From Mrs Beeton's Book of Needlework
EMBROIDERY
INSTRUCTIONS
The art of embroidering with cotton on linen, muslin,
cambric, piqué, &c.c., is very easy to learn by strictly attending to the
following instructions.
The size of the thread and needle must correspond to that
of the material on which you embroider; the needle must not be too long, and
the cotton must be soft. Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s embroidery cotton is
the best. Skilful embroiderers never work over anything, because when you tack
the material on paper or cloth each stitch shows, and if the material is very
fine, leaves small holes; but for those that are learning we should advise them
to tack the material to be embroidered upon a piece of toile cirée. If you work
without this, place the material straight over the forefinger of the left hand;
the material must never be held slantways. The three other fingers of the left
hand hold the work; the thumb remains free to give the right position to each
stitch. The work must always, if possible, lie so that the outline of the
pattern is turned towards the person who works. For the sake of greater
clearness one part of the following illustrations is given in larger size than
nature. Preparing the patterns is one of the most important things in
embroidery, for the shape of the patterns is often spoiled merely because they
have not been prepared with sufficient care.
ILLUSTRATION 66 shows how to prepare a scallop.
Take thicker cotton than that with which you work; never
commence with a knot, and do not take a thread longer than sixteen or eighteen
inches. The outlines of the scallops are first traced with short straight
stitches. In the corners particularly the stitches must be short. The space
between the outlines is filled with chain stitches, as can be seen from
illustration; they must not be too long, otherwise the embroidery will look
coarse. It is in this way that every pattern to be worked in button-hole or
satin stitch is to be prepared.
ILLUSTRATION 67 shows the double overcast stitch or
button-hole stitch in a straight line. After having traced the outline begin to
work from left to right; fasten the cotton with a few stitches, hold it with
the thumb of the left hand under the outline, insert the needle downwards above
the outline, draw it out under the same above the cotton which you hold in the
left hand, and draw it up. Repeat for all the stitches in the same manner; they
must be regular and lie close to one another. Great care should be taken that
the material on which you embroider is not puckered.
ILLUSTRATION 68 (Overcast Stitch).--The double overcast and
the button-hole stitches are worked from left to right, whilst back stitches,
knotted and satin stitches are worked from right to left. The stitch is worked
in the same way as the double overcast, only the needle must never be drawn out
above, but below, the cotton with which you work, and which you keep down with
the thumb of the left hand.
ILLUSTRATION 69.--The slanting overcast stitch is worked
without tracing the outline, always inserting the needle downwards--that is,
from top to bottom. The needle must be inserted in the manner shown in
illustration--that is, not straight, but slanting; insert it a little farther than
the last stitch, and draw it out close to it. The wrong side of the work must
show back stitches. This sort of stitch is used for the fine outlines in
patterns or letter.
ILLUSTRATION 70.--This shows the back stitch, the working
of which is well known; it is worked in several rows close to each other
ILLUSTRATIONS 71 & 72 show another kind of back stitch, called point croisé, which is only used on very thin and transparent materials. This stitch forms on the wrong side a sort of darned pattern, which is seen by transparence on the right side, and gives the embroidered pattern a thicker appearance, contrasting with the rest of the work (see the lower leaves of the flower on illustration 110). For this stitch insert the needle into the material as for the common back stitch, draw it out underneath the needle on the opposite outline of the pattern, so as to form on the wrong side a slanting line. Insert the needle again as for common back stitch; draw it out slanting at the place marked for the next stitch on the opposite outline, as shown in illustration 71.
ILLUSTRATION 73 shows the knotted stitch; the simplest way
of working it is to work two back stitches at a short distance from each other
over the same thread.
The knotted stitch seen in ILLUSTRATION 74 is worked
thus:--Take about four threads of the material on the needle, draw the needle
half out, wind the cotton twice round the point of the needle, hold it tight
with the thumb, draw the needle out carefully and insert it at the place where
the stitch was begun, and draw it out at the place where the next stitch is to
be worked.
The knotted stitch seen on ILLUSTRATION 75 is worked in
nearly the same manner as the preceding one. Before drawing the cotton out of
the material hold it tight with the left-hand thumb; leave the needle in the
same position, wind the cotton twice round it, turn the needle from left to
right, so (follow the direction of the arrow) that its point arrives where the
cotton was drawn out (marked by a cross in illustration), insert the needle
there, and draw it out at the place of the next stitch
ILLUSTRATIONS 76 & 77.--Raised satin stitch is
principally used for blossoms, flowers, leaves, letters, &c.c. After having
traced the outlines of the pattern, fill the space left between them with chain
stitches in a direction different from that in which the pattern is to be
embroidered; begin at the point of the leaf, working from right to left, make
short straight stitches, always inserting the needle close above the outline
and drawing it out below. The leaves on the flowers, as well as on the
branches, must be begun from the point, because they thus acquire a better
shape. If you wish to work a leaf divided in the middle, as seen in
illustration 77, you must trace the veining before you fill it with chain
stitches, then begin at one point of the leaf and work first one half and then
the other.
ILLUSTRATION 78 shows the so-called point de plume on a
scalloped leaf. It is worked like the satin stitch, only the needle is drawn
through the material in a slanting direction.
ILLUSTRATION 79 (Point de Minute).--This stitch is often
used instead of satin stitch when the patterns must appear raised. Wind the
cotton several times round the point of the needle, which is inserted into the
material half its length (the number of times the cotton is to be wound round
the needle depends on the length of the pattern), hold fast the windings with
the thumb of the left hand, draw the needle and the cotton through the
windings, insert the needle into the material at the same place, and draw it
out at the place where the next stitch is to begin.
ILLUSTRATIONS 80 & 81 show the ladder stitch, often
used in ornamental embroidery. Trace first the outlines as seen in
illustrations; mark also the cross stitches between the outlines, so that the
first touch the outlines only at both ends. The outlines are embroidered in
overcast stitch or double overcast; the material is cut away underneath the
ladder stitch between the outlines.
We have now shown the different kinds of stitches used in
embroidery; the following illustrations show them used for different patterns.
ILLUSTRATIONS 82 TO 85 (Different Button-hole Stitch
Scallops).--These scallops are prepared as above described. Take care to have
the stitches even and regular; the scallops must be wide in the centre and very
fine at both ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment