Method:—Prepare the material for faggoting by tacking it on to a piece of stiff toile cirée, glazed calico, or if that is not at hand, stiff brown paper will answer the purpose. This is done in order to keep the edges at an equal distance. The width of the space may vary from one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch; the joining thread should vary in thickness—the wider the space, the thicker the thread. Draw two parallel lines on the foundation as a guide, if necessary, and tack the material to these lines. If a braid or ribbon or any material with a finished edge is used, there is no need for turnings, but with a raw edge it is necessary to turn in three-eighths of an inch and to press them with an iron before starting.
To work the stitch, begin at the upper end of the left-hand corner with a small stitch; cross to the opposite side; take a stitch, keeping the thread under the needle; work alternately from side to side, always inserting the needle from the outside. Keep the stitch regular, the same size and the intervals of equal distance.
Faggoting is practically a herring-bone stitch, but the needle is inserted vertically. See [Plate I]. and compare the stitchery in blue which forms a line up either side. It forms the foundation for many interlacing stitches of which there are quite a variety adaptable to various purposes.
Fig. 25.
By interlacing threads as in Fig. 25, where the dotted line represents the interwoven thread, the whole of the foundation stitches can be covered. It must be done in rows, one after the other. The first row is drawn much tighter than the one in Fig. 25, each successive row being placed on the outside of the previous row, till eventually the faggoting foundation has almost disappeared.
A very good line of raised stitchery can be worked on to a foundation of herring-bone stitching. The threads are laced in, one row at a time, as shown in Fig. 25. See [Plate XIV]., where it is worked round the outer edge, also in the nightdress case ([Plate XI].), where it forms the narrow inner border.
“Point d’Alencon.”—Faggot or Russian is one of the stitches used in the making of point lace or Honiton point. As a lace stitch, it goes under the name of “Point d’Alencon.” It is used to join the braids; it also makes one of the principal filling stitches for leaves or oval spaces.
Fig. 26.