Instead of canvas, you may work slippers on fine broad-cloth, such as is used for gentlemen’s coats. Cloth slippers require no filling up with groundwork; having only a cluster of flowers in the centre, and a small running-pattern round the heel. You must baste upon the cloth a bit of canvas, a little larger than the space to be occupied by the flowers. Work the flowers upon this; taking every stitch quite through both the canvas and the cloth beneath it. When done, pull out the threads of the canvas from under the stitches, (they can be drawn out very easily,) and the flowers will remain in their proper form upon the cloth. This method of working slippers saves time, trouble, and crewel; yet they will be found less durable than if worked entirely on canvas, and with the whole ground filled up by crewel-stitches; cloth wearing out much sooner than worked canvas.
When preparing to work slippers, do not have them previously cut out, as it will cause the canvas or cloth to stretch all round, and will spoil their shape; besides being very troublesome to keep straight and even while working. Having obtained from your shoemaker a paper or shape, (allowed extremely large,) lay it down on the canvas, and mark out the form and size by a pen or pencil outline.
Cloth slippers braided in a handsome pattern with coloured braid, look much better and are done far more expeditiously than when worked in crewel.
Bands or rims for velvet caps look very well when braided. The braid may be gold or silver.
TO WORK MERINO IN CROSS-STITCH.—If you determine to work merino in cross-stitch, in the common manner of worsted work, have ready a pattern accurately drawn and coloured, so as to represent the place and tint of every stitch; and keep it before you to look at. Having marked out, with a dot, the place for every sprig, baste over each place a bit of very fine canvas, leaving the raw edge. On this canvas work the sprigs; carefully taking up with every stitch the merino beneath, as well as the canvas above it. Avoid drawing your hand too tight. When done, pull out, thread by thread, the canvas from under the needle-work; so as to leave the sprig resting on the merino only. This you will find a much more easy process than it appears on description. Have a number of needles, one for every different shade, and thread them all in advance. A tumbler or gallicup with a piece of canvas stretched tightly, and tied down over the top, is a very convenient thing to have beside you to stick your threaded needles in, when working worsted.
TO BRAID MERINO DRESSES OR CLOAKS FOR CHILDREN.—Patterns for braiding should be as continuous as possible, so as to avoid frequent cutting off and fastening on of the braid. These patterns should have nothing in them that stops short; all the parts following and entwining, so as to connect with each other.
For braiding, the dress must be cut out first, and the breadths sewed together, so that the border may run smoothly and regularly along, without any breaks or ill-joined places. Wind your braid upon cards or corks, and reserve a sufficiency for raveling to sew on the rest with; which is far better than to sew it on with silk thread, as, of course, the raveling matches the colour so exactly as to render the stitches imperceptible. The braid reserved for raveling should be cut into the usual length of needle-fulls; then ravelled, and put into long thread-papers.
Having drawn the pattern on a strip of stiff white paper, prick it all along, according to its form or outline, with large, close pin-holes. Then lay or baste it on the merino. Take some pounce, (gum-sandarac finely powdered and sifted,) and with your finger rub it along the pricked outline of the paper-pattern. On removing the paper, you will find that the pounce-powder, going through the pin-holes, will have traced the pattern in small dots on the merino. This will be a guide in sewing on the braid, which should be run on, with short, close stitches. A double row of braid, the inner or right-hand row a much darker shade than the first, has a raised or relieved look, which is very pretty; particularly when the second row is of the same colour as the merino or ground, but of an infinitely darker shade.