CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN
“A cunning workman, an embroiderer in blue and in purple and in fine
linen.”
We shall now discuss the decorative points.
The construction and the building up of the pattern may be taken
together.
=A Simple Pattern in Needle-weaving.=--The simplest design for an
initial effort should be one which could be executed in needle-weaving
such as is illustrated in Plate I. Here the spaces for the decoration
are marked off on the material, there being no necessity to put any
design on to paper--the weaving may be done in any simple primitive
pattern, or from some of the more interesting darning pattern samplers,
or it may follow some idea or fanciful invention of the worker. It
should be more or less symmetrical in colour and form, and provided
that sufficient thought is taken in arranging the colour scheme and
that the technique is good, the result should be both pleasing and
decorative. (See Chapter V. on needle-weaving.) Supposing the material
and the colour scheme to have been already decided, and that a loosely
woven texture--which demands a simple conventional pattern with bold
stitchery and bright colour effects--has been chosen (let it be a
runner, table cover or any article suitable for household use). It
would be best, as simplicity must be the keynote, to have a marginal
or border design, built up entirely on straight lines and geometrical
forms. First plan out the material and arrange for the decoration;
decide whether the pattern is to be placed on to a wide hem, or inside
a narrow one, or whether it is to be applied as wide bars at the ends
and edges of the runner. The limited space at the disposal of the
designer will often aid and suggest the pattern.
The decoration should, when possible, strengthen the construction.
Be careful at all times to place it where it will not interfere with
the usefulness of the object. A cushion, for example, ornamented with
raised embroidery or with large beads, conveys the idea of _dis_comfort
rather than of comfort, which is, after all, the _raison d’être_ of a
cushion, the addition to a room, by means of colour and decoration,
being a secondary point.
In the early days, when decoration was so freely applied by primitive
peoples to seams, hems, shoulder-straps, indeed to all objects, it was
their aim to increase the usefulness of the article rather than to
decorate it.
=A Border Pattern.=--When the above-mentioned points have been decided,
take squared paper, ruler, and pencil, and draw a few nicely spaced
lines; duplicate the outer ones to give weight to the edges. All these
lines crossing at the corners will form the framework of the design.
Regularity and order are as essential in needlework as in most crafts,
therefore the care and precision taken in the earlier stages will aid
in the working of the later.
=The Construction.=--Plan carefully and arrange for the decoration,
which should never interfere with the usefulness of the finished work.
=The Corners.=--The treatment of the corners presents the greatest
difficulty. In a frame they are structurally the weakest parts; for
this reason the ornamentation is placed at these parts to bind and
strengthen, as well as to decorate them. In a piece of needlework with
a simple border design they are again the most important. One expects
to find unity, enrichment and massiveness there where the lines cross;
we add, therefore, a few extra lines or chequers to the corners.
By this means we enlarge them, and by so doing append dignity and
importance. Still greater emphasis and the necessary note of interest
will be given by the colour and the stitchery--the treatment of which
should always be in the foreground of the mind of the designer.
=Principle of Repetition.=--Do not aim at great variety of form;
repetition is one of the first principles of design. The beginner will
save herself much worry and labour if she keeps this principle before
her, instead of striving--as she invariably does--after variety. She
should make her form--a square, an oblong, or whatever simple element
she may have chosen--recur at regular intervals, and all corners should
be alike.
=Masses connected by Lines.=--Masses should be joined by connecting
lines and the spacing so arranged as to give value to the rest of the
work.
=Value of Spaces.=--A form or element should never be cramped into a
space nor stretched out unduly in order to fill one; it should be
planned and balanced to look as if it just belonged to it. A design is
well balanced when the elements are so adjusted that they are neither
too monotonous by over repetition nor confused by too much variation.
=Diagonal Lines.=--It is safer at the earlier stages to avoid diagonal
lines, or forms made up of such lines, for several reasons: they give
a restless effect which should be avoided if possible, they present to
the embroideress considerable difficulty of manipulation--coming, as
they must, on the bias of the material, which may easily be tightened,
puckered or pulled out of shape in the working by the inexperienced
hand.
=The Game of Design.=--There is really no limit to the possible
patterns which may be built up on straight lines and geometrical forms.
The needlewoman has only to try with a ruler, pencil and squared paper
in order to discover that she may, after some little practice, make
most elaborate designs with interesting results. There are, of course,
certain fundamental principles which will help her, but they are not
many, and with the suggestions already given she should be able to
arrange many simple designs suitable for her own use. It might be
quite a pleasant occupation for the younger members of a household,
on a winter’s evening, to start and play at design. A time limit,
perhaps a quarter of an hour for the first effort, and a longer period
as the patterns became more elaborate, might be given; afterwards all
the designs could be exchanged, compared, criticised, and then judged
by an older member. In this way a “habit” of pattern making might be
cultivated. Many of the designs should prove valuable to the craft
worker as well as interesting to the youngsters.
=Circles.=--From the making of patterns with straight lines we go on
to circular forms, with radiating lines. This opens up a wide field to
the embroideress, allowing her to extend and vary her simple designs
indefinitely.
With this new element, the circle, she can formulate some of the more
definite floral shapes, and arranging them in an orderly manner,
symmetrically, can make a geometrical pattern suitable to her purpose;
she can make use of compasses, or if these instruments are not at hand,
any circular form, such as a plate or a coin, will suit admirably.
Should these prove too small, there is always the simple device of the
fixed pin encircled by a thread, with the pencil at the opposite end,
which, when the pin is held firmly in the centre of the space--as the
thread must remain taut--will form a circle, the size being fixed by
the length of the thread.
Circles at once suggest natural forms and growth, but to begin with the
young designer must keep to the geometrical side of Nature; natural
floral forms will come later. If she examines carefully a number of
the flowers of the field or hedgerow she will find that many of these
beautiful forms are built up on a geometrical basis--she will note
the radiating lines of the flowers, the sepals, petals and stamens,
the venation of leaves, the manner in which the mid-rib gives off,
gradually, the beautiful curving lines which flow into the outer edges,
and the wonderful orderliness of the little seeds clinging to the
sides or centre of the seed vessel, and thus she will realise that all
curving lines are but segments, or parts of circles of various sizes.
To aid the designer in her first efforts let her turn to an elementary
text-book on botany--she will probably find there a number of diagrams
of horizontal sections of the commoner wild flowers. These give the
plan of each flower typical of the family to which it belongs--all the
parts are arranged symmetrically in circles or whorls, and show how
the flower is built up. The embroideress should find these sections
full of suggestions; she might take the simpler forms to begin with
and elaborate them, adding fresh details where necessary for the
development of her design. By comparing the sections of one flower with
another--of the wild rose with the poppy, the purple loosestrife with
the forget-me-not, the primrose with the daffodil--she will be able
to obtain variety with simplicity and balance; then she will connect
and join all the masses with straight or curved lines, and thus give
completeness to her design.
With increased knowledge of the structure of flowers the embroideress
will gain a keener sense of observation which will be of great value
when she studies the natural forms.
Setting forth once more on the high adventure of making her own design,
she will bring to her aid the principles already learnt in the making
of straight lines while she was building up her patterns and designs.
THE FIFTH POINT: THE STITCHERY.
We express ourselves and our ideas in embroidery by means of stitches
and colour.
To have pleasure in the craft, the needlewoman must have a fairly
accurate knowledge of the technique. Stitchery should at all times be
as simple as possible, and carefully adapted to the material and the
design.
=Simpler Types of Stitchery.=--The commoner types, those which by
experience and long use have been proved to be the most beautiful or
the most practical, are the best. All the more complicated forms are
merely modifications or combinations of these simple types, many of
which are used in “plain” needlework. There are, in fact, few stitches
which a careful worker cannot master in a very short time.
=Stitchery not the Most Important.=--It is wise to remember that
stitchery is not the most important factor, but only one of the
many which go to the making of good and artistic work. Beauty, in
needlework, consists, not in the variation and elaboration of stitch,
but in the harmony of material and technique, as well as of form and
colour.
=Unity of Stitch.=--Where coloured threads are used it will often be
found advantageous to adopt one stitch only. Many of the charming
pieces of embroidery stored up in our museums give us an idea of what
can be done in this way, and though we lack, perhaps, both time and
patience nowadays, there is no reason why we should not, by cultivation
of our tastes, raise the level of the art considerably above its
present standard and prove that we can still produce embroidery--of
the modest, reticent type--adapted to our own conditions of life, which
will reveal both refinement and artistic delight.
To execute a piece of work in one stitch would be excellent practice
for the young embroideress, whereby she would learn to know and use
a stitch in all its varied aspects. She need not fear monotony--the
coloured threads will give sufficient variety. Let her take the
simplest of all stitches to begin with--the tacking or basting
stitch--and keeping it and its many varieties in her mind when planning
out the pattern, she will find that she has many delightful ways of
executing it. Tacking or basting stitch, worked in rows, becomes simple
darning, a background stitch with which she may make charming patterns
and fillings, _ad libitum_. (Plates II. and XII.) Worked closer, it is
a running stitch, wherewith braids may be tacked in place (Plate IV.),
frills gathered up, seams of frocks connected, or smocking prepared.
Finally, when worked with the same quantity of thread on the under and
upper surfaces of the material, it attains a new dignity, and becomes
satin stitch--the stitch beloved of the young modern needlewoman,
who is generally inspired and stimulated by the wonderful skill and
precision of the Eastern needleworkers.
=White Backgrounds.=--White backgrounds, when embroidered in white
or with only a little colour, may have much greater variation in
stitchery; it is a relief to the worker and an improvement to the
work--indeed, should the embroideress feel so disposed, she has
here the opportunity of displaying her knowledge of stitchery to a
considerable extent, always keeping, of course, within the limits of
good taste.
She should endeavour to suit the stitchery to the work, to produce
the desired effect without too much labour--not that work should ever
be done in a hasty or untidy manner--but, as said before, she should
adapt it to its purpose. It is well to remember that large pieces of
embroidery, generally seen from a distance, demand bold, effective
treatment; detail is lost, so can be omitted; smaller pieces, seen at
closer range, should bear inspection, therefore more delicate treatment
may be applied; detail and finer stitches can be seen to advantage.
(See Chapter XII. for stitches and the method of working.)
THE SIXTH POINT: THE FINISHINGS.
The aim of the embroideress is to make her work beautiful, as well as
suitable for her purpose. If she has the gift of originality she will
also make it distinctive, possibly unconsciously, by adding here and
there those little touches of individuality which will mark the work as
characteristic of herself.
It is in the finishings that she has most scope for these dainty
devices; for by their means she may add interest and artistic detail to
the simple garment or article of domestic use and render them charming
things to look at. She may attain this end, not by obtaining expensive
fitments, rich cords and silk tassels, such as are sometimes applied,
most unsuitably, to embroidered cushions, table squares, and other
objects that require frequent washing, but by the use of braids (Plate
VI.), and bindings (Plate VIII.), and bands (Plate IV.), hand-made
cords and tassels, linings, edges, fringes, beads and buttons, raffia
and plaited straw.
Thus, the amateur will find it well worth while giving some thought
to the making-up and finishing off of her embroidery. She will soon
realise, too, the possibilities of making many of these ingenious
devices herself wherewith to adorn her work, and she will feel well
repaid in the end when she has contrived some simple embellishment at
little extra cost.
Hand-made cords and tassels (Figs. 38A and 41), fringes and edgings
(Figs. 34 and 42), may soon be made by skilful fingers; bright-coloured
skirt braids and carpet bindings and hand-made cords of dyed string
or wool give a decorative effect to hems and borders--a wide hem
looks well with a heading of brush braid or a piping of coloured
galoon or narrow Russian braid oversewn with wool, or a narrow band
of needle-weaving. Material and edges may be joined, chair backs and
runners may be brightened, dress fitments may be completed simply,
artistically and economically, by means of these braids, connected with
dainty joining stitches (Figs. 26 and 29).
Wools of various qualities may be brought into service to make fringes
and cords for cushions, etc.; seams may be decorated and joined with
insertion stitches, worked by hand (Fig. 25), or by the crochet needle
(Fig. 63); fastenings may be secured by latchets of wool, thread, or
silk, or cord, all of which are easy of manipulation and much prettier
than machine-made articles.
By referring to Plate XIII., it may be seen that much may be achieved
by means of braid in the decoration of a useful bag; for description,
see page 153.
Charming hand-made braids which may be used for many purposes, such as
waist cords, latchets, ties, belts, hat bands (Fig. 40), may be made by
means of an embroidery frame, a lace cushion or a small hand loom.
For the handles and joinings of bags, see chapter on needle-weaving.
Beads and buttons are useful for ornamentation--they give richness and
weight wherever they may be placed; and as an addition to fringes (Fig.
35), tassels and ties, they are most effective. Flat beads and buttons
may be applied to embroidery provided they do not interfere with the
use of the object; this they would do if it were in such constant use
as to require frequent washing.
Small beads may often take the place of French knots, giving much the
same appearance to a border or hem.
Washing galoons and gimps, bindings and trimmings, may be effectively
applied to dainty little tea and luncheon sets, as well as to
children’s dresses and overalls, they may be further embellished with
narrow borders of needle-weaving worked in coloured cottons or in flax
threads.
For method of making fringes, tassels and braids, etc., see Chapter XI.