Encyclopedia of Needlework Part 12

MOSAIC St.i.tCH (fig. 226).--In old embroideries we often find this st.i.tch, employed as a subst.i.tute for plush or other costly stuffs, appliqued on to the foundation. It is executed in the same manner as the four preceding st.i.tches, but can only be done in thick twist, such as Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C or Ganse turque D.M.C.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 226. MOSAIC St.i.tCH.]

Each st.i.tch should be made separately, and must pa.s.s underneath the foundation, so that the threads which form the pattern are not flat, as they are in the preceding examples, but slightly rounded.

BORDER IN PERSIAN St.i.tCH (fig. 227).--This st.i.tch, of Persian origin, resembles the one represented in fig. 175. Instead of bringing the needle out, however, as indicated in fig. 176, take it back as you see in the ill.u.s.tration, to the s.p.a.ce between the outlines of the drawing, and behind the thread that forms the next st.i.tch. Before filling in the pattern, outline it with short stem st.i.tches, or a fine cord, laid on, and secured with invisible st.i.tches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 227. BORDER IN PERSIAN St.i.tCH. MATERIALS: Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C No. 14, 15, 20 or 25. COLOURS: Noir grand Teint 310, Vert-Mousse 469 and 471, Rouge-Cardinal 346, Jaune-vieil-Or 680, Violet-Mauve 315 and 316.]

This graceful design which can be utilised in various ways is formed of leaves of 7 lobes, worked alternately in dark and light green; of flowers of 3 petals, worked in red and the centres in yellow, and of small leaves in violet. The setting, throughout, is worked either in black or in dark brown.

STRIPE WORKED IN FLAT St.i.tCH (fig. 228).--This pattern, simple as it is, will be found both useful and effective for the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g of all kinds of articles of dress. The bottom edge should be finished off with rounded scallops or toothed vand.y.k.es worked in b.u.t.ton-hole st.i.tch. The flowers in flat st.i.tch, are worked alternately, in Rouge-Geranium 351 and 352, and the leaves alternately, in Vert-de-gris 474 and 475; the centres of the flowers are worked in knot st.i.tch, in Jaune-Rouille 308.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 228. STRIPE WORKED IN FLAT St.i.tCH.

MATERIALS--According to the stuff: Fil a dentelle D.M.C, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C or Coton a repriser D.M.C[A]

COLOURS--For the flowers: Rouge-Geranium 351 and 352.--For the knot st.i.tch: Jaune-Rouille 308.--For the foliage: Vert-de-gris 474 and 475.[A]]

BOUQUET IN STRAIGHT AND ENCROACHING FLAT St.i.tCH (fig. 229). As we have already observed, it is by no means easy to arrange the colours in an embroidery of this kind, so as to obtain a really artistic effect.

Whether the design be a conventional one or not, the great point is to put in the lights and shadows at the right place. If you want to make a faithful copy of a natural flower, take the flower itself, or a coloured botanical drawing of it, and if possible, a good black and white drawing of the same, match the colours in 6 or 7 shades, by the flower itself, keeping them all rather paler in tone, and take the black and white drawing as a guide for the lights and shadows. The colours for the leaves and petals, which should always be worked from the outside, should be chosen with a view to their blending well together. The stamens and the centres of the flowers should be left to the last, but the veins and ribs of the leaves, should always be put in before the grounding.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 229. BOUQUET IN STRAIGHT AND ENCROACHING FLAT St.i.tCH. MATERIALS: Coton a repriser D.M.C No. 50. COLOURS--For the forget-me-nots: Bleu-Indigo 312, 322 and 334.--For the other flowers: Jaune-Rouille 365 and 366, Violet-Mauve 376, 316 and 377, Vert-Pistache 369.--For the foliage: Vert-de-Gris 474, Vert-Mousse 468, 469, 471 and 472.--For the stalks: Brun-Havane 455 and 457.[A]]

For embroideries of this kind, suitable materials must be selected; the more delicate and minute the design, and the more varied the colouring, the softer and finer should be the quality of the material employed.

Specially to be recommended, as adapted to every form of st.i.tch and as being each of them capable of being subdivided, are Filoselle, Ma.r.s.eille, open Chinese silk and Coton a repriser D.M.C.[A].

FLOWERS EMBROIDERED IN THE CHINESE MANNER (fig. 230).--All Chinese embroidery displays undoubted originality and wonderful skill and judgment in the choice of material and colour. It excels particularly, in the representation of figures, flowers, and animals, but differs from European work in this, that instead of using flat st.i.tch and making the colours blend together as we do, the Chinese put them, side by side, without intermediate tones, or they sometimes work the whole pattern in knot st.i.tch. The little knots, formed by this st.i.tch are generally set in gold thread.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 230. FLOWERS EMBROIDERED IN THE CHINESE MANNER.]

Often too, instead of combining a number of colours, as we do, the Chinese fill in the whole leaf with long st.i.tches and upon this foundation, draw the veins in a different st.i.tch and colour. Even the flowers, they embroider in the same way, in very fine thread, filling in the whole ground first, with st.i.tches set very closely together and marking in the seed vessels afterwards, by very diminutive knots, wide apart.

CHINESE ENCROACHING FLAT St.i.tCH (fig. 231).--Another easy kind of embroidery, common in China, is done in encroaching flat st.i.tch. The branch represented in our drawing, taken from a large design, is executed in three shades of yellow, resembling those of the Jaune-Rouille series on the D.M.C colour card.[A]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 231. CHINESE ENCROACHING FLAT St.i.tCH.

MATERIALS: Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 20 to 50 or Chine d'or D.M.C.

COLOURS--For the cotton: Jaune-Rouille 363, 308, 366.--For Chine d'or: Red and gold, blue and gold, green and gold.[A]]

The st.i.tches of the different rows encroach upon one another, as the working detail shows, and the three shades alternate in regular succession. Flowers, b.u.t.terflies and birds are represented in Chinese embroidery, executed in this manner. It is a style, that is adapted to stuffs of all kinds, washing materials as well as others, and can be worked in the hand and with any of the D.M.C threads and cottons.[A]

RAISED EMBROIDERY (figs. 232 and 233).--Raised embroidery worked in colours, must be stuffed or padded first, like the white embroidery in fig. 191. If you outline your design with a cord, secure it on the right side with invisible st.i.tches, untwisting the cord slightly as you insert your needle and thread, that the st.i.tch may be hidden between the strands. Use Coton a repriser D.M.C No. 25, for the padding. These cottons are to be had in all the colours, indicated in the D.M.C colour card, and are the most suitable for the kind of work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 232. RAISED EMBROIDERY. PREPARATORY WORK.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 233. RAISED EMBROIDERY. WORK COMPLETED.]

Use Coton a broder D.M.C for the transverse st.i.tches and over the smooth surface which is thus formed, work close lines of satin st.i.tch in silk or cotton; the effect produced, will bear more resemblance to applique work than to embroidery. The centres of the flowers are filled in with knot st.i.tches, which are either set directly on the stuff or on an embroidered ground.

EMBROIDERY IN THE TURKISH STYLE (figs. 234 and 235).--This again is a style of embroidery different from any we are accustomed to. The solid raised parts are first padded with common coa.r.s.e cotton and then worked over with gold, silver, or silk thread.

Contrary to what is noticeable in the real Turkish embroidery, the preparatory work here is very carefully done, with several threads of Coton a repriser D.M.C used as one. A rope of five threads is laid down, and carried from right to left and from left to right, across the width of the pattern. After laying it across to the right, as explained in fig. 234, bring the needle out a little beyond the s.p.a.ce occupied by the threads, insert it behind them and pa.s.sing it under the stuff, draw it out at the spot indicated by the arrow. The st.i.tch that secures the threads, should be sufficiently long to give them a little play, so that they may lie perfectly parallel, side by side, over the whole width of the pattern.

This kind of work can be done on wollen or cotton materials, and generally speaking, with D.M.C cottons, and gold thread shot with colour (Chine d'or D.M.C.)

Very pretty effects can be obtained, by a combination of three shades of Rouge-Cardinal 347, 346 and 304, with Chine d'or gold and dark blue or with Chine d'or, gold and light blue.[A]

This kind of embroidery may be regarded as the transition from satin st.i.tch to gold embroidery.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 234. EMBROIDERY IN THE TURKISH STYLE. PREPARATORY WORK.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 235. EMBROIDERY IN THE TURKISH STYLE. WORK COMPLETED.]

GOLD EMBROIDERY.--Up to the present time, dating from the end of the eighteenth century, gold embroidery has been almost exclusively confined to those who made it a profession; amateurs have seldom attempted what, it was commonly supposed, required an apprenticeship of nine years to attain any proficiency in.

But now, when it is the fashion to decorate every kind of fancy article, whether of leather, plush, or velvet, with monograms and ingenious devices of all descriptions, the art of gold embroidery has revived and is being taken up and practised with success, even by those to whom needlework is nothing more than an agreeable recreation.

We trust that the following directions and ill.u.s.trations will enable our readers to dispense with the five years training, which even now, experts in the art consider necessary.

IMPLEMENTS AND MATERIALS.--The first and needful requisites for gold embroidery, are a strong frame, a spindle, two pressers, one flat and the other convex, a curved knife, a p.r.i.c.ker or stiletto, and a tray, to contain the materials.

EMBROIDERY FRAME (fig. 236).--The frame, represented here, is only suitable for small pieces of embroidery, for larger ones, which have to be done piece by piece, round bars on which to roll up the stuff, are desirable, as sharp wooden edges are so apt to mark the stuff.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 236. EMBROIDERY FRAME FOR GOLD EMBROIDERY.]

Every gold embroidery, on whatever material it may be executed, requires a stout foundation, which has to be sewn into the frame, in doing which, hold the webbing loosely, almost in folds, and stretch the stuff very tightly. Sew on a stout cord to the edges of the foundation, which are nearest the stretchers, setting the st.i.tches, 3 or 4 c/m. apart. Then put the frame together and stretch the material laterally to its fullest extent, by pa.s.sing a piece of twine, in and out through the cord at the edge and over the stretchers. Draw up the bracing until the foundation is strained evenly and tightly. Upon this firm foundation lay the stuff which you are going to embroider, and hem or herring-bone it down, taking care to keep it perfectly even with the thread of the foundation and, if possible, more tightly stretched to prevent it from being wrinkled or puckered when you come to take it off the backing. For directions how to transfer the pattern to your stuff, and prepare the paste with which the embroidery has to be stiffened before it is taken out of the frame, see the concluding chapter in the book.

THE SPINDLE (fig. 237).--The spindle to wind the gold thread upon, should be 20 c/m. long and made of hard wood. Cover the round stalk and part of the p.r.o.ngs with a double thread of Coton a broder D.M.C No. 16, or pale yellow Cordonnet D.M.C No. 25, and terminate this covering with a loop, to which you fasten the gold thread that you wind round the stalk.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 237. THE SPINDLE.]

THE PRESSERS (figs. 238 and 239).--These, so called 'pressers', are small rectangular boards with a handle in the middle. The convex one, fig. 238, should be 15 c/m. long by 9 broad; the other, fig. 239, which is quite flat, should be 32 c/m. by 20.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 238. CONVEX PRESSER, FOR PRESSING THE STUFF ON THE WRONG SIDE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 239. FLAT PRESSER FOR LAYING ON THE PATTERN.]

Having cut out your pattern in cartridge paper, lay it down, on the wrong side, upon a board thinly spread with embroidery paste. Let it get thoroughly impregnated with the paste and then transfer it carefully to its proper place on the stuff; press it closely down with the large presser, and with the little convex one rub the stuff firmly, from beneath, to make it adhere closely to the pasted pattern; small, pointed leaves and flowers will be found to need sewing down besides, as you will observe in fig. 242, where each point is secured by st.i.tches. The embroidery should not be begun until the paste is perfectly dry, and the pattern adheres firmly to the stuff.

THE KNIFE (fig. 240).--Most gold embroideries require a foundation of stout cartridge paper, and, in the case of very delicate designs, the paper should further be covered with kid, pasted upon it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 240. THE KNIFE. REDUCED SCALE.]

Transfer the design on to the paper or kid, in the manner described in the concluding chapter, and cut it out with the knife. You can only make very short incisions with this tool, which should be kept extremely sharp and held, in cutting, with the point outwards, and the rounded part towards you, as shown in the drawing.

TRAY TO CONTAIN THE MATERIALS (fig. 241).--Cut out as many divisions in a thin board, or sheet of stout cardboard, as you will require materials for your embroidery; these include not only gold thread of all kinds, but likewise beads and spangles of all sorts and sizes as well as bright and dead gold and silver purl, or bullion, as it is also called.

For the pieces of purl alone, which should be cut ready to hand, you should have several divisions, in order that the different lengths may be kept separate.