Encyclopedia of Needlework Part 10

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 189. SIX LEAVES IN RAISED SATIN St.i.tCH.]

Leaves and flowers of all descriptions, can be executed in any of these st.i.tches, and in different combinations of the same.

SIX WAYS OF MAKING DOTS (fig. 190).--Dots, when they are well made, are exceedingly effective in white embroidery, particularly if they are worked in a variety of st.i.tches. Dot A is worked in raised satin st.i.tch; B, in raised satin st.i.tch, framed in back st.i.tch; C, in raised satin st.i.tch, framed in twisted knot st.i.tch; D is composed of several post st.i.tches of different lengths, set in a frame of stem st.i.tches; E is worked in back-st.i.tch, and F consists of a small eyelet hole, with a corded setting, which forms the centre.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 190. SIX WAYS OF MAKING DOTS.]

VENETIAN EMBROIDERY (fig. 191).--Scallops, worked in very high relief, called Venetian embroidery, are an imitation on stuff of Venetian lace.

Real Venetian point is entirely needle-made; in the embroidered imitations of it, the stuff takes the place of the needle-made lace foundation. To make it more like the original however, the ground is seldom left plain, but is covered with fancy st.i.tches, such as are represented in the ill.u.s.tration, or with one or other of the damask st.i.tches in figs. 146 to 170. The b.u.t.ton-hole bars may be made with or without picots. A full description of the latter will be found in the chapters on net embroidery, and Irish lace. The s.p.a.ce to be b.u.t.tonholed, must be well padded, for thereon depends the roundness of the embroidery. For this purpose take 6 or 8 threads of Coton a repriser D.M.C No. 25,[A] and fasten them down on to the pattern with loose st.i.tches, laying on extra threads, and cutting them gradually away, according to the width the line is to be. The stuff underneath the bars should only be cut away when the embroidery is quite finished.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 191. VENETIAN EMBROIDERY.]

RENAISSANCE EMBROIDERY (figs. 192 and 193).--This is the term applied, more especially in France, to embroidery patterns, which are worked entirely in b.u.t.ton-holing, and connected by b.u.t.ton-hole bars without picots, as shewn in the two accompanying figures. The outside edge in fig. 193, is embellished with picots, described in the chapters just referred to.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 192. RENAISSANCE EMBROIDERY.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 193. RENAISSANCE EMBROIDERY.]

RICHELIEU EMBROIDERY (fig. 194).--The name given to embroidery of a similar kind to the former, but in which the connecting bars, instead of being left plain as they are in the Renaissance embroidery, are ornamented with picots.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 194. RICHELIEU EMBROIDERY.]

MADEIRA WORK (figs. 195, 196, 197).--This kind of embroidery, which consists chiefly of eyelet holes, and is distinguished for the excellence of its workmanship used to be known as English, but is now generally called Madeira work, from the island where it originated. The scallops in figs. 195 and 197, are bordered with shaded eyelet holes, worked half in b.u.t.ton-hole st.i.tch, half in overcasting; the finely scalloped edge, in fig. 196, is entirely b.u.t.ton-holed. In working eyelet holes, the material must always be turned in, up to the inside line, and completely worked in, underneath the in order that no loose threads may be visible on the wrong side.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 195. MADEIRA WORK.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 196. MADEIRA WORK. MATERIALS: Coton Madeira D.M.C No. 40, 50 or 60. (Special cotton for Madeira work)[A]]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 197. MADEIRA-WORK. MATERIALS: Coton Madeira D.M.C No. 40, 50 or 60. (Special cotton for Madeira-work).]

SWISS EMBROIDERY FRAME (fig. 198).--Letters, monograms, coronets and the like, require extreme care in the working, and can only be really well done in a frame. The round Swiss frame, or tambour frame, is the one most commonly used. It consists of two wooden hoops, fitting loosely into each other; the inner one, fastened to a support with a wooden screw let into the lower part of it, with which to fasten the frame to the table. The outside hoop is loose.

Place the fabric to be embroidered over the smaller hoop, the pattern in the middle, and press the other down over it so that it is tightly stretched and fixed between the two hoops.

A leathern strap with holes and a buckle, sometimes takes the place of the second hoop.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 198. SWISS EMBROIDERY FRAME.]

ORDINARY EMBROIDERY FRAME (fig. 199).--Tambour frames can only be used for embroidering pocket-handkerchiefs and other small articles; all larger work has to be done in an ordinary frame. Sew a piece of strong stuff into the frame, stretch it as tightly and evenly as possible, and cut out a square in the middle to the size of the pattern. Then tack your work in underneath, straight to the thread, dividing it out carefully with pins first, to ensure its being set in perfectly evenly.

Roll or fold up the rest of the stuff over the edges of the frame, and secure it with a few st.i.tches or pins, to keep it out of the way of your hand as you work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 199. ORDINARY EMBROIDERY FRAME.]

ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS (figs. 200 to 205).--On account of the difficulty of devising a good monogram for marking under-linen, we subjoin two alphabets, by the aid of which our workers will be able to compose their own.

The letters are of a good medium size, which can be magnified or reduced according to the worker's own taste.

For any such modifications, we would again draw our reader's attention to the directions given in the concluding chapter. The three first plates represent large wide letters, intended to contain or encompa.s.s the more elongated ones, represented in the fourth and fifth plates, figs. 203 and 204.

The interlacing of the letters requires to be carefully done, and our workers should study the following specimens, so as to learn the st.i.tches also, which are most suitable for this branch of embroidery.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 200. ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS. Outside letters A to H.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 201. ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS. Outside letters J to Q.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 202. ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS. Outside letters R to Y.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 203. ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS. Inside letters A to L.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 204. ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS. Inside letters M to X.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 205. ALPHABETS FOR MONOGRAMS. Last inside and outside letters.]

MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS A AND D (fig. 206).--Here, letter A is worked in flat satin st.i.tch, in Bleu-Indigo 312, and set in stem st.i.tch, worked in Rouge-Turc 321. D as a contrast to A, is embroidered in transverse bars, the left part in pale blue and white, the right in pale blue and dark blue. The little ornaments may be worked according to fancy, either in white, or in one of the given colours.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 206. MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS A AND D DRAWN FROM THE ALPHABETS OF MONOGRAMS. MATERIALS: Coton a broder D.M.C Nos. 100 to 150. COLOURS: Bleu-Indigo 334, Rouge-Turc 321 and white.[A]]

MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS V AND S (fig. 207).--The flat satin st.i.tch in both letters is worked in white; the setting, is in red, in short stem st.i.tch, or if preferred, in knotted back st.i.tch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 207. MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS V AND S DRAWN FROM THE ALPHABETS OF MONOGRAMS. MATERIALS: Coton a broder D.M.C No. 120.

COLOURS: White and Rouge-Cardinal 305.[A]]

MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS R AND C (fig. 208).--These are worked in black and grey, for mourning; the way C is divided, admits of a variety in the st.i.tch; for instance, the back-st.i.tches, in the ill.u.s.tration, may be replaced by very small eyelet holes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 208. MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS R AND C DRAWN FROM THE ALPHABETS OF MONOGRAMS. MATERIALS: Fil a dentelle D.M.C No. 150.

COLOURS: Gris-Cendre 318 and Noir grand Teint 310.]

MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS G AND E (fig. 209).--The flat satin st.i.tching and back-st.i.tching in E, and the stem-st.i.tched edges of G are worked in white Coton a broder D.M.C; the inside of G in ivory white Coton surfin D.M.C.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 209. MONOGRAM COMPOSED OF LETTERS G AND E DRAWN FROM THE ALPHABETS OF MONOGRAMS. MATERIALS: Coton a broder D.M.C No. 120 white and Coton surfin D.M.C No. 120, unbleached.]

BORDER IN GOBELIN St.i.tCH (fig. 210).--Gobelin embroidery is merely raised satin st.i.tch, worked directly upon the pattern, without any foundation, or padding. The effectiveness of this kind of embroidery, which appears so complicated and is really so easy, and the many ways in which it can be utilised, soon brought it into favour. It can be worked on the article itself, or on stripes, laid on afterwards, with a hem-st.i.tch bordering. The original of fig. 210 was in blue and red; Bleu Indigo 312 for the grounding, Rouge-Turc 321, for the setting in stem-st.i.tch. The herring-boning along the edges of the pattern, top and bottom, is also in red.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 210. BORDER IN GOBELIN St.i.tCH. MATERIALS: Coton a broder D.M.C No. 35 in two different colours such as: Bleu-Indigo 312 and Rouge-Cardinal 304, Rouge-Grenat 358 and 309 or, Gris-Tilleul 393 and Rouge-Cardinal 305.[A]]

Should a different selection of colours be made, it is important to remember that in all cases a sharp contrast is desirable.

ALPHABET AND NUMERALS, LEFT BLANK, AND OUTLINED BY THE GROUNDING, WORKED IN GOBELIN St.i.tCH (figs. 211 to 215).

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 211. ALPHABET LEFT BLANK AND OUTLINED BY THE GROUNDING. Letters A to N.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 212. ALPHABET LEFT BLANK AND OUTLINED BY THE GROUNDING. Letters O to Z.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 213. LETTER O, FROM THE ALPHABET GIVEN IN FIGS. 211 AND 212.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 214. NUMERALS LEFT BLANK AND OUTLINED BY THE GROUNDING.]

The border worked in Gobelin st.i.tch, ill.u.s.trated in fig. 210, suggested to us the idea of an alphabet and numerals, to be executed in a similar style, left blank, that is to say, and outlined by a grounding in Gobelin st.i.tch, which are better suited to embroideries of the kind than those generally used. Our limited s.p.a.ce prevents us from giving all the letters in the diagonal position they are intended to occupy on the article itself. O and W only, are represented in the right position. No difficulty will be found in copying the other letters, in giving them the proper direction.