EMBROIDERY the plaited stitch mentioned above, will be described in some future article upon stitches.
In all the solid fillings in this piece of work, the needle enters the material only
A
edges of the spaces that are filled. neat device is often employed in order to prevent the necessity of taking the needle actually into the material at any point whilst working the filling. A preliminary line of either chain or stroke stitch is run round the outline of the space to be filled, and the needle, upon reaching the edge of the shape, is taken into this prepared outline instead of through the material. This method tends to make the solid filling still more flat and regular than it would otherwise be. The fillings of the leaves are worked in buttonhole stitch, by a method somewhat like that employed for the flowers in Plate IV. A line of silk is thrown straight across the leaf from side to side,and a row of ordinary buttonhole stitches worked over it. In the succeeding rows the stitches are taken over both the laid thread and the heading of the previous row, and so do not enter the material except at the extremities of each line. The stitches are not placed close beside each other the laid thread can be distinctly perceived between each one and the next. Fig. 12 is a diagram explaining the working of this filling. A line of chain at the
the chain stitch line round the edge is visible, and that it forms a neat finish to the filling; it can be, and often is, of a difFerent colour
from the other
This method
part.
recommended and
it
is
much more
is
to be
rapidly
executed than when the stitches are placed touching each other, as they sometimes are. When a change of colour is necessary for
;
stitch
is
worked
first
round the outline of the shape, a square in this case. Next the
thread through the material
in the
is
brought
centre of the
chain stitch, at the right-hand top corner. It is taken horizontally across the form, and looped into the chain stitch on the opposite side, but not necessarily into the material. It is then in position to work the first row of buttonhole stitching over the laid thread, and into the chain stitch line at the top. At the end of the line the same process is repeated. It will be noticed that only half
20
Fig-.
11
shading the leaf, the stitch is continued in the same way but with different-coloured The veining of the thread in the needle. leaves, carried out in stem stitch, is worked in a well-contrasted shade on the surface of the solid filling, a pale green being the colour The chain stitch outline of usually chosen. each leaf is of the same colour as the filling.
The
material
upon which
all
this
lovely
embroidery is placed is a fine white linen, The verbal descripslightly toned by age.