The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 Part 16

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 64. PRINCE OF WALES'S PLUME.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 65. PATTERN FOR WINDOW-CURTAINS.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 66. GENTLEMAN'S BRACES.]

EMBROIDERY

66. GENTLEMAN'S BRACES.

_Materials--Black velvet or white satin ribbon of a very good quality, and five shades of crimson and three of green embroidery silk_.

Line the ribbon with linen; draw the design, and work in embroidery-st.i.tch, shading, as taste may direct,--the leaves with the greens, and the roses with crimson, using three shades for each rose, and working first only with the lightest shades, then with the darkest only.

EMBROIDERY

67. TOILET-CUSHION.

_Materials--White or black satin; three shades of crimson, three shades of yellow, three shades of green, and two shades of olive green embroidery silk; one yard of crimson and one yard of green chenille will also be required_.

Draw the pattern on the material, and work in embroidery-st.i.tch one rose with the shades of crimson, and the second with the shades of yellow; the leaves with the shades of green, and the stems with olive; work a few st.i.tches with the shades of the roses in the centre of the rose-buds, and work the corner designs with green and olive. In the arrangement of the colours, the taste and judgment of the worker must be exercised, as much depends upon the harmoniously blending of the various shades.

NETTING

68. THE HELEN CAP.

_Materials--Scarlet floss silk, or five shades of scarlet Berlin wool; meshes Nos. 3 and 6; cornucopia gauge, and a flat mesh, an inch in width_.

The cap is worked in honeycomb netting, and the borders and rosette in plain netting. With the darkest shade make a foundation of 56 st.i.tches on mesh No. 3, net 2 rows with each shade, increasing a st.i.tch at the end of each row; leave one-half of the cap plain, and net a border in the following manner on the remaining loops and at the ends:--With the darkest shade net 4 loops in every loop on the flat mesh, increasing by making 6 loops in each of the three corner st.i.tches; then on mesh No. 3, net 1 loop in each, and finish by netting a row with the next shade on the smallest mesh: this must be repeated at each side of the cap. For the second border, net 100 loops on the flat mesh on a foundation of wool, and finish to correspond with the first border. Two pieces netted in this manner are required, and they are arranged in festoons at the sides of the cap. Pa.s.s a cord the size required through the foundation-st.i.tches, join it, and sew on a rosette made in the following manner:--With the darkest shade net 100 loops on mesh No. 3; then with the next shade net 2 rows at each side and at the ends; make this into a rosette with long ends, as in ill.u.s.tration.

This elegant and becoming head-dress derives its name from the beautiful sister-in-law of the Emperor of Russia, the Grand d.u.c.h.ess Helen, who introduced this style of coiffure at St. Petersburg.

INDIAN ORNAMENTAL WORK

69. SCREEN.

Beautiful cabinets, work-boxes, work-tables, fire-screens, &c., may be painted in imitation of ebony inlaid with ivory by the following means:--Let your screen be made of an elegant form, but merely of common white wood or deal, prepared as below.

_Composition for the Surface of Wood_.--Steep one ounce of glue in a pint of cold water all night; throw off the water in the morning. Take six ounces of finest white lead in powder, mix it by degrees in a mortar, with about half a pint of cold water, till it is perfectly smooth, then place it, along with the glue, in a clean pan. Add half a pint more water; set it on the fire, stirring constantly till it boils.

Let it boil three minutes; take it off, and pour it into a stone jar, and continue to stir it occasionally till cold. When cold, but before it congeals, take a clean paint-brush, and paint your screen with the composition. When it is quite dry, rub it over with sand-paper, to make it quite smooth; then give it another coat of the white composition, repeating the rubbing with sand-paper as before. Repeat this same process five or six times, until you obtain a smooth, equal, white surface. When that is accomplished, dissolve the fourth of an ounce of isingla.s.s in a quarter of a pint of water; when cold, but liquid, give the screen a coat of it with a clean brush, and do not use the sand-paper after it.

_To Ornament the Screen_.--Lay a sheet of black tracing-paper on the screen, with the black side downwards; then place a pattern above it, with the right side uppermost; place a weight here and there, to prevent it slipping; then trace over the outline with a rather blunt stiletto.

On removing the paper, you will find the outline of the pattern transferred to the surface of the screen. Trace over the outline, and shade, in lines, with a fine camel's-hair pencil dipped in Newman's lamp-black; fill in with the same.

_Varnish_.--Place four ounces of rectified spirit of wine in a wide-mouthed bottle; add one ounce of gum sandarac, a quarter of an ounce of gum mastic, and a drachm of camphor, all in powder. Put a stopper in the bottle, set it near a fire, and shake it occasionally.

When all the gums are quite dissolved, add one ounce of oil of turpentine; then strain through muslin into another clean, dry wide-mouthed bottle. Let it stand a day or two before using.

_Mode of Varnishing_.--Take a large clean new varnish-brush, dip it into the bottle, and then cover over all your screen with it. When perfectly dry, give it another coat, and so on till it has had six coats; let it remain untouched for two days; rub it smooth with sand-paper; then give it two more coats of varnish, and repeat the rubbing, being careful to wait between each coat till the last is dry, and not to rub with sand-paper sooner than two days after varnishing, and never give more than two coats of varnish in a day--one in the morning, another at night. When you think it looks clear and sufficiently thick, give it another coat without using the sand-paper after it; let it stand four days; then rub it all over with pounded rottenstone, and wipe it off with a wet cloth; after which take a little Florence oil and hair-powder, and polish with your hand.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No 67. TOILET CUSHION.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 68. THE HELEN CAP.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 69. SCREEN]

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 70. HEARTSEASE]

KNITTING

70. HEARTSEASE.

_Materials--Split Berlin wool, and knitting-needles No. 20; cornucopia gauge_.

_Violet Petals_.--Cast on three st.i.tches with a bright shade of violet; knit and pearl in alternate rows, making a st.i.tch at the beginning of every row, until you have fourteen or sixteen st.i.tches; then knit and pearl six rows alternately, without increase, and continue in knitted and pearled rows, decreasing one st.i.tch at the beginning of each row, till six or eight st.i.tches alone remain; these cast off in the plain row, taking the two last as one before you turn the last st.i.tch over.

Two petals like these are required.

_Large Yellow Petal_.--Take a bright, though rather deep, shade of yellow wool, split; cast on three st.i.tches, knit and pearl in alternate rows, increasing one st.i.tch before and one after the middle st.i.tch in the plain row, till you have fifteen or seventeen st.i.tches; take a higher shade of yellow, and work six more alternate plain and pearled rows, still increasing in the middle, but decreasing one st.i.tch at the beginning of every row; change your wool for a deep violet, and continue to knit in alternate plain and pearled rows, decreasing one st.i.tch at the beginning of each row, till seven st.i.tches only remain; these cast off, taking the two last as one.