little zigzag or herringbone between two lines, a row of dots or sloping stitches beside a line, will often make a marvellous difference to the finish and completeness of a pattern which without them gave a vague dissatisfaction. These lines sometimes serve to give a balance of color that was wanting without them. Speaking very generally, middle tints of the ornament will serve for the color, but if, as happens sometimes, the color of flowers is felt to be a little strong in the general effect, a few stitches of their color in the bordering lines between or beside, say the green of the leaves, may greatly improve matters. Lay some threads of the worsted or silk you may be using on the cloth beside the pattern, and you will readily judge the effect."
As I have said at the beginning of this chapter, very many more stitches might be enumerated, but they would add nothing to the practical value of these directions and might serve to embarass. Every worker in decorative needle-work is at liberty to adapt and modify her stitches to suit herself, studying only the result she is aiming to produce. As a rule, borders are the most desirable decoration for table covers, as the folds into which they fall are apt to break or conceal entirely a corner piece, while a group of flowers is apt to be disagreeably obtrusive if worked in the middle of each side. Generally a square table cover is preferable, but I have seen very pretty covers fitted to round tables. One of these was of sage green felt, on which were embroidered at equal distances,
Fig. 14a.
on the round piece fitting the top of the table, sprays of simple wild-flowers in small vases. The vases were cut from black velvet and applied to the cloth, the outline and ornamental lines being worked in gold colored silk. Almost any book on antiquities will give a good model for such vases. The border of the cover was worked in a running floral pattern on a straight piece of cloth, and sewn on to the top. It is well to line this straight piece with a lightly quilted piece of thin muslin, having a light piece of wire attached to the lower edge. Finish with a fringe containing the colors used in the work,
Fig. 14a illustrates a waste-paper basket trimmed with a lambrequin or drapery of felt, satin or plush, worked with a floral design. The lambrequin is finished with a border crocheted in wool, from one of the patterns given in the chapter on crochet, and with tassels.
Fig. 14b.
Another style of basket, which will be found useful for holding newspapers and magazines, is shown in Fig. 14b. The sides are covered with a puffing of silk or satin, and decorated with a panel of either of these materials, on which a floral design is worked or painted. An expeditious way is to paint the design in flat tints, (that is without shading) in water colors, and to edge the outlines with silk in cording stitch.
Reference has been made to appliqué work. As its name implies, the decoration is produced by cutting the design or its main features out in one material, and then fastening it on to a ground work. The edges are then concealed by chain, button-hole, couching, or some other fancy stitch. Sometimes it is advisable to back the appliqué design before fastening on the ground-work, in order to insure its being perfectly flat and unwrinkled. In this case the material used for the ground should be tightly and evenly strained, and the design having been traced on the backing material (which should be of unbleached linen evenly stretched), the cut-out pieces to be used in the work are pasted on this linen ground, care being taken that the stuff goes in the same direction in both the pieces for the design and in the backing. The following paste is used for appliqué work, and also for pasting the backs of some pieces of embroidery designed for screens, etc.
Embroidery Paste.
"Three and a half spoonfuls of flour, and as much powdered resin as will lie on a half penny. Mix thoroughly with half a pint of water. Pat in one teaspoon essence of cloves, stirring till it boils. Boil for five minutes."—Lady Marian Alford's Manual of Embroidery.
A new way of making up a sofa pillow is shown in Fig. 14c, the covering of which is of plush, lined with satin, cut about fourteen inches longer than the pillow, and confined at either end by a cord and tassel. The decoration consists of sprays, worked on linen in filled-in embroidery, and applied to the plush. These sprays can be bought ready worked.
When appliqué designs are cut from plain colored material, such as felt or satin, they may be much improved by working them in crewels or silks, veining the leaves, shading a little, etc.
Fig. 14c.
Fig. 14d illustrates a brush or broom holder or small catch-all, ornamented with a spray of appliqué work, and finished off with gimp, wool, balls and tassels. The way to make these balls is given on under Crochet.
A quickly executed and effective kind of embroidery is called Broderie Perse, and is very pretty for table-scarfs, bedroom curtains, etc. For a table scarf use a good quality of cream-colored linen. You will need besides some cretonne in bright, artistic, flower designs, together with some filoselles and crewels. From the cretonne cut a sufficient number of flowers, and arrange them in a graceful border pattern on the linen, connecting them with stem lines in pencil. Having arranged your pattern, mark lightly round each flower so as to insure your rearranging them correctly. Then stretch your linen by means of stout pins or thumb-tacks smoothly on a drawing-board (the kneading-board will answer), and with nice smooth starch, paste each flower in its place. When thoroughly dry take the linen off the board and buttonhole the cretonne lightly round the
Fig. 14d.
edges, having the stitches seen as little as possible. Veinings of leaves, high lights and the deepest shadows can be worked in with filoselles, and the stems are worked with crewels. Nice cheese-cloth can be decorated in this way for curtains. As to outline work, the present fancy is to work it in conventional colors, using three shades of a color. Thus, in a floral design the leaves are worked in three shades of green, and the flowers in shades of blue, pink or any other color. Another way of varying this work is by the use of "double outline." Instead of working the outline as usual, what is generally called Kensington stitch is used; that is, the edge of the flower is done in alternate long and short stitches, just as if the whole flower was going to be filled in. The effect is very pleasing. Old fashioned or partially worn out broché shawls can be used very advantageously for this appliqué work, by cutting out the principal figures of the design, and applying them to an appropriate ground-work.
Very pretty mats can be made of appliqué work. Use burlaps or brown Turkish towelling for the mat, and
Fig. 15.
on that apply leaves cut from green, brown, and red flannel, or merino. Germantown wool or zephyr may be used to work them. Either powder the mat with the leaves or arrange them in a set pattern. Button hole them down, and work veins, stalks, etc., with long stitches. Finish at the ends with red flannel ornamented with Point Russe stitches, and line the whole with a piece of hemp or old Brussels carpeting. I have seen such a mat, in which the colors were well chosen, used to cover up an unsightly window. On each side was hung a brilliant Japanese panel, and the whole was crowned with Japanese fans, making a pleasure of what had been an eyesore.
Figs. 15 and 16 are designed for screen panels to be worked in crewels or silk; or they may be painted.
Fig. 16.
Combined, these designs would be very appropriate for a wall protector, to be worked in outline.