Embroidery and Fancy Work. Anonymous
in shades of pale gold filoselle, thus leaving the satin to catch the lights. The border is of green plush, on which is embroidered a handsome antique pattern, harmonizing with and relieving the centre."
Pongee is a beautiful material for darning. It is much used for tidies or chair backs, as they are now called.
Fig. 6.
An exceedingly pretty one at the Decorative Art Society had a border formed by a floral design outlined in pale green, with yellow berries, the background being darned in a darker green. In another, the outlining was done in old gold, and the darning in shades running from a dull red to pink.
A remarkably pretty and simple border can be worked on fine burlaps in red. Sprays of the sassafras form the design, which is outlined in a dark red, with a background darned in a brighter shade of the same color. This scarf was finished with a knotted fringe, while above the border was an inch wide strip of drawn work. The same idea would be very pretty for a heading for curtains. The modern darned work is principally used as a background in straight, horizontal stitches, but these may be varied according to the inclination or taste of the worker. It is sometimes used to represent a diapered ground; thus, it may be worked in an open diamond pattern. Again, it may be worked in rows of circles of either varying or uniform size, or in a succession of wave-like lines. Instead of the darning stitches, some fancy stitches may be used for filling in a background. Water, clouds, etc., are generally rendered by darning stitches.
Fig. 6 is a curtain of Queen Anne's time done in outline with a darned background. A very handsome quilt may be worked from the same design on huckaback towelling. The easiest way to manage it is to work a square for the centre and join side pieces all around. The darning stitches have a very fine effect run under the threads of the towelling.
Fig. 7 gives another suggestion for work of this kind, showing a different way of filling the background. As shown in the illustration, a pleasing variety may be introduced by filling in the background in one part of the work, and the design in another. Very gorgeous effects are produced by using gold thread in darning designs on huckaback.
Fig. 7.
FILLED IN EMBROIDERY.
Under this head a number of stitches and various modes of treatment are included, but the stitch chiefly used is the one already described under the head of outline work, being merely a modification of stem stitch, the whole design, however, being covered with needle work appropriately colored and shaded. Much of this work is done in conventional designs, the coloring of which is also conventional, but for the beginner the semi-realistic or natural designs are much easier and as a rule more satisfactory. There are a variety of stitches that may be employed in this work, which I will briefly describe. Of these, one of the most important is feather stitch, which is the one generally employed in shading- flowers, etc. It consists of an alternate long and short stitch. The stitches must not, however, terminate in regular lines, as this would give a stiff appearance to the work. In working the petals of flowers, you must always work from the outer part of the petal toward the centre (Fig. 8), and so directing the stitches as to
Fig. 8.
follow the lines of the petals. It is a good plan to keep two or three needles threaded with the different shades, and work them in as required. It is often a good plan to work the whole of a leaf or petal in the shade that is predominant, making the stitches a little spreading, so that the other shades can be worked in afterward. When finished, the shades should blend into each other, showing no harsh outlines. It is much better to begin working in the middle of a leaf or petal, and throw your thread to opposite sides of your needle in the two halves. In working leaves, study their formation and direct your work accordingly. In a chrysanthemum or oak leaf, for instance, it is easier to treat each division as a separate leaf, beginning at the top of each and working down toward the main stem, so directing your stitches meanwhile as to join the parts harmoniously. It is an excellent plan to keep a sampler on which to try stitches and effects of color. In working flowers with petals closely set together, as the chrysanthemum, corn-flower, etc., it is sometimes necessary to divide the petals by a line of a darker shade. This should be put in the last thing, as otherwise it is liable to be lost in the work. This holds true of veinings also. It is well to remember that needle-work is decorative mainly, and should not be elaborated like a painting. Two or three shades, are as a rule, sufficient in leaf or flower, and where either is small a single shade may answer. Narrow leaves look best worked in satin stitch. The centres of many flowers are worked in what is called the French knot. It is also used for working the anthers to some flowers. To make it, having brought your needle through the material at the spot where your knot is to be made, wind the thread three times round the needle close to the spot where the thread came through. Then turn the point of the needle down through the place where it first came up, holding the thread firmly in the left hand until it is quite drawn through (Fig. 9). The twisted threads must be held very close to the work, or the knot will have a loose, untidy appearance. When the work is coarse, the thread can be doubled or the number of knots increased. In filled in embroidery, as with outline work, the materials are very much the worker's own choice. Crewels and silks are chiefly used for working, and may both be used to great
Fig. 9.
advantage in the same piece of work, the design being for the most part worked in crewel, the high lights put in with silk. Fine chenille also can sometimes be used with great effect, as, for instance, in working golden-rod, which can be worked very effectively and expeditiously in two shades of yellow chenille. A new thread should always be begun on the right side of the work and finished there also.
Fig. 10.
A very effective stitch for a certain class of designs is shown in Figs. 10 and 11. It has a great number of names, such as leaf stitch, Kensington stitch, Janina stitch, etc., etc., and is described in
Fig. 12.
Caulfield and Saward's "Dictionary of Needlework," as Mossoul embroidery. As will be seen by studying the illustration it is really a close herring-bone stitch worked across the leaves and petals. Commence working at the widest end of the leaf or petal, and work across from
Fig. 13.
side to side without a break. The stitch, if worked properly, produces a plait down the centre which is the chief feature of the work. When worked, the design should be outlined with rope stitch, which is a short stem stitch. The outline should be of an uniform color, slightly contrasting with the colors used for the design. Thus, if the design be worked in yellow-greens and brown-reds, the outline might be dark peacock blue. Orange shades in the design might be outlined with greens or russet browns. An appropriate border would be one of drawn work using the same silks as were employed for the embroidery. This stitch or a modification of it was used largely by the New England dames of old, and is sometimes called from that circumstance, Grandmother's stitch.
A beautiful sofa cushion worked in this stitch, is shown in Fig. 13. The pattern for the border is given in full