Let us suppose that you wish to make the fringe into a hem. Take a cluster of six or eight strands of rope silk, ten inches in length, and draw them through the extreme edge of the hem. If the other kind of silks are used, more strands will be necessary. Knot the cluster close to the hem. At a little less than a half inch distance over make another cluster and repeat in this manner across the space on which you want the fringe.
Now take the first cluster and divide it in half. Hold the half nearest the next group in your left hand and divide the second group. Taking the half close to first group, knot the strands together one half inch from the hem. Continue like this all the way across. Do not pucker the material when knotting.
A third row of knots is now made below the second. This takes up the first half of the knot previously used and half of the next group. In this way you form a diamond. If a deeper fringe with more knots is desired cut the strands of silk three inches longer. For every inch of fringe allow three inches of strands.
XXV
SIMPLE BEAD CHAINS ON SINGLE STRINGS, A HOME-MADE LOOM, WOVEN CHAINS, BELTS AND PURSES
Have you ever taken pop corn and made a chain of it for Christmas trees, or perhaps you have strung cranberries? Maybe it was the first time that you ever held a needle. I remember when we were youngsters living in the South, our nurse used to take us out under trees and we would string "Job's Tears" for hours. Many drug stores sell these seeds on strings for infants to cut their teeth on.
The simplest form of bead work is just as easy as stringing pop corn or berries. Beads come in all sizes from the tiny ones that are no bigger than a top of a pin to the large ones the size of a marble. Sometimes you can get odd-shaped beads, flat on one side and curved on the other. A string that is pretty enough to wear on state occasions can be made of heart-shaped and round beads.
The regular bead needle is very fine and long. It is better when stringing a single strand to double the thread. Use linen thread No. 100 or 150. Thread the needle with a piece of thread eight inches longer than double the length of the necklace. Bring the two ends together and make a knot three and a half inches from the ends of the thread. The thread will be very much stronger if you wax it. Now thread seven small round beads then an odd shaped one. Repeat in this manner till you have the length of chain desired. Cut off the needle and tie the remaining thread in a tight knot close to the beads. Ribbons are sometimes used to fasten the chain or necklace together but the little clasps that you can buy for a few cents are neater and do not get soiled as ribbon does. Fasten on the clasp with the thread that extends beyond the knots.
A sweet little daisy chain can be made on two threads. Thread two bead needles with two long threads. Bring one end of each thread together and make a knot as described above. Fasten the knot to a table with a pin so that one needle is on the right and the other one on the left. Thread two white beads on your right hand needle. Put your left hand needle down through the white bead so that you have a thread coming from each side of the beads. Your needles will have changed position. Thread the right hand needle with one yellow bead. Pass the left hand needle down through this and again the needles are reversed. Thread two more white beads like the first two and do the same thing. Now take the right hand needle and thread two more white beads and carry the needle through the first two white beads from right to left. Thread two more white beads on the same needle and carry it through the second or top group of white beads from left to right. Thread ten green beads on each of the needles and now we are ready to make another daisy ([Figure 215]). Continue in this manner till the necklace is complete.