Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving Part 6

What is known as Florentine work is carried out in a st.i.tch of this kind. The pattern in this kind of work is taken horizontally across the ground in a succession of shaded zigzag lines.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 82.]

Plait st.i.tch is often used for grounding. It resembles a simple plait laid in close rows to and fro on the ground. It can frequently be seen used upon the Italian XVIth century linen work, that in which the pattern is left in plain linen, and the ground worked in some colour.

The diagram in fig. 83 shows the method of working the st.i.tch. If carried out correctly, the back of the material should show a row of short perpendicular lines, each composed of two threads.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 83.]

Two-sided Italian st.i.tch is descriptively named, for it is alike on both sides. This is frequently seen on XVIth and XVIIth century Italian linen work, similar to that mentioned above. A loosely woven linen makes a suitable ground material, for in the working the st.i.tches must be pulled firmly, so as to draw the threads of the fabric together; this gives over the ground a squared open-work effect, which is very pretty. Fig.

84 explains the working of the st.i.tch; it is shown in four stages, and is quite simple; the final result is a cross surrounded by a square. The lowest figure in the diagram shows the last stage, for the upper side of the square is filled in when the row above is worked. The drawing together of the web is not shown, but at a trial it should be done, for in that lies the special character of the st.i.tch. The silk used must be just thick enough to well cover the linen, but not too thick, for then the work would be clumsy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 84.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 85.]

Holbein st.i.tch (fig. 85), also known as stroke or line st.i.tch, is alike on both sides, and is often used in conjunction with cross and satin st.i.tch, as well as alone. Very intricate and interesting patterns can be devised to be carried out with these three st.i.tches, worked always with regard to the web of the linen. Squared paper could be used for planning the design, as the st.i.tches would all be practically of the same length, and the pattern must be one that can be easily carried out alike on both sides. The st.i.tch is worked as follows: An even running st.i.tch, picking up as much material as it leaves, is taken all round the pattern. This does half the work on either side; the gaps are then filled up by the running st.i.tch being taken in a contrary direction, which completes the pattern. Occasionally st.i.tches go off at an angle from the running pattern; these are completed on the first journey by a satin st.i.tch being made at the necessary point. The present diagram is a zigzag line, with one of these st.i.tches going off at each angle. Fig. 86 is an example of a border design carried out in Holbein st.i.tch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 86.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 87.]

The st.i.tch ill.u.s.trated in fig. 87 is known as rococo st.i.tch. It is a useful one for carrying out a conventional design, such as, to give a simple ill.u.s.tration, a flower sprig repeating in the s.p.a.ces formed by a trellis pattern. The effect of the st.i.tch when worked cannot be judged from this diagram; to see this properly a piece of canvas must be worked entirely over with it. The pattern chosen is usually one that lends itself to being worked in diagonal lines, as this st.i.tch is best worked in that way. It entirely hides the canvas background, and is carried out very similarly to the oriental st.i.tch in fig. 71. By the help of that diagram and description and the present one, which gives various steps, the worker will easily master the st.i.tch, which is quite simple. The ordinary carrying out of the st.i.tch is shown where the needle is at work, and in another part the diagram, by some loosened st.i.tches, ill.u.s.trates how to pa.s.s from one cl.u.s.ter to the next.

Some fine examples of canvas work design, introducing a variety of st.i.tches, may be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum. These are large panels filled with foliage and flowers growing about architectural columns.[3]

FOOTNOTES:

[2] No. 879, 1904.

[3] No. 517-522, 1896.

CHAPTER VIII

METHODS OF WORK

Couching--Braid Work--Laid Work--Applied Work--Inlaid Work--Patch Work.

COUCHING

Couching is the name given to a method of embroidery in which one thread is attached to the material by another one. Sometimes not only one thread but a number of threads are couched down together; or it may be cord, braid, or metal thread that is attached to the material in this way. Fig. 88 shows some couching in progress. The method probably arose through the difficulty experienced in pa.s.sing either coa.r.s.e or very delicate threads through a material. Couching is constantly in use with gold thread embroidery, and it is further discussed in the chapter upon that subject, where also is described an entirely different method, which is to be recommended for couching other as well as for gold threads.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 88.]

Couching is useful in a variety of ways, _e.g._ for carrying out work in line or for outlining other embroidery, applied work for instance, which is frequently finished off by means of a couched thread; in the case of a difficult ground material, it is one of the most manageable methods of working. The geometrical open fillings of leaves and backgrounds are often composed of lines of thread thrown across and couched down at regular intervals. Fig. 89 is an example of a favourite filling of this kind. Embroidery st.i.tches can be made use of for couching down other threads; a bunch of threads may be laid upon the material, and an open chain, b.u.t.tonhole, or feather st.i.tch worked over in order to fix it in place.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 89.]

Braid work is quickly and easily executed; it needs only a suitable pattern and a pretty braid for couching down to be most successful.

There are a few points to be observed about the technique--the cut edge of a braid is awkward to manage, for it must, with a special needle, be taken through to the back of the material and there made secure and flat; for this reason the design should be so planned as to have as few breaks as possible. Interlacing strap work designs, of which a simple example is given in fig. 90, are very suitable for braid work. The thread that couches down the braid may be quite invisible, or, on the other hand, it may be made use of to further decorate the braid by being placed visibly across it, perhaps forming a chequering or other simple pattern, as shown in fig. 91. Ravellings of the braid may be used as invisible couching threads for st.i.tching it down. Curves and sharp corners need special attention by way of extra st.i.tches. The completed work is much improved by several hours' pressure under a weight.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 90.]

LAID WORK

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 91.]

Laid work might be described as couching on a more extended scale--a given s.p.a.ce is covered with threads taken from side to side in parallel lines close together, fixed at either extremity by entering the material. Further security is usually given by small couching st.i.tches dotted down at intervals over the laid threads, or by throwing single lines of thread across in a contrary direction and tying these down at intervals with couching st.i.tches. Yet another way is, to work a split or stem st.i.tch over the laid threads, and thus fix them down. Fig. 92 shows a flower carried out in laid work. The tying-down threads can often be made use of in one way or another to further decorate, or to explain form, by means of contrasting colour, change in direction, and so on.

The laid st.i.tches in this flower are taken from the centre outwards and fixed in place by couched circular lines of thread. The centre of the flower has a geometrical filling, composed of a couched lattice pattern with French knots between. Conventional centres of this and like kinds are very pretty for embroidery flowers; such patterns as those shown in fig. 93 can often be seen in use, and they need only a trial to be frequently adopted.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 92.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 93.]

Laid work shows off the gloss and texture of silk to great advantage, which is due to the thread being laid upon the material without being cut up into small st.i.tches. Floss silk is much used for the work; it must not be at all twisted in the laying down, since this mars the effect. The work is carried out in a frame; it is quickly executed and economical, the thread being practically all upon the surface. Owing to the length of the st.i.tches, this is not a very durable method, so it should not be subjected to hard wear. The work has sometimes a flimsy, unsatisfactory appearance, probably because of these long st.i.tches. It will be seen that the silk pa.s.sing through to the back, and then immediately to the front again, takes up very little of the material. A method in use for giving greater strength in this way is to lay the silk first in alternate lines and to fill up the gaps thus left upon a second journey across the form. For added strength, use might be made of a linen thread at the back, as in the _point couche rentre ou retire_ method that is discussed later.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 94.]

A gold thread outline gives a nice finish to laid work. If there is nothing in the way of an outline, and the pattern and ground are both covered with laid threads, the edges of the pattern are likely to look weak. Fig. 94 shows a leaf filled in with rather loosely laid threads and outlined and veined with gold pa.s.sing, the veining answering the double purpose of fixing down the laid threads and veining the leaf at the same time.

In this work, the colouring is frequently in flat tones, but if necessary it is quite easy to introduce gradation. Further variety can be obtained by a contrast in colour in the tying-down threads.

APPLIED WORK

The ancient Latin term _opus consutum_, and the modern French one _applique_, which is perhaps the name most commonly in use, both refer to the same kind of work; what is now called cut work is quite different from this, and is described elsewhere. Under the heading of applied work comes anything that, cut out of one material, is applied to another; it may have been previously embroidered, or it may be just the plain stuff. Both kinds can, as has been proved, be carried out with excellent effect, but much unsuitable and badly designed work has been done by this method, with the result that the very name has fallen into disrepute.

The simplest kind of applied work is that in which the design, traced upon one material, then cut out along the outline of the pattern, is applied to another material, the junction of the two materials being hidden by a cord or suitable st.i.tch. The applied work is most often flat, but it can be in slight or in strong relief. The texture of the materials employed may be an important factor in the result, for a contrast in material as well as in colour is often wanted; sometimes the former alone is sufficient. The choice of material depends very much upon the use to which the finished work will be put, but this simple form of applied work often relies for part of its effect upon an intrinsic interest in the material, so it is usually carried out with such materials as velvet, satin, or silk, either plain or figured.

The design for this kind of work should be of a bold conventional type, such as large foliage with the character of the heraldic mantling; any naturalistic flowers, figures, or animals easily become grotesque. A simple outline to the forms is necessary, both because of the technical difficulties and for the effect of the finished work. This kind of work is hardly suitable for expressing fine detail; oftentimes it is seen from a distance, and many indentations on an outline sometimes tend to weaken it. Heraldry can be well expressed by this method. Fig. 95 is an example from a piece of XIIIth century work, a fragment of the surcoat of William de Fortibus, third Earl of Albemarle, who lived in the reign of Henry III.; the example can be seen in the British Museum. This method of work is also particularly suitable for such purposes as the decoration of wall surfaces, for hangings of various kinds, or banners; it can, however, be used for many other purposes, provided the design and the materials are well chosen.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 95.]

Owing to the difficulty of working upon some ground stuffs, the method has arisen of carrying out the embroidery upon an easily worked ground, such as linen; cutting it out, when finished, along the outline and applying it to the proper ground, the junction of the two materials being hidden by a cord or some equivalent. It is usually further completed by light sprays or some other kind of finishing touches being placed around the applied part, these worked directly on to the proper ground. This prevents the embroidery from looking too bald and detached from its surroundings, of which there is always a danger when it is carried out separately and then attached; if at all possible it is always more satisfactory to work directly on to the right ground.

As a matter of fact it is almost always possible to do this; the workers of the XIIIth century, the period at which the art of embroidery was at its height, carried out the most exquisitely fine st.i.tching and design on such grounds as velvet that had almost as long a pile as some varieties of plush. The famous cope of English work known as the Bowden cope, of which a detail is given in Plate I., is an excellent ill.u.s.tration of this point. Upon careful examination of the work it is apparent that between the st.i.tching and the velvet there is a layer of material, composed either of fine linen or silk. This would be of great help in the carrying out of the st.i.tching. It is exceedingly probable that this layer of fine material was at the commencement of the work laid completely over the velvet background of the cope; for one thing, the design, with its finely drawn detail, could easily be perfectly traced upon a surface of this kind and only imperfectly upon velvet; another advantage of this method would be, that the background would be kept quite free from dust and from getting soiled by the hands during the lengthy process of the work. The st.i.tching would be carried through all the surfaces, and when finished, the fine surface layer would be cut away close round the edges of the design, which would be quite easily done. This method of working upon a difficult ground is well worth trying in place of the applied method.

To return to the discussion of applied embroidery--let us suppose the embroidered piece to be just completed on its linen ground, still stretched in the frame in which it was worked. In another frame, stretch the background material and trace upon it the exact outline of the piece to be applied. Cut out the embroidered piece carefully round the edge, allowing about one-sixteenth of an inch margin outside the worked part, leaving, if necessary, little connecting ties of material here and there for temporary support. With fine steel pins or needles fix the cut-out work exactly over the tracing already made on the ground material, then make it secure round the edge with rather close st.i.tches of silk placed at right-angles to the outline; with fine materials the raw edge of the applied part can be neatly tucked under and fixed in place by this overcast st.i.tch. A cord is next sewn on to hide the fixing and give a finish to the edge. The colour of this cord is important, since its colour may increase the expanse of either the applied part or the ground. Sometimes a double cord is put round, and in this case the inner one is attached to the embroidery before it is cut out of the frame, and the second attached afterwards. The inner one is often of a colour predominating in the embroidery, and the outer one of the colour of the ground. Gold cord is very usual; if a coloured silk one is used it must be a perfect match. The ordinary twisted cord looks best attached invisibly; to do this, slightly untwist it whilst st.i.tching, and insert the needle in the opening thus formed. Some kinds of flat braids look well with the fixing st.i.tches taken deliberately over them and forming part of the ornamentation (see fig. 91). Bunches of silk are sometimes couched round with a b.u.t.tonhole or other st.i.tch, but whatever the outline may consist of, it should be a firm bold line.

The work must be perfectly flat when completed. Puckering may occur through want of care in the preliminary straining or in the fixing on of the applied parts. Some materials are more easy to manage than others.

The difficult ones can if necessary have a preliminary backing applied, which is useful also if the material is inclined to fray. The backing may consist of a thin coating of embroidery paste, or of tissue paper or fine holland pasted over the part to be applied. The more all this kind of thing can be avoided, the better the work, for pasting of any kind is apt to give a stiff mechanical look; also, if the work is intended to hang in folds any stiffness would be most impracticable.

Even more than simpler work applied embroidery needs the finish of some light work upon the ground. Gold threads and spangles, arranged in fashion similar to the sprays in fig. 112, are very often used.

Sometimes, instead of this, some small pattern in outline is run all over the ground in order to enrich it.