An embroidery book

by Anne Knox Arthur

The edging of needle-made loops is, of course, preferable to any other, but in these days, when most of the household linen must go to the laundry, these little crochet edgings might quite suitably be worked directly on to little mats, table-napkins, and many other articles. They are quickly worked and wear excellently.

Hat Bands.—The illustration shows two hat bands, both of which might be made in a colour to go with a hat or suit.

A Flowered Hat Band (Plate XIIa.).—Plate XIIA. consists of a piece of cotton—celtic canvas—about 5 inches wide; the length will vary and must depend on the shape and size of the hat. To make a similar band, prepare a fringe about half an inch deep on one side only; turn the fringed edge over the plain one and tack into position; crochet two lines of insertion (Fig. 65) in wool or in any material preferred. Make the flowers as in Figs. 66 and 67; those in the centre of the illustration are made up of three separately worked flowers, the smallest one is in silver tinsel. The large flower groups are placed on the band alternately with the smaller sprigs. For the making of the leaves see [Fig. 68], p. 160. This band may be made in a very short time; it is a very suitable hat decoration for rough weather, as rain does not destroy either the foundation or the crochet flowers.

A Velvet Hat Band with Cross Stitch (Plate XIIc.).—Cross stitch, so little used nowadays in this country, except for the marking of household linen, seems to have been well known from a very early date by all needle-workers. It, and many other varieties of a similar nature, was worked on canvas or linen in patterns where the threads were counted. At one time these embroideries were so characteristic of the various countries that their origin was generally recognised by the pattern and the colour in which they were worked. The Italian cross stitch, embroidered on a very fine linen, was mostly done in a reddish-purple, and frequently worked in a two-sided stitch. Red, blue and yellow were the predominating colours of the Slav, Hungarian and Swedish peasantry. Very large pieces, destined for wall hangings, were worked in tent stitch or cross stitch, in designs suggestive of those used for tapestry weaving. These have even been called tapestries on that account. The famous Bayeux tapestry represents an interesting series of events of English history from the accession of Edward the Confessor to the death of Harold at Hastings; it is worked in coloured wools on linen canvas: this is, of course, not really tapestry; a true tapestry is formed by the interlacing or weaving of warp and weft threads by means of a needle or a shuttle (see chapter on [needle-weaving]).

Plate XIIc. shows a dainty band made on velvet ribbon; the quaint little basket of flowers in cross stitch on a gold-coloured foundation may be worked quite simply on to any material, but in order to keep the rigidity which is characteristic of the stitch it is necessary to have a piece of fine canvas as a foundation. The ribbon is tacked on over it, and the design is worked over the two materials. In the case of velvet this method is reversed, as the pile is always an obstacle in the way of accurate sewing. The canvas is laid on top of the velvet; the cross stitch is then easily worked and the threads of the canvas are removed, one by one, when the work is finished. The centre piece of Fig. C is of gold-coloured velvet worked in this way. It is caught down on the outer edges by gold tinsel threads, couched closely to keep them in position; the strips of orange-coloured velvet applied on either side and peeping through the stitchery give a gay little touch to the panel, which is finished off by lines of gold thread and two little gold beads. The strips of decoration at equal intervals are somewhat similar, but not so elaborate. No cross stitch is used except in the front.

Much may be done with canvas stitches, provided they are applied to designs which are treated in a conventional manner. The form of the stitch, occupying a square space, would enable the worker to make out patterns on squared paper; chair seats and cushions could be worked very satisfactorily in geometrical designs.

Baskets and bags, worked on canvas in wools, cottons and raffia, can be very useful; the canvas should always be worked with a thread which fills the mesh. For fine embroidery it is often better to work it in a frame, particularly for fine cross stitch or petit point, or when worked over two plies of cloth—the frame prevents the under cloth from puckering.

Some of the darning stitches, too (Plate II.), could be applied successfully to bags; if small, they could be worked in silk on a fine-meshed canvas. Cross stitch requires no description, except that it is worked in two rows; this allows the threads of the second row—on the return journey—to cross over those of the first. A quick method of filling a line is to work a half-stitch over a stretched thread.

Tent Stitch or Petit Point.—the finest of the canvas stitches—is, like the first half of the cross stitch, worked over a single thread of canvas.

Goblin stitch is worked over one vertical and two horizontal strands. A close herring-bone stitch looks well alternating with rows of an upright stitch for a canvas-made basket in various colours.