EMBROIDERY point
is
unnecessary, and the interlacing knot,
formed by the termination of the stems, is more in keeping than an elaborately worked From this knot the main flower would be. lines of construction formed by the stems meander over the ground, and gain value from their recurrence at regular intervals. The shorter stems of the leaves branch from these main lines.
A
convention, enforced by the limitations of material, has to be observed, and care taken that the stitches, which are the means of expression, should be used to the utmost advantage and no attempt made to conceal them. These limitations must be acknowledged in embroidery as in all other crafts. Hence the more highly shaded forms of flowers and leaves, natural
certain
which
are
possible in
painting, are often
better not attempted in needlework, though a certain amount of shading is admissible on the drapery of figures, for instance. In the best work the decorative principle of shading is always followed, and it is introduced mainly for the sake of variety in colour, care being taken that the whole is kept pure and brilliant and that it does not become dull, as it would if black, or brown, were used for the shadows. The plant chosen for this design is the Michaelmas Daisy, the flowers of which grow very thickly at the top of the stems. This natural habit of the flowers gives a suggestion which is taken advantage of, and they are all kept to the outer edge, forming
—
The
flowers are
treated
many of the
petals being
omitted
a natural border.
quite simply,
in order to avoid confusion, a kind of simplification
which was
invariably observed during
the best periods of art. The aim of good design is to maintain the chief feature of the plant and to ignore accidents which do not possess any value.
This has been done in the present subject, and the flowers as arranged form an excellent contrast to the remainder of the space, over which the stems and leaves are evenly distributed.
the leaves are small 12
In the living plant
and grow closely on
the stems, but art steps in where nature too prolific, fewer of leaves
are enlarged,
is
them are used, and the an amendment which
them more suitable for embroidery, lessening the amount of time and labour which would be entailed if they were worked renders
exactly as they appear in nature.
In working this table-centre five stitches are employed satin, chain, stem, French The petals of knots, and double back stitch. the flowers are worked in double back stitch with double thread in pale shades of pink, with French knots for the centres. The buds are worked in the former stitch, in deeper Satin stitch is used in the shades of pink. The interlacing knot, calyxes of the flowers. :
and the stems, are done in stem stitch with double thread, whilst the leaves are worked in chain stitch, with single thread, in varying The shades in the conshades of green. ventional veining run from light to dark green, beginning at the base, and the outline changes in shade to match the veining. The corner, which is left between the outside border and the oval outline of the flowers, is filled in with an irregularly curved line, worked in stem stitch, with single thread, and taking small stitches. Theborder itself is madewith two rows of open buttonhole stitch, indoublethread,inthedarkpurple. Sixstrands of bright green are subsequently threaded through each row of buttonholing, using a large needle with the blunt end foremost. Finally, a line of stem stitch, in double thread, in the dark purple, is worked outside the outer row of buttonholing, and pink French knots are dotted along the inner margin. When the embroidery is finished, the work, if at all puckered or creased, must be well It stretched and pressed under a weight. should then be lined with some thin soft silk of the same colour as the ground, or a pale This design might be shade of green.
with quite a different white silk forming the
carried out very prettily
scheme, ground, with the petals of the flowers and buds worked in two shades of a golden
colour