A stiletto of ivory, bone, or steel should also be in your box. An orange stick can be substituted for a stiletto in case of emergency.
A small pair of scissors, too, should be included to cut the ends of silks or pare away the material after buttonholing or making an eyelet.
I have kept the most important till the last. That is the embroidery hoop or rings. Really you would be surprised to see how many different kinds there are in this world. First there are the black celluloid ones that have their good points, but they do not stretch over the material. Then there are the common wooden ones that have sharp edges that catch and fray the silk on every turn. There are some wooden ones that have a felt lining and whose edges are an improvement on the cheaper kind, but they also do not stretch over thick fabrics. The kinds that have a spring and may be adjusted to any size desired have their advantage, but the spring catches the silk also and of course that will never do for fine work. The simplest, best, and cheapest kind is the pair that is made at home. Get two pairs of the cheapest rings, even if their edges are rough. One pair should be small enough to set inside of the other. They vary from the smallest to the largest circular kind, each one setting inside of the other. Select two pairs that come next in size to each other. The most convenient size and ones that can be used for all kinds of work are the six inch. Take the larger hoop of each pair for your work. Now cut a piece of canton flannel in half-inch strips, or if mother has the coloured selvage left from a piece of flannelette, get that. The largest hoops should be wound over and over like the hoops they use in schools for fancy drills. The other hoop should be padded before winding it. To pad, lay strips two or three thicknesses deep around the hoop and then wind thickly like the other hoop. Hoops like these never leave marks on the material, as often happens with the celluloid or wooden hoops. Another point is that the sheerest material, such as chiffon, can be used in them, while if a heavy burlap or crash is embroidered over them a little of the winding strips can be removed for the time being.
There are other things you might find handy for your box, but it is no use getting them till you have occasion to use them.
Now we are ready to make use of some of the things just described. The tapestry needle will be brought into use for our next stitch, which will be couching.
It is a beautiful old stitch that is often used as an outline. It can be made as a heavy thick cord, or yet again it need only be the size of a fine string. The expression is often used, "Couch a cord on." Cord is used instead of threads and lustre on pieces where only the effect is wanted.
Fig. 114. Couching
To couch with a number of silk or lustre threads select a No. 2 tapestry needle. Cut the skein of silk so that you will have the longest length of thread possible. Thread your needle with all the strands in the skein, if the eye will carry them. Make a stiletto hole in the cloth on the line of the design. Bring the tapestry needle through to the back ([Figure 114]).