Titian Canvas.—Many coarser and more loosely woven textures make most charming and desirable backgrounds for bands of needle-weaving. (Plate VI.) Coarse canvas in various colourings, woollen hopsacks, floor-cloths, etc., are adaptable for many household articles.
Russian Crash.—A common roller towelling, or Russian crash, as it is also called, is a delightful material (Plate III.), and may be had in narrow widths, varying from 12 inches to 24 inches; it is woven by the Russian peasantry in small handlooms and varies considerably in texture and quality—but in all cases it is a most durable and suitable linen for domestic purposes.
The Scottish Blanket.—Another pleasing material for wool decoration is the well-washed, worn-out Scottish blanket; with the smaller pieces one can make hassocks and cushions which look wonderfully well in strong colours in any flat stitch; the larger single blanket can be used for coverlets or hangings—with applied decoration where the material is too frail for general hard wear. Decorated with edgings of woollen braids, etc., these will look almost new, and certainly will give immense satisfaction to the worker.
Threads are to be had in great variety and in different makes, many of which are excellent for embroidery. Cottons and flaxes in various sizes and thicknesses in a large range of colours can be combined most successfully.
Embroidery Wools.—Wools and yarns, particularly the types known as fingering, in three, four, and five-ply, are reliable both in colour and quality. It is always advisable to shrink wools before using them for embroidery if they are to be applied to articles which require frequent washing. Crewel and tapestry wools, to be had in hanks, “white heather” mending in balls, are very convenient for needle-weaving and canvas work, and they may be had in beautiful colours.
Silks.—Silks of different makes, embroidery or knitting, filosel, filo-floss and a soft, thick variety known as “Tyrian,” are all good for various purposes. The latter is particularly useful for couching lines; filo-floss—a bright, glossy silk with no twist in it—requires some skill in the manipulating of it, therefore filosel or mallard floss, each of which has a slight twist on it, is better for the less-skilled worker. Carpet chenilles in colours, both cotton and woollen, applied to coarse canvas or sacking, are used for the making of mats and rugs. Woollen and mohair, cotton and brush braids of the common skirt type, carpet and binding braids, cords and French tapes, coloured and washing gimps, all may be used with advantage for embroidery. It is better to shrink some of the loosely woven skirt and carpet braids before applying them to the material, or they are apt to pucker the material after washing.
Good needles should always be used, with well-drilled, good-sized eyes. Care should be taken to choose them so that they may be exactly suited to the thread and to the material; the eye should be large enough to hold the thread easily, in which case it will make a hole in the foundation of a sufficient size to allow the thread being pulled through without roughening it. Scientific sharps are very pleasant to use—numbers four, five and six, are suitable for cotton and flaxes, crewel and chenille, and long-eyed sharps for general embroidery and needle-weaving. For openwork backgrounds such as are shown in Plate XI, H, I, J, K, L, where no threads are withdrawn from the material, a special needle with a large thick stem and a small eye is used; it separates the threads of the material and makes them easier to gather into groups by means of the tightened thread.
In working on loosely woven materials—such as canvases—and for weaving patterns, tapestry, chenille, or rug needles with blunt points are the most comfortable to use; if these are not to hand, work with the eye of the needle foremost.
A well-fitting thimble, preferably vulcanite or silver lined with steel, is necessary. It should be deeply pitted to catch the eye of the needle and well finished, so as not to roughen the thread. Scissors of different sizes are required: a large pair with one sharp and one rounded point—these for the cutting and preparing of the material; a small sharply pointed pair for the snipping of threads; a special pair with a little square knob on the one blade and a sharp point on the other for cutting out threads and sections between embroidered and openworked parts; these are a safeguard and prevent the snipping of the work.
Frames are not necessary for the simpler types of work, but for wide borders in needle-weaving, particularly for the novice, a frame will fix the warp threads by keeping them taut, and prevent puckering of the material—little tambour frames which consist of a couple of rings, the one fitting into the other, will serve the purpose.