Figures 101, 102, and 103.)
[Illustration: Fig. 102. A cross-stitch design]
[Illustration: Fig. 103. Another cross-stitch design]
A very simple thing to do is to braid a dress for yourself. Now that
all the large pattern houses are carrying transfer patterns you can get
a design for braiding very cheap. A little girl I know braided a dress
for herself and one for her mother last summer. She used light blue
chambray and braided it with white. There are several kinds of braid,
but the easiest to use is soutache, whether it is cotton or silk. It is
a flat braid and varies in width from one to three eighths of an inch.
First stamp your design on the material, or if you have not a transfer
pattern you can draw a design on tissue paper, making it as long as
required and then baste the paper in right position on your dress. Take
a stiletto, which is a little tool somewhat like a nail that is used in
embroidery for piercing holes, and punch a hole on the line. Push one
end of your braid through this and fasten the end of it on the wrong
side of your material. Thread your needle with sewing cotton or silk
the colour of the braid and sew it down with little running stitches
and an occasional back-stitch to fasten it firmly. When you come to
the end of the line or of the braid, carry the end through as at the
beginning and fasten.
[Illustration: Fig. 103A. A fourth design in cross-stitch]