SPANISH EMBROIDERY (figs. 867 and 868).—Spanish embroidery consists almost exclusively of buttonhole stitch, fig. 171, and flat stitch, fig. 221.

COLOURS: Bleu-Indigo 312, 322, 334 and Bleu pale 668.[A]]

The buttonhole stitches, for which the more subdued shade of the colours indicated should always be taken, or else yellow, dark or pale, to match the gold thread, are made over two threads of gold and follow the outlines of the pattern, which should be more or less appropriate to this style of embroidery. One of the gold threads always keeps the inside of the line and follows it throughout in an unbroken course, whilst with the second, the outside one, you form picots, folding the gold thread over from right to left and catching down the loop by a buttonhole stitch, which is introduced into the loop itself and carried over the combined gold threads, as shown in the left corner of fig. 868, representing one quarter of the whole design, where the position of the needle and the way in which the picot is secured are plainly indicated.

For the scallops, a round material with rather a strong twist should be used, such as Soie de coton D.M.C No. 100[A] or Fil a dentelle D.M.C Nos. 70 to 100[A], wound on reels.



Where the picots have to fill up empty spaces of a larger size, you can join several together by connecting them each in turn with the first.

When you have bordered all the outlines with buttonhole stitches and picots, fill up the spaces enclosed within the lines, which properly speaking form the pattern, with flat stitch embroidery, worked in Coton a broder or Coton a repriser; after which the whole surface is sewn over with fine little spangles which give the sparkling look that constitutes the peculiar charm of this kind of embroidery. The flowers are covered with a fancy stitch that forms regular little lozenges, and every second row of stitches is hidden under a spangle.

With regard to the colours indicated at the foot of fig. 867, this is how they were distributed in the original, from which our engraving was taken; all the outlines in buttonhole stitch, in Bleu pale 668; the tops of the flowers in Bleu-Indigo 334; the bottom parts in Bleu-Indigo 332, and all three shades of blue so blended together in the solid parts of the design as to be undistinguishable from each other. It is not absolutely necessary to keep to the colours here indicated; there is no reason whatever why a greater variety should not be introduced, but in every case the more subdued shades should be selected; a pale red, for instance, for the flowers, a green and a brown for the arabesques, will always be found to produce a very pretty and harmonious effect.

When all the needlework is finished, you cut away the stuff underneath the network formed by the picots, with a pair of sharp scissors.

A word remains to be said with regard to the copying of fig. 868.

Our readers will notice that in fig. 867 the flowers and arabesques succeed and grow out of each other; that whilst the four quarters are symmetrical, yet at the same time, the curves in each quarter take a different inclination.

You cannot therefore simply repeat the subject four times; when you have copied the one quarter, given in fig. 868, you must lay this first quarter on again at the cross + on the left side; when the second quarter is finished, you again turn the copy to the left and tack it on at the +; when you come to the fourth quarter the lines of the first quarter must exactly meet those of the last. We beg here to draw attention to the directions, relative to the copying of patterns, given in the subsequent chapter.

BASKET STITCH ON LINEN (fig. 869).—This stitch has some resemblance with the Greek stitch, fig. 278, and the Montenegrin, fig. 306, only that it is not crossed like the latter.



Basket stitch can be worked on all kinds of stuffs, on counted threads or on a wide or narrow tracing, with fine or coarse thread, and more or less closely, according to the taste of the worker.

You insert the needle from right, and pass it under, from 3 to 6 threads of the foundation, according to the stuff and the material you are using, then downwards from left to right, and over, from 6 to 8 threads, into the stuff again from right to left; then you push it under the stuff in an upward direction and bring it out on the left in the middle of the space left between the last stitch and the top of the second. The dotted line in the engraving indicates the course of the stitches.



OLD GERMAN KNOTTED STITCH (fig. 870).—This is a stitch often met with in old church and house linen embroidery. A beautiful design worked in this way is given further on.

Contrary to most stitches, this is worked upwards; the needle is put in horizontally under the stuff, the thread tightly drawn, then laid from left to right and drawn through underneath the first stitch and a tight knot made. We find the same stitch, worked in a variety of ways, according to the taste and skill of the worker; for instance the knots may be set slanting, as in fig. 870, or else straight and very close together, as in fig. 873, where they present the appearance of a close string of beads, or again wide apart, as they are in fig. 876.

All these ways are admissible but care should be taken in each case, to make the stitches perfectly regular; it is the direction which is given to the stitch and the number of threads taken up with the needle that changes the appearance of the stitch.



RAISED STEM STITCH (figs. 871, 872).—Take a very thick thread, such as Fil a pointer D.M.C No. 10 or 20, or one of the coarser numbers of Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C, lay it as a foundation thread along the line of your pattern and work over it wide stem stitches, as represented in figs. 172 and 173, either in the same number of thread used for the foundation thread, or a finer, according to the stuff you are embroidering upon.

You may overcast the same stitch in the manner indicated in fig. 872, using a different colour for the second layer of stitches to produce an agreeable variety.

BORDER IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF STITCHES (fig. 873).—The straight lines of this border are all worked in old German knotted stitch in ecru thread, forming a thick round cord which stands out from the surface in high relief; the flatter outlining of the outside figures is done in basket stitch in soft blue knitting cotton. The little oblong figures within the two inner lines of the border are worked in Gobelin stitch, in red embroidery cotton, and the filling of the figures, outlined in basket stitch, in one or other of the Irish lace stitches, worked in white lace thread, either so that all the stitches enter the stuff, or form a network over it.

The work may be simplified by sewing Soutache D.M.C or Lacet superfin D.M.C along the straight lines instead of embroidering them in basket stitch.



ROUMANIAN STITCH (figs. 874, 875).—This consists of stitches that are worked in the width of the stuff, intersected by back-stitches set slightly slanting.

Though the engraving is so clear as to render it hardly necessary, we subjoin an exact description of the way the stitches run.

Bring out the needle on the left, 2 or 6 threads beyond the line your embroidery is to follow; with regard to the number of threads you take up, you must be guided by the quality of the stuff and the material you have selected: put the needle in on the right, the same distance in advance of the line as before and bring it out in the middle of the stitch; then passing the needle over the first stitch, put it in again one or two threads in advance of the point where it came out, and draw it out close to where the first stitch began.

The border, represented in fig. 875, is worked in great part in Roumanian stitch.



The original, still very well preserved, notwithstanding its age, is worked in silk of a brilliant red on a stiff stuff which has been coloured by time and use.

Willems satin, Rhodes linen No. 2 and Algerian linen, make very suitable foundations for this kind of embroidery and have that soft tint which is almost indispensable to a satisfactory imitation of old needlework.

Any one of the shades of red named at the foot of the illustration, will be found to be a good match for the original colours.

Roumanian stitch is used wherever the lines of the pattern are widest; there where they narrow, in the indentures of the leaves and the twists of the stalks, flat stitch is used instead.

By the repetition of the detached subject, this pattern may be made to serve either for a stripe or for a grounding; if you use it for a stripe, the centre flower of the principal subject with the stalks lengthened, will look very well worked as a separate subject between the large bouquets. Worked in a double row, base to base, on any stuff and in any material, these large figures form a very handsome border which makes an effective trimming for furniture and curtains.

PATTERN FOR PIQUE EMBROIDERY (fig. 876).—The stuff, called pique, such as it is now manufactured, is simply an imitation of an old kind of needlework, almost unknown in these days, but very popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Italy, for making coverlets and more especially curtains and blinds; the latter being highly esteemed, because without intercepting the light altogether, they tempered it agreeably.

A similar kind of work was common in Bohemia until a recent date for the making of caps. It is done on two layers of stuff, of different kinds, the upper one fine and transparent, the lower, more substantial.

The pattern is drawn upon the fine stuff, because on that side the different kinds of stitches are made.

COLOURS: Rouge-Cardinal 346, Rouge-Grenat 358, Brun-Caroubier 355, Rouge Maroquin 3327 et 3328, or Rouge-Cerise 3317 et 3318.[A]]

You then tack the two stuffs together and work all the outlines of the pattern in Old German knotted stitch with ecru Fil a pointer D.M.C No. 20; that done, thread a tapestry needle with white Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C No. 1 or 2, slip it in between the two layers of stuff and secure the end by two or three stitches; then push the twist quite close to the knotted stitch and fasten it in between the two layers of stuff, with small and very regular running stitches, in a fine pliable material, such as Fil d'Alsace D.M.C on reels.

]

Fill up in this manner all the ground of the pattern, leaving the arabesques and the ornaments plain, or embellishing them with some kind of lace or embroidery stitch.

When these stripes are intended for blinds, you can produce pretty transparent effects in them by cutting away the underneath stuff, in places.

ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE (braid) (figs. 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882).—This alphabet, which is one of the best of its kind, was taken from a work published in Venice in 1662, by Giovan' Antonio Tagliente, secretary and calligraphist to the Republic.

The letters lend themselves, better than any we know, to being executed in Soutache D.M.C.



The sewing on of the braid is done with very small running stitches and the interlacing with a tapestry needle, into which the braid is threaded; both operations are shown in figs. 877 and 880. The embroidery of the connecting bars, and the small leaves and tendrils that complete the letter are explained in fig. 881, whilst fig. 882 represents the letter A in its finished state.

For sewing on the braid, a fine soft material is the best, such as Soie de coton D.M.C[A] and for embroidering the small accessories, Coton a broder D.M.C No. 50[A].



For the ears of corn in fig. 883, use either Soutache ecru, or Jaune-d'Ocre 677 No. 2; for the marguerites, white Soutache No. 21/2 and for the corn flowers, Soutache Bleu-Indigo 322 No. 2. Nothing could be simpler than the mode of working these flowers.



FLOWERS EXECUTED IN SOUTACHE AND EMBROIDERY (fig. 883). Flowers and sprays, such as here represented, make a charming trimming for summer dresses, sunshades, aprons etc. and can be executed with admirable effect in the D.M.C Soutache, now to be had in all the colours of the D.M.C colour card. A very pretty running pattern can be formed out of the spray, fig. 883, by turning the flowers first to the right and then to the left and making the stalks come out underneath the ears of corn. In order to reverse the position of the flowers thus, you will have to make two tracings of the spray, one negative and one positive.

Thread a tapestry needle with the Soutache and draw it into the stuff, and then pass it through from the right side to the wrong at the bottom of one of the petals of the flowers, secure it on the wrong side by two or three stitches and then bring the working thread, which should be of the same colour as the Soutache, out again at the point of the petal, then carry the Soutache back to the bottom of the petal and fasten it down, like the gold threads in fig. 242, by a stitch rather wider than the Soutache, fold the Soutache over again to the starting point, and secure it by a stitch, and so on. In order to give a different character to the flowers, use Soutache of different widths, fold it over more or less closely and lay it down in shorter or longer lengths, as required. The natural irregularity of the petals of a flower can be very faithfully imitated in this manner. Fig. 883 shows the way in which, for the ears of corn, the braid is folded back upon itself and fastened down, whilst in the white flowers the two layers of the braid that form each petal are separated at the bottom.

The stamens of the marguerites are worked in knot stitch with yellow cotton and those of the cornflowers with dark blue.

The other little details are executed in flat and stem stitch in the colours indicated at the foot of the engraving. With the pattern to go by, the distribution of the colours for the different parts can present no possible difficulty.

COLOURS—For the Soutache: White, ecru or Jaune d'Ocre 677, and Bleu-Indigo 322.—For the Coton a broder: Ecru, Jaune-Orange 444, Bleu-Indigo 311, Gris-Tilleul 391 and 330, Vert-Pistache 319, 320 and 369, Rouge-Cardinal 348.[A]]

We need only point out that Rouge-Cardinal 348 is intended for the little knot that connects the stalks of the flowers.

CHINESE SUBJECT (fig. 884).—This quaint and graceful composition, copied from an interesting piece of Chinese embroidery, gives our readers the opportunity of turning the different damask stitches, already described in these pages, to quite a new use.

The kind of gauze which forms the foundation of the original work can be replaced either by Spanish or Rhodes linen No. 2, by any stuff, in fact, the threads of which can be counted.

The drawing has to be transferred to the stuff, and the different parts are filled in with the stitches, clearly indicated in the illustration.

.]

By the introduction of several colours, this pattern is capable of being infinitely varied.

Thus, in the model before us, the neck and bulb of the flask, the leaves it stands upon and those attached to the flowers in it, are worked in Vert-Pistache 367, the handles, the ornament on the bottle, and the triangular figure in the centre are in white; the little flower on the left, the second on the right, the straight staff, the upper wings of the butterfly, as well as the three leaves underneath the triangle are in Bleu-Indigo 334; the first flower on the right of the flask, the knot above the triangle, the lower wings of the butterfly and the middle part of the bottom subject on the right of the engraving are in Gris-Amadou 383; and Violet-lie-de-vin and Brun-Caroubier 357 alternate in the pointed leaves that support the flask; the former colour recurs in the ornaments of the staff, and Rouge-Cardinal 347, black and Gris-Tilleul alternate in the other details of the drawing.

For the setting it will be best to take Or fin D.M.C pour la broderie or else Chine d'or D.M.C, used either double or single, according to whichever the drawing seems to require.

FOOTNOTES:

[A] See at the end of the concluding chapter, the table of numbers and sizes and the list of colours of the D.M.C threads and cottons.



Practical directions.

Hitherto we have been chiefly occupied with descriptions and explanations of the different kinds of needlework; to render these complete, it remains for us to give a few practical directions with regard to the copying, adjustment and transposition of the patterns, as well as to the different processes, often so essential to the ultimate success of a piece of needlework. For this success will soon be found not to depend on the stitches only but very largely on the proper adaptation of the design to the space it is intended to fill.

Then, in the case of new lace, it is necessary to know the amount of dressing it will require to give it the right stiffness and when this dressing has worn off how to renew it; whilst in the case of applique work more especially, it is indispensable to know exactly what the ingredients are, of which the paste should be composed and how to make and lay it on in the proper manner.

TRACING PATTERNS AGAINST A WINDOW PANE.—In order to copy a pattern in this way, the first step is to tack or pin the piece of stuff or paper on which the copy is to be made upon the pattern. In the case of a small pattern, the tacking or pinning may be dispensed with and the two sheets held firmly pressed against the window pane with the left hand, whilst the right hand does the tracing, but even then it is safer to pin or gum the four corners of the two sheets together, in case of interruption, as it is difficult to fit them together again exactly.

The tracing may be done with a pencil, or better still, with a brush dipped in Indian ink or water-colour paint.

The process of tracing is easy enough, so long as the hand does not get tired but as this generally comes to pass very soon it is best, if the pattern be a large and complicated one, to stick the sheets to the pane with strong gum or suspend them on a string, fastened across the pane by pins stuck into the window frame on either side.

TO TAKE OFF A PATTERN BY RUBBING.—If you want to take a pattern of a piece of embroidery direct from the work itself, lay it, the right side up, flat upon a board or table and cover it with letter or tissue paper.

The paper should be of a good medium thickness, if it be too thick it will not take a clear impression of the pattern, and if very thin it is apt to tear.

Fasten the paper down upon the embroidery with drawing-pins and rub off the pattern with drawing-wax. In default of the right kind of wax, the bowl or handle of a spoon, or a large silver coin will serve the purpose equally well, as will also some powdered graphite or charcoal. The outlines will not of course, in any case, be very clearly defined upon the paper and will have to be gone over and carefully supplemented afterwards with a pencil.

Taking off the pattern with charcoal or graphite is less injurious to the embroidery than rubbing it off with wax or metal, as the pressure required in the latter case flattens the needle-work very considerably. As soon as you have fixed the lines of the pattern by drawing them over with ink, it is ready for use.

TO TRANSFER A PATTERN DIRECT ON TO THE STUFF.—Patterns cannot be copied by either of the above methods direct on to the stuff and can only be used when the stuff on which the embroidery is to be executed is transparent; in the case of thick close fabrics the drawing must be made on the stuff itself. The following is the simplest way of transferring a pattern on to a transparent stuff; begin by going over all the lines of the drawing with Indian ink so as to make them quite thick and distinct, and tacking the paper with large stitches on to the back of the stuff. Then, mix some very dark powdered indigo diluted with water, in a glass with a small pinch of sugar and powdered gum arabic, and using this as ink and a fine pen very slightly split, trace the pattern that shines through on the stuff.

The tracing must be very slight, for if the embroidery be not done till some time afterwards the lines get so firmly fixed in the stuff that one washing will not obliterate them; the tracing ink moreover makes the work unpleasantly sticky.

TO COPY WITH OILED PAPER.—Another rather expeditious mode of transferring patterns on to thin and more especially smooth glossy stuffs, is by means of a special kind of tinted paper, called autographic paper, which is impregnated with a coloured oily substance and is to be had at any stationer's shop. This you place between the pattern and the stuff, having previously fastened the stuff, perfectly straight by the line of the thread, to a board, with drawing-pins. When you have fitted the two papers likewise exactly together, you go over all the lines of the pattern with a blunt pencil, or with, what is better still, the point of a bone crochet needle or the edge of a folder. You must be careful not to press so heavily upon the pattern paper as to tear it; by the pressure exercised on the two sheets of paper, the oily substance of the blue paper discharges itself on to the stuff, so that when it is removed all the lines you have traced are imprinted upon the stuff.

This blue tracing paper is however only available for the reproduction of patterns on washing stuffs, as satin and all other silky textures are discoloured by it.

TO POUNCE PATTERNS UPON STUFFS.—The modes of copying, hitherto described, cannot be indiscriminately used for all kinds of stuff; for cloth, velvet and plush, for instance, they are not available and pouncing is the only way that answers.

The patterns, after having been transferred to straw or parchment paper, have to be pricked through. To do this you lay the paper upon cloth or felt and prick out all the lines of the drawing, making the holes, which should be clear and round, all exactly the same distance apart.

The closer and more complicated the pattern is, the finer and closer the holes should be. Every line of the outline must be carefully pricked out.

If the paper be sufficiently thin, several pouncings can be pricked at the same time, and a symmetrical design can be folded together into four and all pricked at once.

The pricked pattern has next to be tacked upon the material, the side from which the pricking was done next to the stuff and the little funnel-shaped holes uppermost. Paper and stuff must be firmly fastened down and kept in position by drawing pins, so that neither of them may move during the process, otherwise you will have double lines on the stuff which you will find very confusing afterwards.

For the pouncing, use either powdered chalk or charcoal, according to whether the stuff be dark or light in colour. Dip the pouncing implement, a thing like a small drum-stick, stuffed and covered with cloth, into the powder and rub it lightly over the whole surface of the pricked pattern, so that the powder penetrates through the pin-holes to the stuff. In default of a proper pouncing implement take a small stripe of cloth, roll it up round a stick and wind a string round, and dip this into the powder.

When the powder has penetrated to the stuff, remove the paper and if the pattern is to be repeated, lay it on again further on, taking care to make the lines meet exactly so that the join may not be seen.

When you have finished the pouncing and taken off the paper, you proceed to draw or rather paint in the pattern with water-colour paints: Ackermann's are the best for the purpose; no others, as far as our experience has proved, adhere so well to even the roughest fabrics or so little affect the brilliancy of the embroidery thread. Four paints, blue, black, yellow and white are sufficient for all purposes, whatever the colour of the stuff may be.

On a smooth surface the tracing may be done with a pen but a small sable-hair brush is preferable under all circumstances.

The rougher and more hairy the surface, the finer the brush ought to be, in order that the colour may sink well in between the fibres.

Before beginning to paint in the pattern, gently blow away all the superfluous powder from the surface. This process may be objected to as being an old one which has been superseded by new inventions; a resinous powder for instance, by the use of which patterns can be fixed, as soon as they have been pounced, by passing a hot iron over the stuff, a sheet of paper having first been laid upon it to protect it; or else a mixture of gum and powder which can be dissolved on the stuff itself by the steam of spirits-of-wine, and various other processes needless to mention here, as some are only useful in tracing patterns on a large scale, whilst others require a variety of appliances, not as a rule, within the reach of those to whom needle-work is a simple recreation.

THE PREPARATION OF THE STUFFS AND THE SUBDIVISION OF THE PATTERNS.—Long years of experience and practice have brought us in contact with a good many designers, many of them artists in their way, so long as it was only a question of putting their own compositions on paper but who yet found themselves confronted by real difficulties the moment they were called upon to transfer them to stuff.

We shall, as far as possible, point out to our readers the precautions to be taken in tracing patterns and must for that purpose go back to one of the first operations, namely that of pricking.

To begin with, the paper on which the pattern is should always be large enough for there to be a clear margin of from 4 to 5 c/m. all round the pattern, so that the pouncing instrument may never come in contact with the stuff beneath.

In transferring patterns to stuff, no lines of division should ever be made directly upon it either with lead, chalk or charcoal, as it is hardly ever possible entirely to obliterate them and they often become very confusing afterwards.

Before beginning the tracing, divide your stuff into four, then decide what the width of the border outside the pattern is to be; it is quite an exceptional thing to carry a pattern right up to the edge. Stuffs that will take a bend, such as all linen and cotton textures, can be folded in four, like the paper, the folds ought then to be pinched and pressed down so that the lines may remain clear and distinct until the tracing be finished.

After dividing it into four, mark out the diagonal lines; these are absolutely necessary in order to get the corner figures rightly placed.

Though most of our readers know how to make these lines on paper with a pencil and ruler, few, easy as it is, know how to make them upon stuff. You have only to fold over the corner of your piece of stuff so that the outside thread of the warp or cut edge run parallel with the woof edge which marks the angle of the fold-over.

This double folding over divides the ground into 8 parts. To arrange for the outside border or margin, is easy enough if the stuff and the kind of work you are going to do upon it admit of the drawing out of threads, as then a thread drawn out each way serves as a guide for tracing the pattern, straight to the line of the stuff. It is often better however, not to draw out the threads for an open-work border till the pattern be traced. If you do not wish or are not able to draw out threads to mark the pattern and you are working on a stuff of which the threads can be counted, follow the directions given on page 128, and explained in fig. 252.

You cannot mark cloth, silk stuffs or plush by folding them in the above way, cloth and some kinds of silken textures will not take a bend and others that will would be spoiled by it.

All such stuffs should be mounted in a frame, before the pattern be traced and the ground be then divided out in the following way: take a strong thread, make a knot at one end, stick a pin into it and tighten the knot round it; with a pair of compasses, divide one of the sides into two equal parts, stick the pin with the knot round it in at the middle and the same on the opposite side, putting in a second pin by means of which you stretch the thread; carry other threads across in a similar way, in the width of the stuff and from corner to corner and you will have your ground correctly marked out, in such a manner as to leave no marks when, after pouncing in the pattern, you remove the threads. Before finishing the pouncing of a pattern, see that it is the right size for the purpose it is intended for.

Supposing that you are tracing a border with a corner, you should measure the length it will occupy and then by a very light pouncing, you can mark the points from which the pattern will have to be repeated. It may be that a gap will be left in the middle, which, if not too large, can be got rid of without altering the pattern by pushing the whole thing a little further in and so shortening the distance between the two corners.

Should the gap however be too large for this, you will have to make a supplementary design to fill up the place. The same thing would be necessary in the case of your having to shorten a pattern.

TO TRANSPOSE AND REPEAT PATTERNS BY MEANS OF LOOKING-GLASSES (fig. 885).—We have referred to the necessity that often occurs of adapting patterns to certain given proportions; this can in most cases be done easily enough without the help of a draughtsman, especially in the case of cross stitch embroideries, by means of two unframed looking-glasses (Penelope mirrors, as they are called) used in the following manner.

If you want to utilize a piece only of a straight border, or after repeating it several times, to form a corner with it, you place the mirror in the first instance across it at right angles, at the place from which the pattern is to be repeated, and then exactly diagonally inwards.

To make a square out of a straight pattern, you take two mirrors and so place them that they touch at the point where the diagonal lines meet, as represented in fig. 885, and you have your square at once.

This is all easy enough, but before beginning any large piece of work it is necessary to consider carefully which parts of the drawing will best fill the centre and which are best suited to form the corners, as it is not every part of a straight pattern that is adapted for repetition.

A few preliminary trials with the help of the mirrors will better show the importance of these explanations than anything further we can say on the subject.



TO ALTER THE PROPORTIONS OF A PATTERN BY DIVIDING THE GROUND INTO SQUARES (figs. 886 and 887).—Cases will occur where it will be found necessary to subject the pattern to greater modifications still than those we have hitherto been dealing with.

You want, for example, to embroider a rather large running ground pattern on a piece of stuff, that is relatively too small for the subject; or a small and rather minute pattern on a large surface on which it is likely to look, either too insignificant, or too crowded and confused and the chances are, if you do not know how to draw, you will either think it necessary to get a draughtsman to help you or you will give up the piece of work altogether, deterred by the difficulties that confront you. You need not do either if you will follow the directions here given.

Take a sheet of large-sized quadrille paper which if necessary you can prepare for yourself; trace your pattern upon it, or rule the squares direct upon the drawing, as shown in fig. 886.



On a second sheet of vegetable paper, rule squares, a fourth, a third or half as small again as those on the first sheet. Thus, if the sides of the first squares be 15 m/m. long and you want to reduce your pattern by one fifth, the sides of your new squares should measure only 12 m/m.

If, on the contrary, you want to enlarge the pattern by one fifth, make the sides of your squares 18 m/m. long.

Then you follow, square by square, the lines of the drawing, extending or contracting them, according to whether the pattern is to be enlarged or diminished.

To copy a pattern directly from a piece of embroidery and enlarge or diminish it at the same time, proceed as follows: fix the embroidery on a board, stretching it equally in every direction; then measure the length of the drawing, divide the centimetres by the number of units corresponding to whatever the proportions of your copy are to be, and if there be any fractions of centimetres over, subdivide them into millimetres, if necessary, into half millimetres and make your division by whatever measure you have adopted; take a pair of compasses with dry points, open them sufficiently for the opening to correspond to the number and the distance obtained by the division; plant a pin with a thread fastened to it, at the point indicated by the point of the compasses and repeat the last operation all along one side of the embroidery and, if possible a little beyond it, so that it may not be defaced by the marks of the pins. All you now have to do is to pull the threads in perfectly straight lines to the opposite side and carry other threads across them in a similar manner so that the whole surface be divided into squares.



It is needless to say that if you have to trace a pattern from a mounted piece of work you cannot stretch it on a board; with a little invention however some way can always be found of planting the pins so as not to injure the work.



TO ALTER THE WIDTH OF A PATTERN RETAINING THE ORIGINAL HEIGHT (figs. 888, 889, 890).—Sometimes it is necessary to lengthen out a pattern without however altering its height. In this case you modify the shape of the square and make long or narrow squares, according to the general shape of the design you wish to reproduce. Fig. 888 represents a pattern in Soutache D.M.C, marked out in squares; in fig. 889 the squares are lengthened out a third beyond their original size and the pattern is expanded; in fig. 890, the squares are compressed to a third less than their original size.

This method of subdividing patterns greatly facilitates the alterations they have so often to undergo and we are sure that there are few amongst those who have any real aptitude for needlework, who cannot draw enough to be able to copy the contents of a square.

TO PREPARE THE PASTE FOR APPLIQUE WORK.—It may seem strange to devote a separate paragraph to such an apparently simple operation; but in applique work it is a most important one, as not only the stuff on which the work is done but all the expensive accessories are liable to be spoilt by paste that has been badly prepared.

Put some wheaten (not rice) starch into a vessel with a rounded bottom, pour on just enough water to dissolve the starch and stir it with a wooden spoon till it becomes perfectly smooth.

In the meantime put about 1/4 of a pint of clean water on the fire to boil and when it boils add to it a little powdered pitch or carpenter's glue, in quantity about the size of a pea and pour in the starch, stirring it the whole time. When the mixture has boiled up several times take it off the fire and go on stirring it till it gets cold, otherwise lumps will form in it, which as we specially pointed out in the preceding chapter, must never be allowed to get in between the stuff and the paper.

This kind of paste makes no spots and does not injure even the most delicate colours as it contains no acid. In winter it will keep for several days, but in hot weather it very soon begins to ferment and should then on no account be used.

Gum arabic ought never to be used for applique work, as it becomes so hard that it is impossible to get the needle through, whilst the saccharine it contains almost always causes ugly spots to appear in the stuff when it dries.

When the work is finished it is a good plan to spread a very thin layer of paste over the entire back of it with a fine brush made of hog's bristles, and not to take it out of the frame until it is perfectly dry.

TO STIFFEN NEW NEEDLEWORK.—In the chapter on Irish lace, page 441, we said that new needlework of that kind had to be ironed; this should be done in the following manner: when the lace has been taken off its foundation, lay it, face downwards, on a piece of fine white flannel; then dip a piece of very stiff new organdie muslin into water, take it out again almost immediately and wring it slightly, so that no drops may fall from it, and then dab the wrong side of the lace all over with this pad of damp muslin and iron it with a hot iron which should be moved slowly forwards so that the moisture which the organdie has imparted to the lace may evaporate slowly. Not until you are quite sure that the lace is dry should it be taken off the board.

There is no better way than this of giving new lace that almost imperceptible degree of stiffness by which alone it is often to be distinguished from old. Water only does not stiffen the thread sufficiently and it is difficult with starch to hit upon exactly the right consistency, whereas the organdie muslin supplies just the needful quantity.

Embroidered network can be stiffened in the same manner and should be damped in the frame on the wrong side and not taken off until it is quite dry.

We even recommend embroidery on linen being treated in the same way but when the linen is very creased, cover it with a damp cloth and iron upon that first, then take the cloth away and iron the embroidery itself so as to dry it completely.

TO WASH ORDINARY LACE.—Wind it round a bottle the same width top and bottom and cover it entirely with muslin, fastened to the lace by a few stitches. Fill the bottle half full of sand, so that it may not get knocked about too violently when the water boils.

Immerse the bottle in a saucepan of cold water with a piece of soap the size of a nut in it, and if the lace be very dirty, a small pinch of salt, and let it boil for about an hour pouring off the water as it gets dirty and adding clean.

When all the dirt has been boiled out of the lace, which you will know to be the case when the water remains perfectly clear, rinse out the soap before you take the lace off the bottle, by plunging it into cold water.

TO WASH REAL LACE.—The process is the same as the above, but as real lace is so seldom washed and is generally very yellow and fragile, particularly if it has been roughly used, it is rather difficult to clean.

If stained or greasy, it should be left to soak for some hours or even days, in good olive oil. This restores to the thread that softness and smoothness which use and bad washing had impaired. After the oil bath it should be washed on a bottle in the manner already described.

TO STIFFEN LACE.—Dip the lace when perfectly dry in thin starch prepared as follows.

Take as much fine wheaten starch, as you think you will require, divide it into two portions and dissolve both in cold water. Boil the one portion and when it has so far cooled as to have ceased to steam, stir the cold starch into it and dilute the whole with cold water to the consistency of thick cream. If the lace is to be slightly coloured, add a few drops of black coffee, or dilute the starch with weak tea or guimauve water; the coffee will give it a dark cream colour, either of the latter a pale greenish hue.

Dip the lace in the mixture and squeeze it out gently without wringing it to get rid of all the superfluous liquid, then lay it flat on the left hand and beat it for a few minutes with the right to work the starch well in; repeat the whole process twice, then roll the lace in fine linen and leave it there till you are ready to iron or pin it out, as the case may be.

TO IRON LACE.—After the lace has lain for an hour or two in the cloth, iron it if it be machine-made and if it be Irish Guipure or real point lace of any sort, pin it out.

Before you begin to iron, hold the lace tight in your left hand by the footing and with the right hand pull out all the picots, along the edge of the lace, to an equal length, then lay it out flat upon a board covered with white flannel and iron it with a moderately hot iron, passing the iron backwards and forwards over it until it be quite dry.

If creases should come in the ironing where they ought not to be, dab them over lightly with a sponge moistened with water and a few drops of starch and pass the iron over them again.

After ironing the whole length of lace, pull it out crossways from left to right, and from right to left and iron it all over once more. This does away with the artificial stiffness and gives it the agreeable softness and pliancy of new lace.

TO PIN OUT LACE.—In order to pin out lace in a thoroughly satisfactory manner, you should provide yourself with a wooden drum, about 30 c/m. high and from 50 to 60 c/m. in diameter, large enough to rest upon the knees.

The outside circumference of the wood should be padded and covered with grey or white ticking.

The pins must be exactly the size of the picots they are to pin down; you will require extremely fine ones for Valenciennes and coarser for other kinds of lace: steel pins are of no use whatever, because of their liability to rust. Cover the cylinder with blue paper (less trying for the eyes than any other) and take only just as much lace out of the damp cloth as you are likely to be able to pin out before it gets dry, keeping the remainder covered up.

Lay the lace upon the drum and pin the footing down first in a straight line, sticking the pins in pretty closely and at regular distances apart; then pin down each picot separately, taking care not to open them if they have kept their original shape and to shut them up by twisting them if they have got untwisted.

If you find the pinning out troublesome and cannot get it all done before the lace dries, damp the picots with a sponge as you proceed.

Lace should never be pinned out when it is dry as the threads of the picots are then very apt to break and torn picots destroy the value of even the choicest lace.

Raised lace has to be stamped out from the wrong side with a lace awl or kind of pricker of bone made for the purpose. Some professional lace-cleaners use this implement even for Valenciennes lace but we cannot recommend it, seeing that it is a lace that is by nature perfectly flat.

Let the length of lace you have pinned out remain on the drum till it be quite dry; if you have several yards to pin out, wind it round and round the cylinder. Cover up the lace as you proceed and put each length away as soon as it is ready in a blue paper bag, so as to keep the whole perfectly clean.

In conclusion we may remark that the cleaning of lace should only be undertaken when you are fairly sure of not being interrupted, as more especially the pinning requires to be finished off as quickly as possible.

TO WASH COLOURED COTTONS AND WORK DONE WITH THE SAME.—In order to test the fastness of the dyes, untie the skeins and pour boiling water upon them, leave them to soak for about a quarter of an hour, soap and rub them lightly with the hand from end to end and rinse them out thoroughly in as many changes of cold water as may be found necessary, until the water remain perfectly colourless.

Squeeze out all the water you can and let them dry quickly without exposing them to the sun.

Coloured cottons are often washed in vinegar, because it is supposed to affect the colour less than water does. We have come to the conclusion after several trials that this is a delusion, for the good dyes keep their colour without the aid of vinegar and the bad ones wash out in spite of it.

The fast colours lose none of their beauty in the process nor does it affect the quality of the cotton; any excess of colouring matter which the fibres of the cotton may have absorbed in the process of dyeing is got rid of by this means.

If a piece of work has been done with unwashed cottons and the colours run in the first washing, you have only to rinse it out in several changes of tepid water to restore it to its original freshness and if you want to give it a yellowish tinge, it should be dipped it in weak tea or coffee.

MATERIALS.—It was stated in the preface that our readers would find the choice of colours and material rendered comparatively easy to them by the notes affixed to the illustrations, but these notes, in spite of all the care bestowed upon them must still have remained very incomplete had it not been for the following tables which we were fortunately enabled to append to our work and which will help every one to choose their own materials without having them actually before them. The strokes that are affixed to each number indicate the exact size of the thread, so that to find out the number you want to buy you have but to lay your pattern thread, stretching it slightly, on the strokes, in succession, till you come to the one that matches it in size.

With regard to the colours, the names and shades of which have been classed in the second table with the greatest care, and of which our workers have no less than 460 to choose from ([3]), all those referred to in connection with our illustrations are quite fast dyes ([4]), save in a few instances in which we were forced to make an exception in favour of a doubtful colour to secure a harmonious effect.

A complete table of colours must of necessity include certain more or less staring shades, which though they may not be to every one's taste cannot on that account be left out.

We conclude our work with the well-meant and by no means useless recommendation to our readers, never to begin a piece of work of any considerable size without first making sure that the colours they intend to use are fast and providing themselves with a larger supply of materials than even on a close calculation they think they are likely to require, lest they should find themselves under the disagreeable necessity of having either to leave their work unfinished or finish it with materials that do not match. There is generally a slight difference in tone between cottons that have been bought at different times, and there is also a reasonable likelihood, considering their great variety, of some mistake being made in the number by either buyer or seller in ordering a fresh supply.



-+ Alphabetical list of the names and the numbers of the 450 shades D.M.C Alsace Thread, Sewing and Embroidery Cottons, contained in the D.M.C colour-card, in any of which shades the knitting Cotton, Soutaches and Braids etc. are to be had. + + -+ + -+ + Couleurs Tres-fonce Fonce Moyen Clair Tres-clair Colours Very dark Dark Medium Light Very light + + -+ + -+ + Bleu d'Azur 3325 Bleu-Canard 3395 3306 3307 3308 3309 Bleu cendre 448 Bleu de Ciel 515 516 517 518 519 Bleu-Fayence 481 482 483 484 485 Bleu de France 337 338 339 340 341 Bleu-Gentiane 476 477 478 479 480 Bleu-Gris 3300 3301 3302 3303 3304 Bleu-Indigo 336 311 312 322 334 Bleu-Lapis 342 333 343 344 345 Bleu-Marin 505 506 507 508 509 Bleu-Outremer 682 683 Bleu pale 668 Bleu-Prunelle 486 487 488 489 490 Bleu tendre 709 Bleu vert 525 526 527 528 529 Bleu violace 674 675 - Bronze dore 585 586 587 588 589 - Brun-Acajou 300 400 301 401 402 Brun-Cachou 433 434 435 436 437 Brun-Cannelle 660 661 662 663 664 Brun-Caroubier 354 355 303 356 357 Brun-Chamois 416 417 324 418 419 Brun-Cuir 430 431 302 432 325 Brun-Feuille-morte 615 616 617 618 619 Brun-Havane 454 455 456 457 458 Brun-Loutre 438 439 440 441 442 Brun-Marron 403 404 405 406 407 Brun-Myrthe 463 Brun-Puce 459 Brun-Rouille 3310 3311 3312 3313 3314 - Gris-Acier 650 651 652 653 654 Gris-Amadou 329 383 384 385 386 Gris d'Argent 719 Gris-Bleu 590 591 592 593 594 Gris-Bois 610 611 612 613 614 Gris-Brun 408 409 410 411 412 Gris-Castor 645 646 647 648 649 Gris-Cendre 413 317 414 318 415 Gris-Coutil 387 388 323 389 390 Gris-Deuil 655 656 657 658 659 Gris-Ecru 704 705 706 Gris-Etoupe 707 708 Gris de Fer 600 601 602 603 604 Gris-Feutre 635 636 637 638 639 Gris-Ficelle 460 461 462 Gris-Foin 520 521 522 523 524 Gris-Fumee 640 641 642 643 644 Gris-Lin 716 717 Gris-Mastic 718 Gris neutre 620 621 622 623 624 Gris-Noisette 420 421 422 423 424 Gris-Perle 625 626 627 628 629 Gris de Plomb 378 379 380 381 382 Gris-Poussiere 630 631 632 633 634 Gris-Souris 425 426 427 428 429 Gris-Tilleul 391 392 393 330 331 Gris verdatre 595 596 597 598 599 + + -+ + -+ + Couleurs Tres-fonce Fonce Moyen Clair Tres-clair Colours Very dark Dark Medium Light Very light + + -+ + -+ + Jaune-Citron 307 445 446 Jaune-Creme 711 712 Jaune-Mais 575 576 577 678 579 Jaune d'Ocre 676 677 Jaune-Orange 443 444 Jaune-Rouille 363 364 308 365 366 Jaune d'Or 667 Jaune-vieil-Or 678 679 680 - Lilas gris 313 398 314 328 399 - Noir grand-teint 310 Noir-Jais 681 Noir vert 473 - Rose-Eglantine 570 571 572 573 574 Rose tendre 3326 Rose vif 565 566 567 568 569 - Rouge-Aurore 360 306 361 332 362 Rouge-Bordeaux 496 497 Rouge-Cardinal 346 347 304 305 348 Rouge-Cerise 3315 3316 3317 3318 3319 Rouge-Corinthe 447 Rouge-Cornouille 449 450 Rouge-Ecarlate 498 464 Rouge-Framboise 684 685 686 687 688 Rouge-Geranium 349 350 351 352 353 Rouge-Grenat 358 359 326 309 335 Rouge-Groseille 605 606 607 608 609 Rouge-Maroquin 3327 3328 3329 Rouge-Turc 321 Rouge-Vermillon 666 - Vert-Bouteille 491 492 493 494 495 Vert-Bronze 669 670 671 672 673 Vert-Canard 545 546 547 548 549 Vert-Corbeau 665 Vert dore 580 581 582 583 584 Vert d'Eau 713 714 715 Vert-de-gris 474 475 Vert-Emeraude 555 556 557 558 559 Vert-Fauve 689 690 691 692 693 Vert-Lierre 500 501 502 503 504 Vert-Madeira 710 Vert-Malachite 560 561 562 563 564 Vert metallique 465 466 467 Vert-Mousse 468 469 470 471 472 Vert-Myrthe 535 536 537 538 539 Vert-Olive 510 511 512 513 514 Vert-Perroquet 694 695 696 697 698 Vert-Pistache 319 367 320 368 369 Vert-Pre 699 700 701 702 703 Vert russe 499 - Violet-Amethyste 3320 3321 3322 3323 3324 Violet-Eveque 451 452 453 Violet-Lie-de-vin 370 371 372 373 374 Violet-Mauve 375 315 376 316 377 Violet-de-Parme 540 541 542 543 544 Violet-Pensee 530 531 532 533 534 Violet-Prune 550 551 552 553 554 Violet-Scabieuse 394 327 395 396 397 + + -+ + -+ + Couleurs Tres-fonce Fonce Moyen Clair Tres-clair Colours Very dark Dark Medium Light Very light + + -+ + -+ +

To avoid mistakes the public is urgently requested to designate the colours by the number, never by name.

The colours whose numbers begin with 3 or 4 are the fastest.

* * * * *

Further information respecting mode of execution, materials and so forth may be had by applying to the firm of

TH. DE DILLMONT, DORNACH (ALSACE).

FOOTNOTES:

[3] The D.M.C colour-card consists of 450 shades about half of which are fast dyes. See the list of names on pp. 572 and 573.

[4] By fast (bon-teint) colours are meant those which will bear ordinary and repeated washing. There are only very few which are really fast, or grand-teint, that is to say, which will resist the action of chemical agents, amongst of these, the black, Noir 310, is quite indestructible.



TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PREFACE. Page

PLAIN SEWING Stitches Seams Gathering Sewing on cord and flaps 10 Button-holes 11 Sewing on buttons 12 Binding slits 13 Sewing on piping 13 Fixing whale-bones—Herring-boning 14

MENDING 15 Linen darning 16 Satin or twill darning 17 Damask darning 18 Fine-drawing 20 Patching 20

SINGLE AND CUT OPEN-WORK 23 Hem-stitching 24 Open-work patterns 27 Cutting out threads at the corners 39 Cut open-work 40 Patterns for cut open-work 42

NET AND DAMASK STITCHES 51 Net embroidery 51 Net patterns 52 Net darning 62 Damask stitches 63

WHITE EMBROIDERY 76 Stitches 77 Different kinds of scallops 79 Eyelet holes 80 Six ways of making dots 81 Venetian embroidery 82 Patterns and alphabets 83

FLAT STITCH AND GOLD EMBROIDERY 105 Encroaching satin stitch 105 Oriental stitch 106 Plaited stitch and mosaic stitch 108 Persian stitch 109 Straight and encroaching flat stitch patterns 110 Chinese embroidery 111 Raised embroidery 113 Turkish embroidery 113 Implements and materials for gold embroidery 115 Stitches used in gold embroidery 119 Patterns for gold embroidery 120

TAPESTRY AND LINEN EMBROIDERY 127 Marking out the embroidery ground 128 Tapestry stitches 129 Tapestry patterns 138 Stitches for linen embroidery 143 Patterns for linen embroidery 152

KNITTING 171 Position of the hands 172 Casting on 173 Stitches 178 Stocking knitting 182 Scalloped edge 183 Heels 184 Toes 189 Mending knitting 190 Pique patterns 195 Patent knitting 201 Turkish stitch 201 Knitting patterns 203

CROCHET WORK 221 Position of the hands 223 Stitches 223 Method for copying tapestry patterns in crochet 238 Crochet with soutache or lacet 239 Crochet square, hexagon and star 240 Tunisian crochet 241 Hairpin crochet 243 Patterns for hairpin crochet 245 Crochet lace patterns 249 Crochet counterpanes 284 Crochet stars 300 Crochet collar 304 Crochet chair-back 316

TATTING 325 Position of the hands 326 Knots 328 Patterns of scallops and medallions 331

MACRAME 343 Materials and implements 344 Formation of the knots 345 Macrame shuttles 360 Macrame patterns 361

NETTING 395 Implements and materials 395 Stitches 397 Patterns produced in netting 400 Mounting the netting on the frame 410 Stars and wheels 414 Grounds and lace 423 Embroidery on netting 434 Netted insertion 438

IRISH LACE 439 Materials 439 Tacking down the braids 440 Bars of different kinds 442 Insertion stitches 445 Lace stitches 450 Needle-made picots 467 Irish lace patterns 468

LACES OF DIFFERENT KINDS 473 Pillow lace and the implements for its manufacture 474 "Stitches" or passings 481 Patterns or grounds 481 Armenian lace 503 Laces in knotted stitch 505 Reticella-lace 508 Venetian-lace 510 Brussels-lace 515

MISCELLANEOUS FANCY WORK 517 Knotted cord 518 Balls for trimmings 519 Tambour work 521 Smyrna stitch 523 Malta stitch 525 Triangular Turkish stitch 526 Turkish embroidery 530 Applique-work 531 Morocco embroidery 535

Spanish embroidery 536 Different kinds of linen stitches 540 Pattern for linen stitches 541 Pattern for Roumanian stitch 544 Pattern for Pique embroidery 546 Embroideries with Soutache 546 Chinese subject 551

PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 553 Tracing and drawing the designs 553 The preparation of the stuffs and the subdivision of the patterns 557 To transpose and repeat patterns by means of looking glasses 559 To alter the proportions of a pattern by dividing the ground into squares 560 To prepare the paste for applique work 564 To stiffen new needlework 565 To wash ordinary lace 565 To wash real lace 566 To stiffen lace 566 To iron lace 566 To pin out lace 567 To wash coloured cottons and work done with the same 568 Materials 569



By the same Author

ALBUM DE BRODERIES

AU POINT DE CROIX.

(Album of cross-stitch embroidery)

BY TH. DE DILLMONT

32 Plates with 278 Designs, and a complete treatise on the embroidery itself.

Quarto; artistic boards, price 1s. 6d.



To be had by applying to the Author and Editor TH. DE DILLMONT, DORNACH, Alsace, and at all the leading booksellers and Embroidery shops.



PRINTED BY BRUSTLEIN & Co.,

MULHOUSE (Alsace)

THE END