THE LIBRARY OF WORK AND PLAY.
NEEDLECRAFT

THE LIBRARY
OF WORK AND PLAY

NEEDLECRAFT

Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman

The Last Step is Making the Buttonholes

NEEDLECRAFT

BY EFFIE ARCHER ARCHER

Needlework Editor of well-known magazines. Connected with
New York Public Schools, Y. W. C. A.,
and Arts and Crafts Club

Garden City New York

DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

1916

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN

COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

NEEDLECRAFT

I
WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR WORK BOX, SEWING ON BUTTONS, BASTING, DARNING

You will find that you are happiest when doing things for those you love; and what greater help can you give than by learning to do things for yourself that now those who love you best do for you? The little everyday things that appear to be so simple, yet take so much of the mother's time should be the things first to learn. There are so many things that one could do if one only knew how, that it seems a shame to waste time. Dolly needs new clothes, mother always needs help with her sewing; and then, too, the numerous birthdays and Christmases follow so quickly one on top of another, that there is hardly a chance to save up for one before the next is here. Many a hard problem for the little mother will be solved in this book.

It is lovely to have a little work-box fixed up with thread, needles, and scissors, all of your own, and if you ask mother, I am sure she will give some of her threads to help you start one. If you take a card and shape it like a Maltese cross you will have space for four colours of threads. You will need a card for the white alone because you will find you use so much more of it. You must have a little thimble and always use it or your finger will look cramped when working. Have you noticed how pretty ladies look when sewing? Well, you must do as they do, tap your needle with the thimble to send it through the material ([Figure 1]).

Fig. 1. The way to use your thimble

Have you ever wondered and wondered why it is that buttons have the horrid habit of dropping off just when you wanted to dress quickly or take Sally Ann walking? Well, I will whisper the reasons for this: the first is, that the thread might have been worn out from active service; or the thread used might have been weak; or lastly, which is probably the true cause, the button might have been sewn too close to the material and came off the first time it was used. Mother may not be around to help you when the accident happens, and would you not feel proud to sew it on for yourself?

To sew a button on securely you should make a pin-hole where the button is to be placed. A four-hole white button is the easiest to work on. Thread a No. 7 needle with a length of No. 40 white sewing cotton, bring the ends together and make a knot. The right length thread is measured from the tip of the thimble finger to the elbow. When a thread is used double it should be twice the length of this. A neat knot is made by holding the threaded needle in the right hand and by taking the end or ends, as the case may be, between the thumb and first finger of the left hand. Keep the thread tightly stretched, wind it around the top of the first finger, then move the finger down the thumb, carrying the thread with it about half an inch. Now with the nail of the second finger bring the knot thus formed to the end of the thread.

A large ungainly knot is a disfigurement to a piece of sewing. You are now ready to adjust the button; place the knot on the upper or right side so that it will be concealed; after adjusting the button put a pin across the top and sew securely through the holes, crossing the threads. Sew not less than three times through each hole. Remove the pin. Insert the needle from underneath, then bring it out between the button and cloth close to the centre of the button. Wind the thread tightly around the neck of the button three or four times. (The neck is the threads between the button and material.) Wrapping the threads around protects the stitches and allows room for the buttonhole to lie under the button. Take the thread through to the wrong side and take up three stitches, make a short stitch on the material and cut the thread close ([Figures 2 and 3]).

Figs. 2 and 3

When a three-hole button is used the stitches form a triangle on the top of the button. A shoe-button should be sewed with a No. 2 needle and coarse black thread. The stitches are taken through the shank of the button. Fasten off the thread after sewing on two buttons, for if they are all on one continuous string or thread and that breaks, all the buttons are apt to come off. If each button is securely fastened the thread may be passed, however, from one to the other.

Fig. 4. Even basting

Fig. 5. Uneven basting

Now I know you want to do some real sewing; it must not be big or you will get very tired and think sewing is not as pleasant as you fancied. The simplest stitch in sewing is basting. This is used to hold materials together until you are ready to make firmer stitches. In the following illustration the even and uneven basting stitches are shown (Figures [4] and [5]). They must be straight. Even basting stitches should be taken about a quarter of an inch apart and in the running stitch which is fine basting about an eighth or a sixteenth of an inch. Pretty huck pillows can be made of even and uneven basting or running stitches. A leaf, star or a figure cut out and traced on a piece of muslin will make a nice design for running stitches ([Figure 6]).

Fig. 6. A simple design in running stitch

If you will examine different kinds of materials before they are cut, you will note that the threads run in two directions. The threads running lengthwise must be the stronger, as they have more strain on them. They are called the warp. The warp is set up first before the weaving begins. The threads running crosswise are called the woof. It is the weaker thread and forms the edge or selvage.

If you will take a card three inches square and prick a line of dots half an inch from the top and bottom edges and prick a line a quarter of an inch apart you will have a little loom. The dots must be directly under each other. A piece of coloured worsted and a large-eyed crewel needle No. 2 will be required. Make a knot at the end of your thread and start from the upper right hand hole on the wrong side. Bring your thread up through the hole and down through the lower right-hand dot. The needle must now come up through the next hole at the bottom and the thread be again stretched across the card.

When every hole has been filled and you have several rows of straight lines, fasten off the worsted in the back. Another shade of wool should be selected so that you can distinguish the warp from the woof. The thread you are now going to use is the woof; commence at the top and go straight across to the left line, up over and down under each thread and so on till the row is completed. In weaving the next row, pick up the threads of the warp that you went over last time. Alternate rows agree ([Figure 7]). When finished, the little piece can be used as a doll's mat.

To darn your stockings is almost as simple a matter as this weaving. Instead, however, of starting the thread of the warp on an even line, as on the card, start some higher than the others. The reason for this is that an even line will be apt to make an uncomfortable seam in your stocking. The woof threads are always connected to the stocking. A darning ball should be used under the hole. In darning cashmere or woollen stockings it is best to allow the warp to be very slack as wool shrinks considerably in washing. Wool should be used for darning woollen stockings.

Fig. 7. Weaving with worsted

Fig. 8A. The first step in darning

Fig. 8B. The second and last step in darning

Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman

The Right Way to Darn

Have you ever belonged to a sewing club? If not, try to start one and see how much fun there is in it. The club should meet either on Friday or Saturday afternoon, after the school work is finished. Every girl should bring her stockings to darn and another piece of work, so that when the darning is over she will have something to work on. If there are more than four in the club it is a very hard thing to keep up. Three is the ideal number for it. It is better to have a small number—three, for instance. A large club is apt to be distracting, but three or four little girls, with the right helpful spirit, will find such meetings very instructive and entertaining.

II
BACK-STITCHING, OVER-CASTING, CREASING A HEM AND HEMMING, ROLLING A HEM, FRENCH HEMMING, SEWING ON TAPES AND HOOKS AND EYES

Fig. 9. The right way to hold your scissors

Stitching is witching," the song book says, and it is true, for after we know that stitch there are a hundred and one things we can do. Some people call it back-stitching and we must try to remember that, so that we shall understand of what they are talking. Get mother to give you a piece of material to practise on that has a stripe in it. Now take your scissors ([Figure 9]) and cut out two three-inch squares. Baste the two squares together a quarter of an inch from the edge. Hold the square over the first finger of the left hand ready for the back-stitching. Let the basting run up and down over your finger. Start from the top and make a small stitch backward, on the right side of the material, instead of forward as you did in running ([Figure 10]). Pass the needle under until you have a stitch twice as long on the wrong side as that on the right. Take the next stitch backward close to the end of the last one on the right.

Fig. 10. Back-stitching

Remember that the stitch you take backward is only half as long as the one you take forward. Stitching always looks very different on the wrong side, but on the right side it ought to look like machine stitching. This stitch might be called the lion stitch, because it is so strong. It is used to join two edges together, as for the seams in bean-bags or cushion covers.

In places where there will not be much strain we use a quicker stitch, which is called the half-back stitch ([Figure 11]). This is very much like the stitching of which I have been telling you. The wrong side will look about the same, but on the right side instead of the stitches touching there will be a space, then a stitch of equal length.

Fig. 11. The half-back stitch

The next stitch to learn is the combination-stitch, which is made up of both the running and the back-stitch ([Figure 12]). It is a stitch that is greatly used for sewing long seams, as on underwear. By this stitch we can cover the distance in about half the time that back-stitching would take.

Fig. 12. The combination running and back-stitch

Whenever you can avoid making a knot, do so, because it spoils the look of your work on the wrong side. You can start your work, if it is a seam, for example, by making two or three stitches on top of each other. Follow the thread of the warp or woof of the material as much as possible. After fastening your thread, make two fine running stitches forward and one back. Keep the stitches the same length.

Fig. 13. Over-casting

Over-casting is used on unfinished or cut edges to keep them from fraying ([Figure 13]). The stitches all slant from right to left. Take the stitches one eighth of an inch deep and one quarter of an inch apart.

Fig. 14. Over-handing

Over-handing is fine over-casting and used to connect two finished edges together ([Figure 14]), as when sewing lace on ruffles, or joining selvages. What is the selvage? It is the edge of the warp. The next time mother goes shopping ask her to take you with her. When she tells the salesman she wants so many yards of goods, whether it is for kitchen towels or a dress for herself or for you, notice how the goods is measured. The salesman will measure along one of the finished sides of the goods. These finished edges are called selvages.

Fig. 15. The seam opened

Make the stitches in over-handing as small as possible, keeping the stitches even. Sew through both pieces of the material. Hold your work between your thumb and first finger. Here again it is not necessary to make a knot. Let a half-inch of the end of your thread lie on top of the material toward the left side; the over-handing stitches will cover this end. When the over-handing is finished run your thumb-nail along the stitches on the right side. If your stitches are too deep there will be a seam on the wrong side, whereas if the instructions have been followed carefully the material will lie perfectly flat ([Figure 15]).

Now we are ready to help mother hem the new kitchen towels. First see that the edge you are to hem is straight. If it is not, pull out a thread so as to mark a line to cut by. You must take a thread that runs the entire way across the end of the towel. Cut carefully along the space out of which the thread came. Get a piece of card that has two smooth or straight edges and make a notch one-half inch from the corner ([Figure 16]). A half-inch hem is the one commonly used on a towel.

Fig. 16. A notched card

If mother likes to have her towels with a wider or narrower hem, notch the card the size she wishes. Turn the material back one-quarter inch and crease it down with your thumb-nail. A second fold is made the width of the hem. Take your measuring card and, placing the end of it on the double edge, see if your hem is exactly the width desired. Baste along the first folded edge to hold the material together for hemming (Figures [17] and [18]). Hold the edge to be hemmed toward you. Do not knot your thread. Insert the needle at the extreme right of the hem. Pull the needle through, leaving a little end, as in over-handing, to be fastened down with the hemming itself.

Fig. 17. The first step

Fig. 18. The second step

Your needle should slant as shown in the diagram ([Figure 19]). Take a stitch right through all the thicknesses of the material. Be sure that it goes through to the other side. The fewer the threads taken on the needle at the same time, the neater the result will be. The stitches should slant from right to left. The stitches must be close together if we want fine hemming. Let each stitch be the same size as the other and slant in the same direction. The right side of the hem looks like a row of short dashes.

Fig. 19. The way the needle should slant

If your needle gets "sticky" when you are sewing, you should pass it through your emery-bag till it is shiny and sharp again. The needle is apt to get that way if your hands perspire. Ladies who like to keep their sewing looking fresh and white, as if hands had never touched it, find it a good plan to wash their hands in a little vinegar, or lemon and water.

It is very necessary to sit so that the light falls over your left shoulder. A little straight-back chair is another good help in sewing. Do you know that many of our English great-grandmothers had very straight backs? When they were little girls they had to sit on a very straight, tall chair, an hour or two every day. A foot-stool was placed under their feet, and their shoulders strapped against the chair. Of course they did not sit there idle, but a piece of fine sewing was given them to work. You see they did not have the opportunity to run around and play as you have. Their chief recreation was their dancing lesson.

Fig. 20. A corner basted ready for hemming

The towel finished, the next thing to learn is how to turn a corner and hem it. Shall we make a cover for Sally Ann's bed or a dust-cloth for mother? In either case cut a piece of material eighteen inches square and turn a hem and baste it as you did for the towel. The next side is folded the same as the first. The corner should form a perfect square ([Figure 20]). Sometimes the material is very thick and the hem wide; in that case it is wise to cut a little oblong piece out of the corner as shown in the illustration ([Figure 21]).

Fig. 21. The material cut from a corner

Napkins and table-covers should be sewed with a French hem. Make a turn about a sixteenth of an inch deep. The second turn should be about three sixteenths of an inch wide. Fold the hem back so that it touches the right side of the material. The hem is connected to the material with tiny over-hand stitches. Open the hem, when finished crease with the thumb-nail till it lies perfectly flat.

Fig. 22. Whipping

A pretty new way of finishing a handkerchief is to roll the material for the edge instead of folding it. Over-cast or, as we sometimes say, whip it with delicate-coloured cotton, ([Figure 22]). The nicest material for handkerchiefs is fine linen, but lawn is cheaper for practice work. Hold the wrong side of the material to you. Then roll about one eighth of an inch between the thumb and first finger of your left hand. Do not roll more than an inch of the hem at a time. Take a needle and thread it with a piece of coloured cotton. In this case it is permissible to make a knot. Insert the needle at the beginning of the roll. Over-cast or whip the rolled edge. The stitches should encircle the roll and not go through it. When the rolled inch is over-casted, roll another inch and repeat in this manner till the whole handkerchief is worked. If you desire, when you have finished one side, you can whip in an opposite direction toward the point at which you started, thus forming a cross with each return stitch ([Figure 23]).

Fig. 23. A pretty finish for handkerchiefs

Lace is sewed to raw edges by rolling and whipping the material and connecting the lace at the same time.

Fig. 24. A rolled hem

Fig. 25. One end creased one quarter of an inch

Fig. 26. The tape open flat on material

Tapes should be on all towels and on all your skirts and dresses that are to hang on nails or pegs. Take a piece of fine tape about five inches long. Crease one end down one quarter of an inch ([Figure 25]). If the tape-loop is to be sewed on a towel find the direct centre of the top edge of the towel. Lay the tape with the creased end open flat on the towel ([Figure 26]). Sew along the creased line with back-stitching. Fold the other end of the tape over, baste it down so that it entirely covers the stitches already made and with small hemming stitches connect the tape to the material ([Figure 27]). There should be two tape-loops on your dress or separate skirt. There is usually too much weight for only one loop. Place a loop in each armhole of the waist or dress. For the skirt, measure the waist-band and place the loops so that the band is divided in thirds.

Fig. 27. The tape finished

Do you know that very few people sew on hooks and eyes properly? Yet there is no difficulty in sewing them correctly and they look much nicer. Take the eye, connect it to the material with two stitches that make a cross. With the same thread pass the needle to the left-hand loop. Insert the needle in the material so that the eye of the needle is within the loop and the point of the needle comes just outside. See that the thread passes from left to right under the point of the needle. Draw the needle through and repeat in this manner until the two loops of the eye are firmly connected to the material. Sometimes it is necessary to cover the upper part of the eye. In that case cover the metal with fine over-and-over stitches as shown in ([Figure 28B]).

Fig. 28A. The eye firmly sewed

Fig. 28B. A covered eye

The loop of the hook is sewed on in a very similar manner at the base, while the top of the hook is caught with eight or nine over-and-over-stitches ([Figure 29]). These stitches are taken under the hook portion and connect the under side only. Measure accurately just where every eye goes and place the hook so that when it meets the eye it will be straight. A sixteenth of an inch out of the way spoils the appearance and is apt to pull the material crooked. Another point to remember is that it is not a good plan to place the eyes on the extreme edge. A margin of some size is most necessary to extend beyond the eyes. Sometimes it is necessary to sew a piece of material so that it extends one inch beyond the eyes if the eyes are sewed on the extreme edge of the finished garment. This piece is called the fly piece.

Fig. 29. The hook

III
GATHERING, SEWING ON BANDS, A PRACTICAL SEWING APRON, HEMMED PATCHES, GUSSETS AND TUCKS

Though I know you don't like making samples, I am going to ask you to make a little apron for a doll, as a model, before we make a real big one.

Get a piece of muslin five by nine inches and a No. 9 sewing needle. Thread it with a piece of No. 70 cotton. Baste an eighth of an inch hem on both of the five-inch sides, and a three-quarter of an inch hem on one of the nine-inch sides.

The basting of the three sides being finished we will now start to gather the fourth side. Thread a No. 8 needle with No. 50 thread. Use a thread a trifle longer than nine inches. Make a good-sized knot in the thread so that the end cannot slip through the material. Start from the right-hand side of the piece and insert the needle on the under side. Let the knot come on top of the narrow hem about one quarter of an inch from the raw edge.

The needle is now in position on the right side of the material. Take up several stitches on the needle before pulling it through ([Figure 30]). The stitches are nothing more than running stitches. When the running has been worked across the nine inches of the material, take the needle out and make a knot in the thread.

Fig. 30. Gathering the apron

Put a pin, vertically, close to the last stitch. Take up only a few threads of the material on the pin. Draw up the running thread so that you have about three and a half inches of gathering. Wind the thread that extends beyond the gathering over the top and under the point of the pin a number of times, crossing the thread at the middle of the pin so that it forms an eight ([Figure 31]).

To allow the gathering to fall evenly, it will be necessary to stroke it. Use a No. 2 needle for this purpose. With the right side of the work toward you begin at the left-hand edge. Hold the work between the left thumb and forefinger, keeping the thumb below the gathering thread. Put the point of the No. 2 needle under the gathering thread, holding it obliquely. Press the needle toward the thumb, bringing the little plait under the thumb and drawing the needle downward. Pinch the little plait down lightly with your thumb. Continue in this way, putting the needle under each stitch ([Figure 32]).

Fig. 31. Gathers ready for stroking

Let us now put a band and strings on our apron. Cut two strips of material ten inches long by two inches wide. These are for the strings. Baste an eighth of an inch hem on the two long sides of each strip. Make a three-quarter of an inch hem on each string.

Over-hand the ends of the broad hem. All the hems that are basted on the strings and the material itself should be hemmed with fine stitches.

Fig. 32. Gathering Strokes

Cut another strip two and a half inches wide by five inches long. This is the band. Turn down one eighth of an inch of the material all around the band. Crease the band in half, lengthwise, so that the edges, just folded, are inside.

Find the centre of the gathered material and the centre of the opened band. Holding the wrong side of the apron toward you, pin the middle of the apron to the middle of the band. Pin the gathered side of the apron to the band, three quarters of an inch from each end of it.

Wind the gathering thread around the left-hand pin, drawing the thread up to fit the band. With the point of the needle adjust the gathers so that the fullness is evenly distributed along the band. Holding the gathers toward you, baste with small stitches a little above the gathering thread.

Turn up the band and on the right side of the apron hem the band in it, catching up a gather with each stitch. Some people prefer to stitch along the basting line instead of hemming ([Figure 33]).

Fig. 33. Taking up a gather with every stitch

Baste the other side of the band down, and hem as on the right side. Insert the strings in the band. Hem in the same way as on the band, first the right side and then the left side, and now your little apron is completed ([Figure 34]).

Would you not like to have a sewing apron that you can use as a bag when you are not wearing it? It is such an easy thing to make that after you have one for yourself you will be making them for your friends for Christmas.

Fig. 34. The apron completed

Get mother to measure you from the waist to the knees. The material for the apron should be one and a half this measurement. Turn one third of the material back. Baste the double edges together and sew with fine combination stitches.

Turn this piece inside out. Crease back one eighth of an inch edge of this pocket, as it were. Baste a piece of beading over this raw edge right around the back of the apron. Be careful not to sew up the pocket.

The beading on the back must be the same distance from the bottom as the beading in front; that is, we must keep a straight line. Sew on the extreme edges of the beading with fine running stitches, to connect it to the material. Now as the ribbon we are to run in the beading must serve as a draw string, as well as for decoration, it will be necessary to put two pieces in. So get a narrow ribbon about one half the width of the openings in the beading. Each piece of ribbon must be long enough to go once around the apron and enough of the ends left to tie double bows—one for each side. Start one piece of the ribbon at the right-hand side of the apron and the other at the left.

The top of the apron or single piece is finished with a piece of beading which is sewed on, as on the pocket. A ribbon long enough to go around your waist and to tie a bow in the back is run through the beading ([Figure 35]).

Fig. 35. The apron

When the apron is not being worn your work can be placed in the large pocket and the single section folded within the pocket. The ribbons are then drawn up tight and "bravo!" you have a work bag fit for a queen ([Figure 36]).

Fig. 36. The work bag

There are so many kinds of rents or holes that may happen to your clothes that it is worth the while to know how to mend the various kinds. There is an old adage that says, "Waste makes want," and we would spend a small fortune in clothes if every time a wee hole made its appearance we discarded the garment.

If it is a circular hole in a dress or underbody, as often happens, under the arms, we will use the square patch. Cut a piece of the same kind of material, three inches square, or larger if necessary. Turn a fold of one eighth of an inch on the four edges of this square. Crease it lengthwise and crosswise.

Fig. 37. The patch hemmed to the material

Crease the material on which the patch is to be laid lengthwise and crosswise through the tear. Pin the small piece or patch on the wrong side of the large piece, or garment, so that the creases run in the same direction. The warp must run the same way in both pieces. One sixteenth of an inch from the edges run a basting thread. Hem the four sides on the patch to the material ([Figure 37]).

Fig. 38. The pin in each corner of the patch

On the garment side make a crease half an inch wide, from the hemming, on the four sides. Four little squares will be formed in the corners. Crease along the diagonal of each square. Place a pin one eighth of an inch from each corner, within the patch ([Figure 38]). Cut the garment from the centre of the tear to the pins. Repeat this on each side, cutting along the crease which you made, one half inch from the hemming.

Turn in one eighth of an inch and baste. Hem all around (Figure[ 39]).

Fig. 39. The garment side of the patch

In patching material such as checked or striped ginghams, percales, or other materials, the stripes or the checks must match so that the patch is not too apparent ([Figure 40]).

Fig. 40. Matching the stripes

Have you ever noticed how the slit or placket of a petticoat or side opening of drawers is finished? A piece of material is put in of an odd shape to strengthen the openings. This is called a gusset. Suppose that you were making a petticoat. Join the skirt up the back from the bottom, but leave eight inches open at the top. This top opening is the placket. But let us take a small piece of material and practise making the back of a skirt. We will put a hem and a few tucks at the bottom of the material first.

Fig. 41. Basting the tuck

Make a measuring card of a straight strip with an eighth, three eighths, and three quarters of an inch notches.

Crease and fold a wide hem (three quarters of an inch), using the measuring card as a guide.

Over-hand each end of the hem. Now baste along the hem. The over-handing must be done before the basting. Now hem this wide hem.

Again, using the cardboard measure, on the right side of the model fold a crease three quarters of an inch above the hem. Begin at the right-hand side to crease and baste ([Figure 41]).

With a fine, even, running stitch, an eighth of an inch below the crease, make the tuck ([Figure 42]). Measure every few stitches to keep the seam straight.

Fig. 42. Making the tuck

If a second tuck is desired, measure from the tuck instead of the hem.

Now we are ready for the slit which is in the centre top. On the wrong side start at the top with an eighth of an inch hem, but decrease it to almost nothing right to the bottom ([Figure 43]). Fold the other side in the same manner. In hemming the two sides, start at the top.

Fig. 43. The placket hemmed

Now let us practise making gussets on a piece of paper. Cut a piece of paper three inches square. Fold it from corner to corner and cut ([Figure 44]). Turn the straight or short edges of the paper one eighth of an inch and fold along the two shorter edges ([Figure 45]).

Fig. 44. The triangle

Hold the paper with the straight edge down, measure it from the two points one quarter of an inch. Now cut a piece of material the size of the paper and fold like model.

Fig. 45. The short edges folded

Cut off the two points one quarter inch from each corner on the thread of the goods ([Figure 46]). Turn these two straight ends and the bias edge of paper one eighth of an inch (Figure[ 47]). Turn point of paper down one eighth of an inch from bias hem and crease ([Figure 48]).

Fig. 46. With points cut off

Now cut the muslin gusset and fold just like the paper one.

Fig. 47. All sides are now creased.

Fig. 48. The point folded over

Hold the model or skirt with right side toward you, and turn up point of gusset. Holding the wrong side of the skirt toward you, twist left side of gusset to left side of placket and over-hand to creased line, half way up the gusset ([Figure 49]).

Fig. 49. The gusset over-handed half way

Over-hand right side. Turn bias edge of gusset over to right side, pin, having straight edges parallel to warp and woof threads and then hem ([Figure 50]).

Gather the top of the skirt and put on a band on each side of opening about the same width as the one used on the apron ([Figure 51]).

Fig. 50. Gusset hemmed

Fig. 51. The gusset model completed

IV
A DOLL'S SKIRT AND SEWING CASE, BINDINGS, DOLL'S BED LINEN AND A PIN CASE

Let us suppose that Sally Ann measures twelve inches from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet and that you would like to make her a gored skirt like mother's. Would you not feel happier if you made the pattern and then cut the skirt yourself?

Take a piece of paper twelve by nine inches wide, mark every inch on both the long sides of the paper. Lay a ruler so that it touches the centre of the space between the first and second dots on the upper edge, and between the second and third dots on the lower edge. This will form the half of the front gore of the skirt. Mark it, "half of front."

Now draw a line from the second dot on the upper edge to the centre of the space between the fourth and fifth dots of the lower edge. Connect the sixth dot on the upper and lower edges, mark this section "side gore." Connect the eleventh dot on lower and upper edges and mark this section "back." The remaining inch mark "belt." ([Figure 52]).

Fig. 52. The pattern drawn

Cut the pattern apart along the lines drawn.

Take a piece of muslin twenty-four by nine inches. Tear off two inches of the muslin on the length for the band and then ten inches for the back of the skirt.

Fold the remaining piece of muslin with the two short edges together so that the doubled piece measures six inches by nine. Place the straight edge of front of skirt pattern on the fold of the material and the edge of the side gore on the other edge. Pin the pattern down securely and cut through both thicknesses of the material ([Figure 53]).

Pin the skirt together, placing a straight edge of a gore to a bias. Baste a quarter-inch seam along the finished edges of each gore, holding the bias edge toward you. Sew the seams up with combination stitches. Press open the seams and over-cast each one to keep it from fraying.

Fig. 53. The back, side gore and front

Fold a hem at the bottom of the skirt an inch and a quarter wide. Baste the hem so that seam comes to seam. On the front gore there will be a fullness. Gather this fullness in with fine running stitches and baste. Use a separate thread for the gathering. Now hem around the whole skirt.

Cut the placket two inches down through the centre back. Turn a hem on the right side one half inch wide and on the left one eighth inch. Sew the hem.

Lap the wide hem over the narrow at the bottom of the placket and stitch across the wide hem two rows of stitching one eighth of an inch apart.

Turn in the strip you cut off at first for the band one quarter of an inch on the two short sides and on one of the long sides.

Fig. 54. The skirt

Fold lengthwise, find centre of band and crease; one inch from this, crease again.

Place and pin band in the same way as for the gusset described in the last chapter, placing the middle crease at the middle of front of skirt. Then pin the band also at the creases on either side of centre. Gather each side of the skirt that is left. Draw in the thread to fit belt. Spread the gathers so that most of the fullness is in the back.

Over-hand the ends and hem second side of the placket. This finishes the skirt ([Figure 54]).

A basket or box of some sort is very nice to have, as we have said above, for your sewing, but suppose you were going to sew with another friend and you wanted a handy case in which to carry your sewing implements? A cloth case that can be folded or rolled is very much more convenient and may be carried in the large pocket of your apron. One made of denim is inexpensive, wears well, and is highly practicable. One yard will make you a case.

Cut a piece of green denim sixteen by fifteen inches long. Turn up four inches of the material, baste down both sides. Baste a four-inch pocket on the left-hand corner of your case. The rest of the case divide in two. This will hold your darning cotton that comes on cards.

We have a pretty way of finishing this case, which is not only ornamental but strong, and that is to bind it. Get a piece of tape long enough to go around the whole case. Crease it lengthwise so that one edge comes slightly below the other. Open it and lay it on denim and then neatly back-stitch the right side and hem the wrong. The hemming should be just below the back-stitching, and must not be seen on the right side. Allow enough tape at the corners to make a good angle. Both sides of the corner must be treated alike.

Fig. 55. The material caught from side to side

It will be well to have a needle case to match the sewing case. Cut a strip of material thirteen inches long by three and a half inches wide. Cut this strip in four parts. Get a piece of cardboard that is not too thick or of such kind that will break easily, as some of the cheaper grades of brown cardboard are apt to do. Cut four pieces, three inches wide by three and a half inches long. Thread your needle with a piece of No. 40 cotton and put a big knot at the end. Take one of the pieces of denim and a piece of the cardboard. Catch the material from side to side with stitches about one quarter of an inch apart ([Figure 55]). After sewing these two sides sew the third and fourth in the same manner. Cover each piece of the cardboard in this way ([Figure 56]). Take two of the covered pieces and over-cast them carefully together.

Fig. 56. The four sides of material caught together

You should have leaves of flannel to stick your needles in. Pink the edges of the flannel. Pinking is snipping out the edge in little points and can be done with scissors. Connect the two pieces of the needle case with two tiny bows, or a heavy thread can be made to answer the purpose. The flannel sheets are tacked through the centre like the pages in a book ([Figure 57]).

The third or middle compartment between the spool case and darning thread can be used for a miscellaneous pocket to hold the tape-measure, emery-bag, small scissors and other necessary articles.

Fig. 57. The flannel sheets tacked through the centre

A piece of tape stretched down on the denim with just enough spring for the package of needles to pass through is a handy way to carry them ([Figure 58]).

It is rather dangerous to travel with a pair of scissors with the points unprotected. In Canada and the states that border it the Indians sell the little sweet grass protectors. A cork, however, that comes in small bottles such as you get from drug stores will protect the points of the scissors as well as the sweet grass protectors, if not as elegantly. If the scissors are too large to put in the pocket a piece of tape could be stitched down to slip them in lengthwise. The case should be folded in three parts when it is not in use and a piece of tape the same colour as the binding tied around it ([Figure 59]).

Fig. 58. The place for the needles

Now that you have your sewing apron and a work box, you will love to be sewing every chance you get. Suppose we plan a set of bed things for Sally Ann. First let us make a mattress. The mattress on your bed is covered, probably, with ticking, but this is too harsh for your fingers to sew, so let us select percale or zephyr, and half-inch tape for the binding; the filling can be cotton, hair, or feathers. If it is impossible to get any of these three, newspapers chipped up very fine will make an excellent padding. Many people use newspaper chippings to fill pillows for summer use.

Fig. 59. The case folded

Measure the bedstead and cut two pieces of percale or zephyr exactly the same size. Now cut a stripe of the material, one inch wide, long enough to go around the four sides of one of the pieces of the material that you have just cut.

Fig. 60. The narrow strip to the large strip

Baste the long narrow strip around one large piece. Lay the wrong side of the strip to the wrong side of the material ([Figure 60]). The edges must be even. Use the combination stitch of one running stitch and one back-stitch just below the basting. When the strip has been securely sewed to the four sides of the material, join the two ends together on the wrong side.

Now take your tape, which may be white or the colour of the figure in your material, and bind the edges by first running one side down and then the other ([Figure 61]).

Fig. 61. Binding the mattress

The other piece of material is sewed in the same manner—the wrong side of the strip to the wrong side of the material. Do not sew, however, around the entire four sides but leave about six inches open through which the filling may be passed. After basting the strip with combination stitching fill with cotton or whatever material you have on hand. Do not fill the mattress so that it will be bumpy. Put a little stick in and flatten the filling at the top. Now sew the opening up and we are ready to quilt the mattress.

Thread a large needle with two pieces of heavy cotton floss or wool. Push your needle through to the other side, letting a short end extend above the mattress. Bring your needle back again close to where it came out ([Figure 62]). Unthread the needle and tie the ends tightly. Cut off what is left and repeat again two and a half inches over. It is best to quilt in rows; that is, to start two inches in from the long side and make a row parallel with the tape. The next row is made two and a half inches farther over and the next row of knots should come in between the first row of dots.

Fig. 62. Quilting

This mattress is made just like yours and the pillow is the next article we will make. The pillow should be half the width of your mattress, as we will use two on the bed. Take a piece of material twice the length desired for the pillow. Use the same kind of material as that used for the mattress. Fold the piece in two with the wrong side out. Join the two long edges and one of the short sides with the combination stitch ([Figure 63]). Make the stitches one quarter inch from the edge. Now turn the case inside out and fill with cotton. Turn in the edges of the open end and over-cast them together ([Figure 64]). As I have said before, it will be necessary to make two pillows.

Fig. 63. The pillowcase

Fig. 64. Overcasting the open end

The pillowcases can be made of lawn, cambric or muslin. Cut the material a little larger both in length and width than the pieces used for the pillow. The seams of the pillowcases will have to be felled. Along the one short side and the long side make fine running stitches, one quarter of an inch from the edge. Cut the raw edge from one side so that the other is about an eighth of an inch wider. Now fold the wider edge over like a hem so that it completely covers the cut edge and hem neatly to the material. The open end has a wide hem of say three quarters of an inch. When the hem is finished turn the case with the work inside.

For the sheets cut two pieces of muslin or lawn large enough to cover the mattress and to turn under. The selvage edge of the material should run the length of the sheet. Turn in a quarter-inch hem on the two long sides of each sheet and hem. Now turn a one-inch hem at the top and bottom of each sheet. This completes the sheet ([Figure 65]).

Fig. 65. The sheet

A blanket is of course very necessary to have and it can be made of a piece of an old blanket or of canton flannel, cashmere, or plain flannel. If a piece of blanket is used, finish the edges with the blanket stitch which is described in Chapter twelve of the book.

The flannel, cashmere, or canton flannel is finished by turning the edges over a quarter of an inch and herring boning or cat-stitching them to the material ([Figure 66]). For cat-stitching see diagram in Chapter nine.

Fig. 66. The blanket

No bed is complete without a counterpane of some sort and this can be made as fancy as you desire. A pretty one is made of strips of insertion joined together by fine over-casting or fagotting. Fagotting is explained in Chapter twenty. A row of edging will have to be sewed like a ruffle around the two long and one short sides to complete the counterpane.

Fig. 67. The crow's foot and spider on checked gingham

If a very fancy counterpane is desired get a piece of checked gingham of some light colour. The check should be a quarter of an inch square. With your needle threaded with white or a shade deeper than the darkest check make spiders on the dark squares and crow's feet on the light. Directions for making a spider are given in the chapter on "Lace Stitches."

A crow's foot is made by taking one stitch on the diagonal of the square and two on each side of it, the stitches on each side of the first one being a trifle shorter than the previous ones ([Figure 67]). A counterpane like this is very attractive and does not require a great deal of time to make.

Fig. 68. The envelope opened

A dainty little pin case that will make an acceptable little gift for a friend that is going to travel is the envelope pin case. Take a piece of material such as linen, cretonne, or silk and another piece of different coloured material for lining and shape one end as shown like the flap of an envelope ([Figure 68]). A good size is nine inches long by four inches wide.

Cut a piece of stiff paper a half inch smaller than the pieces of material. Baste the material which will be outside over the paper so that the edges are folded back one quarter on the paper. Turn a similar fold on the lining and hem it to the material as shown on the flap of the envelope opened.

Fig. 69. The envelope case closed

Now take two papers of pins and place them in the case so that they look like leaves of a book. Be careful to see that the heads of the pins are on top. Now catch the pins to the case with several long stitches which are taken below the points of the pins. Stitch a ribbon to flap of envelope and one at the bottom. Close the case and tie the ribbons and you have a handy pin case ([Figure 69]).

V
MAKING BUTTONHOLES, CUTTING FROM A PATTERN, A DOLL DRESS

To make a good buttonhole is an accomplishment that any girl can be proud of, as it is the hardest thing in sewing. The thread should be almost double in length to that you usually take, as a joining is very clumsy in a buttonhole.

A buttonhole is a worked opening in a piece of material or garment through which a button is to be slipped. The friction caused by buttoning and unbuttoning necessitates that the worked edges should be firmly and well sewed.

Fig. 70. The first step in buttonholing

Before we make a real buttonhole, let us see how the stitch is worked. Draw a line one inch in length with the straight of the material. Take two stitches one inch long over this line. At the extreme right of the stitches insert your needle, threaded with No. 40 cotton. Take a stitch about a sixteenth of an inch below the line. While the needle is still in the material—you are working from left to right—([Figure 70]), carry the thread under its point from the left, to the right side of the needle. The enlarged cut showing this stitch is very plain. The needle is then drawn through the material toward the chest and then straight from it. The next stitch and every other stitch must be identical with the first, the difference being that each stitch is then a little farther to the left. Every stitch must be the same length.

Now let us prepare to make the stitch on a fold. Fold a band in three equal parts. Pass the needle between the folds and bring it out on the edge. Hold the end of the thread with the left thumb. Carry the needle to the back of the fold and insert the point through the fifth thread of the material from the edge. The double thread at the edge of the needle is brought around the point of the needle from left to right and drawn out. ([Figure 71]).

A tailor's buttonhole is made slightly different. The needle is placed in the same position as in the ordinary buttonhole. The thread is brought from the top of the stitch and the doubled thread is brought around under the point of the needle from right to left ([Figure 72]).

Fig. 71. The position of the needle in buttonholing

Fig. 72. A tailor's buttonhole

The corners of the buttonhole are worked in two ways, either barred or rounded. The round corners are worked in the same buttonhole stitch, only it is twice the depth of the buttonholing along the two edges. Five or seven stitches will be sufficient for a corner or the ridge of the buttonholing will be too crowded.

The bar or braced end of the buttonhole is a little more difficult. It is necessary to bar a buttonhole for heavy woollen materials such as men's coats, or your own cloak, or outer wraps ([Figure 72]). Generally the first end of the buttonhole is rounded and the last end barred ([Figure 73]).

Fig. 73. The buttonhole with one end rounded and the other barred

Work around the buttonhole end when the last stitch has been made, turn the material so that the work lies across your forefinger. Pass the needle over the extreme left of the stitch, ([Figure 74]). Work four stitches the same length as those of the two sides of the buttonhole, and then insert the needle through the ridge of the first buttonhole stitch. The ridge of the bar faces the buttonhole. This bar should be just the width of the buttonhole. Nine stitches are usually sufficient for it.

Fig. 74. Barring the buttonhole

Tailors run two or three strands at the base of the buttonhole before working the nine stitches. The stitches are not taken through the material but only over the threads.

A buttonhole is fastened off on the wrong side at the base of the stitch.

The most important step is to cut the buttonhole straight. The buttonhole should be a trifle longer than the button. It should be cut in the opposite direction to which the strain will be. For instance on the back of the waist the buttonholes should run crosswise, for the movement of the shoulders spreads the buttonhole lengthwise. On the bands around the waist buttonholes are made lengthwise.

A sharp pair of scissors or a penknife should be used for cutting the holes. Insert the point of the scissors or knife through the centre of the buttonhole. Cut one side, then the other, along a thread of the material.

The thread is fastened securely on the wrong side of the left-hand corner. Use No. 40 sewing cotton for buttonholes, unless on very fine material, when No. 60 should be used. Sometimes it is well to over-cast the raw edges before working the buttonhole. A thread should always start at the extreme lower left-hand corner.

The backs of yokes should be fastened with loops and fine buttons. To make a loop, span the thread across the edge of the material in a loop large enough to slip the button through. Let the last stitch be on the right-hand side. Now place the threaded needle under the strands of thread letting the thread fall under the point of the needle. Repeat in this manner till the strands are entirely covered. The ridge or purled edge of this stitch will be on the outside of the loop.

Fig. 75. Loops made of threads

Hooks are sometimes caught into loops, but they are made directly on the material instead of sewed on the edge. The strands of thread, however, are not as loose as the buttonloops. The diagram ([Figure 75]) of the two loops will convey a clear idea of how the threads are spanned and covered.

The last step in sewing is cutting from a given pattern. An old garment that fits well, ripped apart makes an excellent pattern and requires very little fitting. Press the pieces before using them as a pattern. Lay the material so that the selvage runs lengthwise, that is, from head to foot. Only one half of the garment is necessary for a pattern, as the material is doubled or folded lengthwise ([Figure 76]). The centre front of the skirt or waist is always placed on the fold of the material and either basted or pinned down before cutting.

Fig. 76. The centre front on fold

Collars, cuffs, bands, and sleeves are cut with the selvage running their length. Cut any part of a garment such as sleeves, waist, or skirt through two thicknesses of material so that both sides will be exactly alike. This does not refer to the front gore of a skirt. When the material has a right and wrong side the right sides should face each other before cutting the pattern.

Handkerchiefs or frills should be cut along a thread so that the edges may be perfectly straight.

Be sure that the material lies perfectly flat under the pattern. Pin the centre first to keep it from slipping before pinning the edges. Pin the entire garment before cutting anything, so that you can be sure that your material will be sufficient. This also gives you an opportunity to see where to put the smaller pieces and economize with the material.

A large pair of scissors should be used in cutting. The blunt-pointed blade is next to the board or table. It is well to practise on paper and plan the pattern before using the pattern on the cloth.

Bias bands should be cut on the bias of the material. Cut a square piece of material and fold it cat-a-corner. Cut along the fold and you will get a true bias.

Bands to finish the necks of undergarments or around armholes should be cut on the bias. In fact, any curved edge that has to be faced should be faced with a bias instead of a straight band.

Now suppose we make a real dress for Sally Ann that will be put together and finished just like one of your own dresses. The style we will select will be on the order of a French dress, that is, a long waist and short skirt. The pattern for the waist is in seven parts: they are the front, side front, back, side back, sleeve, collar, and cuff. The skirt is only one piece.

Three quarters of a yard of material will be sufficient to make a dress for a doll from eighteen to twenty inches in height.

In all patterns that are bought only one half is given; sometimes all the seams—which are a very important part of a dress—are given and sometimes they are omitted. Any pattern that is published by a reliable firm tells on the envelope whether you should allow for the seams or not.

The pattern is usually of tissue paper and each piece has perforations or holes of different shapes. One shape means this side must be placed on the fold of the material, another shape or perforation the same shape only grouped differently, means that the pattern should be placed on a straight thread of the material. Still another means "gather here." If there are tucks in the pattern they are usually indicated. Where the seams join each other, little notches are made and corresponding notches are placed together and pinned after the pattern is cut.

Let us suppose the material is forty-five inches wide. Place the centre of the skirt on the fold of the material and pin in place. Your pattern should be planned and pinned on a flat surface such as a sewing table. Place the pins through the tissue pattern and both thicknesses of the material, letting the head and the point of the pin be visible to the eye. Do not cut any piece of your pattern until you have planned and pinned every piece, as that is the only way you can economize on your material ([Figure 77]). Often a pattern cut before each piece is planned comes to grief if an over-supply of material has not been provided.

The centre front is also placed on the fold of the material as well as the centre, back and collar. The sleeves are now fitted in, so that the perforations rest on the straight thread of the material. The side front and back and cuffs are also pinned to the material. The pattern now pinned, take a large pair of cutting scissors and holding the blunt part toward the table, cut close to the tissue pattern, or if no seams are allowed, the width stated in directions should be allowed for the seams.

Fig. 77. The waist pattern pinned to the material

Fig. 78. Notches of sleeve put together

Let us make the sleeve first. Take one sleeve and holding with the right side join notches together ([Figure 78]). Baste the sleeves up on the seams one eighth of an inch from the edge. When the basting is finished make a row of fine running stitches. Turn the sleeves on the wrong side and baste them before working the combination stitches. The sleeves are now ready to be banded. The band is taken and sewed on the short side. The seaming is taken on the wrong side of the material. A little seam is taken on each of the long sides of the cuff. Fold the cuff in half. The turns or folds are opened out and now turn the cuff inside out. Run a gathering thread at the lower edge of the main part of the sleeves starting the thread one half inch from each side of the seam. Place the cuff around the sleeve so that cuff seam rests on the seam of the sleeve. Pin into position. It will probably be necessary to pull or adjust the gathering thread so that the lower part of the sleeve be just the size of the cuff. Baste the band on after it has been pinned satisfactorily before working the combination stitch.

Turn the sleeve inside out and fold the cuff in the creases. Hem the inner side of the cuff to the wrong side of the sleeve. On the upper side of the sleeves run another gathering thread about one inch and a half from the seam ([Figure 79]). We have now finished with the sleeve until the waist proper is ready.

Fig. 79. Gathering the top of the sleeve

Now take the centre back and side back and baste them together. Join the pieces so that the notches correspond. Work the combination stitch three eighths of an inch from the edge. The side fronts are joined to the backs under the arm and on the shoulders. The front is then sewed to the right side of the waist only. It will be necessary to face the centre front piece and the left side front. Take a bias strip of material not more than three quarters of an inch wide and fold an eighth of an inch on each side of this strip. Join the shoulder seams together, one side of the back to the right side of the front and the other side to back. Sew with combination stitches, then make a felled seam as explained for the sleeve. Baste the turned fold to the right-hand side of the waist by opening out creased side and placing the two right sides together and stitching one eighth of an inch from the edge. Turn the bias over to the wrong side of the waist and slip stitch. Slip stitching, as I have explained before, is somewhat like hemming; only the stitches are taken back of the folded edge and catch one thread only of the material.

The other bias band is basted in like manner to the left-hand side of the waist.

Fig. 80. The gathers on the upper part of the sleeve

The sleeves are ready to be put in. Measure one and one quarter inches from the under arm seam on the waist, which is the short seam near the front of the waist. Pin the seam of the sleeve to this point. Pin the rest of the sleeve so that the gathers are evenly distributed. Pin the right side of the sleeve to the right side of the waist. Baste securely. Remember that the gathers should be thickest on the upper part of the sleeve ([Figure 80]). Stitch with fine back-stitching and then overcast. The neck may be bound or may have the collar attached.

Turn and hem the outer edge of the collar; a ruffle of lace may be added if desired. Baste the collar to the waist, and try the waist on Sally Ann. If it is a satisfactory fit, stitch in place. It is well to cover the raw edges with a little bias fold. Hem the fold down on both sides.

The long strip is not joined, but a half-inch hem folded on one side and then stitched. The skirt is plaited or kilted, as it is often called. A hem is made on each of the short sides of the strips. Now crease the material as if you were going to make a tuck three quarters of an inch deep. A box plait will next have to be planned; again crease your material as if you were going to make a tuck three quarters of an inch deep. These creases must be exactly three quarters of an inch from the double fold of each piece. Measure an inch and a half, then turn the material under so that a three-quarter inch piece is under the left side of the waist line. This completes the box plait.

The plaits from there on are folded toward the left, while the first two were toward the right. Baste each plait down securely. When working on cotton materials that have a lot of dressing, the creases are likely to stay in without basting, but while working on it the edges are apt to get turned up. Basting ([Figure 81]) is therefore the surer and safer way to keep the plaits in position, while for woollen or soft, sleazy materials it is the only way.

When every plait has been basted lengthwise, take another thread and baste them crosswise three or four times.

Fig. 81. Section of plaited skirt showing how it should be basted crosswise

Join the waist to the skirt, taking care that the centre of the box-plait is under the direct centre of the front of the waist.

A sash will be needed to finish this dress. It can be tacked in place or little straps of ribbon may be stitched at intervals and the ribbon run through the straps ([Figure No. 81A]).

Fig. 81A. Sally Ann's new dress

If this dress had been stitched on the machine it would have been better to make tailored seams on the waist; that is, a narrow seam is taken on the wrong side. The material is then turned back so that on one side of the seam it slightly overlaps the other. Baste in place and stitch on the edge. Tailored seams do not require any extra allowance of material. They should slant toward the right on the right side of the garment and toward the left on the left side. If the seams were stitched to run in one direction the garment would have a very one-sided appearance.

Press all the wrinkles caused by handling the dress in sewing. It is best to lay a damp cloth over the material rather than place the iron directly on the material. You will need a small iron for this dress. Press each plait down carefully. Take out the basting threads before trying on the dress.

There are good, bad and indifferent dressmakers, and I know you wish to be one of the former. Sew a row of buttons on the left front of the dress and make little buttonholes to correspond on the right side.

VI
A LESSON IN STENCILLING

What is stencilling? Let us see. Stencilling is a branch of painting. Have you heard the story of the Baltimore belle in the time of the Revolution who was most anxious to go to the first big ball that was to be given after the war? The town had been divested of all the beautiful silks and satins that the great ladies were accustomed to wear. Our country had stopped importing these costly materials because there was no occasion to use them and no money to pay for them.

An invitation had been sent to one of Baltimore's fairest daughters who was intending to go with her cousin. What were they to wear? Both needed the festive garments. At last, after a careful canvass of the town, the young man managed to borrow a pair of satin breeches and a flowered coat and all the other articles necessary to make a fine dandy of those days, except the silk stockings.

The girl succeeded in finding a piece of white lawn of the coarsest kind that was sufficient to make a frock. In no way discouraged this clever young lady, who luckily could paint beautifully, started and painted little sprays of rose buds on the fifteen or twenty yards required for the gown. This made a very dainty and pretty frock.

Fig. 82. Stencilled curtains

Poor George, her cousin, was in despair in not being able to borrow or buy a pair of silk stockings, but clever Miss Betty hit on the plan of painting his legs with a thick coat of white and then decorating them with clocks on each side, so that no one at the dance even suspected that he didn't have on silk stockings.

Miss Betty's dress was voted to be the most charming dress of the evening.

Ever since I have heard this story I have wished that Miss Betty had known how to stencil. What a lot of time she would have saved! I am sure you will agree with me when you know how to stencil.

Have you noticed the flat gay decorations above the moulding in some houses? Well those are stencilled. A painter will cut out a design from a thin steel background; he lays this on the wall and paints over the open spaces in the design. It is the only true way in which he can keep his pattern. All free-hand designs are bound to show a difference in outline.

Stencilling for home decoration is used on curtains ([Figure 82]), portières, rugs, couch covers, table covers, lunch sets, pillow tops, ([Figure 83]), bags, counterpanes, as well as for dresses, parasols, wraps, scarfs, and in fact almost every conceivable object that allows the use of decoration.

You can get a stencil board from any artist supply shop, but the one you can make at home is cheaper even if it is not quite as durable.

Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman

A Single Motif Being Used On a Stencilled Scarf

In many of the schools, stencilling in its simplest form is taught in the kindergarten. The children are taught to fold a heavy piece of drawing paper lengthwise and draw half a design so that the centre of it is on the fold of the paper. The design is then cut away, leaving the background intact. This method is good for very simple motives. Sometimes when we do not wish our design to be so set, we will draw it without creasing the paper.

Fig. 83. A simple stencilled pillow

The stencil board that you can buy is very hard for little fingers to cut, besides being expensive.

To make a stencil pattern, draw a design such as a bunch of violets. Let every petal be separated from the other and where the stems should intersect leave a little space between. These little spaces or bridges are what keep the background together. Of course, as a usual thing, if you buy a stencil outfit, one pattern or more already cut comes with it. In many of the large shops stencil patterns can be bought separately, but if one has any idea of drawing it is an easy matter to make a pattern.

Fig. 84. The cut stencil

The design can be traced and cut on a piece of heavy manilla paper: a coat or two of shellac makes the paper stiffer and somewhat waterproof. The advantage of using drawing paper is this, that it may be cut with a pair of scissors, while a stencil board requires a sharp penknife and lots of finger strength to cut the pattern. White shellac is the best to use, as it dries quickly. It can be bought from any paint store.

The pattern now cut ([Figure 84]), you are ready to do a piece of real stencilling. Let us choose the cheapest thing we can get for our first attempt. A piece of cheese cloth for a sash-curtain appeals to me. Put in the hem so that the stencil will be sure to be straight. Lay a large piece of blotting paper over the board or table on which you are going to work. Place the cheese cloth on top of that. Try your stencil pattern and measure how many times you can repeat it. It is better to plan a pattern with a small space between each motif so that you will not have half or part of the design left over. Stick a pin where the centre of each motif should be.

Lay the stencil pattern in position and thumbtack it down to the cheese cloth and blotting paper. Turpentine and oil are the most satisfactory for stencilling, though there are several patent mixtures sold that are good. The paint can be mixed with the turpentine till it is the consistency of a thick cream or the brush can be dipped into the turpentine and then into the paint. In either case the brush must be wiped quite dry, as the process is more of a rubbing in one than painting. Bristle brushes of four different sizes should be in your stencil outfit. They come round and flat, ([Figure 85]). The frontispiece shows a child stencilling with the round brush.

Fig. 85. The brushes

Dip the brush into the mixture and be sure you wipe it off on a soft rag before painting in the design. If the brush is too wet the result is a blurred stencil.

Use a different brush for every colour. When the first motif is stencilled, move the pattern and place it over the next pin. If you want to reverse the pattern, clean it thoroughly with naptha on both sides and let it dry for a couple of minutes before using again.

To make a stencilled piece washable it has to be steamed like printed dress goods. This can be accomplished in two ways: that is, by holding it over a steaming kettle, or by laying a wet cloth over the stencilling and pressing with a hot iron.

Needless to say, a piece stencilled in water colours should not be treated like this.

Fig. 86. A stencilled bag

Water colours or crayons can be used when a piece is not desired to be washed. The latter works in as smoothly as paints.

Scrim, cheese cloth, linen, crash, burlap, monk's cloth, and Arras cloth can be used for curtains or portières. The cost of them varies from seven cents to one dollar a yard.

Sometimes a small motif is taken and stencilled all over the material. This gives the effect of a printed pattern.

Five tubes of paint will produce almost any shade under the sun. They should be blue, yellow, red, black, and white. Blue and yellow make green; blue and red, purple; lavender, yellow and red make orange. A little black will soften the colours while white lightens the shade. Other combinations can be made by mixing three colours together. Enough of the paint should be mixed at one time to stencil the entire piece, as it is extremely difficult to mix a new batch of colour that will be the exact shade as the first. Ultramarine blue is the shade of the deep sea. Crimson lake is a bright red. Venetian red is a terra cotta. Emerald green is a blue green. Sap green is yellow green. Ivory or lamp black are the two blacks to be had in oil paints; the former is shiny while the latter is dull. Flake white is the term for white in oil paints.

Of course, you can buy ready mixed in tubes almost any shade you desire, but it is lots more fun to make your own colour combinations, as well as very much cheaper. Diamond dyes can be used for stencilling by letting one package of dye serve for one pint. The dyes will have to be boiled in the manner stated in their directions.

You will find that stencilling is the most delightful of the home crafts. Those who are not fond of needlework will find this a real wholesome pleasure.

VII
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH ONE SKIN; CUT LEATHER BAGS, BELTS, BOOK COVERS. ETC.

There is nothing so handsome for a library table or cushion in a room of dark rich colouring as leather work. These articles are very expensive to buy and are sold in arts and crafts shops or women's exchanges and some of the department stores. You have doubtless seen the dyed whole skin used on a library table, but have you ever seen leather appliqué? That is the design cut out of a leather background and lined, or pieces of leather applied to a background.

Different kinds of leather may be used for this work. The cheapest and thinnest kind is sheepskin. Leather is usually sold by the square foot and one has to buy the entire skin. Sheepskin costs about sixteen cents a square foot; some stores charge more for it, while it is possible at a wholesale and retail shop to get it for less. The skins come dyed in all shades. Golden brown, dull gray or moss green are the most artistic for general use. Many tailors like to trim ladies' suits with leather and for this purpose many beautiful odd shades are dyed. Goatskin ranks next to sheepskin and is a trifle dearer. Chamois is good for belts or dainty opera bags. It comes in white or cream only. Calf is a beautiful substantial skin, as is also Russia calf. Pebble calf is what its name implies, very rough with a glazed finish. The other side presents an undyed appearance.

Fig. 87. A well-planned skin

If you get a skin you should not expect to get a sofa cushion as well as a large table mat out of it. A skin carefully cut will give you one large piece and the rest of it can be planned for smaller objects, such as card cases, pen wipers, blotter corners, belts, picture frames, possibly a magazine cover or a bag. The diagram of the skin shows how carefully to cut out and plan every part of it ([Figure 87]).

Let us take the sofa cushion first. A bold conventional design can be used in each corner. One that has each part separate like a stencil design is one that I have in mind.

Cut each part out carefully so as not to impair the background. A cheaper grade of leather of a tone deeper or lighter can be laid under the design, though velvet is also in excellent taste for this work. Broadcloth, satin, and sometimes taffeta are also used. If a shaded effect is wanted a different coloured background can be pasted under each different section of the design. It is a better plan, however, for the amateur to restrict herself to one colour for the background as the finishing of different pieces is no easy problem ([Figure 88]). Library paste is the best means of making the leather and background adhere, also it does not spot as mucilage does. The majority of leather workers consider that the pasting completes the piece, while others feel that it is necessary to machine stitch along the extreme edge of the cutting. Yet again others prefer to work embroidery stitches such as open buttonhole or couching stitches. Both of these are explained at length in later chapters. A pen wiper can be made from a piece cut in circular, diamond, or triangular shapes. Cut two pieces of chamois leather the same shape. A plain piece of the leather also is needed to back the pen wiper. The chamois pieces serve as leaves on which the pen is wiped.

Fig. 88. Leather appliqué bag

A card punch will be needed to make a hole through the four pieces for the ribbon or cord which holds them together.

It is most necessary to plan the design so that it will be appropriate to the object it is to be applied to. The leather should also harmonize with the colour of the room or gown with which it is used or worn.

For those who are anxious to learn how to design, books on this subject can be obtained from the public libraries. You should bear in mind, however, that practice makes all things perfect.

The different methods of applying the design had better be gone into before we proceed any further. Thick manilla paper or artist linen may be used on which to draw the design. The pattern is then thumb-tacked or pinned on a flat wooden surface, on the upper edge only, as it will be necessary to raise the paper off and on during the tracing.

An orange stick such as used for manicuring or hard pencil will be needed for the tracing. Trace along the pencilled design with a very heavy pressure so that there will be an indented line on the leather. A line once impressed is almost impossible to remove, so great care must be taken to keep the design true.

Every time you stop tracing there will be a deeper indentation; for that reason in tracing a curved line try to draw a full sweep without stopping. A ruler will be an aid in tracing straight lines.

It may be found necessary to dampen the leather so that the tracing will be distinct. In that case dampen the entire piece of leather with a wet cloth. Dampening in sections only causes water rings. Once the whole leather is dampened, however, it can be redampened in sections without fear of marking.

Designs for leather may also be applied by means of a perforated pattern and a stamping powder or paste or a transfer pattern may be also used.

The leather for cut-work may be cut with sharp scissors and manicuring scissors for round or curved places or two sharp knives of different sizes. A board of soft wood is the best on which to work.

Fig. 89. A belt of leather of appliqué underlaid

The best kind of paste is one that has been recommended by a successful leather teacher and proves satisfactory to all who have tried it. "Bring to a slow boil a half-pound of flour in two quarts of water. Add to this mixture when cool, an ounce of nitric acid and a dram of boric acid and a few drops of clove oil." The nitric and boric acid, as well as the clove oil, can be obtained from the drug store.

If knives are used to cut out the design, thumbtack the leather before commencing.

The paste is applied lightly on the wrong side of the leather, then the lining placed over it. Lay the article with the right side up and put it under weights until it dries. Any surplus paste that may happen to ooze through can readily be scraped off.

A wide range of articles can be made from leather appliqué, whether underlaid or overlaid, such as table covers, bags, belts ([Figure 89]), medicine cases, card cases, mirror frames, book or magazine covers, portfolios, memorandum pads, waste baskets, pocket books, bill folders, chair covers, besides numerous other articles.

Sometimes it will be necessary to have two tracings of the design, one on the leather and one on the other background. Leather is often applied to heavy crashes for portières, or pillow tops. A bold conventionalized poppy is an excellent design for portières.

Paper is often used to line centerpieces or mats.

Rough tinted cartridge paper can be treated the same as cut leather and the daintiest of candle or lamp shades can be made of them. The design is cut out as in leather and a thin China silk lines the whole. Each section of the design may then be coloured the right shade of the silk. For instance, a design of cherries can be painted with orange and red for the cherries and the leaves green, while the paper is of tobacco brown; a narrow gold braid finishes the shade at the top and bottom, while the shade is held together with four tiny gold rivets.

VIII
TOOLED LEATHER AND TOOLS NECESSARY

Tooled leather is one of the oldest and most beautiful of crafts. Instead of weakening the leather it simply makes it more beautiful. A handsome box is made of soft wood or cardboard and covered with tooled or embossed leather and is a possession that a queen might envy.

Boxes containing tools for leather work can be had for from five to twenty-two dollars for the outfit. Twelve tools are in the box. Two modelling tools, a steel hammer, two embossing tools, a punch, an embossing ball tool, one cutting or trimming knife, and four chasing and pearling knives ([Figure 90]). Now I know that there are not many of you who would care to buy an outfit for five dollars, but for home use there is a simple little article that can be substituted and yet you can obtain very satisfactory results. A steel nut pick will work wonders and then, when you feel that you can do very much better work with other tools, invest in a case of them.

All leathers are not satisfactory for tooling. The best and most used is Russia calf in a heavy quality. One skin is usually the least a dealer will sell.

Let us suppose we are working on a card case. The design is traced in the manner described in the last chapter, that is, by tracing over the dampened leather.

Fig. 90. A case of tools

After the design has been traced remove the paper and holding the nut pick firmly in your right hand as you would a pencil, proceed to deepen the lines. The leather must be kept moist or the tool is apt to scratch and break the outer skin. It is a work over which you may become fatigued, but you can just lay it aside till the next day and then proceed again. The deeper the tooled line the handsomer the piece. It will take several hours to tool a card case.

Another form of decorating leather is with the little geometrical die that was used so much in past winters for decorating the background of etched copper articles ([Figure 91]). The little die is placed on the leather with its raised or embossed side downward and one knock from a steel hammer is sufficient to make an imprint on the leather. The entire background is filled out in this manner. Hammer with an even pressure otherwise the background will be bumpy.

Fig. 91. The dies for backgrounds

Sometimes you may prefer to have your background pressed or modelled and the design to stand out in relief. In that case take the bowl or thick part of the nut pick or modeller and press the background in flat. If the leather wrinkles when rubbing it change the direction of working. When the work is completed it will be noticed that the modelled part of the leather is darker and quite shiny.

Designs such as cherries, cat-tails, and most floral forms give a greater opportunity for elaborate working. They can be carried out in relief. This relief is a much more difficult work. In the first place the design is drawn on the finished surface of the leather and then, after another sponging with water, hold the leather up from the table. Holding the section to be modelled between the first finger and thumb, work the tool backward and forward under the section.

Some workers prefer to hold the working side toward them, contending that a greater pressure can be brought to bear on a downward stroke than an upward one. In that case the design is stamped or traced on the wrong side of the leather.

The oftener the rubbing is done and the leather is dampened the higher the design will stand forth. The parts to be worked in relief may be done before the background ([Figure 92]).

Fig. 92. A magazine cover

To keep the leather from falling back to its natural shape some workers paste the relief parts. My teacher used a paste that we found quite stiff enough except for large heavy objects.

To make this paste an ounce of dextrin is left soaking in water for about sixteen hours. Dextrin, by the way, is the only paste which will not stain silk. It is a white powder, and when used as a paste can be dissolved in boiling water till it is the consistency of a thick cream. When used as a modelling wax, however, it requires to be thicker than a cream. After the dextrin is dissolved mix in a pint of scrap leather that has been grated to shreds, and a few drops of turpentine. The scrap leather thickens the paste while water thins it.

Before applying the paste to the leather the raised side is placed face downward upon the marble. Take some of the paste and press it into the hollow places until they are entirely filled. After every space has been filled lay a piece of paper over them and then a cardboard or a piece of board large enough to cover all the design.

Turn the leather, paper, and board right side up on the working table. While the places are being filled in the design is apt to be pushed a little out of shape. With the finer modelling tool or your nut pick go over the flattened places again. Let the work remain on the table for four days without touching it so that it may be thoroughly dried.

Sometimes you will see a beautiful tinted leather. This is usually done by the means of dyes, or chemicals. For the amateur the former is recommended. The dye is applied to the leather with soft cotton or a sponge. To deepen the shade wet the places desired to be darker two or three times with the dye.

To obtain the brightly polished appearance so often seen in a handsome piece of leather rub the piece with your bare palms. A little wax rubbed on your hand greatly aids the work.

In all leather work it is necessary to leave a margin about a half inch at least.

Another paste which may be substituted for the formula given in this chapter is one made of equal parts of sawdust and rye flour with water.

The cutting or shaving knife that comes with the outfit is good for cutting the leather. If a deeper indentation is desired than is obtained by tracing the pattern, a slight slit may be made with the shaving knife. Of course cutting the leather weakens it and it should only be done on a very heavy piece of skin.

The hammer is indispensable for stamping in the little dies. These dies are not usually included in the outfit.

The difference between the modelling (Figures [93] and [94]) and embossing tools is that the embossing tools are a greater aid in achieving fine bas-relief work. The embossing ball tool is used to make the deep indentations.

Fig. 93. A modelling tool

Fig. 94. A modelling tool

The punch is to make holes for rivets or through which cords or ribbons may be passed to connect two or more pieces of leather together as on a pad or book. The punch and pearling knives are used in fine carved leather. As one becomes proficient in the art of simple leather work she is tempted to branch out and try more elaborate work. A great many books have been written on this subject which, though perhaps puzzling to a beginner, will be interesting and invaluable if the work is taken up as a serious occupation. The best specimens of this work can be seen at the different arts and crafts exhibitions.

IX
THE SIMPLEST STITCHES IN EMBROIDERY—CHAIN STITCHING, OUTLINING, HERRING-BONING, CROSS-STITCHING, SOUTACHE, CORONATION BRAIDING

It would be hard indeed to say just how many stitches there are in embroidery, as so many are combinations of the others. The ones you will hear about are the simplest ones.

Some years ago I had a large class in embroidery in a mission school. Every seat was taken and many applicants were refused admittance. The supervisor came in one day and said that there was a little girl who was very anxious to join the class and that she knew how to sew. I did not have the heart to refuse her, so in marched little Nellie. She was just seven years old and said that she attended sewing school every Saturday at her church and that her teacher had taught her all about embroidery. I gave her a little stamped design and told her to chain-stitch it and let me see how well she could do it. About five minutes later I happened to turn around and there was little Nellie frantically waving her hand. "Teacher, teacher," she said, "that is the only stitch the Lady didn't show me."

Now, as I am most anxious that nothing like that will happen to you, I will start with chain-stitching as the simplest stitch ([Figure 95]). It is also one of the oldest stitches in embroidery. Every museum that exhibits embroidered articles will have some elaborate designs carried out in fine chain-stitching. If the stitches are worked in filo silk or spool silk the effect is like machine work.

Fig. 95. Chain-stitching, showing how to turn a corner

Draw a straight line on a piece of muslin and thread your needle with a piece of red cotton. No knots should be used in embroidery. Fasten the thread by taking three fine running stitches and one back stitch to insure firmness at the end of the line. Now with the needle in position at the beginning of the line, start by taking a straight stitch on the line. Bring the thread under and pull the needle through the material. You have made the first loop. Put your needle back into the last hole or as near as possible to it, take another stitch on the line, repeat until you come to the end of the design.

Take the same length stitch every time or you will not have a good-looking chain. If you will look at the links in your chain bracelet, you will see that every link is the same size as the others. Suppose you wanted to chain-stitch a square or a triangle: when you come to the corner do not try to make one continuous line, but carry the needle down through the material at the end of the loop to fasten the link and start the next row at right angles to it. Chain-stitching can be put to many uses. It is a pretty stitch to cover a single line in a conventional design. It is also the quickest kind of padding for large designs. When it is used as a padding, the rows are worked close to each other. If the work is to be raised very high, the chain-stitching may be placed in rows one on top of the other. You will, however, hear more about padding in a later chapter.

Fig. 96. Smooth outlining

The next stitch we will talk about is the outlining, ([Figure 96]). Some people think it is simpler than chain-stitching. It was the first stitch I learned in embroidery, but it is not as pretty as chain-stitching. The first thing I did in fancy work when I was nine years old was a wonderful face cloth with a wild rose on the top, and under it my name and the motto, "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness," worked in red cotton. After that I made face cloths for every member of the family.

Outlining makes one think of plain sewing. There are two kinds of outlining, rough ([Figure 97]) and smooth, the difference being in how the thread is thrown. To make the rough outline, fasten the thread as directed in chain-stitching and on the line take a stitch about an eighth of an inch. Then work from left to right. Let the thread fall under the needle and be sure to keep it this way. A smooth outline is made by throwing the thread over the needle instead of under it; this outline can be used as stems for flowers unless a more elaborate kind is desired.

Fig. 97. Rough outlining

Either chain-stitching or outlining is an excellent way to decorate bureau scarfs, pillow tops, or table covers.

Herring-boning is used for finishing seams on a flannel skirt, or it may be used above hems. The little flannel skirt you intend to make for Sally Ann this winter should be finished in this way. Here is a stitch for which we do not need guide lines, though while you are learning, the lines might be helpful. Draw two parallel lines a quarter of an inch apart. Take a stitch on the upper line, about an eighth of an inch long. Then make one on the lower line, letting the thread fall always to the right. When you have made a row between with the lines, try to work one without lines and see if you can keep the herring-boning straight ([Figure 98]).

Fig. 98. Herring-boning or cat-stitching

A plain quilt or cover for the baby can be made very attractive, by working herring-boning around the edge. If the cover is woollen, use worsted or heavy silk for the stitchery, but if it is cotton material, a heavy lustre is recommended. The needle to use depends on the thread. A sewing needle will carry a round cotton thread such as D. M. C., Madonna, Utopia, Royal Society, or Peri lustre. A crewel needle, which is a needle with a long eye, will be required for silk or worsted. An easy way to thread a No. 2 or No. 4 crewel needle with worsted is to hold the needle in the left hand and double the thread at one end and run the needle through it. Hold the thread between the thumb and first finger of the right hand so that the thread is just visible. Gently pull the needle out with the left hand and run the doubled thread through the eye. It sounds a great deal harder than it actually is, but it will require very little practice.

Fig. 99. The first step in cross-stitching

When you went to kindergarten did you have little pierced cards on which you made designs in coloured silks or cottons? Well they had these at my school and we made book-marks, needle-books and all sorts of funny little things. If you remember the cross-stitching of the kindergarten days, regular cross-stitching will be a simple matter. The nicest material for this work is Java canvas, which is very coarse and stiff. It is ideal for book covers or napkin rings. The holes in the canvas are so large that working on it is almost like play. As Java canvas is rather expensive you will find a coarse scrim a good substitute. A lot of boys that I once knew took up this work very enthusiastically, so simple is it.

Fig. 100. The second step in cross-stitch

Do you know that you can make a gingham apron for mother and decorate it with cross-stitching that will last ever so long? Get a piece of gingham with squares about an eighth of an inch. Cross-stitch it in a shade darker than the gingham or in white or red. The stitches are taken on the diagonal as shown in the diagram (Figures [99] and [100]). If there is a great deal of cross-stitching to be done, the quickest way is to make all the stitches that run in one direction first, and then come back and cross them. Perhaps mother has a small piece of cross-stitching that you can use as a model. Simple triangles are easy to make. Begin the lower row with an uneven number, such as seven, nine, eleven, or thirteen. The next row make two stitches less, dropping one from each end, and so on till you have one at the top.

Fig. 101. A good hand design in cross-stitching

Now suppose that you had a little linen or silk bag on which you would like to have a cross-stitch design, yet this material is not coarse enough for you to use as a guide for the cross-stitching. Do not think you cannot do it, for I will show you a way. Get a piece of scrim just as coarse as you can find, and baste it over the place you would like to cross-stitch. Work the design on it and when the cross-stitching is all finished pull out the scrim thread by thread. Sometimes you will have to snip the thread of the scrim if your needle accidentally gets caught in them. (Figures [101], [102], and [103].)

Fig. 102. A cross-stitch design

Fig. 103. Another cross-stitch design

A very simple thing to do is to braid a dress for yourself. Now that all the large pattern houses are carrying transfer patterns you can get a design for braiding very cheap. A little girl I know braided a dress for herself and one for her mother last summer. She used light blue chambray and braided it with white. There are several kinds of braid, but the easiest to use is soutache, whether it is cotton or silk. It is a flat braid and varies in width from one to three eighths of an inch. First stamp your design on the material, or if you have not a transfer pattern you can draw a design on tissue paper, making it as long as required and then baste the paper in right position on your dress. Take a stiletto, which is a little tool somewhat like a nail that is used in embroidery for piercing holes, and punch a hole on the line. Push one end of your braid through this and fasten the end of it on the wrong side of your material. Thread your needle with sewing cotton or silk the colour of the braid and sew it down with little running stitches and an occasional back-stitch to fasten it firmly. When you come to the end of the line or of the braid, carry the end through as at the beginning and fasten.

Fig. 103A. A fourth design in cross-stitch

Coronation braid is beautiful, but oh, so very much harder to sew on than flat braid. There are two ways that coronation braid may be sewed on. The one that I give preference to is stamping the design on the wrong side of the material and holding the braid on the right. A stiletto hole is made on the line and the end of the braid brought through to the back and fastened securely so there will be no likelihood of its slipping. Then, holding the braid with the left hand, connect it to the material from the wrong side with fine running stitches. The stamped line on the wrong side will serve as a guide for the stitches. You can feel every time the needle touches the braid. Now perhaps many of you are wondering what coronation braid is. It is a braid that looks like fat grains of rice all strung together. There are different sizes of the braid, varying from the quarter inch to the three quarters of an inch size.

Fig. 104. Coronation braid

The second way to sew it on is from the right side with little slip stitches. At the small end it would be wise to take a stitch over the braid to hold it firmly. Centre pieces, bureau-scarfs or even towel ends are handsome when decorated with coronation braid, and do you know it is a very easy matter to make designs for yourself, as there is nothing prettier than daisies or wild roses for coronation braid. If the petals are too fine to allow you to use the coronation braid, then you must use one grain for each petal, cutting off the grains as you require them.

Coronation braid comes in white, Delft blue, bright green, or red. The braid is supple enough to turn sharp corners.

The daisy, as I have stated before, is one of the principal designs used for coronation braid. Braid the flower with one piece of the braid. It is not necessary to cut the braid but at the beginning and the ending of the daisy. The very largest width of coronation braid will be required for the daisy. Two grains will be sufficient for a petal. Bring the narrow ends to the centre and connect them to the material. In the centre make a cluster of French knots. The effect produced is a daisy embroidered heavily and yet quite different from satin stitch. ([Figure 105].)

A belt decoration with five or six coronation daisies is very attractive when used on a light summer dress. Sometimes the owner prefers to couch the braid down with blue cotton and to work the centre of the daisy in the same colour.

Fig. 105. A daisy in coronation braid

A row of daisies is improved by working a fagotting stitch which is explained in "Simple Lace Stitches," between the petals. See that the braid is sewed on far enough apart that the lace stitches will not be crowded.

Coronation braid is also used with crochet stitches for the borders of centre pieces and towels.

X
SMOCKING, FEATHER-STITCHING AND LAZY-DAISY STITCH

Smocking is such a fashionable trimming this year that I am sure you will not be contented till Sally Ann has a smocked dress. Why, one cannot take a walk in the park without seeing several little children and some grown-ups, too, wearing smocked dresses. Sometimes they are made of fine lawn or pique and then again they are China silk, crêpe de chine, or cashmere.

Stamped patterns can be had for smocking but they are not at all necessary. Nearly every little English girl knows how to smock without buying a pattern and why should not you?

The simplest form of smocking is the honeycomb or diamond ([Figure 106]). It can be any size you wish. A good size for Sally Ann's dress is the half-inch diamond smocking. The beauty of the work lies in its regularity. To keep it so, the dots must be spaced evenly. A good way is to have a marking card. Take a piece of heavy paper or thin cardboard about six inches long by an inch and a half wide. With a ruler draw a faint line one half inch down parallel with the long edge of the card. Draw four other lines below this at quarter-inch intervals. Be sure that the space between each two lines is a quarter inch, no more or no less. Along the top line measure in one half inch. From this point make dots at quarter-inch intervals all the way across. Each line is dotted in like manner, letting each dot come directly under the upper one in straight rows. If mother has a card punch ask her to lend it to you and where the dots are make holes. A stiletto will answer the same purpose as the punch; or an orange stick may be pressed into service. Your marking card is now ready.

Fig. 106. Diamond smocking

Measure the length you wish to make Sally Ann's skirt. Select a piece of material that will show pencil marks, such as lawn, pique, China silk, or crêpe de chine. It will not be necessary to gore the skirt, as the smocking will form a sort of yoke for the dress. A little frock smocked in blue or red will be nice enough for all occasions. Take the material and smooth all the creases out after it is cut the right length. You must allow about the same amount of material for the width of the hem as you do for ordinary skirts. Place the smocking card so that the edge of it is on a line with the top edge of the goods. The smocking must be done before the belt is put on. Through each of the perforated holes make a dot in lead pencil. After every hole has been dotted, move the card so that there is only one quarter of an inch space before commencing to dot again. In other words, place the card so the dots have the appearance of being one continuous design.

Thread a No. 6 sewing needle with a piece of red or blue cotton. Make a tiny knot at the end. Start from the topmost left-hand dot from the under side of the material. Draw the first and second dots together. Three stitches on the right side will suffice to hold them together. Between the second and third dots let the thread span the material on the wrong side without pulling it. The third and fourth dots are drawn together and then the thread spans the space between the fourth and fifth. Do you see how we are working? First a dot, then a space, a dot, then a space, until the entire line is finished.

The second row is worked exactly the same only instead of starting on the first dot of the second row, start with the second. The third row corresponds with the first and now at last we have formed a diamond.

Fig. 107. Smocking in points

If a little more colour is wanted than just the dot alone, pass a thread along the edge of each diamond under the dots. A suggestion which may prove helpful to you if the material has starch in it is that it is easy to crease each line of dots before starting to smock. If the material is soft the smocking should be stroked or gauged. There is a new term to learn, "gauge." It is the same as stroking in sewing. The English women have all sorts of complicated patterns in smocking, but the one that is most popular is the diamond smocking I have told you about. After you know the principle you can make the smocking as deep as you wish and then try and smock in points. (See [Figure 107].)

Fig. 108. Single feather-stitching

Feather-stitching is almost as simple as smocking. It has various other names. Perhaps you know it by the name of "brier-stitch." The first and simplest form is the single feather-stitching. A thread as fine as No. 60 sewing cotton or a heavy Germantown wool can be used for it. Baby blankets or a blanket for yourself are pretty feather-stitched in wool.

Like smocking, patterns can be had for feather-stitching. But the best embroiderers never use them, as their mechanical correctness makes the work too much like machine work. I do recommend, however, a faint line drawn so as to have something on which to guide your line and gauge your stitches.

Fig. 109. Double feather-stitching

Let us thread our needle with a piece of coarse blue thread. On a little piece of muslin draw a faint pencil line across it. Commence from the upper right-hand side of the line. Take a short stitch about three sixteenths of an inch on the right of the line, slanting to the line. Let the thread come under the point of the needle in each stitch. The second stitch is taken on the left side of the line the same distance over and the same in slant ([Figure 108]).

Fig. 110. Triple feather-stitching

Fig. 111. Four on each side

Double feather-stitching is two stitches to the right, two to the left and so on till the line is finished ([Figure 109]). In fact you can make three, four (Figures [110] and [111]), or five stitches or even more if you wish on each side. The prettiest little border can be made of feather-stitching in circles. Take a quarter or a fifty-cent piece and draw a faint line around it on the material about one inch from the edge. Move the piece till it overlaps the pencilled circle and draw another circle. Repeat as many times as necessary to go around the skirt, sleeve, or section you are decorating. A row such as this makes a pretty decoration around the sleeves and neck of a night dress or the ruffles of drawers. Marking cotton No. 20 or No. 25 should be used for feather-stitching underwear.

Infants' dresses, bibs, or petticoats of lawn or any very sheer material of cotton or linen should be worked in fine marking cotton, either Nos. 25, 30, 40, or 50.

Just a word about threads. There are several different kinds. The most popular and best known are D. M. C., Madonna, Royal Society, and Utopia. The numbers run about the same. Some teachers recommend one certain kind, but the result obtained from using any of them is almost identical.

Fig. 112. Seaweed-stitch

There is a pretty little stitch that can be made with a foundation of double feather-stitching. We used to call it "seaweed-stitch" when we were youngsters. I remember I made a white cashmere coat for my doll and used the seaweed-stitch along the hem and above the opening, and on the cuffs and collar of the coat. It was embroidered in rose coloured filo silk. A row of double feather-stitching was worked in the usual way. At the end of each stitch a little Van Dyke point or V was worked. Try it yourself and see how dainty it is ([Figure 112]).

A good way and something new for decoration is the feather-stitchery used like festoons on the hems. The way this is done is to take a compass and make a circle about two and a half inches in diameter. Cut it out in heavy paper or thin cardboard. Baste the hem in place and then trace one-third of the circle. Repeat in like manner till the hem has the appearance of large scallops. Along the lines work the single or double feather-stitching in No. 20 marking cotton through the two thicknesses of the material. Pull out the basting threads from the hem and then carefully cut away the material within each scallop on the wrong side of the hem. In other words, the upper part of the under hem is cut close to the stitching. Cut right down to the feather-stitching.

Only thin materials are pretty worked like this, as the doubled material gives a milk-white appearance, while the upper or single parts are transparent. A lazy-daisy stitch worked in the centre of each scallop adds further beauty to a feather-stitched hem such as has been just described. The lazy-daisy has been aptly called because it requires a stitch to connect each petal to the material.

Fig. 113. The lazy-daisy stitch

Another name for this lazy-daisy stitch is the "bird's-eye" stitch ([Figure 113]). It is used to represent clovers, daisies, or leaves. The stitch is made, if for a daisy, from a common centre. Bring your needle up from the centre of the daisy and take a stitch the length of the petal. Let the thread come from the left under the point of the needle. Pull the needle through the material on the right side. A short stitch at the end of the petal catches it down to the material. The needle is now brought back to the centre and the next petal made in the same manner. Any size daisy can be made like this from the quarter to a two-inch size. Remember that the larger your daisy is the more petals it should have. As fine thread should be used for the little flowers and the heaviest silk or lustre for the big ones, it is a wise plan to faintly mark in pencil the daisy. One line will be sufficient for each petal. If you do this, you can then be sure that each petal will be the same length as the last.

A charming little yoke can be made of groups of fine tucks and rows of the daisies.

XI
COUCHING, SHADOW WORK AND TURKISH STITCH
HOW TO STAMP DESIGNS

The more one does of fancy work the more fascinating it becomes. Every new piece presents an opportunity for new stitches and colours.

We have talked a lot in the first chapters of this book as to the different implements necessary for sewing and by now I am sure you have a well-equipped sewing box or basket. Now it will be necessary to add considerably to your work box for embroidery.

The crewel needle which I mentioned in the ninth chapter is the most important implement. Get a pack of assorted Nos. from 5 to 10. They will answer every purpose unless you need a large tapestry needle for couching. The most unfortunate thing about a crewel needle is that the eye has the bad habit of breaking. This is caused from the steel being so fine at the top that vigorous working snaps it off very quickly.

A tapestry needle is like a large crewel needle, only it is much stronger and the eye is very large.

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]).

A crewel needle is threaded with a single strand of silk, the same shade or lighter or darker if you desire. Fasten the silk ends down neatly on the back of the material with the single thread and bring it up one quarter of an inch from the hole and span the cluster of silk threads. The threads are caught down in this manner at quarter-inch intervals. When the end of the line is reached, the cluster of threads is again taken through to the back of the material.

Couching is a stitch that you will hear more about in later chapters.

The Turkish or Ismet stitch is another name for cat-stitching or herring-boning. See [Figure 98]. The stitch is taken vertically instead of horizontally, as in cat-stitch. Turkish stitch gets its name from the embroideries from Turkey ([Figure 115]). It seems to be the favourite stitch of the Turkish ladies.

Fig. 115. Turkish stitch

Have you ever noticed how many pieces of Turkish embroidery are worked on coarse unbleached muslin or tan linen? The colours are generally bright green, blue, coral pink, chestnut brown, purple and then outlined in black or gold thread.

Shadow work, is not that a funny name for embroidery? But you can understand why it is called that when you see a piece worked. It gives the appearance of a design under the cloth, as all the stitches are taken from the wrong side of the material. The design is drawn or stamped on the wrong side. Lawn is usually selected for the background of shadow work because of its transparency. A heavy cotton such as No. 16 or No. 20 marking cotton or D. fine lustre is necessary.

Daisies or chrysanthemums are most popular for shadow work on account of the smoothness on their edges. Not that it is impossible to work an indented edge, but it is more difficult.

Fig. 116. The right side of shadow stitch

To work the shadow stitch, place your work over your embroidery hoop with the design side up. Start to work a petal from the heart of the flower. Do not use a knot. The stitch is like cat-stitching (see [Figure 98]). First you take a stitch on one side of the petal, then you pass over to the other side. Be sure you take the same length stitch every time. The stems are worked in outline stitch. Shadow work from the right side looks like back-stitching ([Figure 116]). It is used on aprons, shirtwaists, or bureau scarfs where a good effect is wanted with very little work.

There are two ways of working the leaves of daisies or chrysanthemums in shadow work: First, and the best in my opinion, is to start and work from the top of the leaf to where the midrib commences in the design. Now work from the midrib to the outer edge on the right side of the leaf. The left-hand side is yet to be filled in. Start from the base of the leaf and instead, however, of putting the needle through the material by the midrib catch one thread upon the midrib and then take a stitch on the left-side edge of the leaf, up to where the midrib ends.

The other way of working a leaf is to outline the midrib first. Then start from the base of the leaf and work across the entire leaf. The former way is the better, because there is not such a wide stretch of thread on the wrong side as in the latter method.

Batiste, organdy, and lawn are the usual materials used in America for shadow work, but in England, where more substantial materials are generally liked, tea cloths of linen in shadow stitch are often seen. Tiger lilies are good for any large piece.

The effect of shadow work on linen is as if a padded design was placed on the material.

White is the nicest for working shadow stitch on waists, especially as colour is apt to cheapen the effect.

Remember that a design drawn out in pencil soils the cottons or silks and necessitates the article being washed before it is used. You can buy patterns for embroidery so cheap and in such excellent taste that it pays one in the end to use them instead of drawing on the material. There is the perforated design that can be had from five cents up. It is the oldest and in some ways the most expensive pattern. The perforated paper is laid, with the rough side up, over the material on the ironing table or any other flat surface. An especially prepared powder that embroidery shops sell for stamping designs is the best to use. A pouncet is several layers of felt rolled together, or a piece of wood covered with felt. Rub the pouncet in the powder. See that the pattern is weighted down so that it will not slip while you are working on it. Rub the powder in with a circular movement. Lift the weights from the lower edge of the paper, and gently raising the pattern see that the design is well on before removing the pattern. A hot iron will be necessary now to set the powder. Every time you use the iron just clamp it down on the design. Wipe it off on an old piece of cloth before you press it again on another section of the design. Each time the iron touches the powder, part of it adheres to the iron and the design would be spoiled if the iron was used again before wiping it. After the design has been set, the iron can be used freely over the whole work.

There is another method of stamping with a perforated pattern, and that is placing the smooth side of the design face upward and using a blue paste that comes in cake form. The pouncet is dipped in kerosene or naptha and then rubbed on the paste. Apply to the paper as directed for the powder. This method requires no iron, but care must be taken not to get the pouncet too wet or the design will run.

A third method for stamping is one that requires to be rubbed with the back of a spoon. The fourth and newest method of stamping is by the transfer designs. The patterns are in different colours. Place the transfers with the bright or raised surface next to your material and press with a heated iron. Some patterns require a very hot iron, while for others a moderately heated iron suffices.

You can make a perforated pattern yourself by drawing a design on a piece of paper and using a sewing machine to perforate along the lines.

XII
BUTTONHOLING AND WALLACHIAN EMBROIDERY

Embroidery buttonholing is a little different from the buttonhole stitch used in sewing. It is a stitch that is most used to finish the edges of centre pieces, scarfs, and, in fact, any article where embroidery is wanted to finish the work. You know that it is possible to use a fancy stitch, such as the Turkish stitch described in the last chapter, but in that case the material will have to be turned back and hemmed. The twill or purl of buttonholing, as the little ridge on the edge is called, serves as a resistance for the material from fraying out.

The buttonhole stitch is the most popular in embroidery. It is the foundation for many other stitches. Feather-stitching is really an open form of this stitch.

As a usual thing it is necessary to pad before working buttonholing. It raises the work and makes it much more durable as an edge. The padding can be done in either running-stitch or chain-stitching.

Let us take for our first example the straight buttonholing. It is the simplest form. Cover the space between the lines with coarse, running stitches. Let the background be medium weight linen. The padding thread should be No. 16 or No. 20 marking cotton, or two strands of white darning cotton makes an excellent padding. The stitches can be fully one quarter of an inch in length. Take up a single thread of the background so that the padding will be all on the top of the material. This keeps the work well raised on the right side and perfectly flat on the wrong side. An extra row or two toward the outer edge of buttonholing raises the edge prettily. Chain-stitching is a more rapid way of padding, but should only be used for coarse work. Remember that the wider the buttonholing the more padding will be necessary.

The padding should be worked over your embroidery hoops, keeping the work as near to your fingers as possible. The actual buttonholing gets a rounder effect if done over the finger, though it is possible, of course, to do it over the hoops.

Again, no knots in buttonholing. Thread your needle with No. 25 marking cotton. Make three little running stitches and one back-stitch to insure firmness in the starting. Let your thread come up slightly under the lower line of the buttonholing. With your left thumb holding the thread down to the material draw your thread to the right, take a stitch over the padding, bringing the needle out slightly below the lower line. The thread should fall under the point of the needle in each stitch.

The next thing we learn in buttonholing is a scallop. The deeper the scallop the more difficult it is to make a good corner and to keep the slant of the stitches right. When you buy a stamped piece of embroidery, select a pattern that has a shallow scallop and one where the points are not too sharp. In working a scallop the stitches should slant vertically in the direct centre, slanting the other stitches toward this point ([Figure 117]).

Fig. 117. A simple scallop

The object in carrying the needle slightly beyond the stamped line is that all the stamping may be well covered. A stitch that is taken directly through the line shows the stamping.

The diagrams (Figures [117] and [118]) show how to work a simple scallop and one with a sharp scallop. A good deal has been written about the cutting of scallops, but the safest and wisest is to wash the piece before cutting out the scallops. A pair of small embroidery scissors should be used to cut the material away close to the twill of the buttonholing. If a scallop is cut before it is washed it frays so much that the edge has an untidy look.

Fig. 118. A sharp scallop

Some women work a row of machine stitching close to the lower edge before padding it, as a preventive from fraying, while others insist on cutting the material to allow a hem on the wrong side only. Try the first way and see if you are not successful. Another point to bear in mind in buttonholing is that the stitches should be taken very close to each other. If a piece of buttonholing is well done it is hard to distinguish one stitch from the other, and yet they must not be made one on top of the other or the buttonholing will be rough.

Wallachian work gets its name from a little community in Pennsylvania. It is a German word and is nothing more than coarse buttonholing. It is especially appropriate on heavy waists, centre pieces, pillow tops or work bags. A finer form of it looks well on sheer waists. The rings or circles are worked from a centre like the spokes in a cart wheel ([Figure 119]).

Fig. 119. A Wallachian ring

Fig. 120. Wallachian stitch

The leaves or petals of a Wallachian figure are worked on the slant, and here is the difference from ordinary buttonholing and the distinctive feature of Wallachian embroidery. Usually the petals have an indented top and a line running through the centre. Begin at the lower right-hand section and take a short stitch on the line as for outlining. The next stitch is taken close to this from the midrib to the outer right-hand edge. The stitches need not be quite as close as in buttonholing and no padding is required. Continue in the same slant to where the centre line stops. The stitches from this point radiate till they are in a good slant to continue down the left side. Note the stitches in the diagram ([Figure 120]).

Some people do not slant their stitches and the result is that the work is not as pretty and loses its chief charm.

Placing your thimble on a piece of material, make a little circle around it and in the centre make a little dot to practise the Wallachian ring on.

Fig. 121. A whisk broom holder in Wallachian stitch

You will find that your thimble or spool is a great help to you also in making scallops. Draw a line with the ruler just below where you want your scallop to be. Inscribe half a circle with the aid of your thimble or spool on the straight line. Just within this half-circle draw another half-circle that will touch the upper line of the scallop. A ten-cent piece or in fact any coin can be used like this. Embroidered pieces should be washed by themselves, especially if they are worked in colours.

A little girl I was teaching some years ago was very slow in working a centre piece. She finished the piece one day just before her term was over. Thinking that she would surprise me, little Daisy decided to launder the piece herself. Her mother knew nothing about embroidery, so was not able to tell her how to proceed. So Daisy washed the piece and having seen how mother bleached the linens, Daisy desired to give her piece a sun bath. She spread it out in the sun and when she went for it the colour was half out. Poor little Daisy was heart-broken. She would not have had this trouble had she observed the following directions:

Put the piece to launder in warm water and rub it with a pure soap, such as castile. Ordinary laundry soaps are too strong of lye to be used. If the piece is very soiled let it soak a long time, several hours. Usually washing the piece out in water is sufficient. Rub with the hand only. Rinse in clean water and lay the piece on a thick cloth or a Turkish towel. Roll the towel up and leave until the piece is almost dry.

Lay the embroidery, with the worked side down, over a heavy padded surface. Press with a hot iron quickly. If the centre of the piece puckers, dampen it again till you have pressed it out thoroughly.

If you fear to put the iron directly on the piece lay a thin white cloth over it and then press. Many a really beautiful piece is spoiled in the laundering.

XIII
ROMAN CUT-WORK, FANCY BUTTONHOLING FOR BORDERS, WORK BAGS, BERMUDA FAGOTTING

Roman cut-work or Colbert embroidery is one of the prettiest forms of buttonholing. The right way to work it is to make the stitches so that each one is distinct from the other. Some people insist on crowding the stitches as in regular fine buttonholing, which is quite a mistake, as its distinctness lies in dissimilarity to the ordinary buttonholing ([Figure 122]).

The work is used for centre pieces, corners of lunch napkins, coat sets, as well as on heavy linen dresses. In Scotland the little girls make the entire yokes of their night gowns in cut-work as well as the top of their night gown case. These cases are placed on top of the bed pillows during the day and are marvels of fine handwork. This custom is not restricted to Scotland, but Italian, French, and German women are also proud of their night dress cases.

The design for Roman cut-work should be bold and not too close together. It should be stamped directly on the material. The American way of working it is to run a line of fine stitches on the outline and then work a row of buttonholing. The stitches are a little less than an eighth of an inch deep. The background spaces between the design are then cut away close to the buttonhole edge. Do not neglect to wet and press the linen before cutting the buttonholing. Keep the twill of the buttonholing on the outer edge of the design so that the background will be bordered with the twilled edges ([Figure 123]).

Fig. 122. Roman cut-work

The European method of Roman cut-work is to run the thread first and then cut the material so that there is an eighth of an inch extending beyond the running stitches. This is turned under till the running thread forms the edge and then the buttonholing is worked through both thicknesses of the material. This way prevents the linen from fraying. The design is basted over a piece of coloured paper, letting the basting stitches follow closely the buttonholing. The wide spaces are then filled in with a simple lace stitch such as the twisted bar, woven bar, or spiders. Sometimes the spider is used in conjunction with one of the former stitches, and it is an excellent stitch for filling in the corners. Marking cotton No. 20 or No. 25 should be used for Roman cut-work, as well as the lace stitches.

Fig. 123. A Roman cut-work centre piece

To make the twisted bar, plan the open spaces so that they will be well filled and yet not too crowded. Span from one side of the space to the other with the thread, then return and whip the thread or stitch three or four times. The stitches may be connected and have the appearance of a series of points ([Figure 124]).

Fig. 124. The twisted bar

The woven bars are made by working two threads across the space about one eighth of an inch apart. Start from one end and weave. Take up one thread on the upward and the other thread on the downward pass. Continue in this manner till the whole bar is woven. The bars are placed at equal distances apart ([Figure 125]).

Fig. 125. The woven bar

The spider is a little more complicated. It is made on an uneven number of threads, usually seven. They may be double or single. To make the whipped or double-thread spider, span the space with the thread and then whip back to the centre and connect the thread to the buttonholing again at some little distance from the first stitch. Whip back to the centre again and take a stitch directly opposite. Continue in this manner till there are five, seven, or nine threads around the centre, then proceed to weave under one and over the next thread until a good-sized spider is made. Do not make too large a spider, as it detracts from the work. An illustration for the single spider is given in the chapter on lace stitches.

Fig. 126. Blanket stitch

The blanket stitch is a favourite for working the edge of flannel skirts or quilted covers. Worsted or coarse silk can be used for it. It is made on the raw or folded edge of the material. Two stitches are long and two are short. Sometimes they are worked like a pyramid. Beginning at the base we increase each stitch till we reach the point and then decrease each stitch in length as we work back to the base on the other side ([Figure 126]).

The triangular buttonhole is a pretty stitch for a conventional design that has long narrow sections. It may also be used for working a very large simple scallop ([Figure 127]). The way we were taught in school was to mark the section to be worked in deep points. The twill of the buttonholing must come on the lines. The stitches are not very close to each other. The stitches are taken on the line across to the next line. Begin at the longest opening and make every stitch shorter. When the line is covered, turn the work so that the twill of the buttonholing touches the top of the stitches just made. If this stitch is used on the outer scallop it will be necessary to hem the material, letting the triangular buttonholing form the edge.

Fig. 127. The triangular buttonholing

Then there are fancy forms of buttonholing that are used especially in Mount Mellick work. The double buttonhole stitch is effective to fill in the large leaves. The stitches are taken in groups of two, then a little space and two more stitches. Continue in straight rows. Sometimes one will see a leaf worked one half in double buttonholing and the other half in a close stitch.

Fig. 128. The honeycomb stitch

The honeycomb or mesh is a fancy name for another form of buttonholing. Work a row of buttonholing about a quarter of an inch apart. The distance may be changed to suit the design you are working on. In the second and all other rows, the needle is over the buttonhole loop directly above and a short stitch taken a quarter of an inch, or the distance you have decided on, below the loop. In starting each row bring the needle up a quarter of an inch, or more or less as you desire, below the previous row. The distance must be kept even to achieve satisfactory results. It is not necessary to start from one side always. The first row is worked from left to right, the second from right to left and so on, back and forth, till the space is filled ([Figure 128]).

Bermuda fagotting is the name of a stitch that gives the effect of drawn work, when no threads have been drawn. It is used on scroll designs as well as to outline a simple floral pattern. Lawn, dimity, China silk, handkerchief linen, or nainsook are the prettiest materials for this stitch, as it demands a fine, transparent background to give the right effect.

Fig. 129. Diagram of stitches

Sewing cotton No. 100 or 150 and a special needle are the only requirements for this work. The needles can be bought from any art needlework shop for five cents each. It is like a large-sized carpet needle with a small eye. A carpet needle can be substituted if it is not possible to obtain the regular needle in your locality. Tie one end of the thread to the eye of the needle. While practising this stitch it will be necessary to make guide lines. On each side of the design line make a row of dots an eighth of an inch apart. The dots above the line must be directly over the lower dots. Note the diagram ([Figure 129]) of this stitch. I have numbered the first six dots.

Take a stitch from one to three and tie the end of the thread under this point. Make the stitch a second time from these points, pulling the material between them closely. Pass the needle underneath and connect one and two with two stitches. Then pass to point four and connect two. Three and four are connected in the same manner. It is only necessary to tie the thread when commencing the work or a new thread. The needle is so large that it makes quite a hole in the material and the thread is so fine that the manner of working is not clear to the average eye unless a detailed explanation is given ([Figure 130]).

Fig. 130. An enlarged drawing of Bermuda fagotting

When working on a curved line or a corner it will be necessary to make an extra stitch on the outer or longer side only.

The scroll lines or stems of a conventional shirtwaist design are more dainty when made in Bermuda fagotting. The corners of handkerchiefs or a design on underwear or yokes and collars lend themselves to this style of adornment.

XIV
SATIN-STITCH AND MARKING

The more interested we become in embroidery the more we find how much more there still is to be learned about it.

There may be embroiderers who are experts in one branch of the subject and yet who will do very unsatisfactory work in another. For instance, one girl may be very proficient in fancy stitches and yet may not do the simple stitches or vice versa. Few American girls excel in the satin-stitch, not because it is hard, but it must be perfectly accurate. The average German, Swiss or French child can do better satin-stitch at the age of twelve than the average American woman does. From the time the children in those countries can hold a needle in their hand they are taught to sew and embroider.

Fig. 131. A letter in satin-stitch

Satin-stitch is a stitch that is taken over and over across a space. Sometimes it is quite heavily padded and at a first glance gives the appearance of a piece of material heavily raised. Fine designs should, however, be slightly padded. There are three ways in which padding may be done. There is the running or uneven darning, the chain, or the filling-stitch. A great deal depends on the smoothness of the padding. The chain-stitch should only be used for coarse work. The padding should not cover the stamped outlines, for they are needed as a guide for the satin-stitch. The padding is usually worked in a heavier thread than the outer stitches. Darning cotton that comes in four strands is often used. One or two strands is sufficient.

Fig. 131A. Satin-stitch

The prettiest satin-stitch is taken straight across. The stitches should not be crowded, but should be worked so that when the embroidery is finished the stitches are hard to distinguish one from the other.

Fig. 131B. Satin-stitch dot

The Old English letter "E" ([Figure 131]) shows a good example of satin-stitch and outlining. The latter was used on the single lines. The entire letter may be carried out in satin-stitch by first running the single lines with uneven darning stitches and then covering these with fine satin-stitches. Make the padding stitches as close together as possible, or the satin-stitches will be uneven.

The letter "C" ([Figure 132]) offers an opportunity of combining two colours. After the satin-stitch has been done, a little back-stitch is worked through the centre of the heavily padded sections. This combination of stitches is pleasing when colour is used, as the satin-stitch is in one colour and the centre stitches in another. A great many of the regular sewing stitches can be used instead of the embroidery ones. For the very fine lines, back-stitching can be used, making the stitches finer than those used in ordinary sewing.

Fig. 132. Satin-stitching and seeding

The letter "A" of [Figure 133] shows a good combination of satin-stitch and back-stitching.

Fig. 133. Satin-stitch and back-stitching

Satin-stitch can be worked straight across or on the slant. Most of the modern work is straight, though a great many Germans still prefer to slant their stitches. The work should be held toward you and the needle straight. The padding should be worked lengthwise on the design and the satin-stitch in the opposite direction.

The Chinese do beautiful embroidery, usually in satin-stitch which is not padded and the finest of silks are employed for the work.

Another way of marking is to make a row of French knots along the outline design. A single line script letter lends itself best to this kind of work.

Fig. 134. A simple letter in back-stitching

For bath towels an outlined letter is better than a padded one. The letter on a school bag or a heavy Turkish towel should be very simple as the wear they get does not warrant the spending of too much time on them. If there is a monogram to be made it is prettier if the initials of the Christian name be light and the surname heavy.

We learned about outlining in the first chapter of embroidery stitches, but outlining in combination with outer stitches is a little surprise for you. We have the German to thank for most of the good combinations of stitches or letters. After the letter has been outlined in white, we will say, a thread of colour is taken. Starting from the upper left-hand side the needle is passed under the first stitch of the outlining, up through the second stitch and down again through the third, till every stitch has been taken up on the needle ([Figure 135]). The threaded needle should not pass through the material except at the beginning and end of each line ([Figure 136]).

Fig. 135. A pretty combination stitch

Fig. 136. A letter in fancy stitch

Another manner in which a letter may be embroidered, especially an old English letter, is to work it solid in white and outline it in colour. The Van Dyke point is good also where a broad space is to be filled. It is sometimes called the bird's-eye stitch.

Fig. 137. A simple way to work a letter

Start at the top and on the left side of the letter or space it is to fill. Insert the needle on the right side and take a stitch to the centre on a slant like a buttonhole stitch. Fasten to the material with a little short stitch. Bring needle out at the extreme left and repeat directions until the space is filled. Each stitch forms a V (note [Figure 138]).

Sometimes you will find a very elaborate letter, the outline of which has been worked in satin-stitch or French stemming. Little eyelets or satin-stitch dots are worked between the lines.

Fig. 138. Van Dyke stitch

When two or more letters intertwine they are called a monogram. It is not every set of letters that will make good monograms. Letters that have a good swing should be selected so that though they intertwine each letter should stand forth clearly. It is permissible to use the surname initial a trifle larger than the Christian initial. When monograms are composed of three letters and one of the smaller letters is placed on either side of the larger one the effect is very pleasing. The smaller the letters, the finer the thread should be. No. 50 or 60 marking cotton can be used for letters one half-inch in size. A three-quarter inch letter should be carried out in No. 45 marking cotton. A one-inch letter requires No. 35 cotton, while the two-inch letters take No. 30 and so on. The larger the letter the coarser the cotton.

Fig. 139. A letter in Van Dyke stitch

Fig. 139A. Seeding

The beauty of a monogram is to have something original. Perhaps you want to work your bag. Take a tea cup and place on the material in the position you desire the monogram. Run a faint pencil line around the cup. Draw a block letter in the centre so that it touches the upper and lower edges of the circle. Your two Christian initials are then placed one on each side of the centre letter. Try to fit the letters so as to keep the circle perfect. It may be you will not really draw block letters, but so much the better, as the monogram will be more original. If it is impossible to make a complete circle with the letters, embroider the sections of the circle between the letters in stem-stitch. Stem-stitch, you will remember, is an outline-stitch covered with the over-and-over or small satin-stitch.

A monogram of this sort is especially appropriate for a man's handkerchief. A twenty-five-cent piece, or a fifty-cent piece if it is a very large handkerchief, should be used for the circle. Seeding ([Figure 139A]) may be combined with satin-stitch in working monograms. Seeding is nothing more than a series of little back-stitches. A good effect is obtained by working one letter in satin-stitch and the other in seeding. It will be necessary to outline the outer edges of the seeded letter.

You have probably noticed the gold emblems and lettering on the sleeves of army officers' regimentals. They are generally worked in bullion, though sometimes gold thread is used. Bullion comes in gold and silver and at the first glance looks like the Oriental gold or silver threads. The difference is, however, that bullion is tubular, while the threads are usually composed of two or three strands twisted together or over and over a thread of red cotton. The red cotton makes a strong foundation for the gold threads and, by the way, do you know that all silk that comes on spools has a fine thread of cotton running through the centre? The purer the silk the less cotton is used, but the latter is very necessary, as the threads will not stand very much strain if they are all silk.

Now let us get back to emblems in bullion. It is necessary in bullion work to have a fine cardboard foundation which is called "the cartoon." Trace your design on the cardboard and then cut the design out. Baste the cartoon to the background, which may be of any material you desire. Broadcloths, silks, satins, and velvets are the materials usually selected for the work. Thread a fine needle with a piece of silk. Fasten the thread on the wrong side of the material and bring the needle up through the right side. Let us suppose that you are working the block letter A. Start from the apex of the letter. Cut a piece of the bullion just the size of a very small bead. Slip the needle through the cut piece of bullion and span the point of the letter. Continue in this manner till the cardboard is closely covered with the bullion. Each piece of bullion is cut to fit the space it is to cover.

In working a five pointed star, start and pad each section lengthwise, if it is to be embroidered in silk or cotton. For bullion work the cartoon is always necessary.

Work each section of the star from the point to the centre. Work from left to right, so that each section that is worked is to the left.

Papier-maché letters can be bought that may be used as a padding. They are very satisfactory for anything that is not to be laundered, but continual washings flatten the papier-maché, while if the padding is made of cotton it lasts as long as the background.

Handkerchiefs for yourself can be daintily marked in very fine feather-stitching in D. M. C. marking cotton No. 80. Remember to keep the stitches in a pretty slant.

There are numerous places that a letter or monogram can be used. A girl I know who is at a boarding school has marked all her bed linen and towels. For each pair of sheets and two pillow cases she uses a different style letter or monogram so that her linen is in sets.

Cross-stitching is appropriate for bath towels, although face towels are often very attractive worked in this stitch.

The question often arises as to which is the right place to put a letter or monogram on a table cloth, napkin, pillow case, or sheet, and though you may not be interested in any of these articles at present, it is well to know these little points when helping to mark the household linens.

Napkins are usually marked with the letter in the direct centre when folded. Of course, like many other things, there are fads for changing the position. One extreme style is to mark the letter in the direct centre of the napkin. This style necessitates folding the napkin in a fancy shape so that the embroidery will be seen at its best advantage.

There are two good ways to mark a table cloth. One is to place the lettering midway between one corner of the table and the hem. When the cloth is on the table the letter is below the top. The second and newer way is to have the letter on the top of the table on a line with the plates. If two sets of letters or monograms are used place them at diagonal corners.

On sheets the letters should be placed two and a half inches above the hem. The letter is worked so that when the sheet is folded back the base of the letter is toward the foot of the bed.

Pillow cases or towels are marked in the centre of one side, two inches above the hem.

Again let me impress upon you not to embroider white washable material in silk, thinking that because silks are more expensive they are better. Silks are apt to discolour in laundering. Cottons are now manufactured that have a high gloss like silk and yet they never discolour.

Fig. 140. A handkerchief corner in satin-stitch

Fig. 141. A simple letter for towels

Another pretty and new way to mark letters on lawn or fine linen handkerchiefs is one that gives the effect of Bermuda fagotting and yet it is only hemming with a large needle ([Figure 140]). Draw the letter in pencil on the handkerchief. Thread a large tapestry or chenille needle with a piece of No. 200 linen thread. Cotton thread may be used but it is very apt to break. Tie one end of the thread to the eye of the needle so that it does not slip out. Thread another needle with a strand of No. 8 marking cotton and pass it to the back at the beginning of the letter. Unthread the needle, allowing a half inch to extend out of the back. Let the No. 8 cotton follow the lines of the letter and take a stitch into the material with the large needle. Work from right to left, holding the No. 8 cotton from you. Pull the fine thread tight around the stitch you have taken. Now pass your needle around the same group of threads of the material, holding the stitch over the heavy cotton. Work around the entire outside of the letter, then turn and work the inner line. Stitch again through the hole already made, taking up the same group of threads. Sometimes this style is called ladder-stitch, as the heavy cotton gives the effect of the side of the ladder and the groups of threads represent the rungs. Any design that is uniformly narrow can be carried out in ladder-stitch.

XV
EYELETS AND FRENCH KNOTS, BULLION STITCH, AND OTHER FANCY STITCHES.

The most beautiful of the embroidery stitches is the eyelet, and it is also one of the hardest. A piece of embroidery that is thickly covered with eyelet-work and possibly a little satin-stitch and buttonholing is commonly termed Madeira embroidery. One will often see a piece of the Madeira embroidery so closely covered that it is almost impossible to put another stitch in between the embroidered spots. About fifty years ago it was a matter of impossibility to buy machine embroidery, and eyelet-work was one of the last things made by machine. It was an easy matter to distinguish the hand-work from the machine-work up to about five years ago. A certain regularity of the stitches and the kind of thread used proclaimed it machine to even the amateur. Now-a-days the crafty manufacturers stamp the material to imitate the hand-made embroideries and use a thread of the same quality so that sometimes the professional embroiderers find it hard to distinguish it from the real.

Fig. 142. Baby's bootees

If you should ask a boy who has watched his mother working one, what an eyelet is he will probably tell you that it is cutting holes in the material and sewing them up again. To his mind this is a great waste of time.

Besides being ornamental, the eyelets often play an important part. They are used to run ribbon through in corset covers, night-gowns and other pieces of underwear, as well as on bags, baby bootees, ([Figure 142]), caps and carriage covers. No machine beading can impart the elegance that a well-made eyelet does to a personal garment. Eyelets can be either round or oval. For a small round one run a tracing thread on the outline. Let each stitch take up but one or two threads of the material. Use No. 35 or finer marking cotton for small eyelets. With your stiletto pierce a hole in the outlined edge till it is just the size of the stamped eyelet. Now with the same thread sew around the opening with close over-and-over stitches. The stitches should only be the width of the stamped line ([Figure 143]). They must be even, else you will have a "Pig's-eye."

Fig. 143. The way to work an eyelet

For the large round eyelet, as well as the oval, in all sizes it will be necessary to cut the material within the outline which has first been traced with the running thread. The cuts should be made lengthwise and crosswise, right to the tracing thread. The cut material is turned under to the wrong side and the eyelet worked as just described. After the embroidery is finished turn the material over and any part of the cut cloth that extends beyond the stitches trim off. Your fine embroidery scissors should be used for the cutting.

Fig. 144. The round eyelet

Sometimes you might like to make an eyelet to represent a grape. Some embroiderers call it a shaded or padded eyelet. After the eyelet has been traced make another row of tracing or padding below the lower half of the eyelet. Start from the centre side of the eyelet and make the second tracing deeper on the lower portion of the eyelet. If any space is left between these two rows of tracings fill in with other rows of uneven darning ([Figure 144A]).

Fig. 144A. A padded eyelet

When eyelets are used on the outer edge of a design, they should be buttonholed.

Fig. 145. A simple centre piece in eyelets

The next stitch to claim our attention is French knots. In France they are known as the English knot. They are used to fill in the centres of flowers. When working a piece of golden rod the natural effect is best produced by using French knots very close to each other. A row worked on each side of a row of feather stitching makes a pretty decoration on babies' dresses, caps or even on yokes of dresses for yourself.

Fig. 146. An eyelet design for a pillow

A heavy thread is good to practise making the knot. The actual size or kind of thread to use should depend partly on the kind of material and partly upon the other style of work or stitches that you intend combining with it.

Photograph by Mary G. Huntsman

Many a Happy Hour is Spent Embroidering

To work the knot, fasten the thread securely on the wrong side and bring the needle through to the right side. Now hold the thread down with your left thumb. With the right hand put the needle over and under the thread until there are three or four coils of the thread around the point of the needle. Now hold these coils down with the left thumb. Turn the needle so that its point will go down through the material as close as possible to the place through which it came ([Figure 147]).

Fig. 147. French knots

A pretty idea for making knots for dress trimmings is to thread the needle with two strands of silk, each of a different colour.

Bullion stitch is an elongated French knot. It is used considerably in Mountmellick embroidery, to represent grains of wheat. Small leaves and daisies are oftentimes carried out in bullion stitch.

To make the stitch we will say that we are working on the conventional daisy. Bring the thread up to the base of the petal. Insert the needle so that the length of the petal lies on top of it. (See [Figure 148].) Twine the thread around the needle point until there are as many coils as the length of the petal. The left thumb should hold the coils in place while you are twisting them. The needle is now drawn through the material. It is put through the same hole, or as near as possible to the one from which it came. Keep the left thumb holding down the coils until the stitch has been fastened.

Fig. 148. Bullion-stitch

Another way to accomplish bullion stitch, which has the same appearance, but which really is a very much slower method, is to lay a heavy thread the length of the stitch desired and then neatly wind the cotton over it. It requires a heavy cotton to work this successfully.

An embroidery needle should not be used for either French knots or bullion stitch, as the eye is apt to stick when pulling it through the coils. A large sewing needle should be substituted.

Fig. 149. An elaborate piece of buttonholing and satin-stitch

Any girl can make dainty and original designs for eyelet work if she will invest in compasses. As has been stated before, eyelets vary in size. The size that is most effective for decorating heavy linen or cotton is an eyelet a little less than half an inch in diameter. A larger eyelet is often used, but it requires a good deal of patience and experience to keep it in shape.

With the compass hundreds of designs may be used. The most popular as well as being the most attractive is the simple daisy. A circle is drawn to represent the centre. A quarter of an inch over from the centre circle, or less if you wish to, draw six other circles so that they form a ring around the centre dot.

A design such as this can be used on a ruffle of a petticoat or between tucks on dresses while for a whole linen piece there is nothing handsomer for a scalloped or hemstitched centre piece, doily, bureau cover and many other articles on which a bold, open effect is appropriate.

The Wall-of-Troy design is a good one for compass work, only it is suggested to faintly rule the design then inscribe the circles so that their centres are on the line. For instance, suppose you want to make a border design about an inch and a half deep. Take your rule and keeping on a straight thread of your material draw a two-inch line, then leave a space, then draw another line, so on to the end. An inch and a half above these lines draw another row of lines just over the spaces of the first row. Connect the ends of the lines together. Plan so that there is a circle at the points or corners of each line. Between these dots on the horizontal lines make two more circles, while on the vertical lines make only one. These instructions are for a circle the size described; for a smaller eyelet it will be necessary to add more circles to the lines.

A still simpler design is one that is made on a square, that is, with a dot at each corner and one in the direct centre. The dots must be kept the same distance apart.

The Italian girls will make the most elaborate designs of compass work on strips of firm, heavy muslin for ruffles for underwear. They are not like the American and French girls, who will only wear the sheerest kind of light material. The advantage the Italian girl has over her French and American sisters is that when she embroiders a garment it lasts for years, even if it is constantly used, while delicate embroidery is apt to have a very short life on account of the background. To the American girl this is no drawback, as she is always craving for new things.

Sometimes a thimble, spool, or even a twenty-five cent piece is used instead of the compass when a large eyelet is required.

An edge of eyelets is very handsome on a collar and cuff set or handkerchief. They should be placed so that after they are worked they touch each other. The entire eyelet may be carried out in buttonholing or the lower half may be buttonholed and the top worked in the regular way. After the work has been completed dampen the edge and press before cutting out the material from underneath the lower edge of the eyelet.

It is possible to work the eyelet without any buttonhole stitches and yet use it for an edge. In that case a little padding is required and the stitches should be close together.

A linen hat that has a simple scallop edge and a simple design on the brim and crown is a treasure that usually only the wealthy enjoy. It is nice to know how to embroider, but unless we put to use the things we know our knowledge is like a white elephant on our hands. After a careful study of the diagram of the stitches you desire to make and reading the description as to how to make it, a little child could almost work a hat, but the mounting of a hat is not so simple. Yet, what is the use of taking time to embroider one if you do not intend to make it up?

Eyelet work is particularly dainty on a hat as it gives a lacy effect. The material should be a medium weight linen so as not to be too stiff. At one time butcher's linen was thought to be the only kind to be used, but of later years a softer linen is preferred. Lingerie hats have been used for years, probably long before you were born. Every year the shape varies a little. One year it is a narrow brim sailor, next year it is a wide brim, then again a high, next a Tam-o'-shanter crown. The last four years it has been the mushroom shape. For most faces there is nothing more becoming and girlish than the latter ([Figure 150]).

Fig. 150. A lingerie hat

Sometimes the mushroom shape is covered with hand-embroidered ruffles, while again a circular piece having the crown cut out is used. The size of hat varies by what fashion dictates, so it is hard to say just how large your linen should be cut. A twenty-two or twenty-four inch circle makes a neat little shape.

After the embroidery has been worked as described in the first part of this chapter, the frame is prepared for mounting it. A wire frame is lighter and more satisfactory than a buckram frame.

The first thing to decide is, how are we going to face the hat? Tucked ruffling, net, dotted swiss, or fine ruffles of Valenciennes lace may be used. Most people prefer to cover the entire frame with cheap, fine lawn before facing or covering the hat.

This is done by placing the hat on the lawn, the brim touching the material, and cutting a circle a trifle larger than the brim. Cut a circle out for the crown and slip the lawn over the frame. If the crown is too large to allow the lawn to be slipped over it a wide bias band of the lawn can be used to cover the brim. The bias strip should be just the depth of the brim. For the crown, cut a circle large enough to cover the top and use a bias band around its sides.

Tack the muslin to the frame by long basting stitches. It will be necessary to pass under the wire when taking a stitch to keep the material in place. The tucked ruffling can be bought by the yard, trimmed with a row of narrow lace. The entire thing is banded. To adjust a ruffling of this sort place the band around the edge of the crown and tack the ruffle in position at short intervals and at the extreme edge of the brim.

Net or dotted Swiss is pretty shirred or corded or even put on plain. A strip three times the length that it would take to go around the brim plain is cut the depth of the brim. This band is cut on the straight of the goods. A shirring string is run on both sides. The strip is placed in position and pinned taking care to distribute the gathers evenly. The shirring string under the crown is pulled up first and the material over-handed to the frame. The gathering thread on the outer edge of the brim is also adjusted like this, only instead of over-hand stitches, fine running stitches are preferable. Then a small heading is made on one side of the strip that is to be shirred. The heading makes a pretty, soft finish at the edge and does not require any great length of time to do. Allow three quarters of an inch, or more, in the depth of your ruffle if it is to have a heading. Turn one edge of the material to the wrong side. The turn should be a little more than a quarter of an inch deep. The gathering thread is run a quarter of an inch from the folded edge of the material. When the thread is pulled up the heading is formed.

If the material is to be corded, baste a narrow round cord like a corset lace inside the material. The cord is placed where it is desired and the material is folded over it as for a tuck. A running thread is worked close to the cord to keep the two pieces of material together. The threads are afterwards drawn up to bring the fulness of the ruffles to fit the outer edge of the hat.

Three rows of cording are quite sufficient on the edge and the other two rows at equal intervals from the outer brim to the crown.

The ruffles of Valenciennes lace are adjusted by pulling the drawing string on the edge of the lace, and basting the first row of lace on the extreme edge. The second row just touches the first, and so on, filling as many rows of lace in as required.

The embroidered piece is then washed and the brim placed. The edge is tacked at intervals while around the crown the stitches are taken very close together.

The Tam-o'-shanter crown is pulled in shape by a gathering thread, if it is cut in a circular shape and the gathering is all on the edge. Cut the circle large enough to make a pretty Tam-o'-shanter.

The embroidery decoration may be in the direct centre of the crown. If the design is a small one it can be scattered over the crown to give an all over effect.

There are many ways that a lingerie hat may be trimmed and it is hard to say which is the prettiest. A black ribbon band and a bow is simple but severe. White taffeta ribbon may be used the same way if an all white hat is wanted. In fact any shade of ribbon is attractive used like this. The illustration shows a pretty way of trimming a lingerie hat for a girl of about fourteen. A narrow coloured ribbon is used around the crown and a rosette of leaves with rose buds and forget-me-nots is attractively placed on one side.

Sometimes coloured linen is used for the hat and in that case the embroidery may be worked in the same shade as the linen; or white. The hat is then trimmed with white or black. A coloured hat is not as practicable as a white one, as the former is apt to fade and may not be as becoming as the white.

A baby's buttoned hat is made of two circular pieces scalloped out at the edges, one piece being four or five inches smaller than the other. The large one is used for the brim. The head size is cut out of the direct centre and then bound in tape. Three inches from the crown opening sew a circular row of buttons, a half inch apart. Use a washable linen, lace, or crochet button for this purpose.

One inch from the edge of the crown make as many buttonholes as you have buttons. A pair of daintily hemstitched strings that are attached, one on each side of the crown opening, completes this charming little hat. It can be easily unbuttoned and laundered flat. These hats are made of duck, pique or heavy linen. They are the nicest thing you can make for your little sister for the summer when she wants to play in the sun.

XVI
LONG AND SHORT, KENSINGTON EMBROIDERY, AND RIBBON WORK FOR SIMPLE FLOWERS

It is the ambition of every one who starts to embroider to make a piece of flower work and though the floral designs are most fascinating to embroider they are by no means as artistic as the conventional.

The way to embroider a piece of flower work and obtain an original colouring is to get a natural flower and place it in a vase in a position that you can clearly see the light and shadow. The best flower to start with is a daisy. Note that the petals are not a dead white, but there is a suggestion of green toward the centre of the flower. Get mercerized cotton to work with at first until you become accustomed to the stitch.

There is no cut and dried rule in regard to the colouring, but the art of shading a piece naturally is a lesson that is very essential for the embroiderer.

To many people the term embroidery means flower work and only after a course of instruction they discover for themselves how much more artistic and in keeping with most rooms is a conventional design.

Flower work, however, is not to be despised as you will learn more about colour combination and Kensington stitch in one piece of this style than any kind of embroidery.

Fig. 151. Long and short stitch

All flower work has long and short stitch on the edge of the petals or leaves that do not turn over. Daisies do not have turn over leaves as often as a double rose or chrysanthemum. Suppose we draw a very large daisy on a piece of white muslin. With your needle threaded with white lustre start from the right-hand side. Take one stitch on the line. Place your needle back near the same point from which you started. Take a short stitch that goes a wee bit outside of the stamped line past the first stitch. The object of going beyond the line, is that the stitch completely covers the stamping.

The third stitch is taken at the same slant, only longer. The fourth is a short one and so on, first one short and then one long until the top of the petal is reached. Remember, though, these stitches are only on the edge. The left half is worked the same, but the stitches slant a little differently. A good rule to mention right here is, that all stitches should slant to the heart of the flower. In leaves they slant toward the base. The inside of the petal, when the long and short stitches are completed, should be irregular ([Figure 151]).

The Kensington stitch gets its name from an English school of embroidery. It is more like outlining than any other stitch.

After the edge of the flower has been worked in long and short stitch, the Kensington stitch is used to give the solid effect.

The piece must be held all the while in a tight fitting pair of hoops so that it can not sag in the least.

If the petal is long, two or three rows of Kensington stitch will have to be worked to fill it in. If silk is desired, two strands are used for the edge and one strand for the Kensington stitch. The stitches are dovetailed into each other. Each row must have an irregular lower edge, else they will look like bricks laid one on top of the other. The stitches should be so worked that it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins ([Figure 152]).

Fig. 152. The Kensington stitch

Three shades of green are sufficient for the leaves until you are quite expert. In working them embroider on the edge of the lower half of each leaf with the second shade and the upper part with the lightest. Work one side first using the second shade under the lightest and the third under the second. Work to the midrib only. It is not necessary to work in the veins, but if they are desired they are put in after the leaf has been worked. Do not hesitate to cover the stamped veining on the leaf you are working, as the next leaf will be a guide to where to place the veins. They may be in the lightest or deepest shade of green, while sometimes a reddish-brown is substituted.