The Ladies' Work-Table Book Part 7

MOSAIC WORK.--If you work with wool, cut it into short lengths, and untwist it. No wool can be procured sufficiently fine for this kind of work. If you work with silk, the finest floss is preferable to any other: split silk would be found extremely inconvenient, and the work would not look so well. Care must be taken that the shades are very distinct, or they will appear jumbled and unsightly. It will also be necessary to fasten off at every shade, and not to pa.s.s from one flower to another, as in that case the fastenings would become visible on the right side, and thus impair the beauty of the performance. In working a landscape, some recommend placing behind the canvas a painted sky, to avoid the trouble of working one. As a compliance with such advice would tend to foster habits of idleness, and thus weaken the sense of moral propriety which should in all we do be ever present with us, as well as destroy that nice sense of honor and sincerity which flies from every species of deception, we hope the fair votaries of this delightful art will reject the suggestion with the contempt it merits.

PATTERNS ON CANVAS.--Employ for canvas four or five shades, beginning with the darkest, and softening gradually into a lighter tint, till you come to the lightest, following the distinction of contrast exhibited by the Berlin patterns. If you wish to introduce silk into any part, it will be best to work it in last. Be careful to avoid taking odd threads, if you work the pattern in cross st.i.tch.

PERFORATED CARD.--The needle must not be too large, or the holes will be liable to get broken. The smaller ones must be worked in silk: the larger patterns may be done in either silk or wool. Sometimes the flowers are worked in Chenille, and the leaves in silk; this gives to card cases, &c., a beautiful and highly ornamental appearance.

RUG BORDERING.--Use a wooden mesh, grooved, an inch and a quarter in width; pa.s.s the material over the mesh, and work in cross st.i.tch: the material to be used, is what is called slacks, (a kind of worsted,) which must be six or eight times doubled. You must leave three threads between each row, and not more than eight rows are required to complete the border.

WIRE WORK.--For this work choose shades of a light in preference to a dark color, and work with silk. If you employ both silk and wool, silk must be used for the lighter shades, or the beauty of the work will be impaired. Sponge the whole before commencing work.

CHAPTER X.

FANCY NEEDLEWORK.

APPLICATION OF FANCY NEEDLEWORK TO USEFUL PURPOSES.

LACE.--This imitation is used as an elegant finish for carriage bags, sofa pillows, &c.; and also for ladies' work bags, to which it is both ornamental and becoming.

PRINCESS ROYAL.--This pattern is especially proper for bags or small stands.

POINT St.i.tCH, is well adapted for working covers for ha.s.socks, as well as for bags of a considerable size.

BASKET St.i.tCH.--This kind of work is very elegant for flower, fruit, or work baskets; or any other of an ornamental character.

GERMAN PATTERN, is well adapted for slippers, as, when worked, it is found to be very durable, and its appearance peculiarly fits it for this application.

EMBROIDERY, is of almost universal application: that with chenille is much used in the ornamental parts of dress, and is productive of a most pleasing effect. Embroidery in wool is also much in use for the same purpose.

RUG BORDERINGS.--These may be considered as articles of domestic economy; and besides the pleasure which arises from seeing the parlor, or the side-board, adorned with the elegant productions of a daughter, or a sister, this kind of work is at all times, when properly executed, superior, considered merely as work, far superior to any similar productions emanating from the loom.

GENTLEMEN'S WAISTCOATS AND BRACES.--By being able to perform this kind of work, it is at all times in the power of the fair s.e.x to offer an elegant present to a father, husband, or brother, and thus to increase the hallowed pleasures of the domestic circle. This reason is amply sufficient to induce our lovely countrywomen to cultivate this department of fancy needlework.

WIRE WORK.--This is a lovely material for baskets, and various kinds of ornamental fabrications.

WORKING FIGURES.--This delightful application of the needle may be rendered subservient to numerous useful and interesting purposes. By it the sister arts of painting and design may be materially promoted: the scenes of former days may be delineated on the historic canvas, or the portrait of a departed friend may be placed before us, as when blooming in all the living l.u.s.tre of angelic loveliness. Let this portion of the art be especially and a.s.siduously cultivated.

ARMORIAL BEARINGS.--These are proper for screens, and may be made of a high moral utility, by exciting in the minds of the young, an ardent desire to become acquainted with the events of history, and with the actions and principles of former times.

MOSAIC WORK, AND PERFORATED CARD.--These are used for note books, ornamental card cases, hand screens, book marks and a variety of other useful purposes.

BRAID WORK.--The application of this kind of work is well known, and is so general, that no particular cases need be pointed out.

APPLIQUE.--This is very elegant, as employed for table covers, sofas, chairs, &c.; indeed it always looks pretty, and to whatever it is applied it has a pleasing effect.

STAR PATTERNS, are proper for sofa cushions, bottle stands, or any piece of work that is small.

MEDALLION PATTERN.--Where the work is coa.r.s.e, or large, these may be introduced with good effect; but especial attention must be paid to a proper combination of colors and shades.

CHAPTER XI.

FANCY NEEDLEWORK.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS.

INSTRUCTIONS IN GROUNDING.--Care must be taken in grounding to make the effect of contrast very conspicuous. Thus, if you ground in dark colors, your pattern should be worked in shades of a light and lively tint; for those in which dark shades predominate, a light ground is indispensible.

The canvas for white grounding should be white; and if for dark grounding, a striped fabric is employed. The stripes will sometimes appear through the wool. To prevent this it will be necessary to rub over the surface with a little Indian ink water previous to commencing working, but care must be taken not to let the mixture run into the edges of the work, and it must be quite dry before you commence grounding. A camel's hair brush is best for this purpose. In working in cross st.i.tch, it is best to do so on the slant, working from right to left across the canvas, and then back again. This is preferable to crossing each st.i.tch as you proceed, and gives an improved appearance to the work.

If you work in tent st.i.tch, work straight, or your performance will be uneven when taken out of the frame. In all cases begin to go round from the centre, and work outwards, taking care to fasten off as you finish with each needleful, which should not be too long, as the wool is liable to get rough and soiled. It is also necessary to have them irregular as to length, to prevent the fastenings coming together which they will be apt to do if this suggestion is not attended to. For working in tent st.i.tch with single wool, the canvas must not have more than fourteen threads to an inch; for cross st.i.tch you must have a canvas not coa.r.s.er than twenty-two threads to an inch; for the former, you will for every two and a half square inches require a skein of wool; in the latter case a skein will cover two inches. Following this calculation, you can easily ascertain the quant.i.ty of wool required for any piece of work; and it is advisable to purchase all your wool at the same time, otherwise you will have much trouble in matching the shades.

An attention to these instructions will soon make you a proficient in the grounding department of the art.

WORKING FIGURES.--This is at once one of the most difficult, and at the same time one of the most pleasing tasks which the votary of fancy needlework will have to perform; they generally produce the best effect when worked in wool and silk, with a judicious mixture of gold and silver beads. The hair and drapery should be worked in cross st.i.tch; and the face, neck, and hands, in tent st.i.tch; working four of the latter for one of the former. To obtain the proper tints for the face, &c., is no easy task; but it _must_ be carefully attended to, as almost the whole beauty of the work depends upon it. The shades in these parts of the figure must be extremely close; indeed upon shading of the features the perfection of the performance mainly depends. The drapery also demands considerable care: the shades must be very distinct, particularly the lighter ones in the folds of the dress; and the back ground should be subdued as much as possible, that a proper prominence may be given to the figure: this object will be aided considerably by working in the lighter shades in silk: any representation of water or of painted gla.s.s, should be worked in the same material. The intention of the fair worker should be to give to her performance as near an approximation to oil painting as possible.

RAISED WORK.--This should be done with German wool, as it more nearly resembles velvet. For working flowers, you must have two meshes, one-seventh of an inch in width, and the pattern must be worked in gobelin st.i.tch. Be careful not to take one mesh out, until you have completed the next row. You work across the flowers; and in order to save an unnecessary waste of time, as well as to facilitate your work, it will be best to thread as many needles as you require shades, taking care not to get the various shades mixed together. This is more needful, as you cannot, as in cross st.i.tch, finish one shade before commencing another. When the pattern is worked, cut straight across each row, with a pair of scissors suitable to the purpose, and shear the flower into its proper form.

For working animals or birds, you must have three meshes; the first, one quarter; and the third, one seventh of an inch: the second must be a medium between these two. You will require the largest for the breast, and the upper parts of the wings. Cross st.i.tch may be employed in working the beak, or feet, and is indeed preferable. You may work leaves, either in cross st.i.tch or in gobelin st.i.tch, as taste or fancy may direct. You may work either from a drawing on canvas, or from Berlin pattern; but the latter is decidedly to be preferred.

WORKING BERLIN PATTERNS.--For these patterns, it will be necessary to work in canvas, of eighteen or ten threads to the inch, according as you may desire the work to be a larger, or of the same size as the pattern: and, it must be borne in mind, that all the patterns are drawn for tent st.i.tch, so that if you work in cross st.i.tch, and wish to have it the same size as the pattern, you must count twenty st.i.tches on the canvas, for ten on the paper. The choice of colors, for these patterns, is a matter of essential importance as the transition from shade to shade, if sudden and abrupt, will entirely destroy the beauty of the design. A natural succession of tints, softly blending into each other, can, alone produce the desired effect. In working flowers, five or six shades will be required: in a rose, or other large flower, six shades are almost indispensible; of these, the darkest should form the perfect centre, then the next (not prominently, though perceptibly) differing from it, and the next four to the lightest tint; the whole, to be so managed, as to give to the flower that fulness, and distinctness, which its position in the design demands. For small flowers, so many shades are rarely necessary. The two darkest shades should be strong, the others soft; this secures sufficiency of contrast, without impairing that harmony of tints, which is so indispensible. You must recollect, that for work done in tent st.i.tch, a greater contrast of shade is required, than for that done in cross st.i.tch. This remark should never be lost sight of. A proper attention to the shading of leaves, is indispensible; the kinds of green required, for this purpose, are bright gra.s.s green, for a rose; Saxon green, for lilies, convolvolus, peonies, &c.; French green, for iris, marigold, narcissus, &c.; and for poppies, tulips, &c.; a willow green, which has a rather bluer tint than French green is generally; and for leaves which stand up above the flowers, or near them, it is proper to work the tips in a very light green, as reflecting the rays of light: the next shade should be four times darker, or three at the least; the next two; then the fourth shade, two darker than the third; and the fifth, two darker than the fourth: take care that the veins of leaves be distinctly marked, and those which are in the shade should be darker than those upon which the light falls; and if of a color having a bluish tint, a few worked in olive green will have a fine effect. The stalks of roses, &c., should be worked in olive brown or a very dark green. White flowers are often spoilt, by being worked of too dark a shade; if you do not work with silk, you may obtain two distinct shades of white, by using Moravian cotton and white wool; these combined with three shades of light stone color--the second two shades darker than the first, and the third darker than the second, in the same proportions--will produce a beautiful white flower, which if properly shaded, by leaves of the proper tints, will have a most beautiful appearance. The lighter parts of all flowers, in Berlin patterns, may be worked in silk; and in many cases that is a decided improvement; but it should never be introduced in the leaves; here it would be out of place. We again repeat, beware of servile copying: try to engage your own judgment in this work, and, remember, that to become used to think and to discriminate, is one of the most valuable acquisitions that a young lady can attain.

We have now, we trust, placed before the young student of fancy needlework, such plain directions, in all things essential to the art, as cannot fail, if a proper degree of thought and attention is bestowed upon them, to make her a proficient in this delightful employment. With one or two additional remarks, we will conclude this portion of our labors. The young votary of the needle must recollect that, if she allows her fondness for this accomplishment to draw off her attention from the more serious or useful business of life, she will act decidedly wrong and had far better never learn it at all. Another thing to be especially guarded against, is, not to devote too much time to this, or any other engagement, at once; the mind and body are both injured, to a serious extent, by dwelling too long on a single object. Let it never for a moment be forgotten, relaxation and exercise are indispensible, if you wish to enjoy good health, or an even and pleasant temper. Again, take care that you never become so absorbed in the object of your pursuit, as to allow it to interfere with the calls of friendship, benevolence, or duty. The young lady who can forget her moral and domestic duties, in the fascinations of the embroidery frame, gives but little promise of excellence, in the more advanced stages of life.

Let neatness, and order, characterize all your arrangements.

Cut your silks and wools into proper lengths, and fold them in paper, writing the color on each, and numbering them according to their shades, 1, 2, 3, &c., beginning with the darkest.

Dispose all your materials so as to come at them without trouble or inconvenience, and use every possible care to prevent your work from being spoiled in the performance.

We advise every young lady to pay particular attention to painting and design; and to render every accomplishment subservient to some high and moral development of the heart, and of the character.

CHAPTER XII.

KNITTING.

EXPLANATION OF St.i.tCHES.

Before entering upon the immediate subject of this chapter, we wish to make a few remarks; which, we trust, will be acceptable to our fair readers.

The art of knitting is supposed to have been invented by the Spanish; and would doubtless form, in connection with needlework, an agreeable relaxation, amid the stiff formality and unvarying mechanical movements which made up, for the most part, the lives of the ancient female n.o.bility of that peninsula. The Scotch also lay claim to the invention, but we think upon no sufficient authority. Knitted silk-hose were first worn in England by Henry VIII., and we are told that a present of a pair of long knitted silk stockings, of Spanish manufacture, was presented to the young prince (Edward VI.), by Sir Thomas Gresham, and was graciously received, as a gift of some importance. Clumsy and unsightly cloth-hose had been previously worn: and, though we are told by Howel, that Queen Elizabeth was presented with a pair of black _knitted_ silk stockings, by Mistress Montague, her silk-woman, yet her maids of honor were not allowed to wear an article of dress, which her royal pride deemed only suited to regal magnificence. We believe the first pair of knitted stockings, ever made in England, were the production of one William Rider, an apprentice, residing on London Bridge; who, having accidentally seen a pair of knitted worsted stockings, while detained on some business, at the house of one of the Italian merchants, made a pair of a similar kind, which he presented to the Earl of Pembroke, 1564. The stocking-frame was the invention of Mr. W. Lee, M. A., who had been expelled from Cambridge, for marrying, in contravention to the statutes of the university. Himself and his wife, it seems, were reduced to the necessity of depending upon the skill of the latter, in the art of knitting, for their subsistence; and as necessity is the parent of invention, Mr. Lee, by carefully watching the motion of the needles, was enabled, in 1589, to invent the stocking-frame; which has been the source of much advantage to others, though there is reason to believe the contrivance was of little service to the original proprietor. Since its first introduction, knitting has been applied to a vast variety of purposes, and has been improved to an extent almost beyond belief. It has furnished to the blind, the indigent, and almost dest.i.tute Irish cottage girl, the means, pleasure and profit at the same time. Many ladies, including some in the rank of royalty, have employed their hours of leisure in the fabrication of articles, the produce of which have gone to the funds of charity, and have tendered to the alleviation of at least some of