After the embroidered pattern is done one may finish the mat with fine,
close hemstitching or by button-holing the edge with ravellings of the
crash. The latter method is usually more pleasing. The simple darning
stitch can also be used to make very attractive borders for table
runners, sofa pillows, decorations for work bags, as illustrated in
Plate V, besides being used to enrich a great variety of block printed
or stencilled articles.
_The Satin Stitch._--Another effective and easy embroidery stitch to be
used in decorating articles for the home is the over-and-over or satin
stitch. When planning to use this stitch upon coarse linen in which
the threads can be easily counted, transfer the design, after having
carefully drawn it in pencil outline, to paper marked off into little
squares. This can be bought where kindergarten supplies are sold.
Redraw the outline of the design, following exactly the lines on the
paper, and at the same time keep as close as possible to the original
form. Let a certain number of threads of linen represent a square of
the design and copy the pattern in the satin stitch or even the cross
stitch if preferred. No transferring of the pattern to the cloth is
necessary.
A pattern worked out on cross section paper in this way can also be
crocheted, as illustrated in Plate V, and set into linen or some of its
many imitations to decorate numberless articles for home or personal
adornment. This crocheted work, if evenly done in fine thread, is quite
suggestive of the Italian filet lace.