The border of these hangings furnished us with pattern [335], which will be found to look best, worked in three very distinct shades of blue.
The grotesque heads of animals, and the flowers and branches which break the running pattern, and are a Chinese speciality, distinguish this design from the more conventional patterns of the present day.
We recommend these two pretty patterns, to our readers notice, as likewise adaptable by transposition, to centres, or by repetition, to broad stripes. With very little trouble they can be converted, into a variety of subjects, such as it is often difficult to find ready made, and exactly suited to the purpose in hand.
Border in Greek stitch with a footing, composed of branches (fig. [336]).—This design can be worked in Greek, Slavonic, Montenegrin, or plaited Algerian stitch. Our illustration worked in Greek stitch, shows how one stitch encroaches upon another, and how the thread is carried from one isolated stitch, to another.
It will be found to be an improvement if the stitches are so made as to follow the direction of the lines. The central subject may be repeated two or three times, according to the width of border required. The edging is the same throughout. The use of the ‘Penelope mirror’ for repeating patterns is described in the concluding chapter of the book.
Table-cover in Gobelin and stroke stitch (figs. [337], [338], [339], [340]).—This tasteful little table-cover provides excellent practice in working two sided, square stitch. The square represented in fig. [339], forms the middle of the cloth. The Gobelin stitches, set very closely, unite and form a star in the centre of the principal subject. They begin in the corners, in red and continue in green, violet and blue, successively; the little branches in stroke stitch, on each side of the Gobelin stitches, correspond with them in colour, and the small figures, that form the border of the square, may be worked, indiscriminately, in any of the colours used for the Gobelin stitches of the centre. Four branches run inwards from the corners of the square, and four more advance to meet, and pass them, from the inner angles of the wide border. Four figures, copied from the outside border, fig. [339], and worked in yellow, and the little star, fig. [337], besides the little subjects, borrowed from the outside border, fig. [338], are strewn lightly over the foundation, interspersed between the branches. In fig. [340], nevertheless, which represents the whole table-cover, the edge is formed of the small subjects contained in the wide border and not of the little stars. The Gobelin stitches in the centre of fig. [337], are in dark green, the star stitches and the stroke stitches on the outside in red. The wide border consists of stars, every other row of which, is worked in red; the intermediate rows, successively, in blue, green, and yellow. The corners are composed of four detached stars, framed by a row of stroke stitches, one red and one blue, alternately. This line skirts both sides of the border, and forms the base to the quaint figures, that terminate the design and which can be worked in all the colours used for the inside.
