The dictionary of needlework, : an encyclopaedia of artistic, plain, and fancy needlework;

DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

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RUSSIAN CROSS STITCH PATTERN.

GERMAN CROSS STITCH PATTERN.

ITALIAN CROSS STITCH PATTERN.

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DEDICATED TO H,R*H* PRINCESS LOUISE, MARCHIONESS OF LORNE.

THE

DraiOOTY OF IjBEDIiElE[OI$,

AN

ENCYCLOPEDIA OE ARTISTIC, PLAIN, AND
FANCY NEEDLEWORK,

DEALING FULLY WITH THE DETAILS OF ALL THE STITCHES EMPLOYED, THE METHOD OF WORKING,
THE MATERIALS USED, THE MEANING OF TECHNICAL TERMS, AND, WHERE NECESSARY,
TRACING THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE VARIOUS WORKS DESCRIBED*

ILLUSTRATED WITH UPWARDS OF 1200 WOOD ENGRAVINGS,

AND

COLOURED PLATES.

PLAIN SEWING, TEXTILES, DRESSMAKING, APPLIANCES, AND TERMS,

By S. F. A. CAULFEILD,

Author of “Sick Nursing at Home” “Desnwnd” “Avencle” and Papers on Needlework in “The QEwen," “Girl's Own Papery

“Cassell's Domestic Dictionary “ Ac,

CHURCH EMBROIDERY, LACE, AND ORNAMENTAL NEEDLEWORK,

By BLANCHE C. S AWARD,

Author of “Church Festival Decorations,'' and Papers on Fancy and Art Work in “The Bazaar f “Artistic Amusements, 11

“Girl's Own Paper," Ac.

SECOND EDITION.

LONDON : 1

L. UPCOTT GILL, 170, STRAND, W.C.

LONDON : PRINTED BY A. BRADLEY, 170, STRAND.

160

TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS

THE PRINCESS LOUISE, MARCHIONESS OE LORNE,

THIS BOOK IS, BT HER SPECIAL PERMISSION,

DEDICATED,

In Acknowledgment of the Great Services which, by Means op Her Cultivated
Taste and Cordial Patronage, She has Rendered to the Arts oe
Plain Sewing and Embroidery.

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.

J OHN TAYLOR, in Queen Elizabeth’s time, wrote a poem entirely in praise of Needlework; we, in a
less romantic age, do not publish a poem, but a Dictionary, not in praise, but in practice, of the Art.
It is true that many books dealing with distinct varieties of both plain and fancy work have
been published from time to time, but there has not been any that has dealt exhaustively with both subjeots,
and combined in one volume not only descriptions of ancient and modem Laces, plain and fancy stitches
and work, and the manner of working, but also particulars of the various stuffs and materials used for the
same.

It has been our object to produce such a comprehensive work — to bring within the compass of a single
volume full instructions in working any and every kind of plain and fancy Needlework, to give information
concerning the various materials and implements used, to explain the meaning of the terms and technical
phrases which are now so generally employed in describing Needlework operations, and, in short, to make
The Dictionary op Needlework so complete in all respects that anyone may be certain of finding in its
pages information on every point connected with Needlework.

To many who are not workers, the Lace portion of the Dictionary will, it is hoped, be especially
interesting, as there will be found full particulars and numerous engravings of the various makes, both ancient
and modern, and in very many instances the most minute instructions for working them — for even some of
the most prized of old laces can be successfully copied by all who have patience, leisure, and eyesight. In
this branch of our subject we have derived much assistance from a series of papers published in The Bazaar ,
many years ago, under the title of “ Old Laces, and How to Make Them,” written by a lady using the nom
de 'plume of Santia Barnabas.

It is not in the scheme of the present book to include other work than that done wholly, or in
part, by the aid of the needle, and the materials used; and mere patterns of fancy work are also necessarily
excluded — except so far as they may be required as examples — as they are already multitudinous, and are
being added to day by day, for they change with the fashion of the hour. Besides, anyone with The
Dictionary op Needlework at hand can readily master the principles and details of a given work, and
can then at will apply that knowledge to any suitable design which may be possessed, or which may be given
in the pages of the various journals which devote space to such matters. But beyond these two exceptions,
we have endeavoured to follow out Lord Brougham’s maxim, that a good index can hardly be too prolix,
and have introduced every possible stitch, work, and material; feeling with John Taylor of old, that

All these are good, and those we must allow ;

And these are everywhere in practice now.

S. F. A. 0.
B. 0. S.

MARKS AND SIGNS.

In Crocliet, Knitting, and Tatting patterns, the same stitches are frequently repeated in the same round of
the work. To save the recapitulation thus necessary, the following signs are adopted to indicate where the stitches
already given are to be repeated or in any way used again.

The Asterisk or *. — Where an asterisk is put twice, with instructions between, they indicate that the
part of the pattern enclosed between them is to be repeated from where the first asterisk is inserted, thus : 3 Chain,
* 1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 2 Double Crochet, repeat from * twice. This, if written at full length, would read
as follows : 3 Chain, 1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 2 Double Crochet, 1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 2 Double Crochet,
1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 2 Double Crochet.

The Square Cross or + is used in Knitting and Crochet to indicate the place to which a row is worked
and then repeated backwards. For example : 1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 3 Treble Crochet, + ; if written at full-
length this would be — 1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 6 Treble Crochet, 5 Chain, 1 Double Crochet. The letters A and
B sometimes take the place of the cross, as follows : A, 1 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, 3 Treble Crochet, B.

The St. Andrew’s Cross or X is used in instructions to help a worker in a difficult pattern by enclosing a
particular part of a design within two of these crosses, thus : 4 Chain, 5 Treble, x 12 Chain, 1 Purl, 12 Chain,
5 Double Crochet, 6 Treble, x 4 Chain.

The Long Cross or Dagger (t) is used in conjunction with the asterisk in instructions when a repetition
within a repetition has to be made, as for example : 1 Chain, f 4 Double Crochet, 5 Chain, * 3 Chain, 5 Treble
Crochet, 1 Purl, repeat from * twice, 4 Chain, 3 Double Crochet, repeat from f; if written out fully would be —
1 Chain, 4 Double Crochet, 8 Chain, 5 Treble Crochet, 1 Purl, 3 Chain, 5 Treble Crochet, 1 Purl, 3 Chain,
5 Treble Crochet, 1 Purl, 4 Chain, 3 Double Crochet, 4 Double Crochet, 8 Chain, 5 Treble Crochet, 1 Purl,
3 Chain, 5 Treble Crochet, 1 Purl, 3 Chain, 5 Treble Crochet, 1 Purl, 4 Chain, 3 Double Crochet.

Words in Small Capital Letters. — In the explanations of the manner of working the various
Embroideries, we have endeavoured to facilitate the references by printing in small capital letters the
designation of any stitch or movement when first mentioned that is of sufficient importance as to require a separate
heading. The worker will understand from this that she can, if necessary, refer to a fuller explanation of the
stitch or movement than is supplied in that particular place. The same stitches being used in totally different
branches of Needlework, a description of them under one heading, once for all, docs away with the necessity of
continual repetitions. When a stitch or movement is only required in the particular work where it occurs, it is
only referred to in the main part of the Dictionary, and is described in a separate paragraph under the heading
of the work it is used in.

ERRATUM.

Page 331, column 2, line 10. For “figures” read “fingers.”

THE

DKMOOTY OF I^EEDLEfitTO.

a practical J6nc\>clopaeMa.

ABACA. — The native name far the Manilla hemp,
produced by one of the Banana tribe. Tins fibre was
introduced into France for the manufacture of dress
materials, as well as of tapestry and articles of uphol-
stery* In India it is made into the finest muslins and
linen cloth. For these delicate stuffs, only the inner
fibre of the leaf-stalk is employed- while canvas, as well
as cordage, is produced from the coarser kind outside.
The Abaca plant is a native o! the East Indian Islands;
and the well-known Manilla straw hats are plaited from
its coarser fibres*

Abb- — From the Anglo-Saxon ab-ob. The yarn of
which the warp of any textile is composed, of whatever
material it may be. Thus tbo term “ Abb- wool,” as
employed by weavers, signifies the wool of wbioh tbe
warp of any stuff may be woven,

A Bout. — A phrase denoting one complete riumd made
in knitting. Bee Knotting.

Abrasion. — A technical term denoting the figuring of
textiles by means of weaving down the surface.

Adding Bobbins. — Extra Bobbins are often required
in Pillow lace while in progress of making. To add :
Hang them on in pairs to the pin nearest the working
Bobbins, and cut close and wind out of the way tbe knot
that joins them together, to prevent tbe ends getting
entangled with the Bobbin threads. Pass the new thread
under two working Bobbins, and continue as usual,
Adrianople Twill, — Tbe French name synonymous
with Turkey Heb Twill, which see.

Aficdt. — French name of instrument for polishing lace,
and removing small hard scraps of cotton or thread.

Agrafe.— The word is derived from the early Norman
term Ag grapes, and is the modem French for a clasp or
hook. It is also applied to gimp fastenings. The ancient
Aggrapes included both the hook and eye which fastened
mediaeval armour.

Aida Canvas, — This material, introduced under the
French name To He Colbert, is a description of linen cloth.
It is also called “ Aida Cloth,” and Java Canvas (which
see), as well as “ Fancy Oatmeal.” It is made in widths
varying from 18 inches to 54 inches, and can bo had in
white, cream, grey, and gold colour; and is also pro-
duced in a woollen coloured material. A cotton cloth of
the same make is known by different names, those most
employed being Basket Cloth and Connaught,

Aigrette, — A French term employed in millinery,
denoting an upright tuft of filaments, grapes, or feathers
as a decoration to the headdress, hat, or bonnet*

Aiguille.— Tbo French for needle.

Aiguillette. — A trimming of cords terminating in
tags of gimp, silk, gold, silver, or black metal.

Alaska Seal Fur, — A comparatively inexpensive de-
scription of Seal-skin. It is of a pale brown or fawn
colour, and is employed for tippets, muffs, and trimmings.

Albatross Cloth . — A soft fine bunting; it is known
also as K Satin Moss,” (t Llama Croise,” “ Vienna ” (the
stoutest make), “ Snowflake ” (which is flecked), u Antique
Cloth,” &c., 25 inches in width.

Albert Crape. — A variety of crape composed of a
union of silk and cotton; that called Victoria Crape
being of cotton only. Tbe widths of all descriptions of
crape run from 32 inches to I yard. Bee Crape.

Alen$on Bar, A Needle
Point Bar, chiefly used for
filling up irregular spaces
in Modern Point lace. To
make, as shown in Fig. I;

Pass a thread backwards
and forwards over the open
space to be covered as a

Herringbone. Cover this Fl0 ‘ lp Alek< * on Bar '
thread with Buttonhole, as shown in the illustration.

R*

2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Ale upon Grounds * — These grounds were first made
as Beide and then as Reseau. Those worked in
Argent an lace were similar, except that AIcngou excelled
in the extreme fineness and regularity o £ its Rescan
grounds, while Argentan was justly considered superior
in its Bride, The Bride was the plain Bride, and the
Bride Picotee or Bride Ornee. The Grande Bride was
formed of a six-sided mesh covered with buttonhole. The
Rescan was worked after the pattern, and served to join
it. It was worked all one way with a kind of knotted
stitch, the worker commencing always on the same side,
and placing her needle between each stitch of the row
just formed. Sometimes the plain ground was formed
with a thread thrown across, and others intersecting it.
The Alengon grounds are of the same hexagonal shaped
mesh as the Brussels, but the Argentan are coarser. The
Ecaille de Poisson ground is found in both laces. It is
a Re scan ground very much resembli ng the overlapping
scales of a fish.

Alenpon Point, — This beautiful French lace is one of
the glories of that nation. It is, with the exception of
Argentan, which is allied to it, the only Needle Point lace
executed in France. It was known in England as Point a
1* Aiguille for many generations, while from the date of its
manufacture in France, 1665 to 1720, it was there called
Point de France. The chief seat of its manufacture at the
present time is at Bayeux, but in olden times the making
of the lacc did not extend beyond a few miles round
Alen^on, and yet gave employment to from 8000 to 9000
hands, chiefly women and children, but old men also worked.
The town of Alen^on, before the time of Colbert, made the
lace called Point Coupe, and when that energetic minister
conceived the idea of establishing a Venetian school of
lace in France, he fixed upon his chateau of Lonray, close
to Alon^on, as its seat. The enormous sums spent by the
nation in the purchase of Venetian and Spanish points
induced Colbert to take this step, and, obtaining a royal

edict, he established a small school of 200 workmen for
the purpose of producing Point de Venice In France, and
thus directing into French hands the money that was spent
In foreign countries. The old Point Coupe workers it first
rebelled against the monopoly of Colbert, but the lace was
ordered to he worn at court, and soon became fashionable,
as much on account of its intrinsic beauty as for royal
favour. Enormous quantities were sold, and it was sent
to Russia, Poland, and England, and even to Venice.
At this period, Alen^on was but a copy of Venetian and
Spanish Point ; the patterns were the same, and the stitch
confined to the Buttonhole; the grounds were the Bride
and the Bride Ornee, the flowers in relief, and trimmed
with Picots and Fleurs Yolantes. In 1678 a slight change
appeared in the lace, the ground was dispensed with, and
the patterns so formed that they connected themselves
together with long stems and small branching sprays, but;
still in high relief, and chiefly made with Buttonhole
stiteh, During the reign of Louis XIV., Aien^on was

made of these two descriptions; but after his death, and
that of Colbert, a great change was introduced. The
ground was made with a honeycomb mesh, called Roseau,
and the pattern filled up with numerous open stitches,
called Jours, Fellings, or Modes. In the first part of the
eighteenth century, this Roseau ground was made of
various sizes and thicknesses, and the pattern flowing and
undulating; latterly, the lace patterns partook of the
bizarre rage, and were stifle and formal. They then again
changed to the Roseau ground, which was sewn over with
small dots or sprays, and the pattern worked as a solid
border (see Fig. 2). During the Revolution, the manufactory
at Aient^on became almost extinct; but Napoleon I. assembled
the old workers that remained, and gave a new Impetus with
magnificent orders, amongst them the layette for the King
of Rome and the bed hangings of Marie Louise. With the
abdication of Napoleon the trade again almost disappeared,
but was revived by Napoleon III,, and still exists, although

BRUSSELS LACE (OLD).

ALENCON LACE (OLD).

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

the greater part of its glory has departed. The Yrai
Roseau ground, for which Alcn^on was so justly famous, is
now rarely worked, and only for such orders as royal
marriages, as its production by hand labour is so expen-
sive, and the work is confined to the pattern formed with
the needle and applique upon bobbin net. The use of
Alengon during the reigns of Louis XI Y, and XY. was
universal, and it was then at the height of its fame. The
prices given were enormous, and yet every article of attire
was trimmed with it, and such large furniture as bed-
hangings, and vallances to cover baths composed of it.

3

the pattern upon separate pieces of parchment, which
number, so that no error in the joining occurs. These
pieces of parchment prick with little holes along the out-
lines of the design, and follow the outline with a doubled
thread, called Fil de Tka.ce, caught down to the parch-
ment at regular intervals, as shown in Fig. 3. The ground
make either with the Bride — thus : Throw a thread across
a space from one part of the pattern to another, and
cover it with a line of Buttonhole stitches worked close
together — or with the Honeycomb Reseait or Alen^qn
Ground, and finish by filling up the pattern either with

Fia. 3. ALEN^ON LACE, showing Roseau Ground and HI do Trace*

The lace hangings of the bed at the baptism of the Duke
of York, 1763, cost £3783, and a single toilette 6801 livres.
When we consider the time that Alen^on took to make, and
the number of hands it passed through, these prices are
not surprising ; and we must also take into account that
the fine Lille thread of which it was composed cost 1800
livres the lb. The lace is made as follows: Draw the
pattern upon copper, and print it off on to parchment,
from the use of which its name Yilain is derived, that word
being a corruption of vellum* Place small sections of

thick rows of Point de Bruxelles or with Point he
Grecque or other open Fillings. In the oldest speci-
mens of this lace, these Fillings were all Buttonhole ; in the
more modem, they were remarkable for their lightness
and beauty, the Alen^on workwomen excelling all other
lace makers in these fancy stitches. The CORDON NET, or
outer edge, of the lace is always thick, and horsehair
is introduced into it. This renders the lace firm and
durable, but is heavy, and Is the reason that Alengon
is considered a winter lace. It also causes the Cor-

B 2

4

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK \

Fia 4. ALOE THREAD EMBROIDERY.

donuet to shrink when cleaned. The Footing and
Picots acid after the piece of pattern is joined to the
whole design. ‘When the pattern is so far completed, it
is unpicked from the parchment, and is joined by the
cleverest workwomen. The lines of the joins are made
to follow the pattern as far as possible, and form part
of it. The finish to the lace give by polishing all the
parts in relief with the Aficot, and adding the Picots
and Footing. Each workwoman takes a separate portion
of these protracted processes, and is known by one of the
following names; Piquciisc, or pricker; traceuse, or out-
liner ; reselense and fondeuse, ground makers ; rempliss-
cuse, the flat pattern worker; brodeuse, raised pattern
maker; modeuse, those who work the fillings; assembleusc,
the joiner; mignonneuse, those who add the footings ; picofc-
euse, the picots ; while the toucheuse, brideuse, bouclcuse,
gazeusc, help the joiners. The Alen^on lace now made is
not passed through so many hands, but is executed by one
person, and the pieces joined together or Afrlique on to
machine net. Two flounces made at Mons. Lefe bares, at
Bayeux, and exhibited in 1867, are one of the finest ex-
amples of modem work. They cost £3400, and engaged
forty women for seven years in their making. The ground
is the Yrai Keseatt, hence the time spent over them. The
price x*f the Alenin, upon machine net ground, now is
about 6s, 6d. the yard, width 2 in, to 2$ in, In the Report
of the Commissioners at the Great Exhibition, Alcngon
is classed fifth, Brussels, Mechlin, Yalenciennes, and Lille
being ranked above it. At the same exhibition a new kind
of Alen^on was exhibited, which was made and patented
by a Madame Hubert, It consisted of flowers and fruit
made with the needle, and so much in relief as to approach
in form and outline to the natural ones ; in fact, a perfect
imitation of [Nature without the colour*

Algerian Lace, — A gimp lace made of gold and silver
threads. See Greek Laces*

Algerian Stripe. — A mixed cream-coloured material,
so called because made in imitation of the peculiar Moorish
cloth, manufactured in. alternate stripes of rough knotted
cotton web, and one of a delicate, gauze -like character,
composed of silk. It is employed for the making of
women's burnouses, in imitation of those worn by the
Arabs. It used to be produced in scarlet and cream-
white, as well as in the latter only. The price varies from
6s. 6d, to 10s, 6d. ; the width, 52 inches,

Algerian Work.— Sec Arabian Embroidery*

Allah Haik. — The original Moorish striped material, a
mixture of gauze and cotton, unbleached, and of a cream-
white, made in stripes of silk gauze and cotton in equal
widths, the former plain, the latter rough, with a knotted
nap on the right side. It is employed for turbans, and
measures about a yard wide* An imitation is made in
England and elsewhere, of not quite so rough a make,
which is much employed in making burnouses. The
threads running the long way of the material are the
knotted ones, and are much coarser than those running
across them, which are but sufficiently strong to keep
them together.

Alloa Wheeling. — A Scotch yarn, made in the town

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

of that name. It is to be bad in black, drab, grey, and
white, as well as in heather shades, and is employed for
knitting men’s thick riding gloves. The price in England
varies from 3s. to 4s. per lb., but the fluctuations in the
market must be allowed for in the purchase of these goods.

Aloe Thread Embroidery. — The peasants of Abbis-
sola and the mms of Oldivales were accustomed to make
lace from the fibres of the aloe, and recently an em-
broidery with aloe threads, instead of silk, has been intro-
duced into England. The colour of the thread is a pale
straw, but, apart from the novelty of the material, the work
has little to recommend it, although it is believed to retain
its tint better than silk. To work, as shown in Fig. 4 :
Select an ordinary satin stitch embroidery pattern, and

5

chief amongst the varieties of cloth made of the wool are
called alpacas, fancy alpacas, lustres, silk warp, alpaca
lustres, twilled alpaca mixtures, alpaca and mohair linings,
and umbrella and parasol cloth. What are mostly sold
as alpacas now are really a fine make of Orleans cloth,
which is a mixture of wool and cotton, dyed in all colours,
and varying from 24 to 38 inches in width ; but the first
quality of real alpaca runs from 30 to 38 and up to 54
inches. Nearly all the wool is worked up at Bradford, and
the several varieties arc most commonly to be had in
black, white, and grey. In its natural state it is black,
white or brown, yet from these an almost endless variety
is produced. The pure vigogne measures 48 inches in
width.

Fia. 5. ALPHABET IN EMBROIDERY.

trace it out upon silk or serge ; lay down over the outline
of the chief flowers, or other prominent parts of the design,
a pad of wool, and work in Satin Stitch over this
padding with the aloe fibres.

Alpaca Cloth. — This name is derived from the original
Spanish, denoting a species of llama or Peruvian goat,
the Vicuna or Vigonia , producing the most expensive
quality of hair. These animals are of the tribe Camclina ,
and are the camels of South America. The hair is fine,
woolly, and longer and finer than that of the Cashmere
goat. The manufacture of it into textiles w T as introduced
into England by Sir Titus Salt. The wool is mixed with
silk or cotton, producing a thin and durable cloth of
various degrees of fineness, suitable for wearing apparel
for men and women, as well as for other purposes. The

Alpaca Yarn. — A very valuable description of yarn,
and much superior to the ordinary qualities of sheep’s
wool. In its natural state it is black, white, or browm, but
a great variety of shades are produced from the three
colours. It is spun so finely that the thread may be used
either alone or in combination with silk or cashmere in
the manufacture of fabrics of the lightest description.
The seat of the English trade is at Bradford.

Alphabet. — The word alphabet is derived from Alpha
and Beta, the first and second letters in the Greek
language. The embroidery of letters entered largely into
the instruction given in needlework in ancient days, no
girl being considered a proficient in the art until she
could work in cross stitch all the letters of the alphabet
upon a sampler. In modern times this proficiency is not

6

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

so much required, as linen marking is done with ink, hut
ornamental alphabets are still used. The Irish peasantry
are celebrated for their skill in embroidering letters upon
handkerchief corners, and French ladies display much
taste in working with silk upon silk tablecloths and
cushions. English ladies use alphabets more for initials
upon saddle cloths, rugs, and cambric. The designs for
these letters are taken from well-known characters, such
as Gothic, Roman, Renaissance or Cuneiform, the pre-
ference being given to the letters that are clear in form,
however much ornamented. To work: Trace the pat-
tern upon stiff paper and lay it under such materials
as allow of the lines showing through, or for thick stuffs
iron it off. The letters look better placed across the
material than straight. Embroider them with lace
thread, embroidery cotton, silk, floss, gold and silver
thread, or with human hair. For the stitches use Satin,
Feather, Overcast, and Rope for solid thick materials;
and Point de Pois, Point Russe, Point d’Or add to
the first mentioned for cambrics, Japanese silks, and
other light foundations. The illustrations (Fig. 5) show
the capitals and small letters of an alphabet much used
in embroidery; work these in Satin Stitch, Point de Pois,
and Herringbone. Where the dark lines of the illus-
trations are, cut out the material and Buttonhole it
over, and fill in the open space thus made with Herring-
bone stitches.

American Cloth. — A stouter material than the French
Toile ciree. It is an enamelled oil-cloth much employed in
needlework for travelling and toilet " necessaries,” “ house-
wives,” and numerous other useful articles. It possesses
much elasticity, and is sold in black, sky-blue, white, and
green, silver and gold, by the yard. It is a yard and a
half in width, and is enamelled on one side only.

Fia. 6. AMERICAN PATCHWORK.

American Patchwork. — A work well known in Canada
under the name of “ Loghouse Quilting,” but only lately

introduced into England. It is a variety of patch-
work, into which strips of coloured ribbon are intro-
duced. To work : Take a five-inch foundation of strong
calico, tack to the centre of this a piece of silk or satin
an inch and a half square. Round this centre square,
run on seven rows of narrow ribbon, so that their edges
overlap. Run on round two sides of the square dark
shades of ribbon, and on the other sides light colours,
and make the corners square — not dovetailed (see
Fig. 6). Form several of these large five-inch squares,
and then sew together like ordinary patchwork pieces,
so that the light side of one square is next the light
side of the next square, and the dark next the dark,
giving the look of alternate squares of light and dark
colour. The effect of this work depends upon the
judicious selection of the narrow ribbon as to its shades
of colour and their contrasts with each other. The
centre squares of piece silk should always be of a dark
shade, but not black. This Patchwork is more com-
monly known as Canadian Patchwork (which see).

Andalusian Wool. — This is also called Victoria Wool,
and is a fine, soft, warm make of woollen thread or yarn,
employed for knitting a superior description of stockings
and socks. It is the same wool as the Shetland, but is
thicker, being spun with four threads instead of two. It
is to be had in all colours as well as white and black, and
also ingrain; the price in Great Britain varies from
68. 6d. to 8s. 6d. the lb.

Angleterre Bars. — These are used in Modem Point
lace. To work : Fill in the space between the braids with
lines of crossed threads, and at every junction make a
spot, as shown in illustration (Fig. 7). To form these
spots, run the thread along one of the horizontal lines
until it comes to one of the upright cross lines, twist the
thread over and under the two lines alternately until a

sufficiently handsome knot is formed, then carry it along
the horizontal line until another upright cross line is
gained, and repeat.

Angleterre Edge. — A Needle Point edging to braid
or Cordonnet, and made with one line of Point de
Bruxelles loops. To work : Make a Point de
Bruxelles, and into it work a tight Buttonhole, and
repeat to the end of the space. Identical with Point
d’Angleterre Edging.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

7

Anglo-Saxon Embroidery. — The earliest English
embroidery known, consisting of patterns in outline,
worked either with gold thread, silk, or beads, and used
for borders to garments. The outlines were generally laid
upon the surface of the material, and caught down, as in

Fig. 8. ANGLO-SAXON EMBROIDERY.

couching, while any fillings were of an open description,
as shown in illustration (Fig. 8), which is a modem imita-
tion. This embroidery must not be confounded with the
celebrated Opus Anglicanum of a later date, or with
the embroidery upon muslin with untwisted thread. For
manner of working, see Saxon Embroidery.

Angola Cashmere, or Angora Cloth. — Names em-
ployed in the trade to denote a certain cloth made in
imitation of the camels’ hair cloth ; said to be made of
the long white hair of the Angora goat of Asiatic Turkey,
which rivals that of Cashmere. This cloth is of a light
quality, and the widths run to 27, 48, and 54 inches.

Angola Cloth. — A pretty diaper- woven cotton cloth,
with a fine rough face, somewhat resembling the character
of Shagreen. It is of a cream colour, is 54 inches in width,
and is employed for embroidery.

Angola Mendings. — So called from a semblance in
quality to that of the wool of the Angora goat. This
yarn is composed of a mixture of wool and cotton, and

may be had in many shades and tints of colour. It
is sold on cards and reels, and also in skeins, and is
designed for darning merino and woollen stockings.

Angora Cat Fur. — This fur is remarkable for its
length and beauty, and is of a very light shade of grey,
or white. The hail* of the tail measures about five inches
in length. A large trade is carried on in these skins.

Angora Goat Fur. — Otherwise called Angona and
Angola. This fur comes from Asiatic Turkey, and the
goat is called after a city of that name, in the neighbour-
hood of which it abounds. The size of the skin measures
27 inches by 36 inches, and is valued at from 18s. to 35s.
It is employed for jackets, hats, and trimmings.

Angora Wool. — This wool is supplied by the goat after
which it is named, grows long, is silky in appearance, and
is employed in the making of shawls, braids, lace, and
for other decorative purposes, besides dress materials of
various makes. The Angora wool is also called mohair,
and is now being extensively produced in California, as
well as in the east.

Antwerp Edge. — A Needle Point edging to braid or
Cordonnet, and made with a line of open Buttonhole
caught with a knot in each loop. To work, as shown in

Fig. 9. Antwerp Edge.

Fig. 9: Make a Point de Bruxelles loop, and secure it
with a Buttonhole made as a knot round the lower
part of it. Work each Point de Bruxelles i of an inch
apart. It is identical with Point de Bruxelles edge.

Antwerp Lace. — A manufactory was founded at
Antwerp for the making of pillow lace in the seventeenth
century, and the lace made was, with that of Mechlin,
indiiferently known as Flanders lace. Savary mentions
that lace was made there of two kinds, one without ground
and the other with patterns attached with Brides; but
the Roseau ground was also made, and Antwerp lace had
the effect of embroidery given to it, as that of Mechlin, by
the plait thread that outlined the design. The Antwerp
lace was larger as to design, and was chiefly exported into
Spain ; and, when the market for it ceased there, it would
have quite decayed, had it not been for the lace shown in
Fig. 10, which w f as used so much by the peasants as to
buoy up the production for some time. This pattern is
called Potten Kant, and is the sole remnant of a design
once worked in lace, representing the Annunciation. The
angel, the Virgin Mary, and the lilies were gradually
omitted, until nothing but the vase for holding the flowers
was worked. Antwerp at present produces Brussels lace.
(See illustration on following page.)

Antwerp Lace. — A Needle Point edging identical with
Escalier Lace, which see.

Appliqug. — A French term, signifying the sewing of one
textile over another. This work was anciently known aa

8

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Opus Consutwm or Cut work, Passementerie, and Di Com -
mcsso. Of these names, the first is the most ancient ; but, as
it is also used to denote some of the early laces, it has been
succeeded by Applique, which is derived from the Latin
appUcare, to join or attach, and the French appliquer,
to put on* The Li Commcsso is a name given to the work
by Vasari, who claims the invention of it for Sandro
Botticelli, a Florentine; hut, as some Applique is still In
existence that dates back before Botticellis birth, this is
incorrect, and the origin of it is lost in antiquity. It was,
however, most practised from the thirteenth to the seven-
teenth centuries, and numerous specimens of the early
times are still extant. The work has been known in India
and Persia for many hundreds of years, and was probably
invented there ; the Italians, Germans, and French use it
largely for household decorations, the English more for
altar cloths and vestments. The word Applique has a

oentury, destroyed in 1870 ; and the Biazonment of Cleves
arc the best known old examples. It is not unusual to find,
amongst mediaeval woven materials, spaces left open when
weaving, into which figures of saints and other devices were
inserted by the method known as Inlaid Applique and
finished with fine needle stitching either in Opus Pin ma-
num (or Feather stitch) or Opus Anglicanum (Split stitch)*
At other times the fine linen or canvas inserted for the
faces and hands only of figures would be simply painted,
Applique is divided into Inlaid and Onlaid, and from these
heads spring many adaptations of the work, the best known
being gold embroidery, used in ecclesiastical work ; Applique
proper, used for all ordinary purposes ; Broderie Perse, or
Applique with cretonne ; and Applique upon muslin and net
Inlaid Applique has more the effect of woven brocade of
various colours than of needlework, uni ess used, as described
above, for letting iu needlework into loom made materials.

Fig. 10. ANTWERP LACE,

wide meaning, and many varieties of needlework come
under its designation* Being originally introduced as
an imitation of tbc earlier and more laborious raised
embroidery, it embraces every description of work that
is cut or stamped out, or embroidered, and then laid upon
another material. It is therefore possible to Applique
in almost every known material, as in feathers, skins of
animals, gold and silver, mother o' pearl, and other foreign
substances, the motive being to produce effect with varied
and bold materials and without the labour of close embroi-
dery. The most curious English example of the materials
that may be artistically Applique together was exhibited in
the Paris Exhibition iu tbe Prince of Wales’s Pavilion, and
consisted of a series of Chinese fowling scenes, in which the
human figures were clothed in silk and velvet, the animals
in their own furs, and the birds in their own feathers. The
Baldachino of Grsanmichele, worked in the fourteenth
century; the Banner of Strasburg, worked in the fourteenth

To make: Carefully design the pattern upon a foundation
material, and cut away from that the various flowers or
motifs that make up the design. Replace these pieces by
others of different colour and textures, accurately cut so
as to fit into the places left vacant by the removal of the
solid material, and lay these in to the foundation without
a margin or selvedge overlapping either to the front or
back of the work. Stitch them into position, and conceal
the joins and lines of stitches by Couching down a line
of gold cord, narrow ribbon, or floss silk over those places.
Great nicety is required in the cutting out and fitting into
place of the various pieces, and sewing them down. The
materials used in Inlaid Applique should match as to sub-
stance, or a thinner one be backed with linen when used with
a thicker, otherwise the finished work will strain and
wrinkle. Inlaid Applique was much used in Italy during the
eleventh century, and specimens of it can he seen at South
Kensington; it is also used in Indian embroideries and Cash*

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

9

mere shawls, but it is not much worked by modem ladies,
Onlaid Applique is the true Applique, and is divided
into two descriptions o£ needlework — one where the solid
pieces of stuff are laid down upon the material and
secured with a cord stitched round them, and the other
where materials of various kinds are laid down and en-
riched with many stitches and with gold embroideries.
True Applique is formed by laying upon a rich foundation
small pieces of materials, varied in shade, colour, and
torture, and so arranged that a blended and coloured
design is formed without the intervention of complicated
needle stitches. The stuffs most suitable for the foun-
dation are velvets, cloths, plush, cloth of gold and silver ;
for applying, satin, silk, plush, cloth of gold and silver,
satin sheeting and velvet. Velvet and plush only make
good foundations when gold embroidery is laid upon
them, as they are too thick for lighter weights; hut
they are admirable for applying gold and silver cloth
upon, but the cost of the latter precludes their being

most prominent shades of the work; if single, let them
match the foundation colour; they should not contrast
with the work, or be obtrusive by their colouring, they
rather enrich by their beauty and depth of tone. Much
of the beauty of Applique depends upon its design, but
combination of colour is an important item in its
success. Badly designed patterns are coloured with the
aim of attracting attention by the brilliancy produced
by contrasts between material and applied work, but such
is not true art, and is never used by good designers, ex-
cept when bold effects are to be produced, and large
spaces covered; the brilliancy of the colouring is then
lost in its breadth and richness. Smaller work requires
to be restful in tone and harmonious in colour, and all
violent contrasts avoided. Shades of the same colour,
but of different materials, have a pleasing effect. Ancient
work presents many examples of this variety of material
and sameness of colour, hut it consists chiefly in the
amalgamation of two colours, and derives its effect from

El G. 11. APPLIQUfi UPON SATIN.

used with freedom. Velvet, plush, satin and silk are the
materials chiefly employed for applying, the aim of this
work being to lay one handsome material upon another as
though it were a raised portion of the same. To work : It
is necessary that each separate piece should lie flat and
without a wrinkle, therefore the materials to be applied
to the foundation must be first backed (see Backing).
Carefully cut out the pieces to be applied, after having
traced their outline upon the Backing, and keep them
ready, then stretch their background or foundation in a
frame, and trace the outline of tlie pattern upon it by
means of tracing and blue carbonised paper. Lay the
cut-out pieces in position one at a time, and secure them
by sewing down their edges. Conceal these sewn edges
by a handsome gold or silk cord, which lay over them, and
Couch down by a stitch brought from the back of the
material and returned to the back. Make these fasten-
ing stitches of a silk of a different colour to the cord
they catch down. Lay on the cords either as single or
double cords; if double, select the colours of the two

the difference of material used for the grounding and
the applied. Numerous shades of colour and various
tints are more the result of the revived Applique thau
strictly old work; but as long as these arrangements in
colour are formed of soft harmonious tones, they are
an advancement of the work. Fig. 11 is an Applique
pattern one-third its original size. It represents a
scroll, the centre of which is filled by a dower show-
ing its hack and front alternately. To workr Select a
deep peacock blue or dark red- brown satin for back-
ground, pale blue plush for the turned-over flower,
and citron coloured petals, with orange centre, for
the fully opened one. Work over tendrils and stem
in Crewel Stitch and in brown shades. Applique
leaves in green, and vein the flowers and leaves with
Satin Stitch. A less elaborate Applique is made
with fine ecru linen laid upon satin sheeting or silk
grounds. This kind is generally continuous as to de-
sign, and the ecru linen is cut out and applied to the
ground a§ one piece. The linen Is strong enough to

10

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

need no backing, and the groundwork only requires to be
stretched in a frame while the two materials are stitched to
each other. The 6cru linen is not pasted, but stitched to
the foundation, and the stitches concealed by Feather or
Buttonhole wide apart stitches worked over them. Of
this kind is Fig. 12. Work the ecru oranges round
with a sober orange- tinted filoselle, the flowers with cream
colour, and the leaves with pale green, the stalk with
brown, and the veinings in satin stitch with pale green
filoselle. Deep brown- red is the best foundation colour.

the same. In true Applique plain self-coloured stuffs are
amalgamated, and the effect obtained by the variety and
beauty of these tints; in Broderie Perse tbe applied pieces
are shaded and coloured pieces of chintz or cretonne,
representing flowers, foliage, birds, and animals in their
natural colours. These require no backing, and are
simply pasted upon a coloured foundation and caught
down with a Feather or open Buttonhole Stitch. Broderie
Perse was practised 200 years ago, and then fell into
disuse. It is capable of much improvement from the

Fig. 12. ECRU APPLIQUE.

In Fig. 13 we have another design suitable for velvet
application. The animals and scrolls, cut out in brown
velvet and lay upon golden-coloured satin or sheeting,
and secure their edges either with Feather Stitch or a
plain gold cord of purse silk ; the same design can be cut
out of ecru linen and laid upon an art blue background.
The Feather stitching must then be in the same tinted blue
silk. When the Applique materials of various shades and
enriched with silk, floss, and gold threads, are laid down,
the stitches used are chiefly Feather, Long, Basket,
Cushion, Tent, and all the various Couciiinos. Being

patterns ordinarily sold, and though, by reason of its
attempting to imitate round objects in nature, it can
never attain an art value, still it could be made a more
harmonious decoration than it is at present. The faults
of ordinary cretonne and chintz work are too great a
contrast between background and design as to colours,
and too lavish a use of brilliant flowers or birds in the
pattern. The worker should bear in mind that the set-
ting of one or two brilliant colours among several subdued
ones will produce a much better effect than the crowding
together of a number of equally bright shades. Much

Fig. 13. VELVET APPLIQUE.

worked as embroideries of gold and silver, and chiefly
used for church purposes, the description of the latter
will apply to this kind of Applique in the manner of
design, colouring, and execution. See Embroidery.

Applique, Baden. See Baden Embroidery.

Appliqu6, Broderie Perse. — A modem work, founded
upon ancient and true Applique, but differing from it in
the nature of the material used and the labour bestowed ;
but the word Applique is common to both, as the essentials
of the work, that of laying one material upon another, are

will depend upon the selection of flowers, &c. The best
come from old pieces of chintz manufactured before
the days of aniline dyes ; their shades mix together with-
out offence, and their outlines are generally clear and
decided. When not procurable, select bold single modern
chintz or cretonne flowers of quiet tone and conventional
design. Avoid bright colours, and choose citron, lemon,
red, red-browns, lavenders, and cream -whites. Sunflowers,
tulips, hollyhocks, crown imperials, foxgloves, chrysanthe-
mums, peonies, sweet peas, anemones, thistles, are all good

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

flowers. Palm leaves or Virginia creeper leaves make
good designs alone, but not amalgamated, and ferns are
not used at all. Only one to three different kinds of
flowers are grouped together. Backgrounds for Broderic
Perse can be of any material but velvet, and should
match the darker tints of the flowers applied to them.
Black and white arc never used, being too crude in
colour and too great a contrast. If dark backgrounds are
wished, invisible green, deep peacock blue, garnet brown,
will give all the depth of black without its harshness; and
if light, lemon and cream-whites will tone better than
pure white. Sunflowers are applied upon brown-red, red
hollyhocks upon deep red, peonies upon deep maroon.
Before commencing to work, cut out the flowers and leaves
that make the design, and group them upon a sheet of white
paper; run a pencil round their outlines, and disturb them

Tig. 11. APPLIQUE, BRODERIE PERSE.

only when they are required. Stretch the background
upon a frame or clothes horse, and paste the chintz flowers
into position upon it. Transfer the outline of the design
to the material with the aid of a carbonised tracing
paper, if required. When the pasting is finished and dry,
take the work out of the frame and Buttonhole loosely
all round the leaves and flowers. Make this Buttonholing
as little visible as possible, and let the colours used for the
filoselle or cotton match the medium tint of the flower
or leaf that is secured. Feather Stitch can be used
instead of Buttonhole. Enrich the veinings of the leaves
and flowers with Satin Stitch and sometimes work
this enrichment so as to cover the larger part of the
chintz, but the character of the work is much altered
by so doing, and the filoselle enrichments make brighter
what is already sufficiently prominent. The illustration

T r

(Fig. 14) is a design for Broderie Perse of storks and water
plants. To work : Cut out the storks from Cretonne ma-
terials and lightly Buttonhole them round, also treat the
bulrushes and flags in the same manner. Use Crewel
Stitch and Long Stitch to form grasses and other por-
tions of the design that are too minute to be Applique,
and enrich the chief high lights and greatest depths in the
plumage of the birds with filoselle, worked in in Satin
Stitch.

Applique, Broderie Suisse. — This is a modern variety
of Applique, and consists of a design embroidered on
white cambric or muslin laid upon satin or silk back-
grounds. To work : Trace out a pattern upon pink calico,
lay this under muslin cr cambric, embroider the pattern
lines seen through the muslin with Chain Stitch, and
then cut out and lay the design upon a coloured back-
ground, to which affix it with an open Buttonhole or
Feather Stitch worked in coloured filoselles. The
veinings of the sprigs in the embroidery, and any pro-
minent parts in that work, fill and ornament with fancy
embroidery stitches, such as Herringbone, Satin, Tete
de Bceuf. These fancy stitches work in coloured filoselles.

Applique Lace. — Much of real lace now being made is in
two parts, the sprigs separate from the ground; it is there-
fore necessary to learn the method of joining them together.
To work : The spPigs of lace being ready, draw a rough
outline of the design upon paper, whose size is the width
and breadth of the lace when finished. Upon the outline
tack the sprigs loosely, right side downwards. The tacking
should only be strong enough to prevent the sprigs turn-
ing up their edges before the net is laid on them. Cut the
net length-ways of the material, lay it over the sprigs and
tack down to the paper, so that no part drags or puckers.
Sew the sprigs to this net with fine thread round all the
outer and inner edges, Overcasting, and not Run-
ning them to it. Cut away the net from under the solid
parts of the lace, Overcasting all the raw edges so made.
All light fancy stitches in the lace require the net cut
from under them, while outer edges or borders require a
double Overcasting, as at those places there is more likeli-
hood of the net tearing than in the body of the work.
Then unpick the lace from the paper with care, the net
foundation being neither cut nor dragged. Iron the lace
on the wrong side, placing a piece of tissue paper between
it and the iron. After ironing, pull up any raised part
of the sprigs, such as Fleurs Volantes, with the small
ivory hook used for that purpose in lace making.

AppliquS upon Net. — The manner of joining together
two thin materials differs somewhat from that employed
upon solid foundations, and forms a separate branch of
fancy work. To Applique with net, muslin, or cambric was a
favourite work in England during the latter part of the last
century and the first years of the present, and the work so
made was largely used in the place of lace, the foreign laces
of that period being subject to so heavy a duty as to render
them only within the reach of the wealthy. The em-
broidery is partly an imitation of Indian work and partly
of lace ; it is durable, gives scope for individual taste, has
a soft and pleasing effect, and is again finding favour

c 2

12

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

among fancy workers. The materials used are book or
mull muslin or cambric, best Brussels net, and white em-
broidery cotton. In olden times, the foundation was gene-
rally muslin, and the net applied or let in ; but the reverse
plan, though not so durable, has a better appearance.
To work the pattern : When muslin is the foundation, trace
upon the muslin ; when net, upon oiled paper. Strengthen
both with a brown paper back. Tack the net to the
muslin, or vice versa , and run both materials together
wherever the design indicates. Do this running care-
fully, and pass the threads well through the materials.
Out away the net wherever it is not run to the mus-
lin, and in any centres of flowers that are to be filled,

few places. Darn these lace stitches into the net, and
make the various tendrils and sprays by running lines
about the net and Overcasting them. Work detached
dots on the net. The edge is a narrow straight lino
of Buttonhole, with a bought lace edging as a finish.
Another variety of cambric on net is, after the cambric
is sewn down, to put a line of Chain Stitch in coloured
silks round it, instead of Buttonhole, and to work with
the coloured silk instead of the embroidery cotton. The
illustration (Fig. 15} is of fine cambric applied upon
net. To work : Trace the design upon the cambric, and
surround that with the very finest Buttonhole line, or
with a line of Chain Stitch, and cut away both net

. v. v. V .w.'w.sd' , w c/.w, W-V* . v.w:

fa#:#:**:#:*:#:*:#:#:*:#:* v « = :=:m :wM

»« && :•:#*#.*:©:* :*#.« ; *:«: ®#
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F w, 15. APPLIQUE UPON NET,

make Wheels. Surround the whole design with But-
tonhole, and scallop and Buttonhole the edge, adding
Pi COTS to enrich it. Finally untack the pattern from,
the brown paper, and cut away the muslin foundation
from under the not wherever the not has been left*
and cut away both materials from under the Wheels,
When the net is the foundation and the cambric applied,
a lacc thread is run all around the cambric outlines
and caught down with a finer thread firmly sewn, so
that the cambric may not fray when cut away. The
Buttonholing is of the lightest, but close, lacc stitches arc
introduced in many parts of the design, hut with the net
always retained as foundation, as that is only cut in a

and cambric in two places ; fill in the one with a wheel,
to form the centre of the flower, and leave the other
entirely open. The thick filled- in part next the wheel
make with Satin Stitch, to give solidity to the work.
Applique Patchwork* — Sec Patchwork.

Appret. — A French term, used to signify the stiffening
or duping employed in the finish of calicoes and other tex-
tiles. It is used to describe any finish to a head-dress*
Arabesque Designs. “Patter ns in the style of the
Arabian flat wall decorations, which originated in Egypt,
where hieroglyphics were made a decoration for monu-
ments and other buildings. Subsequently the idea was
carried out by the Saracens, Moors, and Arabs, by whom

APPLIQUE ON MUSLIN.

APPLIQUE ON NET.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

! 3

it was introduced into Spain ; and during tlie wars in Spain
in Louis XIY.’s time it was adopted by the French, who
gave the style the name Arabesque. Applique lace work is
often executed in designs of this character.

Arabian Embroidery. — A work executed from time
immemorial by the Arab women, and after the conquest of
Algeria by the French known as Ouvroir Mussulman. It
was brought prominently to European notice some forty
years ago, when, for the purpose of relieving the destitute
Algerian needlewomen, Madame Lucie, of Algiers, founded
a school in that place, and reproduced there, from good
Arabian patterns, this embroidery. The designs, like all
Mussulman ones, are purely geometrical, are very elaborate,
and are done with floss silk upon muslin or cloth. They
are worked in a frame, and when the embroidery is upon

with gold and silver thread and floss silk upon velvet,
satin, cashmere, or muslin, which has the peculiarity of
presenting no wrong side, the pattern being equally good
upon either. Like all oriental embroidery the work is
distinguished for brilliancy of colouring, quaintness of
design, and elaborate workmanship. Arabian embroidery
and Algerian are of the same description.

Areopliane, or Arophane. — A description of crape,
but considerably thinner than the ordinary kind. It has
been much used for bonnets, trimmings, and quillings, and
also for ball dresses. It is made in most colours, and is
cut, like crape, on the bias, width 27 inches. See Crape.

Argentan Point. — Although the date of the com-
mencement of lace-making in Argentan is unknown, as
its manufactory is mentioned in the Colbert Corre-

Fio. 16. ARGENTAN POINT.

muslin, only Satin Stitch is used; when executed upon
cloth the design is traced upon the material, and all centres
and fillings laid down with floss silk in a long satin stitch
across the whole space, while over this foundation, wide
apart, satin stitches in floss are taken at right angles to
those first embroidered. These upper satin stitches are
stitched or couched down to the material by securing
threads that are taken right through the material, and this
couching has to be executed with great precision and neat-
ness. When the centres and thick parts are filled they
are surrounded with Chain-Stitch outlines, and all stalks,
tendrils, &c., are also done in chain stitch. The Arabian
embroidery brought to England consists chiefly of the orna-
mental towels worn by Arab women on their heads when
going to the baths, and these towels make excellent chair-
backs. Besides this work there is another kind embroidered

spondence, we may conclude it was established about the
same time as that of Alen^on, and probably by some
workers from that town. No royal edict protected it until
1708, but the lace obtained a good market, and rivalled, in
some ways, that produced at Alenin. The two laces are
often confounded together, and frequently sold as of the
same manufacture, but they differ in many points, though
both are needlepoints, and the only needlepoints produced
in France. The patterns of the Argentan lace (Fig. 1G)
are bolder than those of Alen^on, and are in higher relief,
the fillings are less fanciful and much thicker, retaining
much of the close buttonhole of Yenice point; but the
great difference between the laces lies in their grounds,
that called grand bride being almost essentially Argentan.
It was made by first forming a six-sided mesh with the
needle, and then covering it on all sides with buttonhole,

M

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

the effect of which was extremely hold, and which rendered
the lace almost imperishable. This ground was also called
bride ep ingle, and was marked out upon the parchment
pattern., and pins put in upon every side to form the
meshes exactly the same size throughout. Besides this,
grand bride, the bride picotee and the plain bride were
made at Argcntart, and from old patterns recently dis-
covered at the same period. The art of making these
brides grounds died out when the reseau, or net -patterned
ground, took their place; but the lace flourished during the
reigns of the Louis, and was only extinguished at the
revolution, since which period efforts have been made to
re-establish it, but without success, the peasantry having
turned their attention to embroidery, Iu the old bills of
lace Argentan is mentioned with Brussels and Alenpon,
and Madame du Barry, in 1772, gave 5740 francs for a set
of it. At present it only exists as specimens, so much of
it having been destroyed, and as it is no longer manu-
factured, its price is large, and only limited by the collector’s
eagerness* For grounds see Aletc^ON Grquxls*

Argontella Point, — A needle -made lace, of which
but few specimens remain, and at. one time considered to be
of Genoese origin, but lately found to be a variety of
Alcn^on* The beauty of this lace consists in a reseau
ground resembling the Mayflower ; the pattern of the
lace is simitar to A ten 90m

Armazine, or Arrnozeen. — The name is derived from
the French Armosin. It is a strong make of thick plain
black corded silk, a kind of taffeta, employed for scholastic
gowns, and for hatbands and scarves at funerals. It is
24 inches in width. From the time of Queen Elizabeth to
that of George III. it was used for women’s dresses and
men’s waistcoats*

Armorial Bearings *' — See Heraldic Devices*

Armure.— This is a silk textile ; plain, striped, ribbed,
or with a small design* Sometimes it is made of wool and
silk. There is also Satin Armure and Armure Bosphore,
this latter being a reversible material. The width run from
22 to 24 inches. Armure is a French term apidied to either
silk or wool, signifying a small pattern*

Armure Victoria. — A new and exceedingly delicate
textile, semi-transparent, and made of pure wool, designed
for summer or evening dresses. It is manufactured in
Paris, on special steam power looms, and lias delicate
patterns woven in the cloth, which is black, and without
lustre, wdience it has been given the name Armure by
its French manufacturers* The width of this beautiful
material is 44 inches, and the price varies from 5s, to
tis* 6d« a yard. It is especially suited for mourning*

Arras, — In the capital of Artois, in the French Nether-
lands, one of the first looms was set up for weaving
tapestries, and hence the word Arras became a common
term for tapestry, and was applied to needle-made and
loom -made tapestries indiscriminately. It is mentioned in
Shakespeare’s Hamlet,

Arras, — A lace made at Arras of the same description
as that made at Lille and Mirecourt, hut generally known
as Lille lace. The factory was established in the latter

part of the seventeenth century, and flourished until 1804*
At present the lace made at Arras, though white and
of good texture, canuot compete with that of Lille and
Mirecourt, as the lace makers introduce no new designs,
and are content with the simplest patterns. For illustra-
tion and description, see Lille Lace*

Arras ene. — A kind of woollen, and likewise of silk
chenille, employed for the purpose of embroidery. The
wool is coarse, and the needle used has a large eye,
Arras ene of both kinds is sold by the ounce* The centre
cord of the arras ene is visible through the wool or silk
covering.

Arrasene Embroidery- — A variation of Chenille em-
broidery of recent invention, and suitable for curtain borders,
mantel borders, parasol covers, and other posi lions where

Fig* 17, ARRASEJNE EMBROIDERY,

tbc pile of the Arrasene is not injured by friction. Materials :
Arrasene either of wool or silk, No. 1 Chenille needles, can-
vas, velvet, silk and serge* To work upon velvet or silk :
Stretch the material in a frame and apply the Arrasene as
in canvas work in Text Stitch* Use short strands of
Arrasene, and draw them backwards and forwards through
the material without twisting. The chief part of the design
work with the wool Arrasene, the silk use to indicate the
bright lights, and work the fine lines of a flower or leaf in
ordinary embroidery silks. Some workers prefer to treat the
Arrasene as Chenille, and lay it along the surface, catching
it down as in Co u chi Ha, hut the few shades that can be em-
ployed in ibis manner of working detract from its beauty.
Arrasene can be worked upon serge and canvas without a
frame ; the material is then held in the band, a Chenille
needle used, and the work executed in Stem or Crewel
Stitch. "When so done, great care is necessary in passing
the Arrasene through the material so that it lies with its
pile uppermost, and does not show the woven centre line
from which the soft edges proceed* Broad and velvety effects

✓

*

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

IS

are obtainable from Arrasene embroidery, and it is capable
of good art work, as it gives scope for individual taste.
Arras ene is not suitable for a background; these are made
either of solid material or in Tent Stitch, To work Fig, 17:
A group of forget- me- nots, worked upon a deep russet red

Arrasene. After the embroidery is completed, lay it face
downwards on a cloth, and pass a warm iron over the back
of tbe work.

Arrow Stitch. — So called from the slanting position of
the threads forming it. Identical with Stem Stitch.

Fie, 18. AU FASSE STITCH OH SILK,

ground of cloth. Work the forget-me-nots with two shades
of pale blue silk Arrasene, and fill in their centres with
maize Arrasene; work the leaves and stalks with three
shades of subdued greens in wool Arrasene, and the orna-
mental border surrounding the flowers in two shades of
russet red colour, lighter than the ground, and of wool

Art Embroidery or ITeedlework,— A name recently
introduced as a general term for all descriptions of needle-
work that spring from the application of a knowledge of
design and colouring, with skill in fitting and executing.
It is either executed by the worker from his or her design
or the patterns are drawn by a skilled artist* and mueh

i6

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

individual scope in execution and colouring is required
from the embroiderer. The term is chiefly used to denote
Inlaid and On laid Applique, embroidery in silk and
crewels for ordinary domestic purposes, and embroidery
with gold, silver, and silk, for church work ; but there is
no limit to its application.

Artificial Flowers —See flowers employed in mil*
linery and evening dress, and in room decoration.

Asbestos. — A mineral substance, of a fibrous texture,
of which there are several varieties; all alike resisting
the action of fire. It is found in this country, in
Canada, India, and various parts of Europe \ the best
being that obtained in Italy. The lumps of fibre require
much soaking in water to separate them; and when
moistened with oil and mixed with cotton, the filaments
are spun and woven into cloth, and the latter subsequently
fired to consume the oil and cotton. Thread, ropes, net,
millboard, and flooring felt are likewise made of it, and
woven sheeting, or I£ packing,” and tape, are both pro-
duced in combination with indiarubber* The Italian
Asbestos cloth (or packing) is sold in continuous rolls,
up to 50yds. in length, and 36 inches or 40 inches wide,
or else in sheets 1 yard or 40 inches square. The tape
is sold in 50 feet or 100 feet rolls, from f inch to
inches wide. The cloth is employed for suits of clothing
for the use of furnace and firemen*

Astrakhan Fur. — This fur is the wool of the sheep of
the Russian province of Astrakhan, It is of a greyish
brown, and is dyed black. It is erroneously supposed to
be of two descriptions, one of the sheep and the other of
the dog ; hut no furrier sells dog fur. It is also confounded
with the curly wool of the Persian Iamb, which is of a
much softer and finer quality, and far more costly. The
skins measure from about 12 by 14 Inches, and are valued
in London at from Is, to 5s, Imitations of this fur are
also made for trimmings, and are generally sold at from
3s. to 4s. a yard.

Attachments.—' The adjuncts of the sewing machine,
intended to serve various purposes, such as quilting,
hemming, tucking, gauging, felling, buttonholing, binding,
and braiding, &c. These names vary with different
makers, as well as the method of their employment* Every
one purchasing a sewing machine should take the trouble
to become thoroughly acquainted with the attachments;
the most simple in their application will be found the best.
They are as follow: the tuck marker, spindle, cradle, or
boat- shaped shuttle, which holds the bobbins (or spools),
the bobbins, braider, bemmer, quitter, needles, and needle
wrencker, screwdriver, spanner, and oilcan. To this
list may be added tf The English Embroiderer and Fancy
Worker,” a recently invented appliance of the sewing
machine. Oriental and other artistic work may be pro-
duced by it— embroidery with gold and silver thread,
beads, and jet bugles ; and on net, to produce lace ; also
with wool, worked on canvas, for mats and rugs. The
yarn is arranged on hooks, according to the design
required, and then sewn down.

Attalea Cloth, — A washing material, much employed

for the trimming of sailors 1 suits. It is twenty- seven
inches in width.

An Fuseau. — A term given to Roseau grounds w T hon
used in Pillow Lace making. See Reseau and Pillow
Grounds.

An Pass 6. —A flat Satin Stitch, worked across the
material, with no raised foundation, This stitch Is also
called Point Passe, Long Stitch and Satin Stitch, It
is used In all kinds of embroidery upon linen, silk, satin,
and velvet, and is much employed in church work* Any-
thing that can be threaded through a needle will embroider
in Au Passe. In Pig. 18 is given an illustration of embroi-
dery upon silk, In which Au Passe forms the chief stitch,
surrounded in some places by a border of Stem or Crewel
Stitch ; in others it forms its own outline, hut in all cases
follows the curves and lines of the arabesque fruit and
foliage it delineates; Point de Riz is the other stitch
used in this pattern. The following illustration (Fig. 10),

Fig* 19. AU PASSE,

represents a group of flowers embroidered in Au
Pass 6, with coloured silks upon satin ; it should be worked
in a frame, and the satin backed with muslin. To work :
The materials required are— a silk or satin foundation, and
embroidery silks ; colours — shades of olive green, art blues,
and yellow pinks, with gold thread. Make the stitch by
bringing the needle from back of the frame np in the
centre of the leaf or inner part of petal, and putting it
hack again at the outer side. These long stitches must
follow the curves of the leaf or flower.

Auriphrygium “The earliest term applied to the gold
fringes that bordered the garments of the ancients, and
that are supposed to have given the idea of lace. The
Phrygian embroiderers in gold and silver were world-famed,
and hence the word, though the work was not necessarily
executed by them. Canon Brock derives the more modern
lt Orphrey” from Aurifrisia and Auriphrygia, and considers
that these borders to cope or alb were the combined work
of goldsmith and embroiderer,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

*7

Austrian Pillow Lace. — At Vienna, in 1880, the
Austrian Government opened a lace school partly to
relieve the distress prevalent in Erzgebirge in the
Tyrol, and partly to improve the manufacture. The
lace made is an imitation of old Italian Pillow Lace,
and the school is flourishing.

Ave Maria Lace.— A narrow kind of Valenciennes
lace, made at Dieppe, and go designated by the peasants.

Fia* SO* Ave Maria Lace.

The ground is a plaited ground, and the border a Cloth
Stitch, with the threads running all the way* The waved
line beyond the plaited ground is made with threads,

Fia. 21 . Ave Maria Pattern* (Pricked Pattern for Fig* 20)*

which are cut where not required (Fig* 20)* The pricked
pattern, as shown in Fig, 21, will indicate the manner of
working. For stitches, see Valenciennes.

b.

Baby Lace. — An English Pillow Lace, formerly made in
Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and called English
Lille, from its patterns being the same as those of Lille
(which see}* The name Baby Lace was given, as, on
account of the narrow width of the lace, it was chiefly
used for trimming babies* caps*

Babylonian Embroidery.—' The art of embroidery is
believed to have been first known to the Phrygians, and
from them imported into Egypt and India, Even before
the time of Moses, embroidery was known to the Medcs and
Persians and to the Egyptians, and the work executed at
Babylon was celebrated throughout the then known world*
This Babylonian work maintained its pre-eminence until
the end of the first century after Christ, when it gave way
before that of other countries* Josephus mentions that the
veils of the Temple were of Babylonian work Pliny cele-
brated the Assyrian embroideries, and Hetellus Seipio
reproached Caesar for his luxury in having furniture covered
with it, although a kind of embroidery had been known in
Rome in the time of Aristotle, 325 me. It was the thick-
ness and richness of the embroidery, not the materials
used, that made the work prized. This embroidery by
hand must not he confounded with the cloths of divers
colours that the Babylonians excelled in weaving.

Backing*— A method of strengthening Applique and

other embroideries when the materials applied are not of
the same texture and strength as the foundations they
are to be laid upon. Backing is necessary for cloth of gold
and silver, satin, silk, broeatines, and other slight materials,
when they are to he laid upon heavy backgrounds* - When
velvet has to be richly embroidered it should he backed like
other materials ; when only laid upon ground work, it will
be sufficient to back it with very fine linen or even tissue
paper* To back : Unbleached linen and fine holland are
the usual hacking materials; stretch these in an em-
broidery frame, and firmly and evenly strain them.
Then trace out, upon the wrong side of the framed holland,
outlines of all the various pieces required* These pieces
of the pattern need not be arranged with any symmetry,
but all should go the same way of the etufE they are
to be cut from, and sufficient space left between them
to allow of a good margin* The holland being stretched,
paste the material on to it* When cloth, serge, and plush
are being backed with holland, they are made to adhere by
paste, made as follows ; Take three tablespoonfuls of flour,
and as much powdered resin as will lie on a shilling* Mix
them smoothly with half-a-pint of water, pour into an iron
saucepan, and stir till it boils* Let it boil five minutes,
and use cold* The cold paste is evenly laid over the
holland on the right side, and the material laid upon it
back downwards, and smoothed and pressed .with a soft
cloth to the holland. It should be allowed to dry gradually,
and no haste used in commencing to cut out. To cut out,
follow the lines traced at the back of the holland, and use
a very sharp pair of scissors. Never go beyond the traced
lines on the inside, rather keep a little on the outer side of
them. Foundations arc backed as above without the cut-
ting out*

Background or Darned Embroidery .— See Darned
Embroidery*

Back Stitch.— Knitting term, indentical with Pearl,
Rib, Seam, and Turh. See Pearl.

Back Stitch.— In making a running, a stitch is taken
back into the material beyond where the thread was last
drawn through, after the manner of stitching ; but this
method of strengthening a running is only adopted from
every second stitch to greater intervals, as may he deemed
expedient, in plain sewing*

Back Stitch*— It is identical with Hem Stitch, and
is used for embroidery and Berlin wool work* Illustrated
(Fig* 22). See Hem Stitch.

Back Stitch Embroidery.— One of the simplest
kinds of work* Trace the design upon fine leather, silk,
satin, cloth, or linen materials, and then follow it with
Back Stitch round every line ; no filling in of pattern
is necessary, as the work is done in outline* Illustrations
(Figs* 22, 23) show the hack stitching upon leather and
upon silk, and are good samples of this kind of em-
broidery. This work is now often done with the sewing
machine, and can he brought by this means to great
perfection.

Baden Embroidery* — A species of Appliqttje of
modem invention* The design is traced upon one
material, sewn to another, and the edges worked round

D

i8

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK ,

with Chain Stitch. The peculiarity of the work consists
in the stitches worked on to connect the design to the
background after the former has been attached by the
Chain Stitches and the
super duo us material cut
away. The stitches used
are any long irregular
kinds, the most effective
are wide Herringbone,

Double Coral, Fea-
the a, and Satin Stitc i i .

The spiky and irregular
lines of these stitches
blend the two materials
used in the embroidery
together. For the back-
ground and pattern ma-
terials, oatmeal cloth of
all shades, red and blue
T u rkey twi 1 Is, and sateen s
are employed ; for the
embroidery, flourishing
thread, ingrain cottons,
unbleached flax Luxem-
burg thread, and while
flosette , T he mo s t eff ec *
tive patterns are made
with dark blue laid on a
red ground, or red upon
ecru gro ends. To work :

Upon a piece of blue
twill, or oatmeal cloth,
trace an outline de-
sign of a conventional
flower spray, such as a
sunflower and its leaves.

Lay this piece of cloth,
without cutting it. On to
some red Turkey twill,
and tack both together.

With blue ingrain cot-
ton, or white flourishing
thread, work in Chain
Stitch round all the
outlines of the pattern,
and mark out the divi-
sions between petals and
the veining of leaves m
the same way. Stitch
the two materials to-
gether with the Chain
Stitches, Cut away
from beyond the out-
lines of the pattern the
superfluous upper ma-
terial and the centres
of the sunflowers; but
leave enough margin to
prevent the material

frayingout. Work stems, 2 %. Bics &mcu Emhuouje&t*

tendrils, and light sprays on the background in Crewel
Stitch, Work cross bars in Chain Stitch in the centres
of the sun flowers, and fill their spaces up with French
Knots, Work all round every outline of the pattern
with wide and pointed Herring LONE; work the stitch
half on the pattern and half on the background.

Bagging, — The fabrics employed for the purpose of
bag making comprise baize (green, blue, and black), black
and unbleached linen (or boll and), American cloth, gutta-
percha, oiled silk, black alpaca, calico prints, twine, plaited
rushes, leather, canvas, and coarse sacking.

Baize. — Possibly derived from base r of little value* A
coarse, open-made woollen stuff, or flannel, Laving a long
nap, and faced like a Lancashire flannel. First introduced
into England by the Flemings, It is generally dyed green,
bine, or red, but it can be obtained in other colours. It is
used for linings, cuttings, floorcloths, bags, Ac,, and is
made m various widths, from one yard to two* A superior
quality has latterly been made which is employed for table-
cloths.

Balayeuse, or Sweeper.— A French term to signify the
frilling of material or lacc which lines the extreme edge of
a dress skirt to keep the train clean as it sweeps along the
floor* The balayeusc is allowed to project beyond the edge
of the dress, so as to form a decorative as well as a useful
trimming.

Fw , 23* BACK STITCH EMBROIDERY.

Baleine— The French word for whalebone, employed in
the stiffening of stays and dresses. It is sold in strips of
Hyd* in length, and is also to be had ent into short
lengths ready for the dressmakers* use. It is sold by the
gross sets. That designed for stay makers is cut into suit-
able lengths, which varies between 3-IGths and 11 inch*
It is sold by the pound*

Bale rin o. — This is otherwise called a Balayeuse, or
Sweeper (which sce)w It is a frilling of material, muslin,
or lace, either in white or black, sewn under the edge of
a dress skirt to preserve it from wearing out, and from
being soiled from sweeping the floor.

Ball Cottons* — These include the 2 drachm balls for
tacking, and the ioz. balls for sewing, together with smaller
ones for marking cither red or blue. Some crochet cotton
and Maltese thread are also wound in balls, occasionally
: taking the shape of eggs*

Balls. — Useful for using up skeins of wool left from
single Berlin work, and made either with knitting or upon
card. To make in Knitting, use pins 11, and colours

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

either 3, 6, or 9, as 18 sections make up the Ball, and the |
colours are repeated. Cast on 39 stitches, and work in the
Brioche Stitch, Knit 1 row, and for the 2nd row Knit all ;
but three stitches, leaving these on the needle, and putting |
in a white thread where left as a marker. Turn the work
and Knit back until the 3 end stitches on that row are
reached; leave these unknit, and mark as in 2nd row; con-
tinue to Knit, leaving each row with 3 stitches unknit on
the needle, and carrying the marking thread along until
the two threads come within 3 stitches of each other in
the centre, and 7 distinct ridges appear on each pin. Turn
and Knit all the stitches up, putting in a new colour for
last stitch ; continue to work in tln3 way until the 18 sec-
tions are made, then cast off, draw up one end of the ball,
and sew up the side; stuff the ball with shreds of wool, and
sew up the last end. Larger Balls may be made by in-
creasing the number of stitches Cast on, taking care that
they divide by three ; or smaller ones by decreasing. To
make Balls of skeins of wool, cut 2 circles of cardboard
with a hole in the centre. For a Ball 4 inches in diameter
the cardboard should be 6 inches round, and centre hole
1£ inch ; for a 3-inch Ball the cardboard should be 5
inches round, and the hole in the centre 1.1 inch. Place
the two cardboards together, and wind your wool tightly
round them until the centre hole is filled up ; then cut the
wool at the outer edge with sharp and large scissors, and
pass a piece of fine, but strong, twine between the two card-
boards, knotting it strongly ; then cut the cardboard away
and snip the wool with scissors until it is fluffy and the
ball quite circular in shape.

Ball Silks. — Principally prepared for Knitting purposes,
and include the French, Swiss, Chinese, and Imperial, &c.

Ball Wools. — These are prepared either for Crochet or
Knitting, and are well known under the names of Rabbit,
Orkney, Bonne Mere, French Pompadour, Connaught, and
Burmah, & c. Besides these there are the crewels and the
eis wool, in plain and parti-colours, tinselled, coral, &c.

Balzorine or Balzarine. — A French name for a light
mixed material, composed of cotton and worsted; manu-
factured for women’s dresses. It was succeeded by Barege,
which superseded it likewise in public favour. It measures
40 inches in width.

Bandana Handkerchiefs. — Indian washing silk hand-
kerchiefs, having white or coloured spots or diamonds on a
red, yellow, blue, or dark ground. They were a yard square,
and were both plain and twilled, and kept their colours to
the last. Other patterns have long been introduced into
their manufacture, and they are extensively imported plain
and printed to this country, being solely manufactured for
export to the United Kingdom. Imitation Bandanas are
largely made in England and elsewhere, but are mostly
composed of cotton. They can now be purchased by the
yard, and are made into dresses, aprons, and caps.

Bande. — A French term for the English name, Band.
Employed by dressmakers, and applied to any kind of
material. See Bands.

Bandeaux. — French. A term to denote arrangements
of flowers or other materials in bands as a sort of diadem
headdress. It is a term employed by milliners.

*9

Bandoulidre. — A French term to signify a scarf worn
over one shoulder and under the other.

Bands. — (French Bandes .) A term employed to denote
a strip, more or less narrow, of any material used in the
making of any garment or other article, whether necessary
to its completion or merely decorative, and whether of the
same material or of another. Thus there are waist, neck,
and wrist Bands, and Bands of insertion embroidery let
into underclothing, and infants’ dresses. In making linen
Bands, the stuff should be cut by the thread, having pre-
viously drawn out a single strand. Bands may be made
of either bias or straight material ; if of the latter, they
should be cut down the selvedge, as being the strongest
way of the stuff. Bias Bands are sometimes used for the
necks of dresses, but are more especially in vogue for
trimmings, being sown on both sides with the sewing
machine. Great care is requisite in cutting them at an
exact angle of 45 degrees. The waist-bands of dress skirts
are sometimes of Petersham, a strongly-made ribbon
(which see). Bands sometimes require to be stiffened, in
which case buckram, or stiff muslin, is used to back them.

Band Work. — A term used in Needle-made Laces to
denote the open and fancy stitches that fill in the centres
of lace. The word is identical in its meaning with Fillings,
Jours, Modes. The different stitches filling in these spaces
are named after various laces, and described under their
own headings. The illustrations are
of two handwork stitches, and are
worked as follows : Fig. 24. — Work
three rows of thirty-three close Button-
hole, as a foundation. First row — work
15 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 15 close.

Second row — 12 Buttonhole, miss 3, work
3, miss 3, work 12. Third row — 9 Button-
hole, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss
3, work 9. Fourth row— 6 Buttonhole,
miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss 3,
work 3, miss 3, work 6. Fifth row — 9
Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3, work 9,
miss 3, work 9. Sixth row — 6 Button-
hole, miss 3, work 15, miss 3, work 6.

Work two rows of close Buttonhole, and repeat the pattern
from first row. In Fig. 25, commence first pattern with
three plain rows. First row — work 6 Buttonhole, miss 3,
work 3, miss 3, work 9, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 6.
Second row — 9 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 9, miss 3, work 3,
miss 3, work 9. Third row — 6 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3,
miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work
6. Fourth row — 15 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work
3, miss 3, work 9. Fifth row — 6 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3,
miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 12. Sixth row
— 9 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss 3,
work 15. Seventh row — 6 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3, miss
3, work 3, miss 3, work 18. Eighth row — 15 Buttonhole,
miss 3, work 6, miss 3, work 12. Ninth row — G Buttonhole
miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work G, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work
9. Tenth row — 9 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 12, miss 3, work
12. Eleventh row — 6 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work
24. Work one row all Buttonhole, and repeat. The second
pattern (Fig. 25) is worked thus : First row — 21 Buttonhole,

D 2

Fig. 24.
Band Work.

20

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

miss 3, work 15, Second row — miss 3, 3 Buttonhole, miss 3,
work 12, mi sa 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 3,
mss 3. Third row — 3 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 12, miss 3,
work 3, miss 3 S work 3, miss 3, work 3. Fourth row — miss

Fig, 25, Band Wore.

3, Buttonhole 3, miss 3, work 6, miss 3, work 3, miss 3,
work 9, miss 3, work 3, miss 3. Fifth row — 12 Buttonhole,
miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 21, Sixth, row — miss 3, 3
Buttonhole, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work 15, miss 3, work
3, miss 3. Seventh row— 3 Buttonhole, miss 3, work 6,
miss 3, work 21, miss 3, work 3. Eighth row — miss 3, 3
Buttonhole, miss 3, work 18, miss 3, work 3, miss 3, work
3, miss 3. Repeat the pattern from first row. In the illus-
tration the open spaces are white, and the Buttonhole
stitches black, as they are easier for the worker when so
engraved.

Bar* — The connecting .threads thrown across spaces in
all Needle-point Laces, whether imitation or real, and known
as Brides, Bride Claires, Coxcombs, Pearls* Legs, and Ties,

These threads are ar-
ranged so that they con-
nect the various solid
parts of the lace to-
gether, and are made by
passing two or three
strands across, and either
cording them or covering
them closely with But-
tonhole, Bars can be
made of any form, the
ones shown in Fig. 26
being intended to fill in a large space, and to form a
kind of wheel* To work: Throw a thread across from
G to H, Co k b this back to I, then take it to J, L, N,
& c*, and cord it hack half way again until B is reached,
when Cord the centre all round, and fasten the thread oh
at G.

Bar. — In Honiton and Pillow Laces, make these either
by rolling the top bobbins round and round, drawing one
up through the pinhole, passing a bobbin through the loop
lower end first, and drawing up the loop, or else by work-
ing in Cloth Stitch, when no pins arc required, except
where Pin Work: is added.

Bar, — Portions of the pattern of Macrame* Made of
one to three threads, according as single, double, or treble
Bar is required, and consisting of a succession of Ma-
crame Knots w T orkcd alternately over right and left-
hand threads. The number of knots depends upon the

length of Bar required, nine knots being tbc usual length
made.

Bar.— Derived from the old English word harre t the
Welsh tar, French barre. A term in plain work to signify
the sewing made, in Buttonhole Stitch, across a buttonhole
to prevent its being torn. See Buttonhole Stitch.

Barathea. — A mixture of silk and worsted, with a
diaper dike appearance. It is about 42 inches wide, and
is used for mourning. This is one of the new designa-
tions under which bombazine is now known. There is a
variety called Barathea cloth, a soft, durable, woollen
textile, having a small diaper pattern. It is 24 inches in
width. There is also a fancy Barathea, having a crape
ground and brocaded spots, and a diagonal Barathea,
which is woven with fancy stripes. The woollen kinds
measure 42 inches in width.

Barcelona Kerchiefs.— So called from the Spanish
province from which they originated. At present they are
all made in England, and are of four kinds — in black,
plain colours, checks, and fancy. The black measure from
26 inches square to seven quarters. Turban checks used
originally to be made for head-dresses. They measure
about 20 inches square.

Barcelona Lace. — This stitch is used in ancient
Needle-point and in Modern
Point. To make : First row —
work 4 Buttonhole Stitches
close together, then miss the
space that would take 4 more,
and make 4 others, leaving a'
loop between the close stitches ■
continue until the end of the
row. Second row — work 3 But-
tonholes into the loops left in last row, and make loops
under the close work of that row. These two rows,
worked alternately, form the lace. See Fig* 27,

Barege. — A name derived from the valley so called
in the Pyrenees, where the textile was first manufac-
tured in the village of Arosons. It is now chiefly made
at Bagneres di Bigorre. It is a kind of gauze, composed
of silk and wool, or else of wool only, in warp and woof;
and at first made in all colours. It has been called by
many names as the manufacture has improved — such as
woollen gauze, woollen grenadine, Slc * The width of the
material is 26in, The Bareges made in Paris have a warp
of silk. Cheap sorts are made with a cotton warp*

Barege Yarn.— A hand-spun yam employed in manu-
facture of a very fine gauze cloth, aud chiefly for men's
veils. The seat of industry is at Rheims, in France,

Barnsley Crash, or Linen. — A name indiscriminately
used to denote the narrow crash employed for round towels.
For the latter it is made in four different widths, viz., from
16 inches up to 25 inches. See Crash*

Barnsley Linens. — A description of linen especially
made for the purpose of embroidery. It is to be had both
bleached and unbleached, and in different degrees of fine-
ness and of width, from narrow to a double width of
80 inches. One kind of Barnsley Linen is designated
Brand — a brown textile, 38 inches wide, and likewise

Fig. 26. Kails,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

21

made for crewel work decoration. These linens are com-
monly, but improperly, called “ crash,” arising from the
fact that the first examples of crewel embroidery were
worked on crash.

Barracan. — (Latin Barracanus , French Bouracan.) A
coarse, thick, strong stuff, somewhat resembling camlet,
used for external clothing. A garment made of camels’
hair is called in the East “ barak,” “barik ” being a camel.
It was formerly employed for cloaks. Barracan is now
made with wool, silk, and goats’ hair ; the warp being of
silk and wool twisted, and the woof the hair of the Angora
goat, when purely oriental.

Barragon, or Moleskin. — A description of Fustian
(which see) of a coarse quality, strong and twilled, and
shorn of the nap before dyed. It is a cotton textile, and is
employed for the clothing of the labouring classes of men.
The width of this material runs to 27 inches.

Barratee. — A silk stuff, being a variety of barathea, of
21 inches in width.

Basket Cloth, or Connaught. — A fancy cotton cloth,
made after the manner of Aida Canvas, or Toile Colbert,
the French name under which it was first introduced. It
is employed as a foundation for Embroidery. See Aida
Canvas and Toile Colbert.

Basket Stitch. — One of the handsomest stitches in
embroidery, and much used in ancient and modern

church needlework. It is
a variety of Couching,
and its particular beauty
arises from the raised ap-
pearance given to the
threads composing it by
rows of whipcord or
cotton cord laid down
upon the foundation be-
fore the work is com-
Fia. 23 . Basket Stitch. menced. See COUCHING.

Basques. — A French term, designating that part of the
dress bodice below the waist. They may be cut in one
piece with the bodice, or added to it, all in one piece, or
divided.

Basqnine. — The French term to denote a bodice of a
dress having a basque finish to it depending from the waist.

Basse Lisse. — The French for low warp ; a term used
in tapestry work.

Basting, otherwise called Tacking.— -Derived from
the old German bastan , to sew, or besten , to bind. This
term is chiefly employed by tailors, while Tacking is used
by women. The term is used to signify the light runnings
made by taking up a stitch at long distances successively,
to keep the separate portions of a garment or other article
in position, preparatory to their being sewn together. A
lining is said to be basted on the material for which it is
designed. Knots may be used in Basting threads, as they
are not for permanent use. See Tacking.

Bath. Coating, or Dufifl. — A light cloth or baize, with
a long nap, which is generally made in wide widths, both
coloured and w T hite, and is used for thick flannel petticoats,
and blankets for babies’ cots. Bath blankets are also

made of it, embroidered at the edges. It is also used for
men’s greatcoats. It varies in width from 48 and GO to 72
inches. See Flannel.

Batiste. — A description of cotton muslin, having a
good deal of dress in it, to be had in all colours, as well as
in white and black. Its chief use is for summer dresses,
and it is also employed for linings and trimmings. The
price varies with the quality, and it measures about a yard
in width.

Batiste. — The French name for cambric. A fine linen
muslin made in France, in various colours, and used for
dresses, dress linings, and trimmings; so called from its
inventor Baptista, at Cambray, who was a linen weaver in
Flanders in the thirteenth century; or because this fine linen
was used to wipe the heads of young infants who had just
received baptism. The width runs from ISin. to 36in.

Batswing. — A thick, rough description of cloth of a
grey colour, woven into the shape of a petticoat without a
seam, and having only the band or the yoke, for the waist,
and the binding to be liandsewn. This material is a
description of Felt (which see).

Battlemented. — A manner of embroidery upon white
materials or ticking so as to form an indented line in imi-
tation of the battlements that crowned ancient fortresses.

To work, as shown in Fig. 29 : Trace the outlines of the
design upon the material, and work in Point Russe for
the Battlemented line. Fill in the rest of the design with
Satin Stitch.

Battlemented. — The ornamentation of any border of
a garment or other article, either by means of a trimming
laid upon it, or by cutting out the material, in the pattern
known in architecture by that term, and forming the
parapet of a castle or church; the open portions being
called embrasures.

Batuz Work. — A manner of ornamenting embroidery
now obsolete, but much used by the earliest workers with
the needle. It was technically known as “ silk beaten with
gold and silver,” and was sometimes called “ hammered-up
gold.” Batuz work was very prevalent in mediaeval times,
and often mentioned in ecclesiastical inventories and royal
^lils from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries. It con-
sisted of sewing upon silk, as a part of the pattern em-
broidered, very thin plates of gold, silver, or silver gilt.
These plates were frequently hammered into low relief, and
were formed either to represent animals, flowers, or heraldic
devices. Batuz work was largely used in England, but was
also known on the Continent, the banner of Strasbourg

22

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

being so ornamented. At one time in Italy these costly
gold and silver plates were imitated with metal ones, which
were glued, not sewn, to the material ; but the metal, not
being pure, speedily turned black. A specimen of this
work was seen when the tomb of Edward I. was opened in
1774, in the quarter-foils on his robe. The lions on the
Glastonbury cope are in hammered-up silver.

Baum Skin Fur, or Fine Marten ( Mustela abietum).

specimens of needlework extant in a good state of preser-
vation, and is highly prized for the illustrations which it
gives of the dress and customs of the times and the labour
it must have entailed. It is 214 feet long and 20 inches
wide, including a border top and bottom, and contains 530
figures. The material is fine linen, which has turned brown
with age, and the stitches are Chain and Long. It is not
rightly tapestry, but rather embroidery with crewels, as

— A description of sable, imported under this name from
the forests of Germany, of which the baum is a native, and
is distinguished from the stone marten by the yellow colour
of the throat, while the rest of the skin is brown. When
dyed the fur rivals in appearance that of the best sable.
It is the wood marten of British America, and is used for
muffs, tippets, and trimmings. See Pine Marten.

Bayeux Tapestry. — This celebrated piece of needle-
work is believed to have been executed by Matilda, queen of

the material is left exposed in many parts, and the design
indicated with Chain Stitch. Thus the faces of the figures
are left bare, and the features rudely indicated with Chain-
Stitch. The embroidery is in two-strand worsteds or
crewels, and the colours of the wool limited to eight, two
blue, two green, a buff, pink, red, and yellow. The em-
broiderers have not attempted to give the natural colouring
to animals, & c., frequently working a yellow or blue horse
with legs of a widely different colour, and from the limited

William the Conqueror, and her ladies, after the conquest
of England, 1066. There is, however, no authentic record
of the fact, and some maintain that it was worked by three
Bayeux men in London during the reign of William, and
sent by them as an offering to their native cathedral. This
claim rests on the poorness of the materials used. Other
authorities believe it to be the product of the twelfth, and
not of the eleventh century. Whatever its exact origin, it is
undoubtedly of great antiquity, and is one of the earliest

number of colours used there is little variety in the
shading. The original, after being for many years hung in
Bayeux cathedral, was removed to Paris in the time of the
first Napoleon, and is now preserved in the public library
at Bayeux. A coloured photograph of the whole is to be
seen in the South Kensington Museum. The work is
divided into compartments, the subjects of wdiich are ex-
plained by an embroidered Latin inscription and com-
mence with Harold swearing fealty to William of Nor-

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

23

manJy over the relics of saints, which is followed by
Harold returning to England, the death and burial of
Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey, the as-
sumption of the crown by Harold, the landing of William,
the battle of Hastings, and death of Harold. The border
is chiefly occupied with grotesque animals, griffins, dragons,
birds, except in the compartments devoted to the battle of

Bead Mosaic Work.— This work, popular in England
in 1855, consists in uniting together beads without any
foundation. The beads used are large, long, transparent
ones, variously coloured, which are formed by this process
into hanging baskets, lamp shades, and dinner rings.
To work : Thread the beads upon linen cotton in order as
to colour and pattern for the first row ; in the next, and

Pro. 306. BATTLE OP HASTINGS.

Hastings, where the bodies of the slain are worked instead.
Part of this tapestry is shown in Figs. 30, 30a, 306, and 30c.

Beaded or Jetted Stuffs. — These textiles are divided
into two kinds, those hand-embroidered and those having
the beads woven into the texture. The latter is an art
newly discovered in France, and is accomplished by an
ingenious adaptation of certain machinery. Beading was
first applied to elastic cloths, but afterwards to silk grena-

in all other rows, thread each bead singly, and pass the
cotton through the bead above and beyond it in the
preceding row. Ho * bead can be placed under this
threaded one, so that only half the number of beads
are used in the rows after the first one, and the
work presents a battlemented appearance while in
progress. Always commence the work in the centre of
the pattern, whether the design is round or square ; and,

Fig. 30c. BATTLE OP HASTINGS.

dines, having stripes of brocaded velvet. These fabrics are
exceedingly costly.

Beading, or Bead Edge. — A simple heading for Pil-
low Lace, and also known as Beading. To make it : Hang
on seven pairs of bobbins and a Gimp, the latter runs
along the Plain Edge side. Work in Cloth Stitch,
and, at the end of each bead-head, twist the gimp twice
round all the bobbins excepting the two pairs lying at
the plain edge. See illustration (Fig. 31).

one side finished, return to the middle, and from there
work the other. The pattern is sometimes varied by
holes or open spaces being left in the close lines; these
manage by passing the needle and cotton through the
same bead in a given place for several rows, with no
beads attached. Make fringes to these pieces of bead-
work of long loops of beads attached to the outside row
of beads. The designs are all geometrical. Unless lined
with velvet or other soft foundation, this work is not

24

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

suitable for mats placed upon woodwork, as the beads
scratch the varnish. In Germany and on the Continent,
Mosaic Beadwork is executed with small and beautifully
shaded beads, in designs representing flowers or land-
scapes. These elaborate pieces of work are large, and
are made in a frame. The lines of beads are stretched

Fig. 31. Bead Edge.

across the frame from right to left, and supported by
perpendicular lines of very fine silk, which arc arranged
close together and of a set number, and fastened tight
to the top and bottom of the frame before the beads
are inserted. The pattern, which is coloured and divided
into squares like a Berlin wool pattern, clearly indicates
the colouring of each bead in each square, and each bead
when laid across rests between two perpendicular threads,
not on one thread. To work: Count the number of
squares in the work, and glue firmly to a piece of linen
two more silk threads than there are squares. Stretch
these threads and glue their other ends on to a second
piece of linen, being careful to lay each thread in order
and at even distances. Sew these prepared threads to a
frame in an upright position. Fasten a thread of fine
silk to the right side of the frame and thread on it a whole
row of beads, putting the last bead on first. Lay this
straight across the frame, so that each bead drops in
between an upright thread. Secure the silk firmly on the
left side, and recommence the work on the right side.
Large pieces of work are used for fire and candle screens,
small for bracelets. When working such narrow pieces as
bracelets, instead of fastening the thread off every time on
the left side, secure it firmly there and run it back through
every bead to the right side, where fasten it before
beginning a second line.

Beads. — These may be had for the purposes of decora-
tive needlework in all varieties of colour, sold by the dozen
bunches; and also in varieties of chalk, crystal, and
alabaster, sold by the ounce.

Bead Watch Chains. — To form these chains, small
shiny black beads are required, and black purse silk. A
whole skein of silk is taken, and on to this a number of
beads are threaded. A four chain Crochet is then worked
and united, and rounds of double Crochet are made until
the required length is attained, dropping, a bead into every
stitch as it is formed.

Bead Work. — (From the Anglo-Saxon beade , a prayer.)
—The small globules or balls now called beads, either made
of iron, pearl, garnet, amber, or crystal, were used as
ornaments in pre-historic times, while glass beads were
made almost as soon as the art of making glass was dis-
covered. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans made use
of them as ornaments, and the Druids, before the conquest
of Britain, used annulets, or large perforated balls of
glass, in their religious rites. The English name of bead

came from the practice of using these strung balls for
telling off the number of prayers recited, but this custom
is not exclusively a Roman Catholic one, as Mahommedans
and some heathen tribes do the same. The greater number
of beads used in Bead work are made at Murano, near
Yenice, but there are also manufactories in Germany and
England. Large quantities of coarse beads are sold to the
natives of America and Africa, for embroidering their
garments, &c., and the taste these savages display over
their work puts to shame that of more civilised nations.
For a long time the beads used for needlework purposes
were made with but a few varieties of colour, and could
only be employed for groundings or simple patterns, as
seen on the work of the time of Charles II. ; but, during
the last 100 years, many additional colours and sizes
have been manufactured, thus giving great scope for in-
genuity in their arrangement. Thirty years ago, the art
on the Continent was carried to great perfection, the
beads were beautifully coloured, most minute, and worked
as flower patterns of great delicacy. These fine beads
are difficult to procure in England. The beads are
generally sewn upon canvas (see Fig. 32), but cloth, fine

Fig. 32. Bead Work.

leather, and velvet are also used as foundations. To
work : Attach the beads singly to all materials with fine
waxed sewing silk, in long straight lines, with a Tent
Stitch across two threads of the canvas on the slant.
For patterns, use the Berlin ones, which generally con-
sist of large or small white flowers, worked with opal
and opaque beads for high lights, and shading from
black to grey for the darker portions, or the same in
golden and amber beads, shading to brown. Work the
leaves either in beads like the flowers, or in woolwork,
and in Cnoss Stitch; and make the groundings with
beads of one shade, or with fine Berlin wool. The diffi-
culty of all large pieces of Bead work is in procuring beads of
a uniform size, as all irregularities show upon a smooth
surface of glass. A great improvement in an art point of
view would be gained if the patterns used in this work
were geometrical instead of impossible florid ones, and the
articles embroidered were of a kind suitable to the applica-
tion of glass. The work is of a lasting kind, neither heat
nor damp affects it, and the colours never fade, and it is
easily cleaned with a damp sponge; therefore, with different
execution, it could be raised from its present low position.
Groundings in Bead work are not always attached bead by
bead to the foundation canvas, though they are far stronger
when so treated ; but six or eight beads are strung upon a

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

^5

thread, which is laid along a line of the canvas and caught
down at regular distances by a thread coming from the
hack of the material and returning to it; in fact, a species
of Couching. The work so done is more raised and quicker
of execution ; but is not so lasting, and, unless well done,
the rows of laid beads are not flat. Bead work, when used

F10. 33* Bead Turn mi no for Dresses, &c.

as a trimming, as shown in Fig. 33, is made of flue round
black beads, selected all of the same size. The only
foundation required is a narrow strip of braid upon each
side* Thread five heads together, and pass a needle
through the centre head of the stitch above it in the pre-
ceding row. String together twenty -two beads for the
first row, and commence the pattern by putting a needle and
thread, on which five heads have been strung, through
every sixth head.

Bead Work on Net .—' This work Is largely used for
trimmings, and looks well executed in white or black
bugles, as well as with fine beads of any colour* A bold
and well- defined arabesque pattern is the best to orna-
ment. Mark the design out upon a strip of pink calico,
which stiffen with a paper lining, and tack net, the colour
of the heads, firmly over it* Thread the heads singly
upon fine sewing silk, and sew upon the net so as to fill in
tke pattern under the net. "When finished take the net
off the pattern, and lay a fresh piece on the design.

Bead Work on Velvet . — For this work fine and well*
shaped beads are required, and good velvet. The velvet is
either stamped out with a stamping machine in scroll
or ivy leaf patterns, or the same designs marked out
with transfer patterns on to the material, and then cut
out, and the fine heads thickly sewn over every part.
The work is only used for trimmings, and is very
laborious.

Bearskin Cloth. — A coarse thick woollen cloth, with a
shaggy nap, manufactured for the making of overcoats,
and very durable* A variety of this material is commonly
called Dreadnought*

Bearskin Fuv*“(l/rsus.) The several furs of the Mack,
brown, white, and grey hears are all employed for either
clothing, trimmings, or rugs, &c. That of the brown, or
Isabella hear, lias often come much into fashion in this
country for women’s dress ; that of the black bear is made
into military caps and accoutrements, hammer cloths,
wrappers, and rugs; that of the grey bear is used for
trimmings and coat linings, and so is the skin of the

cub black bear, which, in Russia, is always very much
esteemed.

Beaver Cloth.— A stout make of woollen cloth, milled,
and compact, with only one face shorn* A kind of fus-
tian, having a smooth surface, and resembling a West of
England cloth, such as arc manufactured in Glouces-
tershire (see Fustian). It is of double width*

Beaver Fur. — (Castot Artier icawus.) This animal is a
native of British America, as well as other parts of that
continent. The fur Is of a chestnut brown until plucked,
when it is of a grey colour. It is beautifully fine, soft, and
glossy* The long hairs arc plucked from it and the surface
cut smoothly, and It is much employed for hats, bonnets,
muffs, tippets, cuffs, and trimmings, and also as linings,
being warm and durable. The white fur underneath the
body is largely exported to France, where if is employed
for making bonnets. A medium- sized skin measures IS
by 22 inches* The skins are imported to this country
by the Hudson’s Bay Company. (Anglo-Saxon Be/or,
Danish Baev or.)

Eeaverteen. — One of the varieties of fustian. It is a
coarse twilled cotton, manufactured with a nap, and it Is
first dyed and then shorn. The chief seats of this manu-
facture arc Bolton and Manchester. It was originally a
mixture of cotton and linen, but is now made entirely
of the former. Like all fustians it is both strong and
durable. This material may be had In three different
widths— 27, 48, and 54 inches* See Fustian.

Bedford Cloth*— A description of ribbed cloth, drab
coloured, and of great strength ; made as a dress material*
It is a kind of Bass el cord, all wool, and is a variety of
French woollen poplin*

Bedford Cord. — A strong thick cloth, made for men’s
riding breeches* It is to be had in three sizes, the large,
medium, and fine cord. The width is 27 inches.

Bedfordshire Lace. — Queen Catherine, of Arragon,
is believed by some people to have introduced Pillow
Lace making into England, and particularly into Bedford-
shire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire; hut,
as pins were not known in England until 1543, and
she died in 153G, it is more probable that the lace making
she fostered was a Necdlc-made Laee, or a coarse lace made
with fish bones instead of pins* It seems to be pretty
well decided that Pillow Lace was brought to England
in Elizabeth’s reign by the French refugees from the
persecutions of Alva (I56S), as the patterns of the old
laces arc of Flemish origin, and the lace was often
known as English Lille* Many pieces of it were pre-
sented to Queen Elizabeth, who encouraged its manufac-
ture, and, in 1060, it obtained so large a sale that a
mark was placed upon it when exported to foreign
countries, to distinguish it from the true Lille. The
ground was a Roseau, and the pattern a wavy description
differing but little from Lille Lace* The manufactory
flourished during the whole of the seventeenth and eigh-
teenth centuries, and the character of the lace up to the
earlier part of the present century did not materially alter.
The Regency Feint is a specimen of a more complicated

26

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

kind of Bedfordshire Lace witli a thick edge (see illustra-
tion, Fig. 31), and was much made in the first part of the

Fio. 31. BEDFORD REGENCY POINT.

nineteenth century, hut was succeeded by lace of plaited
instead of Roseau grounds, with raised patterns more
resembling the old Maltese Laces than the Lille, and this
last lace has destroyed the hands of the workers for the
more delicate kinds. The demand for white lace having
failed of late years, black lace is now taking its place ; but
the lace makers are so wretchedly paid for their work, that
few are now learning the art, although specimens of the
lace have been sent to the English exhibitions, and
received praise from the judges, it, however, being re-
marked by them, that English lace failed in elegance
and beauty when compared to those of foreign manufac-
tories, and seemed rather to arrest by the apparent amount
of labour bestowed upon it, than by the just lines of
ornament and delicacy of design.

Bed Lace. — A description of binding, of white cotton,
twilled or figured, and employed for binding dimities. It
is likewise made in chintz colours, and in a diamond
pattern for furniture prints, and striped with blue for
bed ticking and palliasses. It is sold by the gross in
two pieces of 72 yards each.

Beggars’ Lace. — A name given
of Torchon, made at Guese. It
was made in the sixteenth cen-
tury, and was so called ns it
was cheap and easily executed.

It is now obsolete.

Beginner’s Stem.— In noni-
ton and other Pillow Laces.* this
stem is formed by plaiting to-
gether the threads that have been
used to form detached leaves
and flowers. To make: Divide
into three the number of bob-
bins that have been employed
in the leaf, and then plait these together for a short dis-
tance, so as to form a stem to the leaf. The illustra-
tion (Fig. 35) shows a finished leaf w T itk its threads thus
plaited up as a finish.

Beige, or Bege. — A French term to denote wool in its
natural state. Beige is made of undyed wool, is an ex-
tremely soft textile, graceful in draping, and employed lor
morning and out-door wear. This material measures from
25 to 28 inches in width. There is a description of this
textile, called Snowflake Beige, of a neutral ground, hairy
in texture, to be had in grey-brown, light green, and drab ;
the wool being interwoven with threads of silk of a
brightly contrasting colour.

Belgian Laces. — These include Brussels Lace, Mechlin,
Antwerp, and Yalcnciennes, and all the varieties executed
in the neighbouring towns. The manufacture of lace in
Belgium dates back to the fifteenth century, and by some
is considered to have been made there before the Italian
laces. The making of lace in Belgium still continues, and
is a flourishing trade. The chief employment is Pillow
Lace making, with the exception of the modem needle
Brussels Point Gaze, and at present the grounds are
made of machine net, and the patterns on the pillow. See
Antwerp, Brussels, Mechlin, and Valenciennes
Laces.

Belgian Tapestry. — A very stout handsome new cloth,
to be had in every colour. It is made of jute, or with a
mixture of linen, at the Glasgow jute manufactories,
although given a foreign name. It has designs in colours,
and is 52 inches in width. It is employed for covering
furniture, and for hangings of all kinds.

Belgian Ticking. — These cloths are composed of linen
and cotton, are stout, have a satin face, and are 64 inches
in width. They are manufactured in various colours and
patterns for purposes of upholstery, and especially for
bedding.

Belgravian Embroidery. — This is a modern nauie
given to braid and bugle work. Patterns of leaves, &c.,
are traced upon braid, and filled in with solid masses of
bugles fastened to the braid w T ith filoselle. The braid
may be cut to represent leaves, with edges Overcast or
turned down and then bugled. For trimmings this is
handsomer than when the braid is left as a straight edge.
To work : Take a piece of broad braid, lay over it an open
design of leaves (such as ivy leaves) and their stems, and
cut out the braid to that. Overcast over the raw edges
of the braid, then cover every part of it over with bugles
stitched firmly down.

Bell Pattern. — This is a design for a sleeve trimming,
and is made of Damascene Lace. This lace is a modem
adaptation of Honiton Pillow Lace. Draw the pattern
upon pink calico, then tack the sprigs (which are bought
ready made) into position, and run on the braid, which is
either made on the pillow or by machine. Wherever the
braid touches another piece of braid in its various curves
Overcast the two together, and Overcast the whole out-
side edge. Nothing now remains to be done but to tack
on a lace edging as a finish, and to connect the sprigs to
the braid. Do this by means of Corded Bars and
Wheels of various shapes, as shown in Fig. 36. For full
description, see Damascene Lace.

Belt. — (Anglo-Saxon Belt.) Derived from the Latin
balteu8 , a girdle. The Belt may be made of leather, ribbon,

to a braid lace, a species

Fiq. 35. BiGiKKEh’s Stem.

BERLIN CANVAS AND STITCHES,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

27

silk, satin, or velvet, or of the material of the dress with
which it is worn, and is fastened by either a band, rosette,
or buckle. If made to match the dress, it must be made
with buckram or stiff linen. Cricketing Belts are worn
by gentlemen, and form a favourite present. There are
several ways of making them, but the most general is
embroidery applied to webbing, leather, cloth, or flannel.
They may be also knitted or crocheted.

Bengal. — A thin stuff, made of silk and hair, originally
brought from the Indian province of that name; also an
imitation of striped muslin.

Bengaline. — A corded silk of Indian make, and possibly
origin, slight in texture, manufactured in all colours, con-
sidered most appropriate for young ladies’ wear in France.

Bengaline. — A French made silk textile, exceedingly
soft, and made of silk and wool. It bears some resem-
blance to poplin, but has a much larger cord, and more
silk in its composition. Different qualities are sold, but
they all measure 24 inches in width.

Bengal Stripes. — A kind of cotton cloth or gingham,
woven with coloured stripes. It was so called after the
cottons formerly imported from Bengal, the name referring
only to the pattern, but is also to be had in a mixture of
linen and cotton. It resembles the French Percale and
Millerayes (which see), but is softer, and is made of
English cotton, or cotton and wool. The cotton stripe
measures 34in. inches in width, and linen stripe about 24
inches. It was first manufactured in this country at
Paisley.

Bergamot. — A common description of Tapestry, pro-
duced from goat and ox hair, mixed with cotton or hemp.
It derives its name from Bergamo, in Italy, where it is
supposed to have been first manufactured.

Berlin Canvas, — Every two strands in this textile are
drawn together, thus forming squares, and leaving open
spaces for the wool, with which it may be embroidered.
It is more easily counted and worked than the ordinary
sorts, and is a great improvement upon the old Penelope
canvas, the threads of which were woven in equal distances
throughout, taking, of course, much more time to count
and separate them. It may be procured in almost all

widths and all degrees of fineness, and is usually made of
cotton.

Berlin Wool, otherwise called German Wool and
Zephyr Merino. — Manufactured for the purpose of
knitting and embroidery. It is to be had in two sizes, the
single and the double. Keighley, in Yorkshire, is the chief
scat of the manufacture, and the Wool is sold either in
skeins or by weight. A quantity of real German Wool is
brought into Great Britain in a raw state, and is combed,
spun, and dyed, chiefly in Scotland, but that dyed here is
less perfect and durable than that imported ready for use,
excepting those dyed black, which are cleaner in working.
The English-grown embroidery lambswool, though harsher,
is in some respects superior, the scarlet dye quite equalling,
if not surpassing, the German ; as also several shades of
all the other colours and neutral tints. It is best suited
for use on coarse canvas. Berlin or German Wool is the
finest of all descriptions, and is produced from the fleece
of the Merino breed of Saxony sheep, and of neighbouring

German States. The principal seat of its manufacture into
thread for needlework is Gotha, whence it is sent to Berlin
and elsewhere to be dyed. Wool of the same breed of
the Merino is largely exported from Australia and Yan
Dieinan’s Land. Berlin Wool for embroidery may be had
in all colours, also shaded and partridge-coloured, and in-
grain at different prices, both by the skein and by weight.

Berlin Work. — A modern name given to the Opus
Pulvinarium of the ancients, and also known as Cushion
Style and Point de Marque. Opus pulvinarium was well
known to the Phrygians and Egyptians, and its principal
stitch (Cross Stitch) was used in the curtains of the Taber-
nacle. The work w T as prevalent during the thirteenth and
following centuries, but then chiefly used for kneeling mats
and cushions in churches, as it was more durable than
embroidery. From this application it owed its name of
Cushion style; but that it was not only confined to the
baser uses is apparent in the fine example of a church vest-
ment still left us, the Sion cope, date 1225, the border of
which is worked in Cross Stitch upon canvas, exactly as the
present Berlin work is done. During the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries Tent Stitch was more used than Cross

E 2

Fig. 36. BELL PATTERN DAMASCENE LACE.

28

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Stitch for this work, and it was called Canvas Work until
the present century, when the production of Berlin coloured
paper patterns, in 180 1, procured for it the title of Berlin
Work, though this last name was not finally adopted until
1820, the date of the introduction of Berlin wools, which
took the place of the crewels, lambswools, and silks, that
had been used up to that period. The patterns worked
until the Berlin ones were printed were drawn directly on
to the canvas, and the places to be coloured were painted
in their various shades, so that but little variety could be
marked out, and more was left to individual taste. The
first coloured patterns upon paper were inferior in design
and shading to the present ones, but in 1810 a printseller at
Berlin, named Wittich, produced a series of these patterns,
which were copies from celebrated pictures. These were
drawn upon “ point paper ” by good artists, and cost £40
for the original. These picture patterns were first copied in
Tent and Tapestry Stitches and in silks, then in beads, and
finally with Berlin wool. The Berlin wool was superior in
texture, and ia the varieties of its dyes, to the English
wool, but with it was introduced large- sized canvas
and Cross Stitch, innovations that rendered the figured
designs coarse and inartistic. These were gradually dis-
placed by the impossible parrots, animals, and groups of
flowers known in the present day as Berlin patterns, which
have done so much to debase the public taste as far as
fancy work is concerned. The work in itself is capable of
good results, and is strong and lasting ; but when it
degenerates into the mere copying of patterns conceived
in defiance of all true art principles, it helps to degrade,
and not elevate, the mind. Happily, during the last
few years the public have been taught to distinguish and
appreciate good from false designs, and as long as this
is so, there is no reason why Berlin work should not take
its ancient position among needlework. The stitches
formerly used w r ere Cross, Cushion, Satin, Tapestry, and
Tent, but these have been considerably added to in the
last few years, and now include Back, Damask, German,
Herringbone, Irish, Plush, Leviathan, Single, Double and
Treble, Raised and Rep, and varieties of these known by
the general name of Fancy Berlin Stitches. The size of
the canvas used for Berlin wool work must depend upon
whether single or double wool is to be used, the space to be
covered, and ^whether the stitch is to be taken over one or
two threads. The patterns state the number of stitches
they cover, therefore there is no difficulty in fitting them.
The canvas used is tightly stretched in a frame, so that
the selvedges come on the braced sides. Commence the
pattern, when a floral one, from the centre stitch ; so that,
should any errors in counting or working occur, the whole
design will not be thrown out. In figures and landscapes,
an accustomed worker will commence at the bottom and
work upwards : the sky and lighter parts of the design are
thus worked last, and kept unsoiled. The grounding re-
quires to be as carefully done as the design, as uneven and
pulled ground will destroy the good work of the rest. It
is begun at the bottom of the canvas, on the left side, and
is worked in rows, short needlefuls of wool being used,
and the ends run in, not knotted. Care is taken before
commencing to ground that sufficient wool is ready to

finish the whole, as nothing looks so bad as two shades in
the grounding, and the exact tint is rarely dyed twice.
The selection of shades of wool for the design that harmo-
nise is essential to the success of Berlin Work, and the
placing in juxtaposition of several brilliant and contrasting
colours is especially to be avoided. Discard large double
flowers, figure, and animal patterns, also coarse canvas.
The best patterns are single flowers worked in Tent
Stitch upon fine canvas, or with Cross Stitch over one
thread, also intricate geometrical designs. Berlin wool
patterns, worked upon cloth or silk, are done by these
materials being stretched in the frame under the canvas,
and when the pattern is worked, the canvas either drawn
out thread by thread, or cut short off close to the work.
No grounding is required when the threads are thus
drawn away, and only the few stitches left in the inter-
stices between the work when they are cut away. Silk
canvas is often used for Berlin work — it is a substitute for
grounding ; when used, the back of the w T ork must be neatly
finished off, and no loops of wool carried from one shade to
another across open spaces, as they will be visible in the
front. Silk canvas is backed with satin of its own colour
when the work is completed. Before taking the ordi-
nary filled Berlin Work from its frame, it requires to
have a coat of embroidery paste or thin starch passed
over it at the back, to keep the wool well stretched and in

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Fiq. 37. Berlin Work.

its right position. In the illustration (Fig. 37) of Berlin
wool work, the different shades used are marked with
various shaped crosses and stars, so that the worker will
have no difficulty in placing them in their right order.
The pattern is a suitable one for a cushion, and is worked
as follows: Work the ground, shown by the thin black
cross upon a white square, in grey wool, and in Cross
Stitch; the bands across (shown by the white cross upon
a black square, and squares filled with black lines) with
two shades of old gold colour, the darkest outside ; and
the round bosses in three shades of deep crimson and two
shades of violet. The following are the principal stitches
used in Berlin wool work.

Back Stitch. — This stitch is made like the Back
Stitch (which see) used in plain needlework. See also
Back, Satin , and Raised (Fig. 52), and Slanting Gobelin,
Back, and Satin (Fig. 57).

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

29

Cross Stitch. — The principal stitch now used for Berlin
wool work, and known as Point de Marque, Gros Point,
and Kreuzstich, as well as Cross Stitch. It is used not
only for working upon canvas with wools, but for em-
broidering with any material that will thread upon cloth,
silk, satin, and velvet. It was much used in the Phrygian,
Egyptian, and Hebrew embroideries, and is occasionally to
be met with in the work done between the first and six-
teenth centuries (the Sion cope being partly worked in
Cross Stitch). In the middle of the nineteenth century, a
few years after the printing of the Berlin patterns, they
began to be solely executed with Cross Stitch, and that
work is often called after the name of the stitch. Cross
Stitch is worked either in a frame or upon the hand, the
work in the frame generally turning out the best. The

stitch is a double one, taken
over two threads of canvas in
height and width, or more
KBIT than Wo threads, the object
being always to form a perfect
square. To work, as shown in
Fig. 38: Take the wool in a
slanting direction across the
square, from left to right.
Bring the needle up on the
lower left-hand corner, put it
in at the upper right-hand corner, bring it up at the
lower right-hand corner, and cross it back to the upper
left-hand corner. When grounding in Cross Stitch, work
the first part of the stitch in rows along the canvas, and
cross these when returning. When working a pattern,
finish each stitch at once, and commence from the bottom
on the left-hand side.

Cross Stitch Double. — See Double Stitch.

Fig. 38. Cross Stitch.

Fig. 39. Long Cross Stitch.

Cross (Long) Stitch. — This is a variation of Cross
Stitch, the two stitches forming it not making a perfect
square, as in ordinary Cross Stitch, but a Long Stitch
crossed. To work : Take the wool over a greater number
of threads in height than in width — four threads in
height to two in width being the correct proportion.
This stitch was more used in Berlin wool work thirty

years ago than at the present time; it is suitable for
geometrical patterns. To work, as shown in Fig 39: Take
a dark and light shade of the same coloured wool and
some gold coloured filoselle. Work six Long Cross
Stitches with light wool and six with dark w t oo1 alter-
nately to the end of the line, and repeat for two lines,
putting a darker and a lighter shade in the centre of
the light part in the middle liue. Vary the design by
altering the positions of the dark and light shades, so
as to form alternate squares, and finish by working
silk Cross Stitches over two Long Cross Stitches in
the dark squares.

Cross (Persian) Stitch. — A variety of Cross Stitch, and
known also by the name of
Rep. To work: Make the
first half of the stitch a
Long Tent Stitch, which
take over six horizontal
threads in a slanting direc-
tion, and two in height, and
make the second part of the
stitch like the last half of
Cross Stitch; take this

over the two centre threads
Fig. 40. Fbrsian Cross Stitch. f .. T

of the Long Tent Stitch
from right to left, as shown in Fig. 40.

Cross (Slanting)' Stitch. — This is a variety of Cross
Stitch, and i3 but little used in work. Make the first
part of the stitch the same as Cross Stitch, but make
the return like a Straight Gobelin. It can only bo
worked upon fine canvas, as the stitch, not being carried
over the whole of the foundation, requires that founda-
tion to be of the finest.

Cushion Stitch. — One of the ancient names for Cross
Stitch. It must not bo confounded with the Cushion
Stitch used in embroidery.

Damask Stitch. — This i3 a variety of Long Stitch.
Take it over four horizontal threads of canvas, or two
stitches in a slanting direction and over tw6 upright
threads. The variety is, that all the remaining second
lines of Damask Stitch are taken over the two lower
threads of the upper line and two new threads, instead
of all the threads being new.

Double Stitch. — This stitch is also known by the name
of “ Star Stitch,” and is in reality but a variety of Tent
Stitch as worked by the Germans. To work: Take a
square composed of four threads of canvas; cross its
centre with a Tent Stitch. Work from the bottom of
the left-hand comer to the top of the right-hand comer of
the square, then fill in on the right and left of this stitch
with two smaller Tent Stitches. Double Stityh, as worked
by the Italians, is a centre Cross surrounded by a square
made with four stitches, each stitch crossing from point
to point of the arms of the Cross. Double Stitch, worked
in the Italian style, is used in Kreuzstich and in Russian
embroidery more than in Berlin work. This stitch is
only used with others in fancy patterns, and is illustrated
in Star f Cross f and Leviathan (Fig. 55).

German Stitch. — This stitch is formed from a Tapestry

30

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

and a Tent Stitcli being worked alternately in a diagonal

line across the canvas. To
work, as shown in Fig. 41 :
Pass the Tapestry over four
threads of canvas, the Tent
over two. In the succeeding
line, place the Tent under
the Tapestry, and the Ta-
pestry under the Tent, but so
that the canvas shows. This
stitch is only useful where
the foundation material, like
silk or gold canvas, can be left exposed, and is rarely
employed for patterns. Is also employed when working
in chenille upon silver and gold cardboard.

Fig. 41. German Stitch.

Gobelin Stitch. — A stitch that has derived its name
from its use in ancient tapestries, being known also under
the title of Tapestry Stitch. It is used in embroidery as
well as in Berlin work. As shown in Fig. 42, the stitch is

Fio. 42. Gobelin Stitch.

raised from the canvas by means of a padding of braid ;
this padding is a great improvement to Gobelin, as other-
wise it i3 quite a flat stitch, not being crossed. To work :
Pass the wool over two horizontal threads of the canvas,
and into every space left between the upright threads.

Herringbone Stitch. — See Plaited Stitch.

Irish Stitch. — This is used for groundings, or for
patterns formed with shades of colour in Vandykes cross-
ing. Irish stitch is a long stitch, taken over five or more
threads of canvas, in an upright direction, and it requires to
be worked on fine canvas. Its only peculiarity consists in
its being alternately started from the last row of canvas
and from the third. This allows the stitches to end in one
line where the centre of the next line comes, and gives a
pleasing variety to ordinary groundings. To work : Make
a Long Stitcii over five upright threads of canvas for
the first stitch ; for the second, commence the work two
threads of canvas above the bottom part of first stitch, but
cover five threads of canvas as before. Repeat these two
stitches to the end of the row ; and, for the second row,
work in the same way, thus making an irregular line of
stitches, but one that fills up the spaces left in the first
row.

Leviathan Stitch. — A modern Berlin stitch, sometimes
called Railway Stitch, because it is considered to cover the
canvas quickly. It requires large-sized or leviathan

canvas, as is shown in Fig. 43. To work: Take four
squares of canvas for one stitch, and make a Cross Stitch
into the four corners of this square ; then carry the wool

across the centre of the
stitch.from top to bottom,
and then from left to
right, so that it passes
through all the outside
holes of the square form-
ing the stitch. Work all
together, and make each
stitch exactly the same as
to crossings, or an even
appearance to the wholo
will not be given. A greater
quantity of wcol is used in this stitch than in other
grounding ones, but it is considered quicker in exe-
cution. Varieties of Leviathan are formed by work-
ing over six or eight threads in height, and as many in
width; these require a double crossing at top and side
for the six-thread, and a double crossing and a straight
stitch top and side for the eight. They are called
Double Leviathan and Treble Leviathan Stitch.

Leviathan (Double) Stitch. — A variety of Leviathan
worked over eight square threads or four square stitches.
To work : Make a Cross Stitch into the four corners of
the square, then a Long Cross Stitch to fill in the holes

Fig. 41. Double Leviathan Stitch.

on each side of the Cross Stitch, and lastly an upright
Cross Stitch into the middle stitches in length and
width of square. Fill in all the squares in the same
order, or the uniformity of the pattern will be de-
stroyed, and put a single Long Stitch between each
square, to fill up the part of the canvas that is left
bare. See illustration (Fig. 41). When commencing a
new line of stitches on the canvas, make a half-stitcli to
begin, so that the centre of the second line of stitches does
not come under the centre of the first line. Commence
with a half stitch at each alternate row. Double Leviathan
is worked upon leviathan canvas; it consumes more wool
than plain Berlin stitches, but gives a raised appearance
to the design. It is only used for geometrical designs,
and is not suitable for groundings.

Leviathan ( Treble ) Stitch. — This stitch is worked upon
leviathan canvas, and is used for covering large surfaces

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

3i

with a raised and showy pattern, hut is not suitable for
groundings. To work : A square of eight threads of four
stitches is required. Commence from the centre, take the
wool from there to one of the corners, passing, in so doing,
over four upright threads and four lengthway ones in a
slanting direction. Place the next two stitches one on
each side of the first, crossing over four lengthway threads
and two upright ones, and vice vcrsd t and finishing in
centre hole. Work the four corners thu3 ( see Fig. 45), and
complete the stitch with a Cross Stitch over the centre
hole, and one in the centre of each side of the square {see
Fig. 46). When repeating the stitch only work these

Fio. 45. Treble Leviathan Fio. 46. Treble Leviathan

Stitch. Stitch.

outside Crosses in every alternate square of eight, as there
is no room for them to every stitch. They should be
worked with silk, or with a contrasting shade of wool.

Long Stitch. — See Satin Stitch.

Plaited, Stitch. — This stitch is an imitation of the
ordinary Herringbone, and is frequently called by that

Fio. 47. Plaited Stitch.

name. To work as shown in Fig. 47 : Take the wool over
six threads of canvas or three stitches in height, and two

Fio. 48. Berlin Plush Stitch.— Detail 1.

threads, or one stitch, in width, and repeat to the end of
the row. The number of threads gone over can be enlarged

or decreased without detriment to the stitch, as long as
the relative height and width are maintained.

Plush Stitch. — This stitch is chiefly used in raised
wool work, but is also required to form borders or fringes
to plain Berlin work. To work : Fasten the wool at the
back of the canvas, bring it to the front and put the
needle in again two threads above where it came out, and
bring it back to the front in the same hole it started from
(Fig. 48). Draw the wool up, but only so that it forms
a loop of the length required, which is usually an inch
(Fig. 49). Hold this loop in the left hand, and make a

Fio. 49. Berlin Plush Stitch.— Detail 2.

Tent Stitch. This completes the stitch. Work several
rows in this manner (Fig. 50), commencing from the

Fio. 50. Berlin Plush Stitoi.— Detail 3.

bottom of the canvas and working upward. Every loop is
of the same length, and is passed over a mesh for this
purpose if necessary. The stitch is cut and combed
out in raised wool work, but it is generally left in
loops for borders to mats, &c. Raised and Tassel
Stitches are but slight varieties of Plush.

Railway Stitch. — See Leviathan Stitch.

Raised Stitch. — This is sometimes called “ Velvet,”
and is but a variety of Plush Stitch. It is suitable for
raised wool work, and can be worked to any height by
using various sized meshes, and then cutting and combing
until the wool attains the softness of velvet pile. Any
sized bone knitting-needles or wooden meshes are used,
but a No. 4 knitting-needle is the most suitable. To
work: Make the first stitch a Tent Stitch, then bring
the needle up where the stitch commenced, push the knit-

3 2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

ting -needle oyer the Tent Stitch* and make a Gobelin
Stitch over it, the wool needle being put in two threads
above the place it came out from. Bring it out at
the bottom of the nest stitch to he made, work a Tent
Stitch, and repeat the process described above* The
work is commenced from the bottom, and the knitting-
needle left in the lowest row until the row above it is
completed, to prevent any dragging of wool. Cut and
comb out the loops when all the work is completed* The
stitch is worked with the Gobelin over the knitting-
needle, and without the securing Tent Stitch; hut when
this is done leave the knitting-needles in the rows, and
paste a strong pieee of ticking at the back of the work
before they are withdrawn* and the stitches cut and
combed.

Hep Stitch , — See Cross {Persian) Stitch *

Satin Stitch . — This stitch is used in embroidery as
well as in wool work, and under the latter is equally
called Long and Slanting. To work: Make a Tent
Stitch in a diagonal direction across the canvas, the
length being varied according to the design; the width*
whatever number of threads of canvas, is covered with
the wool. Shown in Slanting Gobelin , Bach, arid Satin
(Fig* 57),

Slanting Gobelin Slitch^A name sometimes given
to Long or Satin Stitch.

Star Stitch. — See Double Stitch «

Tapestry Stitch. — See Gobelin Stitch*

Tassel Stitch . — This stitch is used iu Berlin wool
work for making fringes, and is but a variety of Flush,
It requires to be worked with a mesh* and with the wool
doubled. The stitch requires sis: threads of canvas in
length, and four in height. To make: Pass two loops*
formed of four strands of wool, over the mesh* and put
the needle into the centre of four threads of canvas in
height* and along six in width* and secure with a Cross
Stitch. Pass this Cross Stitch over them, and into
the outer holes of the Stitch, binding the loops firmly
down together with it. Paste the hack of the canvas
before these loops are cut, as they are not so secure as
those made with real Plush Stitch.

Tent Stitch.— Thin stitch is also known as “Petit
Point ” and ri Forlen stitch,” and in all ancient needle-
work it was more used than Cross Stitch. Tent Stitch

Fro, 5L Tent Stitch*

requires much finer canvas than that used in Cross
Stitch, the wool being only laid on the canvas once
instead of twice, necessitating a fine background, and

therefore more labour. To work, as shown in Fig. 51 :
Cross the wool over one or two threads of canvas iu a
diagonal direction from left to right.

Various Fancy Stitches (1). — In the fancy pattern given
iu Fig* 52 the stitches are Back, Satin, and Raised* The

Fro, $2, Back, Satin, akd Raised Stitches,

work covers a square of eight stitches, or sixteen threads,
and when complete has the appearance of lines radiating
from a centre rosette of raised work, the outer part of the
design being surrounded with a line of Back Stitch, To
work : Leave a centre square of eight threads, bring the
wool up from the hack, and pass it over three stitches, or
six threads* in a straight upright direction, so that it
finishes on the line that forms the outer square. Repeat
this Satin Stitch all round the four centre stitches
that are left bare, place the wool once into every outer
stitch of the square, and twice into every inner* Pill the
four centre stitches with raised stitches* Wind the
wool several times round a hone crochet-hook, and then,
secure it by a needle run through the loops* while still
on the hook, and pass it through the im worked canvas;
these loops are made until the centre is well filled with
them ; they are cut or not, according to fancy* The lines
of Back: Stitch in the pattern are worked in filoselle;
two shades of crimson, or two of blue, with amber filo-
selle, are the best colours.

(2)*-—In the arrangement shown in Fig. 53, Cross
Stitch is used to catch down upon the canvas hori-

Fro. 53* Cross Stitch,

zontal lines of wool. The Gross Stitches form diagonal
lines, crossing each other at equal distances, while they
catch down the wool in some rows at every other stitch* at
others missing two stitches* The pattern is a very effective
one and easily worked, as so much of it is only laid upon
the surface. Work the Cross Stitches all in one shade

-

BERLIN WOOL WORK

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

33

Fid. 5G. Fumr, Herringbone, and Cross Stitch.

of the two outer lines. To work : Make the first and fifth
rows of Cross Stitch in a dark wool, the three centre
ones in a lighter shade of the same colour. The plaits are
sometimes divided with one row of Cross Stitch, sometimes
with three, and sometimes with five. Arrange the Plaited
Stitch lines as to colours, as two of one colour, and one
of a lighter shade of the same; they should harmonise
with the shade used for the Cross Stitch. Finish the
pattern by Herringbone Stitch lines in purse silk,
which pass over three of the Cross Stitch lines,

(6)* — In the pattern given in Fig* 57, the manner
of grouping three Berlin Stitches together, to form a
design, is shown* The stitches are Slanting Gobelin,
Satin, and Back Stitch. To work : Divide the pattern

of colour, but vary the horizontal lines, three lines of each
colour being sufficient* A pattern useful for any Berlin
work that is not subject to hard wear, and upon which
short lengths of wool can be turned to account*

(3). — A fancy pattern, showing how Cross and Long
Cross and Leviathan stitches can be formed into a design.
Form the groundwork of the pattern with Cko&s Stitches
worked in one shade of colour ; work the Long Cross over
eight threads of canvas in height and two in width, and
with five shades of one colour* Work each pattern or
arrangement of Long Cross in distinct colours, the five
shades of each being always necessary* Make with

Leviathan Stitch made with purse silk. Make the plain
Cross Stitches of four different shades of one colour, but
any number of colours can be used about them, as long as
four shades of each are worked* The Double Stitches not
crossed with the Leviathan are all one colour throughout
the pattern, the four crossed with the Leviathan are dark
in colour, and of the same colour throughout the pattern,
as is also the purse silk. The pattern is a good one for
using up short lengths of wool, and is worked either upon
a leviathan or plain canvas* To work : Commence by
working the Double Stitches, work the four that make
a square and that are not crossed over with Leviathan
Stitch in pale blue wool, the four that are afterwards
crossed in dark bine. Work the Cross Stitches in four
shades of crimson, and finish by making the Leviathan
Stitches with old gold filoselle*

(5). — This is a pattern showing the Plaited and
Cross Stitch together* The Plaited Stitch is too heavy
to work alone upon canvas, so is always arranged with
some other stitch to lighten it* The illustration (Fig- 56)
is on Berlin canvas, and the plaits are there separated
with rows of Cross Stitch, the three centre ones of which
are, when worked, covered with a light Herringhoning in
silk, the Herringbone being taken in every alternate stitch

Fig* 5i, Cross, Long Cross, and Leviathan Stitch.

Leviathan Stitch the dividing lines between tbc designs,
using black wool, with the last two crossings formed of
bright filoselle* Bee Fig* 54.

Fig. 55, Star, Cross, and Leviathan Stitch,

(4). — 1 The design given in Fig. 55 is of a pattern
formed by grouping together Double or Star Stitch and
Cross, and by taking over four of the Double Stitches a

34

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK,

into strips of unequal breadth, the narrowest taking up
six threads in width, or three stitches ; the widest twelve
threads, or six stitches. Fill in the latter strips with

Fia. 57. Slanting Gobelin, Back, and Satin Stitch,

Gobelin being carried over six threads of canvas, the
shortest over two ; the width never varies. It should be
worked in lines of colour that harmonise, and completed
with a Back Stitch in filoselle.

Fig. 59. Slanting Gobelin and Back Stitch.

three rows of Slanting Gobelin, taking each stitch over
four threads. When the wool work is complete, Back-
stitch these over with a bright filoselle. Form the
narrower strip of Satin Stitch arranged as rays of
seven stitches to a ray; commence each ray from its
centre, and let it cover six threads of canvas. When
finished, outline with Back Stitch, formed with a contrast-
ing colour. This design is worked upon leviathan or
ordinary canvas, and is suitable for most Berlin work.

(7). — A pattern formed of Satin Stitch so as to
make squares upon the canvas. (See Fig. 58). To work :
Make the squares over six threads of canvas, or three
stitches in length and breadth, and fill this in with unequal

Fig. 58. Satin Stitch in Squares.

length Satin Stitches. The direction of the stitches is
altered in each alternate square. It makes a good design
for cushions and footstools, and is worked with many
shades of colour, or only one, according to the worker’s
fancy. Requires Berlin canvas.

(8). — A pattern illustrating Slanting Gobelin, or
Long Stitch, and Back Stitch. It is used upon fine
canvas, the wool not being crossed. The stitch, as shown
in Fig. 59, can be varied in length, the longest Slanting

(9). — A pattern illustrating an arrangement of Satin
and Cross Stitch. It is worked with Berlin, single or
double, or with fleecy wool, and upon Berlin canvas, and
is suitable for footstools, and curtain and table borders.
To work : Make the dark lines in the illustration (Fig. 60)
in Satin Stitch, which work over six threads of canvas,
rising two threads a time and falling in the same manner,

Fig. 60. Satin and Cross Stitch.

to form the wavy line across the work. Divide the light
lines in the middle, and pass over four threads each of
canvas, excepting the two long middle ones, which pass
over six threads. When completed, cross the centre light
lines with a line of filoselle, purse silk, or gold cord,
but leave the outside line on each side free, and work
a Cross Stitch beyond it over the junction of the dark
wavy line.

Velvet Stitch. — See Raised Stitch.

Berne Embroidery. — A work executed with white or
gold beads, or silver or gold wire, upon black velvet.
Berne Embroidery takes its name from the Canton of
Berne, where it is used to ornament the gala dresses of

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

33

the peasantry. The designs used are all small detached
sprays o£ conventional flowers and leaves. The best em-
broidery is that where the centre part of the leaves or
flowers is filled up with rows of beads, either raised over a
stuffed foundation, or lying flat on the surface, and the
outlines, tendrils, stalks, and ornaments too minute to be
worked with beads, formed with gold thread. The second
kind of patterns are made only of gold or silver thread.
To work : Trace a small flower spray on black velvet, and
fill in the petals of the flowers and the leaves with rows of
beads laid flat across the space and very close together.
The rows of beads are not caught down as carried over
the space, but taken plainly across from side to side ; they
are, however, laid cither slanting or straight, in the best
way to follow the natural curve o£ the design. Work the
gold thread outlines in Satin Stitch, and the stems,
tendrils, and buds in the same stitch.

Be tweens. —A description of needle shorter than those
called ground-downs, and longer than blunts. They are
strong, and thicker made than the ordinary sewing needles
known as sharps.

Bias. — A term derived from the French biais, used to
denote a line taken, either in folding or cutting a material,
diagonally across the web. To fold or cut a square hand-
kerchief on the Bias, would mean from one corner to that
opposite it, when folded shawl wise, so as to make three
corners. To cut any stuff on the Bias is vulgarly called
(Hampshire and Kent) “ on the cater,” but this is only a
provincialism in use amongst the lower orders. It ap-
pears in Webster’s (American) Dictionary, and may be
in more general use in the United States.

Binche Lace. — At Binche, a town in Hainault, Brussels
Lace has been made since the seventeenth century, and
even in Savaiy’s time obtained a high reputation. For
some years Binche Lace was considered superior to that
made at Brussels, and it is continually mentioned in the
inventories of tlie eighteenth century, and called " Guipure
de Binche.” Another lace also made at Binche partook
more of the heavy pattern of old Dutch Lace, while its
ground, instead of being confined to the mesh pattern, was
varied with the spider and rosettes grounds seen iu old
V alenc tonnes, and illustrate dun de r Y ale nciennes Lace,
but never the plait ground. The making of Binche Lace
has now degenerated into sprigs of Pillow Lace, which are
afterwards Applique on to machine net.

Binding. — (Derived from the Anglo-Saxon bindan .) A
term used in plain sewing to denote the encasing of the
edge of any material, garment, or article if made of a
textile, in the folded band of tape, braid, ribbon, or of any
other stuff cut on the bias, so as to hide a raw edge, or to
strengthen or decorate the border of a dress, coat, or
other article. It may be Back stitched through on both
sides at once ; run one side, and turned back over the
edge on the inside and hemmed j or laid flat, and sewn
on the inside of a skirt.

Binding.— A term used in Knitting.

Bindings. — These consist of some fourteen different
descriptions of braid, and ribbons of various materials
respectively. The chief amongst them are as follow : —

Bag Strapping, a Binding employed by upholsterers, to
preserve selvedges, and resembling very broad stay-tape.
The widths arc known as Nos. 1, 2, and super. The measure
given is usually short ; and there are twenty-four pieces, of
9 or 12 yards to the gross. Bed Lace is a twilled or figured
white cotton binding, used for dimities. It is made in
chintz colours for furniture, also in a diamond pattern, and
in blue stripes for bed tick and palliasses. The piece runs
to 72 yards, two pieces forming a gross. Carpet Bindings
are made in plain and variegated colours to match with
carpets. The best qualities are all of worsted ; the cheaper
are a mixture of cotton and worsted. The pieces measure
36 yards, four forming a gross. Cocoa Bindings are manu-
factured in two widths, 2i and 3 inches. They are used
to bind cocoa-nut matting. The pieces contain from 18 to
24 yards. Cotton Ferrets are like unsized tape. Grey and
black are principally used. They were originally intended
to be stouter than tapes, but have sadly decreased in value.
Italian Ferrets are made entirely of silk, and are used to
bind flannels and dressing gowns. They are made in white,
black, scarlet, blue, crimson, &c., of one width only, 36
yards going to the piece. Galloons were formerly used
for boot bindings and shoe strings. They are now out of
date for the former purpose. They are a mixture of cotton
and silk, and are now chiefly in use for binding oilcloths,
Ac. Statute galloons are narrow ribbons employed for
binding flannel, composed of cotton and silk. The piece
consists of 36 yards. There are five widths, respectively
called twopenny, fourpenny, sixpenny, eightpenny, and ten-
penny. These old-fashioned names do not refer to the
price of the galloon, but to the fact of the old penny
piece having been taken as a gauge. This ancient plan is
also still in use by ribbon inaufacturers. Fads is the
technical name for watered galloons, used for watch and
eye-glass ribbons. Petershams are belt ribbons, used com-
monly for dresses. Prussian Bindings have a silk face
and a cotton back. They are twilled diagonally, and are
used for binding waterproofs, mantles, and sometimes for
flannels, instead of the more suitable Italian ferret and
statute galloon. The piece contains 36 yards, sold by the
gross in four pieces. Stay Bindings are used for binding
women's stays, and can be procured in black, grey, white, and
drab. They are of widths, running from £, and f of an
inch ; or from Nos. 10 to 30. They are sold by the gross in
lengths of 12 — 12, 8 — 18, or 6 — 24. Venetians are nsed for
several purposes in upholstery. Their chief use, however,
is at present for Venetian blinds; they vary iu width
from & to I inch, and from 11 to If inches. The colours
arc dyed ingrain, and arc green, blue, yellow, and white ;
they are now sometimes used for embroidery. Worsted
Bindings are employed by saddlers and upholsterer®, and
they have also come into use for embroidery, and can be
had in many widths, and in nearly every colour. They
are called by many people webbing, and as such are
frequently named in descriptions of work. Binders and
Bindings used in needlework may be either on the bias or
the straight way of the material when they are placed
round the necks and cuffs of garments or round the waists.
They are usually sewn on, and then turned over and
hemmed down on the wrong side. The gathered part

3<5

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

should be held next to the worker. Binders should be
cut the selvedge way of the material as being the strongest.
Bias bindings are best sewn on with the machine when
used to trim dresses and skirts.

Bird’s-eye Diaper. — A cloth made both in linen and
in cotton, named after the small design woven in its
texture. See Diaper.

Birds’ Nest Mats. — These mats are made of Combed-
out Work and Knitting. To make : Cast on sufficient
stitches to make a width of five or six inches of Knitting,
and cut a number of pieces of soft wool into 8-inch lengths.
First row — Plain Knitting; second row — Knit the
first stitch, * take one or two of the cut lengths, according
to size of wool, and put them once round left-hand needle,
hold so that their ends are equal, knit these with the next
stitch, and bring their ends well to the front, knit one, and
repeat from # ; third row — Plain Knitting ; fourth row —
same as second, except commencing with two Plain
Stitche3 rather than one, to allow of the inserted pieces
mixing flatly with those on the second row ; continue
second and third rows until the length required is ob-
tained, changing only the first stitches of the second row
as shown. Cast off and join, and comb out the inserted
pieces until they cover the whole of the Knitting with a
soft and thick layer of wool, and sew this on to a round
cardboard foundation by one of its edges, allowing the
other to stand erect. Turn this edge inside, and catch it
down to the back side of the Knitting at a depth of two
inches. Shaded greens are the best colours for these
mats. Wool — single or double Berlin, or fleecy.

Bisette Lace. — An ancient Pillow Lace, made in the
villages round Paris during the whole of the seventeenth
century. It was coarse and narrow, but it obtained a
ready sale among the poorer classes. Some better kinds
are mentioned in old inventories ; these seem to have been
made of gold and silver thread, or to have been orna-
mented with thin plates of these metals.

Black Mohair Cords. — These were formerly used for
binding coat edges, but are now employed for looping up
dress skirts. They are to be had of various sizes, but the
most useful are numbered 2, 4, and 7. They are sold by
the gross of four pieces of 36 yards each, but short lengths
can be obtained. See Cords.

Black Silk Cords. — Fine round Cords, employed for
binding coat eelges, making button loops, and for watch-
guards and eyeglasses. There arc many numbers, but the
most useful sizes are 3, 5, and 7. They are made up in
knots of 36 yards, and sold by the gross, but short lengths
may be purchased. See Cords.

Black Silk Stuffs. — These are to be had in many
varieties of make and of richness for dresses. The quality
of the plain kinds may be judged of by holding them up
to the light and looking through them, when the evenness
of the threads may be seen, and superior quality of the
material shown by a certain green shade in the black dye.
The widths vary from 22 to 26 inches.

Blanketing. — This name is derived from that of the
first manufacturer of this description of woollen textile,

Thomas Blanket, -who produced them at Bristol, temp.
Edward III. Yorkshire Blankets, for servants, and to put
under sheets, measure from 2 by 11 yards to 3i by 3 yards,
so do the Witney. Austrian Blankets have gay coloured
stripes, and are much used as portieres ; their size runs
from 2 by li yards to 3 by 21 yards. Scarlet Blankets
have the same proportions, as well as the grey and brown
charity Blankets. Crib Blankets average from 1 by I
yards to If by II yards, and the very best bath make are
not sold narrower than 21 yards. The same name is
applied to a kind of towelling in white cotton; the
cloths measure 48 by 80 inches to 72 by 96 inches.
Brown linen bath Blankets are manufactured only in
the latter dimensions.

Blanket Stitch.— See Embroidery Stitches.

Bley. — A term especially used in Ireland to denote
unbleached calico. See Calico.

Blind Chintz. — These are printed cotton cloths, plain
made, and calendered, produced in various colours and
patterns, chiefly in stripes and designs resembling Vene-
tian blinds. Their narrowest width is 36 inches, running
upwards, by 2 inches, to 80 or 100 inches.

Blind Cords and Tassels. — These are made of linen
or cotton thread, and of flax covered with worsted. Ihey
are sold in lengths of 72 yards, two pieces to the gross, and
may be had in amber, blue, crimson, green, and scarlet.
The Tassels are made of unbleached thread, to match the
several colours of the Cords.

Blind Ticking. — This is a stout twilled material, made
of a combination of linen and cotton in all coloura and
stripes, from 36 to 60 inches in width.

Block-printed Linen. — The art of printing linen
owes its origin to Flanders, and dates back to the four-
teenth century. Ancient specimens are rare ; the earliest
sample can be found in the Chapter Library, Durham,
and a sample of Block Printing on a fine sheet w r rapped
round the body of a bishop in the cathedral was dis-
covered in 1827. The Indian method of Block Printing
has recently been revived in England, the blocks being
lent for the purpose by the authorities of the India
Museum to a firm in London, and used for printing
on silk.

Blonde de Caen . — See Blonde Net Lace.

Blonde de Fil. — A name sometimes applied to Migno-
nette Lace, which see.

Blonde Net Lace. — A general term for black and
white Pillow Laces made with a network ground. The
best is made at Caen, Chantilly, Barcelona, and Catalonia.
The patterns of Blonde Laces are generally heavy — thick
flowers joined together with a wide meshed ground. The
Blondes de Caen were celebrated for their delicate and soft
apppearance. Blonde Laces were first produced in 1745
from unbleached silk, and were known as Blondes. See
Chantilly Lace.

Blond Quillings. — These resemble bobbin quillings,
but are made of silk and highly sized and finished.
Mechlins are also of silk, but are both unfinished and soft.
Each of these Quillings is made in various widths ; they
are used for frills and ruffles.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

37

Blue Bafts, “A description of coarse muslin, manu-
factured at Manchester, designed for wearing apparel, and
for export to Africa.

Blunts* — A description of needle, short, thick, and
strong, employed by stay makers as being the most suitable
for stitching jean or eoutille, especially when doubled ; and
used likewise by glovers and tailors.

Bobbin*— (French, Bobine.) A cotton cord employed by
needlewomen for making a ribbed edge to any garment, or
other article, by enclosing it in a strip of the material cut
on the bias* Bobbin is likewise called cotton cord. It is
to be had in white and black, varying in size, and done np
in half bundles of 51b., mixed sizes or otherwise, also in
single pounds ready skeined. Bobbin is a term likewise
employed to denote the small reel on which thread is
wound in some sewing machines, and also a circular pin
of w T ood, with a wide cutting round it, to receive linen,
silk, or cotton thread for weaving.

Bobbin Lace. — Used to designate Pillow Lace, and to
distinguish it from Hcedle-made Lace during the sixteenth
century. It was a better kind than Bone Lace, and sup-
posed to be of gold or silver plaited threads.

Bobbin Wet* — A kind of bTet made by machinery, the
stocking frame being adapted to that purpose. The cotton
of which it is made is chiefly spun in Lancashire, and the
superior kinds are known by the elongation of the meshes
near the selvedges. The first attempt to make Net by
machinery was in 1770, when a stocking frame
was employed, and success attained in 1810. The width
of this Net runs from 30 to 72 inches. Quillings are
made of it.

Bobbin Quillings. — Plain cotton net, made in various
w i d th s, an d nee d for fr ill e. Br u s sel s Quillin g s arc superior
in quality, having an extra twist round the mesh.

Bobbins. — The thread that is used in Pillow Lace is
wound upon a number of short ivory sticks, called Bobbins,
and the making of the lace mainly consists in the proper
interlacing of these threads. The Bobbins are always
treated in pairs, with the exception of the Gimp Bobbins,
and are divided into Working and Passive Bobbins. Hang
the number required for the commencement of a pattern
upon a lace pin into the top pinhole of the pattern, and
unwind the thread from them four inches. Spread out
the Passive Bobbins or Hangers in a fan shape, and allow
them to fall down the pillow ; work the Workers or
Runners across these from side to side, alternately.
Place no mark upon the Bobbins to distinguish them, as
they change too often to allow* of it, hut number them in
the mind from one to eight, &c., as used. Hover look
at the Bobbins when working, but watch the pattern
forming, and use both hands at the same time. Wind
the thread upon the Bobbins by holding them in the left
hand, and wind with the right; keep the thread smooth,
and never fill the Bobbin. When finished winding, secure
the thread by holding the Bobbin in the left hand turned
upwards, the thread in the right; place the middle finger
of the left hand upon the thread, and tarn the wrist to
bring the thread round the finger ; transfer the loop thus
formed to the Bobbin by pulling with the right hand

while putting the loop over the head of the Bobbin with
the left finger* This keeps the Bobbin from running
down, and is called a Bolling or Half Hitch. Lengthen
by tightening the threads, at the same time gently turn-
ing the Bobbin round towards the left, or shorten by
lifting the loop with the needle pin, and winding up the
Bobbin. When wound, tie the Bobbins in pairs by fasten-
ing the ends of the two threads together; cut off the ends
of the knot as closely as possible, wind one Bobbin a
little way up, and unwind the other in the same
degree ; this puts the knots out of the way for the com-
mencement. Winding by a machine is preferable to hand-
winding when the thread is very white, as the baud is
apt to discolour it.

Bobbin Tape. — Made in cotton and in linen, both
round and flat; the numbers being 5, 7, A, 11, 13, 15,
17, 19, and 21. Bee Tapes.

Bobs. — These are used in Pillow and Hccdle Laces to
ornament the connecting Bars between the lace patterns,
and are identical with Crescents, Crowns, Spines, and
Thorns. To make a Boh : Twist the thread six or seven
times round the needle, draw it up tight, and make a
loop with it upon the Bar or Bride Ornee.

Bocasine.— (Old French, Boccasin.) A kind of fine
buckram or calamanco, made of wool.

Booking. — A coarse woollen material, resembling baize
or drugget, called after the town where it was manufactured*

Bodkin*^( Anglo -Saxon for a dagger; also designated
tape needle.) A small metal Instrument, combining in
appearance a needle and a pin, having a knob at one end to
prevent its piercing the hem through which it is passed to
convey the ribbon, cord, or tape, and two eyes at the
other end — one long, and one near the extremity, small
and ova! shape* They arc sold by the gross or singly.

Body Linings* — These may be had in linen, union, and
calico ; in white, grey, black on one side, aud grey the
other ; plain and figured materials. They usually measure
about 3i inches in width; some plain made, and others
with a satin face.

Bolting* — A kind of canvas, so called because made
originally for the bolting or sifting of meal aud flour. It
is a very fine kind of woollen canvas, chiefly made In
Bngland, and employed for samplers. There is also an
inferior description, of a yellow colour, known as sampler
canvas. Bolting is woven after the manner of gauze of
finely-spun yarn. It maybe had also in silk, linen, and hair.

Bolton Sheeting. — Otherwise W orJchouse sheeting, or
twilL A thick coarse twilled cotton, of the colour techni-
cally called grey— really yellow, being unbleached ; much
employed for crewel embroidery, and washing better each
time it is cleaned, A suitable material for ladies" and
children’s dresses and aprons, as well as for curtains and
other room hangings. It is to be had in various widths,
from 27 to 86 and 72 inches* There are two makes of this
material, the plain and the snowflake. It is much employed
for purposes of embroidery, and often in combination with
Turkey- red twill,

Bombazet.—Thls is one of the family of textiles de-
nominated Stufis, or those worsted materials introduced

38

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

into England by the Dutch settlers in the reign of
Henry I. It is a plain, twilled, thin worsted fabric,
with a warp of a single thread, pressed and finished with-
out a glaze. The width varies from 21 to 22 inches.

Bombazine. — (Latin, Bombacinium , French Bombasin.)
A combination of silk and worsted, the warp being of
the former, and the weft of the latter ; formerly made
at Norwich and Spitalfields, &c., in various colours, but
now chiefly black. A manufacture introduced by the
Flemings in 1575, which has no glaze, and is manu-
factured both plain and twill, of about 18 inches in width.
Nearly the same fabric is now sold in different widths, and
under various names. It has a twilled appearance, as the
worsted -weft is thrown on the right side, is easily tom,
and ravels out quickly. In the time of Queen Elizabeth
it was also made of silk and cotton. Bombazine had its
origin at Milan, and was then a twilled textile, so named
from bombyx, the Latin for silkworm. It was first made
of a mixture of cotton and wool at Norwich in 1575.

Bomb6 (French). — A term signifying puffed or rounded,
and employed in dressmaking as well as in embroidery.

Bone-casing. — The covering made for strips of whale-
bone, designed for the stiffening of dresses and stays.

Bone Points — The first Pillow Laces made in England
in the sixteenth century were all called Bone, by reason
of the bobbins being formed from the bones of animals,
and sometimes the pins made of fish bones. The word
Point is, however, an incorrect term to use for Pillow
Laces.

Boning. — A term used by staymakers and dressmakers
to signify the insertion of strips of whalebone into stays,
or into casings in the bodices of dresses.

Bonnet Cotton. — A coarse kind of thread, consisting
of eight to sixteen strands twisted together. Calico
bonnets are made with it, and it is employed in upholstery.
See Sewing Cottons.

Bonnet Wire, or Wire Piping. — A small, pliant wire,
covered with silk — black, white, Leghorn, or straw colour,
&c. ; or with white cotton. The numbers are 2, 3, 4.

Boot Elastics. — This material may be had in silk,
thread, col ton, or mohair, small cords of indiarubber being
enclosed and woven into the fabric. They are made from
3 to 5 inches in width, and arc sold in lengths to suit the
purchaser. Sec Elastic Webbing.

Book Muslin, more correctly written buke muslin, is
a plain, clear description of muslin. It is either “lawn
buke,” stiffened to imitate the French clear lawn; or
hard, bluish, and much dressed; or else it is soft, in
imitation of the Indian buke. It is woven for working in
the tambour. See Swiss Muslin.

Bordd (French). — Edged with any description of trim-
ming, and Bord6 ci Cheval , a binding of equal depth on
both sides of the material.

Borders. — Any description of muslin, net, or lace
frillings, whether embroidered or plain, employed for
women’s caps and bonnets, and the bodice of outer or
inner garments, and usually attached to the neck and
sleeves.

Borders. — That part of the pattern in lace that forms
the rim or outer edge. In Needlepoints this edge is
button-holed, and, when raised, called the cordonnet, and
profusely trimmed with picots and couronnes. In Pillow
Laces it forms part of the pattern, and in the working is
ornamented with pinholes.

Botany Wool Cloth. — A fine woollen textile, having a
small woven design on the surface like herringbone in
appearance. It measures 25 inches in width, and is a new
description of material for women’s dresses.

Botany Tarn. — A description of worsted yarn em-
ployed for the knitting of coarse stockings.

Bourette (otherwise known as “Snowflake” and
“Knickerbocker”). — A French term employed to signify
a method of weaving by which the small loops are thrown
up to the face of the cloth. It measures 24 inches
in width.

Bourre (French). — Stuffed or wadded. A term fre-
quently applied to quilted articles; also used in em-
broidery.

Bourre de Soie, Filoselle. — A French term to denote
that portion of the ravelled silk thrown on one side in
the filature of silk cocoons, and afterwards carded and
spun, like cotton or wool. It forms the spun silk of
commerce.

Bowline Knot. — Useful for fringes, also for Netting
and Knitting, Crochet, and for any work where double
threads require joining together securely without raising a
rib. To make : Take a loop of one thread, and hold it in
the left hand, pick up the other thread in the right hand,
pass one end of it under and through the loop, and out at
the lower side, then under both the ends held in the left
hand, then over them and under its own thread after it
comes out of the loop, and before it goes under the threads
held in the left hand. Pull tight right and left-hand
threads at the same time. For fringes, the right-hand
threads are arranged to fall down ; for knots or joins, the
ends will work in flat.

Bows. — Ornamental loopings of ribbon or other silk,
satin, and other material. They are made in several
forms, such as the “Alsatian,” two large upright ones w r orn
by the peasants as a headdress ; the “ Marquise,” so called
after Mine, de Pompadour, made with three loops and two
ends, seen on the dresses of that period ; the “ Butterfly
bow,” made in imitation of that insect’s wings; the well-
known “ True-lover’s knot,” “Nceuds (lots,” a succession of
loops so placed as to fall one over the other, like waves,
being one of the present modes of trimming dresses. For
an ordinary Bow, two loops and two ends, three-quarters
of a yard of two-inch ribbon will be found sufficient.

Box Cloths. — These are thick coarse Melton cloths,
dyed in all colours, although usually in buff. They are
designed for riding habiliments, measure 14 yard in width,
and vary in price.

Box Plait or Pleat. — Two Plaits made side by side,
reversewise, so that the edges of the respective folds should
meet, leaving a broad space of the double thickness between
each such conjunction of the Plaits (or Pleats). The name
is taken from the box-iron employed for pressing them.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

39

Fig h G2. Plain Braid upon Cloth,

in British barrows, and ornaments of braidwork are seen
upon the pictured dresses of tbe ancient Danes. In the
sixteenth century, in Italy, lace was formed of braids
made upon pillows, and the Asiatics, Greeks, Turks, and
Indians have always used it largely for decorations.
Modem Braiding in England is confined to ornamenting
dress materials, the simpler kind of antimacassars, and
mats with mohair and silk braids ; but tbe natives of
India still embroider magnificently with gold and silver
and silk braids. Braids, of whatever kind, can be laid
upon velvet, leather, cloth, silk, or fancy materials, and
are Back stitched to these materials with strong silk or
thread. To work : Trace the pattern upon the material
or draw it out upon tissue paper, which pull away when
the design is worked. Thread a needle with silk and
lay the braid upon tbe traced outlines, and Backstitch
it down to the foundation. The beauty of the work
depends upon stitching the braid even and keeping the
stitching to its centre, turning all corners snarp ; either
twisting the braid or carefully settling it; and in making
the braid Ho flat on the material without a pucker.

Fig. 61. Fancy Braid ON White.

A

Ftq G3 Gold Braid on Cloth.

front. Damp the material, and iron at the back, when
the work is finished. Figs. 61, 02, and 03 are the
ordinary Braiding patterns used in England. The first
is worked with a fancy coloured braid on white mar-
cella, or other washing ground, and is suitable for
children's dress, nightgown cases, comb bags, <&c. Fig, 62
is a blaok ijlain braid upon cloth, and is suitable for
ladies 1 dresses and jackets. Fig. 03 is a gold braid
upon cloth, useful for mats, tea cosies, and other small
articles. Fig, 64 is an illustration of Indian Braiding,
and is a nmeh more elaborate and beautiful design than
is attempted in England. It is entirely executed with
gold and silver braid, and is worked upon cloth This

Br abandon Xace, — A name given to Brussels Lace,
so called because Brussels is the chief town of South
Brabant.

Brabant Edge. — Used in ancient Needle Point and
Modern Point. A combination of
Brussels and Venetian edge worked
alternately.

Braid (Anglo-Saxon Bred an ), — A
woven string, cord, or thread of any
kind, employed for binding tbe edges
of materials and articles of wear,
or other use and for purposes of
decoration.

Braiding. — (From the Saxon hre-
don t to braid or plait together.)

Braiding has for many centuries
been a form of ornamental needle-
work, gold plaits having been found

To prevent the latter fault, fasten one edge of the
material to a weight cushion wdiile working, Take both
ends of the braid through to tL e back and fasten off
there, as no joins or frayed edges are allowable to the

40

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

cloth is of different colours, joined as in Applique.
The outside border is black, also the dark centre line;
the rest of the ground is scarlet, except in the centres
of the pine -shaped ornaments, which arc pale buff and
soft green alternately.

Braids, — (Derived from the old English brede, and the
Anglo-Saxon bredan, to braid, bend, weave,) There are
twelve or more varieties of Braid. The alpaca, mohair, and
worsted Braids, for trimming dresses, may be had in many
colours, as well as iu hlack. These are sold in pieces of
3d yards each; also in small knots hy the gross, and by the
yard. Their numbers run 53, 57, 61, 65, 73, 77, 81, 89, 93,
97, and 101. The blaek glace Braids, made of cotton,
though pretty when new, are not durable. The numbers
are 41, 53, 61, 65, 73, 81, 93, and 101; and there are four
pieces of 36 yards each to the gross. Crochet Braids, also
called Cordon, are very fully waved, and are used for work-

former being rarely more than 16 or 18 yards in length,
instead of 24. Skirt Braids of alpaca and mohair are sold
in lengths sufficient for the edge of the dress, and are tied
in knots* In the t( super ” and r( extra heavy,” the numbers
are 29, 41, and 53. The lengths vary from 4 to 5 yards,
and are sold by the gross pieces. All black Braids should
he shrunk before being put on the dress, by pouring boiling
water on them, and hanging them up, to allow the water to
drop from them until dry. Hercules Braid is a corded
worsted Braid, made for trimming mantles and dresses,
the cords running the length way, not across. Grecian
Braid is a closely woven article, resembling a plait of eleven
or thirie en , There are also waved whi te cotton Brai d s, u sed
for trimming children’s dress, which arc sold hy the gross,
cut into lengths. The numbers are 11, 17, 21 s 29, and 33.
There are also waved worsted Braids for children’s use,
which are sold in knots of 4 to 5 yards each, and sold by

Fig. GL INDIAN B RAIDING IN GOLD.

ing edges with crochet cotton : they are a heavy article.
Fancy cotton Braids are made in different colours and
patterns, and a chintz Braid in many colours is included
amongst them, suitable for cuffs, collars, and children's
dresses. There are also thin narrow ones, which are em-
ployed in hand- made lace. French cotton Braids, made
more especially for infants’ clothing, are loosely woven,
plain, and fine. The numbers in most request are 13, 15,
17, 19, 21, and 39 ; but they ruu from 5 to 77. They are
cut into short pieces, and sold by the gross. The mohair,
Bussia, or worsted Braid is to he had in black and in
colours, and consists of two cords woven together. The
numbers run from 0 to 8 ; they are cut into short lengths,
and sold by the gross. The wide makes are in lengths of
36 yards each, four pieces to the gross. The Bus si an silk
Braids are of similar make, and are employed for embroi-
dering smoking caps, their colours being particularly
bright. They are sold in skeins, six making the gross, the

the gross pieces. The numbers are 13, 17, and 21. White
cotton Braids, employed for trimming print dresses, run in
the same numbers as the worsted Braids. Gold and silver
Braids, employed for uniforms and court and fancy dresses
and liveries, &c., form a distinct variety, and are called
lace. Every season produces new varieties, either desig-
nated by some fashionable name of the current time, or
some distinct term connected with their make, such as
basket, or mat braid. Church Lace, composed of silk, and
sometimes with gold and silver thread, is another make of
Braid, The real Cordon Braid is made without any wave,
and is edged with picots. Most of the coloured cotton
Braids will wash, excepting the pink, hut they shrink.
The broad are sold cheaper by the dozen yards, or piece of
36 yards ; the narrow are sold by the knot. The Stab
Be aid (which see) is coloured. To every sewing machine a
braiding foot is attached, by which narrow Braid can be
put on in a pattern. When wide ones are employed they

INDIAN BRAIDING.

S

ENGLISH BRAIDING.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

4i

need very careful tacking to keep them flat during tlie
process of sewing on. Since the introduction of machine
sewing, wide Braids have been more extensively used
than ever before.

Braid Work. — The variety of Braids used in Tape
Guipures is great, and the manner of forming them is the
first step to Pillow Lace making. They form the Engre-
lures and edgings, and are really the chief stitches in the
lace ; they arc easier understood when learnt as a Braid,
where all the various interruptions necessary to form
patterns are laid aside, than in the regular patterns, until
the stitch lias been thoroughly mastered in straight rows*

Cloth or Whole Braid .— Some of the old Guipures
are entirely worked with this Braid, the stitch of which
resembles weaving. Buie two parallel lines on the Passe-
ment a quarter of an inch apart, and, with a fine needle,
pierce an even row of holes on each line, about as wide
apart as the width of a coarse needle (the pricking is
guided by the coarseness of the thread used); the holes
should be opposite each other, and quite even. Take twelve
pairs of Bobbins, tie in a knot, put a pin through it, and
pin it to the pillow, putting the pin in up to its bead.
Six of tbe Bobbins should have a distinguishing mark, and
are called Rust kerb ; they run from side to side, and
answer to the woof of the cloth; the remaining eighteen
are called Hangers, and hang down upon tbe pillow
without moving, and answer to the web. Bun a pin into 1st
hole of pattern of left band side of pillow, and w ind up all
the bobbins to a distance of four inches from the pin to head
of bobbin. Take two pairs of the runners, twist each pair
three times outside the left hand pin, working with the left
hand, and twisting towards the left; leave one pair of
runners hanging behind tbe pin (and name the others
1st and 2nd, the 1st being on left hand}, # take up 2nd,
and pass it with the left hand over the 1st hanging bobbin
towards the right hand; then take up the 1st hanging
bobbin in the left hand between tbe thumb and first huger,
and the 2nd hanging bobbin in the right hand between
the thumb find first finger, and lift them to the left,
so that each passes over one of the running bobbins;
then take the 1st running bobbin and lift it to the right
over the 2nd hanging bobbin; the two bangers will
now be together; leave them resting by the loft hand pin,
and take up the 2nd runner, and pass it to the
right over the 3rd hanger; take up the 3rd and 4th
hangers, and pass them with both hands backwards
to the left, each over one of the two runners ; take the
1st runner and lift it over the 4th hanger to the right,
bringing the hangers and runners together again; leave
the 3rd and 4th hangers by the side of the 1st and 2nd
hangers ; take 2nd runnel' and pass it over the 5th hanger
to the light ; take the 1st and 2nd hangers in both hands,
and pass them backwards, as before, to the left, over the 1st
and 2nd runners ; take the 1st runner and pass it over the
Gth hanger to the light ; leave the 5th and 6th hangers next
to the 3rd and 4th on the left ; take the 2nd runner and
pass it over the 7th hanger to the right ; take up the 5th
and 6th hangers and pass them back to the left over the
two runners ; take the 1st runner and pass over the 8th

hanger to the right, and leave the 7th and 8th hangers by
the 5th and 6th on the left hand ; take 2nd runner and
pass over 9th banger to the right; take 9th and 10th
hangers and pass backward to the left hand over the two
runners ; take 1st runner and pass over 10th hanger to the
right ; take 2nd runner and pass over 11th hanger to the
right ; take 11th and 12th hangers and pass backwards to
the left, over the two runners ; take 1st runner and pass
over 12th hanger to the right, leave the 11th and 12th
hanger by the side of the 9th and 10th ; take 2nd runner
and pass over 13th hanger to the right ; take 13th and 14th
hangers and pass back wards to the left, over the two runners ;
take 1st runner and pass ever the 14th hanger to the right,
leave 13th and 14th hangers by side of 11th and 12th, on
the left side ; take 2nd runner and pass over 15th hanger ;
take 15th and 16th hangers and pass backwards to the left,
over the two runners ; take 1st runner and pass over 16th
hanger to the right, then leave the 15th and 16th hangers
on the left, by the side of the 13th and 14th ; take 2nd
runner and pass over 17th hanger ; take the 17th and 18th
hangers and pass backwards to the left ; take 1st runner
and pass over 18th hanger to the right. Having now come
to the end of the line, and worked in all the hangers, take
the two runners in right hand quite across the pillow, put in
a pin opposite to the one which was placed in pattern on
left hand side, twist the two runners three times to the right.
The 3rd pair of marked runners will now be hanging
behind the pin which has just been placed in the pattern,
twist these three times towards the left ; then take the
2nd runner of the pair just brought across, and pass it to
the right over the 1st runner of the pair found behind the
right hand pin ; take these two runners and pass them back
to the left over those runners used in working across;
take the 1st runner of those brought across, and pass it
over the 1st runner of the new pair. The pair which has
been brought across is now left behind the right hand pin,
and those found must be twisted three times to the left and
worked back the reverse way by taking the 1st hanger and
passing it to the right over the 2nd runner ; take the two
hangers and pass over the 1st and 2nd hangers to the left ;
take the 2nd hanger and pass over 1st runner ; leave 1st
and 2nd hangers on the right, and take 4th hanger and
pass over 2nd runner to the right ; take the two runners
and pass over 3rd and 4th hangers to the left ; take 4th
hanger and pass over 1st runner to the right ; leave 3rd
and 4th runners on the right, and take 5th hanger and pass
over to the 2nd runner to the right ; take both the runners
and pass over 5th and 6th hangers to the left ; take 6th
hanger and pass over 1st runner to the right ; leave 5th and
Gth hangers by the side of 3rd and 4th on the right ; take
7th hanger and pass over 2nd runner to the right, and
take both the runners and pass over 7th and 8th runners
to the left ; take 8th hanger and pass over 1st runner to the
right ; leave 7th and 8th on right by 5th and Gth; take 9th
hanger and pass over 2nd runner to left, and take both the
runners and pass over 9th and 10th hangers to the left,
aud take 10th runner and pass over 1st runner to the right;
leave 9th and 10th hangers on the right by 7th and 8th;
take 13th hanger and pass over 2nd runner to the right ;
take both runners and pass over 13th and 14th hangers to

42

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

the left; take 14tli hanger and pass over 1st runner to the
right; leave 13th and 14th on the right by lltli and 12th ;
take 15tli hanger and pass over 2nd runner to the right ;
take both runners and pass over 15th and 16th hangers to
the left; take 16th hanger and pass over 1st runner to the
right; leave 15th and 16th hangers on the right beside
13th and 14th hangers; take 17th hanger and pass over
2nd runner to the right ; take both runners and pass over
17th and 18th hangers to the left ; take 18th hanger and
pass over 1st runner to the right ; leave 17tli and 18th on
the right by the 16th and 17th ; take the runners across
the pillow, and put up pin in the pattern, Twist three
times, and make the same stitch with the pair of runners
which are waiting behind the left-hand pin; leave the
pair just used in working across, and work back with the
pair that has been waiting, commencing from

Cucumber Braid. — Rule the Passement to a quarter
of an inch between two parallel lines, as before, and
prick twelve pinholes to the inch. Put up six pairs of
Bobbins, work two rows of Cloth Stitch, putting up
pins on right and left ; divide the bobbins into fours, and
begin with the four middle ones; make a Cloth Stitch,
and pass the bobbin nearest the right hand over the next
bobbin towards the left hand. Take up the right-hand
pair of centre bobbins and make a Cloth Stitch, pass
the left-hand Runner over towards the right-hand
runner, make a Cloth Stitch, put in the pin, and Twist
each pair once, make a Cloth Stitch, and leave the right
side. Take up the left-hand pair of the four middle
bobbins, make a Cloth Stitch with the next pair towards
left hand, pass the right-hand runner over the left-hand
runner, make a Cloth Stitch, set up the pin, make

Fiq. G5. Cucumber Bkaid.

a Cloth Stitch, and pass the right-hand bobbin over the i
left-hand bobbin. Now return to the middle four, and
make a Cloth Stitch, pass the 1st right-hand bobbin
over the 2nd towards the left-hand side ; then pass the
3rd from the right hand over the 4th towards the left :
work the right-hand pair back to right pin, as before, and
the left-hand pair to the left-hand pin; continue to do
this until perfect. See Fig. 65.

Cucumber Braid as an Edging with an Inner Pearl
Edge. — Hang on the Bobbins in two sets, five pairs and a
Gimp for the Plain Edge side, four and a gimp for the

Fig. 03. Cucumber Braid.

Pearl Edge. Begin at the Plain Edge, work into the
middle with Cloth Stitch, pass the gimp, and make the
inside pearl by Twisting the runners six times ; stick a pin

into inside hole, and work back ( see Fig. 66). Return to
the middle, Twist the runners twice, and work the other
side the same, but adding the Pearl Edge. Fill the
centre with a Cucumber Plaiting, then Twist 1st and
2nd runners twice; stick a pin in pillow to hold these
threads, Twist 3rd and 4th runners, and work to the edge
with them ; then return, and take 1st an 1 2nd runners to
other edge. Make Inside Pearl as before, and repeat.

Diamond Hole Braid. — Make a Hole in centre of
braid, then work two Cloth Stitch rows, make a
Hole upon each side, and Plait the four bobbins under
the upper Hole with Cloth Stitch; work two Cloth
Stitch rows, and make a Hole in the centre under the
four bobbins which make the Cloth Stitch. Work Holes
that go straight across the braid as follows : Begin from
the left ; having put up a pin in the left hand, bring one
pair of bobbins towards the right hand, making a Cloth
Stitch with the first pair, leave all four hanging; take
the next four bobbins and make a Cloth Stitch ; leave
these four hanging, and take the next four and repeat ;
this brings the work up to the right-hand pin. Put up
a pin, and work back to the left hand with Cloth Stitch,
having thus formed three small holes across the braid.

Half or Shadow, or Lace Braid. — Prick the Passe-
ment as in Cloth Braid, and put up twelve pairs of bob-
bins. The Runners in this stitch are not brought in pairs
across the braid. One goes straight across and the other
slanting down the work. Put up six pairs of bobbins;
work one row in Cloth Stitch across from left to right
and back again ; make a Cloth Stitch, place the pair on
one side, and give the running bobbins one Twist to
the left; take the next pair, which is already twisted,
pass the centre left-hand bobbin over the centre right-
hand bobbin; Twist both pairs once to the left; bring
forward the next pair, centre left hand over centre right

Fiq 67. Half or Shadow, or Lace Braid.

one Twist with both pairs, and continue this to the last
pair, when make a Cloth Stitch without Twisting ; Twist
three times, and put up pin for the Plain Edge ; return
in the same way, making one Twist after the Cloth
Stitch, as, unless the worker does this, and is very
careful to bring only one runner across, the work will go
wrong. This stitch is not drawn tightly, but a firm puli
at the heads of all the bobbins must be occasionally
given to keep the threads straight and even, and present
a perfect open braid, as shown in Fig. 67.

Hole Braid, or Flemish Stitch. — Prick the Passement
as in Cloth Braid, and put up twelve pairs of bobbins.
The holes are always made in the same way, although
their arrangement, and the number of bobbins used, can
be varied. Work across from left to right in Cloth
Stitch six times, putting up the pins each side in holes
pricked for them ; then divide the bobbins equally, and put
a pin in the centre, having six pairs on each side. Take

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK ,

43

up left-hand bobbins and work with sis pairs in Cloth
Stitch, which brings the work to the pin in the centre;
then work back to the left, without twisting or putting up
a pin, with the same six pairs, Twist and put up a pin and
leave the bobbins* Take up those on the right baud, and
work up to the pm in Cloth Stitch, and hack without Twist

Fra. &i. Hoik Braid, on Flemish Ktixoh,

or pin ; put up a pin and work across the whole twelve
bobbins to the left hand, and so enclose the centre pin,
which thus makes the Hole the Braid is called after. A
badly- shaped Hole will disfigure the lace, but a well-made
one requires practice and care. To avoid making it too
large, do not draw the bobbins tight after dividing them,
and keep the hanging bobbin drawn towards the centre
pin. See illustration (Fig. 68).

Ladder Braid . — Hang on twelve pairs of bobbins,
divide the Hangees in halves, leaving two pairs of
Runnees on left-hand side of pillow, and one pair of
runners on right-hand side. Begin from left-hand side,
work in the pin, and work with Cloth Stitch up to the
middle of the hangers; Twist the pair of runners twice.

Fig. 60. Ladder Braid.

and work Cloth Stitch up to right-hand hangers ; work
in the pin on the right, and return to the middle of the
bangers ; Twist the pair of runners twice, and work
Cloth Stitch to the left; repeat from side to side until
the stitch is perfect, as shown in Fig. 69.

Lattice Braid,- — Hang twelve pairs of bobbins on the
pillow. Work in the pin on the right-hand side, and give
one Twist to each pair of bobbins; take the pair of
Runnees and make a Cloth Stitch with the 1st pair of
Hangees; then take the bobbin nearest the right-hand
pin, and pass it over the bobbin towards ^the left-hand pins
then pass the 3rd bobbin over the 4th towards the left
hand ; make a Cloth Stitch with the next pair of hangers,

Fig, 70. Lattice Braid.

and pass the right-hand bobbin over the one next to it
towards the left-hand pin; then the 3rd over the 4th to the
left hand, and continue until the left band of the Braid
is reached. The same pair must ivork right across, and
should he distinguished with a mark, j Sec Fig. 7G, In
this stitch work the bobbins in a slanting direction

instead of taking them straight across. Fig. 71 will show
their direction. One side has its pin put
in three pins in advance of l lie oilier. In

Fig, 71, the dots down the side are the
pinholes, the square ones between arc the
finished stitches, the falling lines show
He N iSli [ * 10 direction of the work. Keep the
hangers tight down while working the
H9E pair of ninuerc! across, which manage by
continually pulling the hangers, and

Fig, 71 . Lattice pressing down their heads to keep them
Braid. , , , _ . .

even, and to prevent the threads rising

up when a pin is put in. This stitcli is much used for the
inside or centre of flowers.

Open Braid . — Hang on twelve pairs of bobbins. Make
one row of Stem on each side, and keep the Run nee
bobbins at the inner edge ; Twist each pair twice, make a
Cloth Stitch, stick a pin in the centre hole, Twist twice,

Fig, 73. Opoj Braid.

and make the stitch about the pin, then Twist three times,
and once more work Stem on each side for the space of
two holes, and repeat centre stitch, as shown in Fig. 72.

Open Cross Braid. — Fig. 73 may be worked with
different numbers of bobbins, bat the illustration only re-
quires eight pairs, and the usual she prickings on Passe-
men t. Stick in pin right and left; divide the eight pairs
of bobbins into three sets — that is, leave two pairs in the
centre, two pairs to the right and the left, one pair
behind the left-hand pin, and another pair behind the
right-hand pin. Make a Cloth Stitch with the two

Fig. 73. Open Cross Braid.

centre pairs, cross the right-hand bobbin nearest the pin
over the next bobbin towards the left hand, and cross the
3rd bobbin from the right over the 4th towards the left
hand. Make a Cloth Stitch with the left-hand pair of the
centre four ; cross them as before ; make a Cloth Stitch,
crossing the pair only with which the Cloth Stitch is to be
made ; set up pin, cross each once, and make another Cross
Stitch, crossing the runner once. Take the four middle
bobbins, make a Cloth Stitch, and cross the bobbins as
before, once; take up the pair on the right-hand side, and
make a Cloth Stitch with the nest pair, but crossing the
one pair only that is required to set up the pins ; haviug
set up the pin, cross both pairs and make a Cloth Stitch;
leave them, return to the middle bobbins and make a Cloth
Stitch, cross, and return to the left, and so continue, always
working from the centre alternately from left to right.

G 2

44

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Plain Braid. — Made with eight pairs of bobbins in

Fig, 71. Flaih Be aid.

Cloth Stitch and a Plain Edge, as shown in Tig. 74.

Slanting Hole Braid * — Begin from wliere the hole 3 are
to commence, immaterial which side ; put in a pin, make
a Cloth Stitch and a half with the first two pairs of
bobbins, work back to the pin and leave them; take up
the bobbins from tbe place worked on the opposite side
of Braid, put up a pin and work right across, tighten the
bobbin with a twitch, and upon reaching the hole return
with a Cloth Stitch right across, leave these and begin
from opposite side ; now work to the second set of four
bobbins, make Half Stitch and return; take up the
bobbins as before and work to the opposite side, and return
right across and back again ; this must be repeated until
the Braid is worked right across, taking four more bobbins
from the side worked from each side, so that the holes are
each time one stitch nearer the opposite side. A dice
pattern, as shown in Fig. 75, can be formed by working
from both sides of the Braid to form the hole ; it requires
twelve pairs of bobbins, and, when not formed us a Braid,
is either used as open work to other stitches, or for the
half of a Stem when the other half is in Cloth Stitch ; take
the four bobbins on the right hand, and work in tbe pin,
leave them hanging, take the two 1st pair after the pin,
Twist these twice and leave ; take the 2nd pair, twist
thrice and leave, and continue in the same way up to the
last pair on the left-hand side ; now return to the right

Fig. 75. Sjanting Hole Braid, Dice Pattern,

hand four behind the pin, work them over to the left side,
give the runners a twist twice between each stitch until
the pin is worked in, twist the pair in front of the pin
twice and leave; twist each pair twice, then take up the
left hand bobbin behind the pin, work in the pin, and,
twisting the runners twice between each pair of bobbins,
work back to the right hand* Fig. 75 illustrates this
stitch as a square with Cloth Stitch. The square is begun
from pair in the middle of the Braid, and increased each
time until it reaches either side, then decreased until it
becomes a single pair; the rest of the bobbins are used
for Cloth Stitch, In working this Braid, each pair of
bobbins must be Twisted the same number of times, so as
to make the open work look in small squares. Some-
times tbe hangers are Twisted four or sis: times, and tbe
runners only twice. This makes a long stitch, and is
chiefly used for the stalks of flowers.

Branching Fibres. — In Hon i ton and Pillow Laces,
where sprigs are formed separately from tbe ground, the
sprigs are often diversified by adding to the chief stems

in tbe leaves some indication of the fibres that run to right
and left. Fig, 76 gives an ex-
ample of these Branching Fibres
on a close worked leaf. In working
from this illustration use No. 9
thread. Hang on six pairs of
Bobbins, and commence with the
stem and work to first fibre, then
leave two pairs and w'ork the
fi br e wi th f on r p airs, com i n g
back with Return Rope; con-
tinue the main stem, picking up
the bobbins that were left, make
another fibre with four pairs, coming back with Return
Rope, do the opposite fibre in the same manner, and con-
tinue up the main stem, picking up the left bobbins.
Work these double fibres three times, and the stem to
the end of the leaf. Half Stitch fills in the leaf, the
tips of the fibres being connected to it as they touch;
extra bobbins will be required for this part of the work.
See Half Stitcii.

Brandenbourgs. — Synonymous with " Frogs.” A
button formed somewhat in the shape of a long and
narrow barrel, smaller at the ends than the middle, and
made of silk on a wooden foundation ; also, according to
Fairholt, * f the ornamental facings to the breast of an
officer's coat.” So termed from the place where the
fashion originated,

Brazil Lace, — Consists of two kinds, both probably
remnants of the early Italian and Spanish Laces, The
lace formed with drawn threads is good, but that made
on the pillow has no pretension to beauty, and is only
in use among the natives.

Breadth, — (Anglo-Saxon Braed, or broad ; Old English
Bredth , or Brcdetke.) A term employed in drapery and
dressmaking to denote an entire piece of textile of any
description, measuring from one selvedge to the other.
Thus a skirt or an under garment said to contain so
many Breadths, means lengths of material running the
width way that it was manufactured in the loom.

Bretelles, — A French term to signify an ornamental
shoulder-strap.

Breton Lace, Imitation. — A lace made with machine
net and lace cotton, in imitation of the Run Laces, To
work : Draw out the design upon pink calico, and upon
this tack a good open meshed net. Work the outlines

Fm, 77, Breton Lace.

of design in Satin Stitch or Run, and fill in the
thicker parts with Stem Stitch and Point Feston.
To edge this Lace, lay a cord along it and Over-

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

45

cast it ; ornament the cord with Picots, or finish
it with the edging sold for Modern Point Lace.
This edging must not be at all heavy, or it will detract

Fia. 78. BRETON WORK-FLOWER PATTERN.

from the light appearance of the Lace; it is frequently
only Run with a double line of thread and the net cut
straight beyond the running, as shown in Fig. 77, which

is only Breton Lace Run with silk without lace stitches.
Breton Lace can be worked in coloured silks or floss,
and the foundation made of coloured net, or it may be
fabricated of good Brussels net and cream coloured lace
thread.

Breton Work. — An ancient Embroidery, long practised
in Brittany, and still to be found on the best garments of
the peasants. Like most ancient work Chain Stitch forms
the chief motif, but Satin Stitch, Point Lance, Point
Russe, &c., can also be introduced. The foundation
material is either of cloth or silk, the embroidery in

Fig. 79. BRETON WORK-GEOMETRICAL PATTERN.

coloured silk3 and gold and silver thread. The work is
usually made for borders to garments, and the two illustra-
tions given are for that purpose. To work the flower one
(Fig. 78) : Trace out the outline upon cloth or silk, and go
over every thick line with Chain Stitch, and make the
buds with Point Lance and with bright- coloured silks. To
work the geometrical pattern (Fig. 79) : Trace the design
upon cloth, and work it over with Satin Stitch, Point
de Pois, Point Russe, and Stem Stitch, with gold and
silver thread and coloured silks. Besides these border
designs, Breton Work is also used for ornamenting necktie
ends, book markers, &c., and then the patterns represent

4^

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Breton peasants. Draw these to size upon paper, and
transfer to silk ribbon. Cut the faces of the figures
out of cream silk or sticking plaistcr, and ink in the
feat uves, work them in Satin Stitch, as likewise the
hands and legs; work the drapery in Chain Stitch. The
costume of Breton women varies as to colour, but con-
sists of a dark skirt or petticoat, with bright overskirt,
white or black apron, embroidered with colour, dark body,
with yellow, green, or scarlet handkerchief pinned across
it, wide, but not high cap, with flapping sides, heavy gold
earrings, chain and cross, sabots large and heavy, either
of pale brown or black. Breton man — wide flapping black
hat, short black jacket and breeches, ornamented with
gold buttons and braid, bright w T aistcoat, white shirt,
grey stockings, black sabots, and blue umbrella. The

work is also known as Brittany embroidery.

Brick Stitch. — Deed in Embroidery, but chiefly for
Ecclesiastical w f ork ; a variety of Couching, and made
with floss silk, Dacca silk, purse silk, or gold or silver

Fig. 80. Binds. Sr ITCH.

thread. The name is derived from the appearance of
the stitches, representing regular courses of brickwork,
as in Fig. 80. See Couching.

Bridal Lace- — A Be tic ell a, or Drawn Lace, fabricated
during the sixteenth and commencement of the seven-
teenth centuries, in Italy, The peculiarity of this lace
was that it was made for weddings, and the patterns were
the coats of arms and other distinctive badges of the
families about to be united.

Brides, — See Baks.

Brides Clair e&.—See Baes.

Brides Oruees. — These are Bars ornamented with
Picots, Pin Works, Half Wheels, and used to connect

Fig, El # Pride Opnee,

together the heavier portions of Needle- made Laces, These
Brides Ornees can be made of any shape according to the
spaces that require filling and the fancy of the worker.

Fig. 82, Ornee.

The illustrations (Figs. 81, 82, and 83) are some of the
most effective. To work; Make the Bars of Button-

holes, and for the Picots wind the thread while making
a Buttonhole eight tones round the needle, and then
draw it up tight; for the Coukonnes make a loop from
one part of the Bar to the other, and return the thread
to the point started from ; cover this loop ■with Button -

Fro. S3. Bride Orn£e.

hole, and make Picots upon it where indicated in the
pattern. See Cobronnes and Picots.

Brighton, Towelling Embroidery. — Modern work
upon honeycomb, linen, or Java canvas, and upon

Fig. 85, Fig. 83.

Brighton Towelling. (Designs for Panama Canvas.)
such washing materials as are woven so that the threads
cross each other at equal distances, and are coarse enough
to be counted. Any fancy stitches can be embroidered,
the square threads of the material being counted and
used to keep the designs apart and even in size. To
work: Bun lines in squares over the canvas, and fill in
these squares with crosses or devices, as showm. Work
Fig. 84 with darned lines only, For Fig. 85 work a

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

47

diamond with Backstitching and fill that m with
Dots. For Fig. 83 work another diamond pattern, cover
the outside with Dots, and fill in with Satin Stitch.
Form borders with Drawn Threads, and make fringes
of the material by drawing out all the threads one
way of the material together, and knotting together or
Buttonholing those left, to prevent the work fraying*

Briliiante Lace Work. — A manner of colouring and
ornamenting black lace used as edgings to small tea
tables, mantel borders, &c. The foundation is broad
and coarse Yak lace, and this is ornamented with
stitches made in coloured filoselles, and with black bugles.
To work : Select a piece of Yak lace with a star, rose,
or some decided pattern; tack this to a brown paper
foundation. Stitch coloured beads, or small black beads,
to the centre part of a flower, or ornament, and work
in coloured filoselles, either in Crewel Stitch, or Run-
nings, round all the outlines of the pattern. Make
rosettes, crosses, and little devices on the lace with
different coloured silks, and finish off the outer edges
of both sides of the lace with Buttonhole. Remove
the lace from the paper back, and sew it on to crimson
or blue cloth as a background to it,

BrilHantines.— Dress fabrics composed of mohair or
goats’ wool. They are to he had in all colours, and are
called by various names, according to the fancy of the
several firms producing or selling them. They are very
silky looking, and are equally durable and light.

Brilliants.— Muslins with glazed face, and figured,
lined, or crossharrcd designs.

Brioche Stitc h-Soe Knitting.

British Point Lace,— A Thread Lace, formerly made
in and near Loudon. Black Lace is the only variety now
made, and that in very small quantities,

British Raised Work. — This is also known by the
name of Cut Canvas Work, and is worked upon leviathan
canvas with four* thread fleecy wool, and the wool cut and
combe d, giving it the appearance of velvet pile. To work :
Trace the pattern wdth black wool and in Cross Stitch
Take a skein of wool, fold it three times, and cut ; again
fold each thread three times and cut, then tie once in
the centre with fine string, whose ends pass through the
canvas and firmly secure. When these tufts are thus
made fast to the canvas, comb them out. The success
of the work consists iu completely filling up the canvas
with tufts and in arranging them in pretty coloured
patterns. British Raised Work differs but little from
Leviathan Raised Work.

Brittany Embroidery— See Breton Work.

Broadcloths. — So called because exceeding 29 inches
iu width. The stoutest and best descriptions of woollen
cloths. These, of course, vary in quality, and are termed
superfine, second, and inferior. Broadcloth is seven
quarters in width, Narrow Cloths being of hall the
width named. All our superfine cloths are made of either
Saxon or Spanish wool, an inferior kind of superfine
being manufactured from English wool, as well as the
seconds, of which liveries are made, and all the coarser
kinds of various quality and price. The texture should

not only he judged of by the fineness of the threads,
but by the evenness in the felting, so that when the
hand is passed over the surface against the Lie of the
nap there should be a silkiness of feeling, uninterrupted
by roughness in any part. To judge of the quality, a
considerable portion should he taken into the two hands,
a fold pressed strongly between the thumb and forefinger
of one hand, and a sudden pull given with the other, and
according to the peculiar clearness and sharpness of the
sound, produced by the escape of the fold, the goodness
of the cloth may he judged. There should not he a
very satin-like gloss upon it, or it would he spotted by
rain. Broadcloths, single milled, run from 52 to 63 inches,
in wool -dyed woaded colours (blue, black, medleys, Oxford,
and other mixtures}. In wool- dyed common colour and
unwoaded there are black, medleys, Oxford, and other
colours. Piece- dyed ivoaded colours are iu black, blue, and
fancy colours ; and the piece-dyed unwoaded are in black,
scarlet, gentian, and other colours, double milled, which
run from 52 to 57 inches; medium cloths, from 54 to G3
inches; ladies’ cloths, 54 to 63 inches (otherwise called
habit cloths), which are of a light and thin make;
Venetians, 54 to 58 inches ; army cloth, 52 to 51 inches ;
beavers, pilots, mohair, 51 to 58 inches; cloakings, 54 to
58 inches ; weeds (single, double, and treble milled),
China striped cloths, piece- dye dy &e., 60 inches wide;
India cloths, piece-dyed, 72 to 81 inches ; elastic glove
cloth, 54 to 70 inches ; union cloths, cotton warps, picce-
clycd, 52 to 54 inches wide; double colours, piece- dyed,
51 to 63 inches. See Narrow Cloths.

Broad Couching, — A variety of Couching. Floss silk,
Dacca silk, sewing silk, purse silk, gold mid silver cord,
used for the laid lines, and purse silk of different shades
of colour for the securing. The stitch is tie same as
Couching, and is illustrated in Fig. 87. See Couching.

Eia. 87. Bug ad Couching.

Brocade. — (Derived from the Latin Brocare , and French
B rocker, to figure, prick, emboss, and stitch textiles.) Iu
the present day all silk or stuff materials woven with a
device are said to he brocaded; hut in olden times this
term was applied to a costly silken fabric of stout make,
having an embossed design woven in it in gold or silver
threads, and sometimes enriched with gems and otherwise.
It is named in the inventory of the wardrobe of Charles
II,, where the price is given of different examples; the
%i white and gold brocade at two pounds three and sixpence
per yard, and Cohere du Prince at two pounds three
shillings per yard.” Chinese and Indian Brocade have
been famous from very remote times. The richest varieties
have been made in Italy, and there was a considerable
manufactory of them at Lucca iu the thirteenth century.

Brocade Embroidery, — Modern work, consisting in
covering over or outlining the various flower or geome-
trical designs woven into brocaded materials. These
patterns are outlined in Stem or Crewel Stitch, or a

48

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

double piece of wool or silk cord is Couched along the
chief edges of the design, as shown in illustration, Fig. 88.
Greater effect may, however, be obtained by covering
over the whole of the brocaded design, and leaving only
the foundation material visible; when so treated Long
or Satin Stitch is used, as in Satin Stitch Embroidery,
for filling in the centres of the design, and gold or silver
thread, or purse silk, to outline. Where the design is
good and the colours judiciously blended, the work is
mediaeval in appearance. The brocades are of silk or
stuff; the embroidery in crewel wools, floss silk, purse
silk, and gold and silver thread. To work, as shown in
Fig. 88: take a thick strand of wool or silk and lay it
down, following the outline of the design. Couch this

Brocli6. — A French term denoting a velvet or silk
textile, with a satin figure thrown up on the face.

Broder and Broderie. — French terms for embroidery.

Broderie Anglaise. — An open embroidery upon white
linen or cambric, differing from Madeira work in being
easier to execute, but of the same kind. True Broderie
Anglaise patterns are outlines of various sized holes,
arranged to make floral or geometrical devices. To work :
Run embroidery cotton round the outlines, then pierce
the holes with a stiletto, or cut with scissors and turn
the edges under and Sew over with embroidery cotton*
The art in the work consists in cutting and making all the
holes that should be the same size to match, and in taking
the Sewing over stitches closely and regularly, as shown in

Fia. 88. BROCADE EMBROIDERY.

strand to the material with small stitches made with
purse silk, and put in at regular intervals. Work the
stitches in the centre of the pattern with Satin Stitch.

Brocat. — A variety of brocade of rich quality, composed
of silk interwoven with threads of gold and silver.

Brocatelle. — A French term for linsey-woolsey. A silk
material used for drapery, the linings of carriages, &c. It
is also made of silk and cotton mixed, or of cotton only,
after the manner of brocade.

Brocatine. — A term employed to signify broche; that
is, a method of weaving by which a raised pattern is pro-
duced. Thus, there are silk Brocatines and woollen Bro-
catines, or textiles having a raised design thrown up in
the weaving.

Fig. 90, on opposite page. When used as an edging, a

Fig. 89. Bkodebie Anglaise, Scalloped Edge.

scalloped or vandyked border is worked in Buttonhole

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

49

Stitch, as shown In Fig, 89, the outer lines of the border
being run in the same manner as the holes, and the centre
frequently padded with strands of embroidery cotton. Do
not cut away the waste linen outside the Buttonhole until
the wort has been once washed, as it will then wear
longer, and there is less fear of cutting the embroidery
cotton in the process. When Broderie Anglais e is used
for an insertion, it requires no edging. The work is
adapted for trimming washing dresses or underlines
Broderie de Malines. — A name given, in olden times,
to Mechlin Lace, originating in the look of embroidery

and draw the braid together at the edges to mate them
flat, as in Modern Point Lace. For thick portions of
the work the stitches are in Escalier or close Button-
hole, while lighter parts require Point de Bruxelles or
Point de Venise. Bars connect the braids together, as
in real lace, when there is no filled pattern to be worked,
while a twisted stitch, like Point d'Alen^on, fills up
narrow spaces where greater lightness than that given by
bars is required.

Broderie Perse. — See Applique.

Broderie Suisse. — See Applique.

Fis. 90. BRODBR

given to the lace by the peculiar thread that was worked
in it, and that surrounded all the outside of the pattern.

Broderie de Nancy. — Identical with Drawn Work
and Punto Tirato. See Drawn Work.

Broderie en Lacet*— An Embroidery upon satin with
Silk Braid and Point Lace Stitches, useful for mantelpiece
and table borders, Ac, To work : Draw the pattern upon
the satin, and stitch the braid on to the lines, a thread of
silk drawn from the braid being the best to use for sewing
it down, as it matches exactly. Wherever the braid ends
or commences, draw the ends to the back of the satin, so
that no joins show in front of the work. Fill in the rounds
and centres made by the braid with Point Lace Stitches,

IE ANGLAIS E*

Broken Bobbins.— In Pillow Laces, when the runners
or workers are broken, and require replacing, tie the new
bobbins in close behind the pin nearest the runners, and
work them into the lace before the knot joining them is
cut close. Twist up broken hangers or passive bobbins
behind the pin, and there tie.

Brown Holland. — A kind of linen, so called because
it is only half or altogether unbleached, and also because
the manufacture was at one time peculiar to Holland.
The half-bleached kinds are sized and glazed. ' There
are also Hollands in black and in slate colour, and there
is a light make of the unbleached brown called Sussex
lawn, much used for women's dress* The glazed are

H

50

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

employed for lining trunks and covering furniture. All
linen textiles were anciently called Holland in England,
as we learned the manufacture from that country, which
was in advance of our people in the art. See Linen.

Bruges Lace. — The Lace made at Bruges is of two
kinds, one similar to Valenciennes, and the other called
Guipure de Bruges. The former was not considered of
much value, the Reseau ground being a round mesh, the
bobbins of which were only twisted twice. The Guipure
de Bruges is a species of Honiton Lace, with the sprig
united with Brides Oraees. It is held in high esteem.

Brussels Dot Lace.— See Brussels Lace.

Brussels Edge. — This stitch is used to ornament the
Headings or Footings of Needle Laces, and also in Modern

Fio. 91. Brussels Edge.

Point lace. Make it of a series of loose Buttonholes,
secured with a Point de Bruxelles Stitch, as shown
in Fig. 91.

Brussels Grounds.— In modem Brussels Lace the
net ground is made by machinery, but in olden times
this was worked by the hand, either for the Pillow or
Needle Lace. The Needle Lace Grounds were of two kinds
— the Bride and the Reseau. The Bride is formed of the
connecting threads already described in Bars ; the Reseau
is a series of honeycomb-shaped hexagonal s formed with
the needle, or upon the pillow, with the pattern of the
lace, the manner of working which is shown in Fig. 92,
and which is used for most of the neb grounds of old
Needle Lace. The fine flax used for these Needle-made

Fig. 92. Brussels Ground Roseau.

Grounds often cost £240 per lb., and this rendered the
lace very expensive. It required to be spun in a dark
underground cellar, as air and light caused it to split,
and the worker was obliged to feel, not see, the threads
in the course of making. This fine flax is not used in
machine net, a Scotch cotton thread being substituted,
which renders the lace much cheaper, but not so durable.
The Needle-made Ground is more expensive than the
Pillow, as it takes four times longer to execute. The
Pillow Reseau, introduced early in the eighteenth cen-
tury, is called Au Fuseau, and is made in narrow

strips upon the parchment pattern, and united together
by an invisible stitch, known as Raccroc. This stitch
requires a magnifying glass to detect it. The Au Fuseau
most used is a Mechlin ground, and is made upon a parch-
ment pattern, being a six-sided mesh, with pins inserted
into the pattern at set distances, to form even meshes;
round these pins the worker turns and tw T ists the threads,
over and round each other, until the desired mesh is
formed, two sides of which are plaited and four twisted.
The threads for Brussels Grounds are four in number,
and the worker carries the line of mesh from side to side
in a perpendicular line. Rosette and star grounds were
also made like those used in Valenciennes and Normandy
Laces ; and, indeed, for variety of pattern and beauty of
execution in ground work, Brussels Lace has no rival.
See Reseau. The Brussels wire ground is formed with
silk, and is a partly arched, partly straight mesh; the
pattern is worked with the needle separately.

Brussels Net. — Of this textile there are two kinds —
Brussels Ground and Brussels Wire. The former is
made of the finest flax, having a hexagonal mesh, four
threads being twisted and plaited to a perpendicular line
of mesh; the latter of silk, the mesh partly straight
and partly arched. It is sold by the yard for women’s
evening dresses and other articles of wear, being double
width, and the best description of net that is made.

Brussels Point, Imitation.— A lace formed with
braid laid on net and ornamented with lace and darning
stitches. The work is much easier of execution than most
imitation laces, cleans well, and the w f orker has ample
scope for taste from the number and variety of stitches
with winch the net can be adorned. The materials are :
best cream-coloured net of a clear honeycomb, cream-
coloured braids of various kinds, the usual lace thread,
also cream-coloured lace edging. The different braids

1

Fig. 93. Fig. 94. Fig. 95. Fig. 96.

are shown in Figs. 93, 94, 95, and 96. Fig. 96 is founda-
tion braid, and the one most used; Fig. 94 a variety of
the same, generally put as the Engrelure; Fig. 93 for
small flowers, Fig. 95 for larger. A variety of Fig. 95
is shown as forming the flowers in Fig. 97. The
manner of working is as follows: Trace the pattern of
the lace on pink calico, and back with brown paper. Take
Fig. 97 as pattern (which is intended for a flounce, and
reduced to half-size). Tack on to the pattern a straight

OLD ALENCON LACE - RARE.

OLD BRUSSELS LACE - RARE.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

5i

piece of well-opened net, run on the top braid, and the
braid forming the scallops, which narrow where so re-
quired by turning it under itself. Then tack on the
braid that forms the heading. None of these braids are
more than tacked to their places, and their ends are
not cut, but rolled up, so that the flounce can be finished
without joins. Cut the fancy braid (Fig. 95) where it
narrows, and tack the pieces singly on to form the
flowers. Now secure these braids, the single sprays first,
by Overcasting* their edges on to the net. Where cut
at the points Buttonhole them down, but only enough
to prevent them from unravelling and to give a pointed
finish. Give a little turn of the thread round one
honeycomb of the net beyond their other points, to make
them look light. After they are secure, Darn the
thread in and out of the net to form stalks and tendrils,
and make the Dots that finish the work by Buttonholing
round one honeycomb for the larger ones, and by thick

neater to sew it on after the lace has been unpicked
from the pattern, but more difficult than when the lace
is still in position.

Brussels Point Laoe. — This name is given as a
general term, with that of Brabant Lace, Point d’Angle-
terre, and Point de Flandre, to the laces made at Brussels,
classing together the Needle and the Pillow made Laces.
Brussels is equally celebrated for her Needle and Pillow
Laces, and for centuries has maintained without rivalry
the highest position in lace making. Her Needle Laces
are known as Point d’ Aiguille, Point d’Angleterre, and
Point Gaze, and her Pillows as Point Plat. The manu-
facture of these kinds of lace is earned on to the present
time. The making of Brussels Lace seems to have com-
menced in the fifteenth century, when laces in imitation
of Spanish and Venetian Point were made, as well as
Genoese Guipures, and to have been upheld in the country
through all its wars and persecutions during the following

Fia. 97. BRUSSELS IMITATION LACE.

Overcasting for the smaller ones. Then Overcast all
the remaining braids, taking the stitches in their outer
edges. Fill the interior of the scallops with fancy darn-
ing stitches, Buttonholed Spots, and lace Wheels. The
darned stitches are easily made by taking advantage of
the honeycomb of the net, and present a good field for
the display of individual taste. Thus, the thread may
be run across the net with an occasional loop round a
honeycomb, or down it as a Herringbone, or transverse,
ending as a Spot, or a combination of lines. Herringbone,
and Spots made. The lace stitches should be simple
Point de Bruxelles, Point d’Alen^on, and Point
d’Angleterre, and should be worked adhering to the
net. The little spots over the surface of the net work
simply over and over until a sufficiently thick knob is
made. They are a great help to the lace, and should
never be omitted. The pearled edge is Overcast on the
scallops when the rest of the work is finished; it is

three centuries. The Pillow Laces were manufactured
under the supervision of the nuns, and were largely used
as Bone laces on the Continent by those lace wearers who
could not afford to purchase the more expensive Needle
Lace. The Needle Lace, or Point d’ Aiguille, made in
Brussels during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
was so much imported into England, that in 1065 the
native laces were protected by an Act of Parliament, and
from that date Brussels lace was known as Point d’Angle-
terre, being smuggled to England and sold under that
name, by which it was called in a few years’ time all
over the Continent. The earliest Point a l’Aiguille
patterns were taken from the ancient Point de Venise,
and were made like the earliest Alen^on and Argentan
Laces, with Raised Work, and a thick Cordonnet,
except their grounds, which were simple open button-
holes, known as Point de Bruxelles, neither with Brides
or net patterned meshes. The flowers of the patterns

u 2

5 *

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

were fine, and the Fillings open, without many picots,
all that were used being made on the Cordonnet, The
net-patterned Roseau ground succeeded the earlier lace,
and the patterns, like those of Alen^on, followed the
fashion of the age, changing from Renaissance to Rococo,
and from that to dotted ; in fact, they degenerated from
their old beauty, although the workmanship was as
excellent as ever* The illustration (Fig* 08) is of a
Brussels needle point of the earliest part of the present
century, and is taken from a piece formerly in possession
of Queen Charlotte* The patterns of the lace have much
improved of late years, and the kind that is worked with
the Yrai Rescan ground is the most valuable lace that

together, as in Fig- 99; the grounds were made in narrow
strips upon the pillow, joined together with the invisible
Raceme Stitch, and the sprigs finally attached ; but, at the
present day, the ground is machine -made net, and the
sprigs only of real lace. Many specimens of Brussels Lace
display flowers made both with the needle and on the
pillow mingled together; and these patterns are remark-
ably good. The making of Brussels Lace, like that of
Alen^on, is not confined to a single worker, but many
hands are engaged in forming one piece, a plan originally
adopted to hasten the execution of the numerous orders
for the work. With the pattern the real workers have
no concern ; their pieces are distinct, and are put together

Fra, 03. BRUSSELS NEEDLE POINT LACE,

can be obtained. The flowers are first made and the
ground worked from one to the other, as in illustra-
tion, Fig. 3, page 3, The best lace is made at Binche
and Brussels, although other towns also manufacture it,
and one reason of its great cost is the fine flax thread,
which is grown in Brabant, and spun by hand* The use
of this thread for the grounds of Brussels Lace is now
confined to orders for royal weddings, &c,, and the
ordinary Brussels Lace is made of sprigs which are laid
upon machine net made of Scotch thread* The Brussels
Pillow Lace, though not so good as that made with the
needle, was more used on the continent, and a greater
article of commerce than the Needle Lace* Pillow Lace
was formerly made in one piece, flowers and ground

by the head of tlie establishment: thus the platteuse
makes the pillow flowers, the point euse the needle -made
ones, the dmchcleuse the Yrai Reseau ground, the
formeuse the open stitches, the denteli&re the footings,
the attacheuse unites the portions of lace together, and
the striqueuse attaches the sprigs to the machine net.
These machine nets have made a vast difference in the
trade at Brussels, and with the exception of the modern
Point Gaze, the lace makers now limit their work to the
making of the needle or pillow flowers* Real Brussels
Lace, with the Yrai Reseau, costs in England 42s.
the yard, 2 £ inches wide ; the same, with machine ground,
2s. Gd. the yard. Point Gaze, the modem Brussels
Lace, so called from its needle ground or Fond Gaze, which

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

53

is an open gauze-like mesh, is made in small pieces,
like the other Brussels Laces, the ground and flowers at
one time, and the joins carefully arranged so as to be
hidden by the pattern. The Cordoimet is not a Button-
holed edging, but is a thread caught round by others.

mentioned by old writers. It received the first prize for
Bone Laces in 1752. The Baby Lace before mentioned was
chiefly made in Buckinghamshire, though it was not
unkno wn In Be Jib rdshi re . T he grouu d s w ere th e Re scan ,
net- patterned and wire, the design shown In Fig. 100

S O

FiOt, d% PETTSSEL3

The stitches are varied and raised in some parts. It
requires three people to make it — one to make the flowers
and ground, another the fancy stitches, and the third the
Cordoimet. The habit of whitening the Brussels Lace
sprigs, after they are made, with a preparation of white
lead, is most injurious, causing the lace to turn black when

PILLOW LACE,

being called Buckinghamshire Trolly, from the outline
of the pattern being accented with a thick thread,
known as trolly hy the workers. The finer Roseau
grounds bare now been displaced by plaited Maltese
patterns in black lace. These are the flat Maltese pat-
terns, and are not raised like the black lace produced

Ft*, m BUCKINGHAM TROLLY*

put away near flannel or woollen materials, and producing
a disease among the striqueuses.

Buckinghamshire Lace.— This is of the same date
as Bedfordshire Lace, and shared witli it the name
of English Lille during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. The lace produced in Buckinghamshire was
considered superior to that of Bedford, and was more

in Bedfordshire, the stitches being similar to those used
in Iloniton Laec. The industry is reviving, and some
good specimens of modern Buckinghamshire were ex-
hibited in 1SS4, at the Health Exhibition.

Buckle Braid * — See Braids.

Buckle Stitch. — This stitch is used in Honiton and
other Pillow Laces as an open braid, for open fibres down

5 +

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

the leaves of sprays, or for stems. It requires eight pairs
of bobbins — -four workers or Hungers, and four passive
or Hangers, but the number of the latter can be in-
creased according to the width required. To work : First
row, work from left to right into the middle across the
two pairs of hangers, Twist the runners once, and also
the next pair (which will now become the fourth work-
ing pair) ; make a Cloth Stitch, Twist both pairs once,
continue across to other side with the first workers, make
the edge stitch, and bring them back into the middle.
Twist once, and leave them. Take up fourth runners,
work to the left edge, back into the middle, Twist once.
Two pairs of runners will now be in the middle and both
twisted ; make a stitch with these pairs, Twist once,
then work with each of these to the edges, and back

into the middle. In the illustration of the convolvulus
spray (Fig. 101), Buckle Stitch is shown as a braid
to the flower, as stems to the leaves, and as open fibre
down the centre of the leaves.

Buckram, — (Latin Buchiranus, French B aura can or
Barracan.) This textile was originally manufactured at
Bokkara, in the Middle Ages, and was also called Farms
Tartarian #, and afterwards Baker am. It was then a fine
and costly stuff, and much esteemed. The material now
known as Buckram is a coarse linen or cotton cloth,
stiffened with glue. It is strong, though loosely woven,
and is used for the making of bonnet shapes. A variety
of it is placed by tailors between the cloth and the
lining of a garment in which some degree of stiffness
is required. It is made both in white and black, and
is sold in lengths of 10 or 12 yards. Buckram, with a
highly-sized paper face, is employed for making labels for

luggage, and is called ticket-buckram. It was originally
as costly as the richest silks, and in Louis XY/a time
was used for stays.

Buckskin. — A kerseymere cloth of very fine texture,
embroidered with silk by children. It is remarkably
beautiful, is designed for waistcoatings, and is manu-
factured at Bradford, Yorkshire. See Kerseymere.

Buckskin Cloth* — A species of closely -woven woollen
cloth, designed to supply the place of buckskin leather,
and of a cream* white colour, It is preferred to corded
cloth for riding, being fine, smooth, thick, and firm in
its texture, and measures 27 inches in width.

Buckskin Leather, — This leather is dressed with oil,
after the method of chamois leather, and is employed for

the use of cavalry soldiers. It was substituted for woollen
cloth by the selection of the Duke of Wellington, with the
exception of the two regiments of Life Guards, The
greater part of the deerskins employed are imported from
the United States of America.

Budge, — (Old English). Lambskin, with the wool
dressed outwards. Formerly used as an edging and
decoration, more especially for scholastic habits. It is
still employed as a trimming on the City liveries. Budge-
row was so named after this fur, as the dressers of it
used to reside there. It is mentioned by Chaucer, and
also by Milton —

** Oh, foolishness of men, that lend their ears
To those budge doctors of the Stoic fur!

Buff Leather, — This is a preparation of the skin of
the buffalo, so named from its colour. It is durable and
strong, and is employed for military accoutrements and

Fie. 101, BUCKLE STITCH, CONVOLVULUS SPRAT,

V

T

*: v

\

' »

s , ' •.

/

BULGARIAN NEEDLEWORK.

BULGARIAN NEEDLEWORK.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

55

uniforms. In earlier times, it was used to supply the place
of armour. Imitations are made of the skins of oxen.

Bug! es . — ( L a ti n, B ugulus.) An ornament worn by
women, consisting of an elongated glass bead, sold in
various colours, but chiefly in black, and much used for
trimmings of bonnets, mantles, and dresses*

Bute Muslin . — See Book Muslin,

Bulgur e Pleat, — A double box pleat, employed at the
back of a dress skirt at the waistband, to produce an
extra fulness*

Bulgarian Needlework, — A description of oriental
needlework executed in Constantinople by the refugees
from Btilgaria. The material upon which the em-
broidery is executed is worked in hand looms by the
workers, and resembles coarse unstlffened black or white
muslin. The embroidery is especially beautiful, being
firm, compact, and even, and is the same on both sides-
It is made with gold or silver thread and silks of
different colours ; both threads and silks are much finer
in texture than those used in England, and are capable
of being passed in and out of the work without raising
the pattern from the muslin foundation. The stitches
used are not named in England ; the one most employed
is a rem line worked over with a line of stitching,
while lines of gold or silver thread are made by Over-
casting in a slanting direction, and leaving no space
between each stitch* The value of the work is judged,
by the Bulgarians, by the amount of gold thread
employed in each pattern, and very little attention is
paid to the labour of the execution and the time
spent over bringing it to perfection. The designs, before
the Countess Dufferin took the work under her protec-
tion, were of no particular art value; but since a com-
mittee has been formed to help and encourage the
development of the trade, good arabesques and oriental
patterns are worked, and the result is much superior in
execution and colouring to the ordinary oriental em-
broidery*

Bullion Embroidery*— As ancient as Embroidery with
gold thread, and dates hack to the time of the Phrygians,
By early writers it is called embroidery with gold wire, and
as such mentioned as being used about Aaron's garments*
It was known to the Egyptians, Hebrews, and Romans in
very early times, and by them embroidery, when wrought
in solid gold wire or gold thread, was distinguished by the
name of “ Auriphrygium,” even as embroidery with silk was
called Phrygio or Phrygian work, from the first workers.
From Auriphrygium the old English word “ Orphrey ” is
derived* Much of the celebrated Opus Anglieanum of the
eleventh and following centuries was ornamented with
bullion work. It is now but sparingly used In ecclesiastical
embroidery for monograms and work in relief, and is
chiefly employed for ornamenting uniforms or for heraldic
devices* The work is difficult of execution ; the twisted
gold wire being so formed that it will pull out to any
length, and has therefore to be laid on with the greatest
exactitude so as to fit the place it has to fill without being
unduly drawn out or pressed together. The patterns are
the same as used in ordinary ecclesiastical embroidery,
and the bullion is laid on for stems, works in relief, and

letters. To work : For raised work and letters, cut a card-
board foundation to the design, and lay this over the
holland backing ; upon this sew down a stuffing of yellow
carpet threads, and lay the bullion over all* The work is
done in a frame and Applique to the proper foundation*
First cut the lengths of bullion to their various sizes with
a sharp pair of nail scissors, and lay them upon an extra
piece of cloth, and place on the frame for the worker to
select from ; when required, pick them up with the needle
without touching them with the hand* Use Walker's
needle No* and strong yellow sewing silk, waxed and
doubled, for working with. Bring the sewing thread
through from the back of the linen foundation, pick up
the bullion and run it down like a bugle, and pass the
needle through the linen on the opposite side to where it
came out, leaving the bullion upon the raised surface*
The hand, while working, keeps a strong and even hold of
the silk, firmly drawing it through and laying down each
twist of bullion side by side, regulating its position with
the flat end of the piercer, but never touching it* The
bullion is always better cub a little longer than required,
so as to lay down without dragging over the raised surface,
and so that it may completely cover the sides* The five
sorts of bullion (rough, check, pearl, wire, and smooth) are
often worked in together, and make a species of diaper
pattern, with judicious intermixture* The check is all
glitter, and should therefore he used with greater caution
than the others, one line of check to three of rough being
the right proportions* Bullion embroidery, when used for
letters and large pieces, is applied to the material, as in
Applique ; but when worked upon a piece of silk em-
broidery that has already to he applied, it can be worked
in the frame with it.

Bullion Knot. — Useful in Crewel and Silk embroideries,
and largely employed in ancient embroideries for the
foliage of trees and shrubs, and the hair of figures* It is
made of a number of rings of silk or crewel, obtained by
being rolled round the working needle, and this roll laid
fiat along the surface of the work, instead of being raised
up and knotted together, as in French Knot* To make :
Put the needle into the material where one end of the
Bullion Knot is to come, and bring the point out at the
other end, and round this point wind the silk and the
wool ten or twelve times (according to the space to he
covered) and then carefully draw the needle through, while
keeping straight the knots or rolls upon it, by holding
them down with the left thumb* Still holding down the
rolls, insert the needle into the other end of the space
where it was first put through, and gently pull the thread
until the knots lie all along the intervening space as a
long roll* A quantity of these long rolls laid together,
and of various lengths, form a variety in the trees in
ancient landscape embroideries with French Knots,

Bullion Lace. — A Lace made of gold and silver thread,
and of great antiquity, the earliest laces being made of
gold threads* The patterns are simple, and like Greek
and Maltese Laces, It is much used in the East for orna-
menting robes of state, and is found in Italian and French
churches upon the priests' vestments and saints' rooes. In
England, owing to the climate, it is rarely seen. An in-

56

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

ferior Bullion Lace is used for footmen’s cloth es, although
such was the extravagance of the ancient nobility, that in
the time of Queen Anne the most expensive hind was
employed for this purpose.

Bullion Lace or Braid (Latin Bidlio, a mass of gold
or silver; old English Bully on).— Officers’ epaulettes are
made of a large gold wire, which is called “bullion, 5 * a
smaller hind is called "frisure,” a Hat gold ribbon is
called “cliquant,” and all are classed under the name of
“ cannetille.”

Bundle, or Bomal, Handkerchiefs. — These arc
made in dark blue plaids, in both cotton and linen. The
former measure 34 inches by 39; the latter 37 inches
by 41,

Bunting (German Bunt, i.e *, variegated, streaked, or
of different colours)*— A thin open-made kind of worsted
stuff, employed for flags, and, of late years, for women's
dresses* The width runs from 18 to 36 inches.

Burano Lace, — In this island a considerable quantity
of lace was manufactured during the eighteenth century,
and the art lingered in the nunneries until 1845, Within
a few years the making of lace in Burano lias revived, hut
the new patterns are not as delicate as the old ones.
Burano Lace was a hand-made Venetian Point, with a
Roseau and not Bride ground ; it resembled both Alengon
and Brussels Needle Laces. The thread used was fine,
and of extreme delicacy.

Fig* 102 . Buttonhole, Ornamental.

Burden Stitch, — A variety of Cushion Stitch and
Plain Couching, called “ Burden,” as it was used by a lady
of that name, at the South Kensington Needlework School,
for working flesh, but dating from the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, when German, Flemish, and Italian
schools used it for grounding, and for working flesh in
embroidery. The beauty of the stitch consists in every
thread being laid evenly down, and caught or secured in
exact lengths* To work : Lay the floss silk forming the
ground straight across the foundation, and bring a small
fastening stitch through from the back, return it to the
back, and there secure it. Keep these fastening stitches
at even distances from each other, hut do not begin at the
same place for each row, but at every Other row, as in
Plain Couching.

Burlop, — An arrangement at the top of a dress im-
prover, so termed in certain shops*

Busks. — Broad flat steels employed by stay makers to
stiffen the fronts of stays. These are often covered with
chamois leather before they are inserted in their outer
casing* In former times these busks were made of wood*
Buttonhole, Ornamental.— The illustration (Fig* 102)
is of an ornamental Buttonhole. Work the spray of leaves
in raised Satin Stitch, the stem and battlemented out-
line surrounding the Buttonhole in Overcast, and the
dots in Point be Pois*

Buttonhole Stitch. — One of the chief stitches in all
Needle-made Laces, and equally known as Close Stitch and
Point None. It is used for the thickest parts of all
patterns, and called Oordonnefc when outlining or raised.

1

J ■

Fig. 103 . Buttonhole in Lace Wore*

The manner of working is identical with Buttonhole
Stitch ; but, as a number of rows are required instead
of the ordinary single Buttonhole, the loops of each row
are used for the foundation of the next, and the needle is
passed through every one of them. The effect of this is
that no raised ridge is left on the surface of the stitch,
hut it has the appearance of a solid mass of upright close
lines. Worked as follows: Throw a foundation thread
across the space to be filled from right to left, and

Fig. 104 . Button hole Stitch forming Thick Part of Lace,

firmly secure it; put the needle into the Cordon net
or other already made part of the lace, and then down-
wards behind the foundation thread; and pass the
working thread to the right, under the needle, to
form a loop upon the foundation thread when drawn
up tight, as shown in Fig. 103. Continue these loops

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK . .

57

to the end of tlie space, and pull all up to the same tight-
ness and work close, hut do not overcrowd. At the end
of the line secure the thread, then throw it back again
to the left to form a foundation line, and repeat, using the
raised edge of the buttonhole this time to pass the needle
through instead of the Cordonnet or already formed lace.
Fig. 104 shows the important part in lace that this stitch
plays, all the solid part of the pattern being formed by it.

Buttonholes. — In linen or calico cut the hole with the
thread of the material, using the proper scissors, exactly
the diameter of the button ; insert the needle four or five
threads from the edge on the wrong side, and bring out
on the right, holding the material so as to let the button-
hole lie along the forefinger (Fig. 105). When the thread
is drawn through ready for use, hold it down with the left
thumb, so as to make a loop at each stitch ; and in passing
the needle through the material, bring it likewise through
the loop, leaving a sort of Chain Stitch along the edge, A
bar of Buttonhole Stitching should be made across each
end of the hole. This work must be done from left to
right. One or two loose strands
of thread should he kept along
the edge, over which sew, and
when the Buttonhole Stitching
is finished, thread the loose
strand on the needle and pull
it slightly, and thus draw the
hole even ; then fasten off, dinn-
ing in the ends of thread under-
neath, In working on thick
cloth, cut the bole like an elon-
gated V, the wide part at the edge* The silk employed
is tailors’ twist. The bar at each end of the Buttonhole
is called by some a “bridge,” The needle should be
brought through the loop of thread, which the engraver
has failed to do in the illustration* Tbe bar at the end
has not been given.

Buttonhole Twist. — This is employed to bind and
strengthen buttonholes in cloth stuffs. It is sold by lose,
and 2oz. reels, and by the yard wound in twelve strands.

Buttons* — (French Bouton, Welsh Botwm*) These sub-
stitutes for hooks are made in every variety of stuff,
depending on the material of the garment or article of
furniture requiring them. Linen ones, and those of silk
and cotton, can be bought machine-made, but they can be
hand-made by covering a wooden mould designed for the
purpose, or a round fiat bone foundation* The strongest
fourfold linen buttons are sold by tbe dozen or the gross,
and are measured by lines, from 6 to 3G. Some kinds are
covered in hand crochet, netting, and gimp. Other varieties
can be had in ivory, hone, jet, mother- o’- pearl, leather,
glass, and metals of all kinds— those of polished metal
covered with a thin coating of gold or silver being the
most durable. They are made with and without shanks,
those of bone, horn, and mother -o’ -pearl being drilled with
holes necessary for their sewing on, when there is no
shank, and when uncovered by any textile* The most
ancient form of button was a short cylinder, which was
sewn at the middle upon the garment*

Byzantine Embroidery.— A modem wort, dating from

Fig, 105, Buttonhole Stitch*

1878* It is a combination of Onlaid Applique, Couching
outlines, and fancy stitches, and useful for ornamenting
leather, cloth, and such materials as are too thick for
the needle to be easily taken through them. Geometrical
and arabesque outlines are traced upon cloth or fine
leather, and strands of filoselle, double crewels, or worsted,
laid down upon these lines, and secured by a fastening
thread coming from the back of the material, and return-
ing to it as in Applique and ecclesiastical embroidery* The
beauty of the work consists in selecting suitable colours
for these strands of filoselle, &c., upon their raised appear-
ance, and upon the catching down threads being put in at
regular distances. Tlieir ends must be brought from the
back, as in braiding. Byzantine Embroidery is enriched
by applying to the design pieces of cloth, silk, or satin
of varied colours. These are surrounded with a thick
strand of filoselle or cord, as in Applique* Fancy stitches,
such as Satin Stitch, Feather Stitch, Wheels, and
French Knots, are worked over such applied pieces or on
to the leather or cloth in vacant spaces. To work : Trace
out the pattern upon fme cloth and cut this out* Lay the
cloth upon a different coloured foundation, and slightly
tack it down. Then take a strand of filoselle or some
fine braid, and Couch it down along the edge of the
cloth, so as to connect that firmly to the material. Work
In with filoselle and with Satin Stitcii any parts of the
design that require filling in.

c.

Cable Knitting.— See Knitting*

Caddis* — A variety of worsted lace or ribbon.

Cadis*— A kind of coarse serge,

Cadiz Lace. — A stitch used in old needle point and
modem point laces* It takes two lines to make, and is
one of the numerous varieties of Point de Bruxelles.
It is worked as follows : First row— work 6 Poiut de
Bruxelles close together, * miss the space that 2 would
take up, work 2 Point dc Bruxelles, miss the space of 2
and work 6, repeat from # to end of row. Second row — *
work 2 Point dc Bruxelles into every loop left in first row,
missing all tbe thick stitches of whatever number. Third
row — work like the first, commencing with the 6 close
Point de Bruxelles stitches. Fourth row as second* Re-
peat to end of space.

Caen and Eayeux Lace. — In the department of Cal-
vados, Bayeux and Caen are justly celebrated for their
black silk blonde laces, which are identical with those made
at Chantilly, Before 1745 the lacemakers at Caen made
a white thread lace of Venetian design, the needle point
flowers being surrounded with a heavy thread called lf fil
de crin,” instead of the ordinary thick cordonnet of Venice
points. The Blondes de Caen were first made in 1745 from,
a silk of an ecru colour brought from Nankin, which after-
wards gave place to a beautiful white silk brought from
Cevennes, and which established the reputation of the lace*
Blonde de Caen was made of two descriptions of silk, one
used for the pattern, and the other for the ground* The
manufacture of this beautiful white blonde was destroyed
by the machine blondes made at Nottingham and Calais*
The Blonde Matte, which resembles Chantilly lace, is

58

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

described under that beading. At the present time, Caen,
with Chantilly and Bayeux, produces black silk laces, and
this city is considered to excel in the making of piece goods,
such as veils, scarves, and dresses. {See Fig. 106.) These
large pieces of lace are joined with the celebrated raccroc
stitch, and so beautifully as to be almost imperceptible.
The workers cam about 50 sous a day, and more than
25,000 are engaged in the trade.

Calamanco, or Callimanco. — (Spanish, Calamaco , a
kind of worsted stuff ; French Calmande.) This material

the art of printing upon ootton textiles. In 1712 the
printing of these goods in England, exported plain from
India (on account of a prohibitory Act passed at one time
against the importation of printed cottons and chintzes),
was introduced, and England now carries on the largest
trade in the world. America produces the next in quantity,
France and Switzerland follow, but produce goods far
superior in quality to the American. The introduction of
the manufacture of cotton into Europe was effected by the
Arabs or Moors of Spain, who brought the cotton plant to

Fiq. 106. BLACK LACE OF CAEN AND BAYEUX.

resembles Tammies and Durants. It is highly glazed, and
can be had plain or twilled, raised in stripes or brocaded,
the width ranging from 27 to 36 inches. It is employed for
women’s petticoats.

Calfskin. — Calfskins, which are imported from the
Baltic, are taken from younger animals than those killed
in this country, and are employed in the manufacture of
gloves and ladies’ shoes, as well as for bookbinding.

Calico. — The name of this textile is derived from Calicut,
a seaport town on the coast of Malabar, the birthplace of

that country, from the fleecy wool of which the yam for
calico is spun. It is made into hanks containing 810 yards
each. It was brought to England in the year 1631, but not
manufactured here until 1772. The various makes of
calico are known respectively under the following names :
Cotton Cloth, Croydons, Derries, Double Warp, Dacca
Twist, Longcloth, Loom Sheeting, Madapolams, Power-
loom Sheetings, Swansdown Unions, and Wigans. There
are also printed calicoes. The widths rarely measure above
33 inches, and those numbered 33 or 36 inches seldom reach

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

59

that standard. “ Fents ” are ends of calicoes of different
descriptions. Calico should have an even selvedge, fine
and close in the woof and warp, without kncts and flaws.
Cheap sorts are dressed with a coating of lime and china
clay, to detect which a comer should be rubbed together in
the hands, when it will fall off in powder. Unbleached
calico of a coarse description goes by the name of “ bley ”
in Ireland. ( See each make under its own heading.) The
cotton plant is grown in Egypt, the United States, and
Brazil, as well as in the East Indies.

Calico Prints —See Cotton Prints.

Calico Shirting. — Otherwise known as Twine Cloth.
A very evenly made cotton material, supplying a good
imitation of linen, and employed for shirt making. It rims
from 32 inches to 36 inches in width, and is made both in
single and double warp.

Californian Embroidery. — The natives of California,
before that land was discovered, in the sixteenth century,
by the Spaniards, were unacquainted with silk and other
ordinary embroidery materials ; but they managed to twist
into fine cords the entrails of whales, and covered their
garments with needlework made with these threads. Their
needles were shaped fishbones.

Cambric. — (German Kammerich ; Dutch Kammeraclc ;
French Toile de Cambrai and Batiste.) The name of this
textile is derived from Cambrai, a town in the department
du Nord, France, whence the manufacture was originated
by Baptista. It is a beautiful and delicate linen textile, of
which there are several kinds. Its introduction into this
country dates from the reign of Queen Elizabeth. That
made in Lancashire is, perhaps, on a par with that made in
Ireland and France. The Scotch are mere imitations in
cotton. See French Cambric.

“ Come, I would your cambrick were sensible as your finger,
That you might leave pricking it for pitie.”

— Coriolanus , Act i., sc. 3.

Cambric Muslin. — This is an imitation of cambric,
being made of cotton instead of flax. It may be had in
most colours, as well as in black and white. These varieties
are figured, striped, corded, and twilled, and sometimes
have a glaze. Cambric muslin is much employed for
linings. They run from 34 inches to a yard wide, at
various prices.

Camelina. — A woollen material with very small basket
pattern and loose upstanding hairs. It measures 25 inches
in width, and is a species of the material called Vicuna.

Camelote. — A coarse kind of fustian of inferior quality,
employed for the dress of labouring men. It is 27 inches
in width. See Fustian.

Camels’ Hair. — This is long and silky hair spun
into textiles, tents, ropes, shawls, carpets, fine stockings,
&c. The hair clipped from the animal furnishes three
qualities, distinguished by the colour. Black is the
dearest, red the next, whilst grey fetches but half the
value of the red.

Camels' Hair Cloth, or Puttoo. — Sometimes known
as Casligar cloth. This material is thick, ’warm, light,

full of electricity, and has a fine gloss. It is unshaved,
and the long hairs are of a paler colour than the close
substance of the cloth. The price varies according to its
quality, and the widths are respectively from 42 to 48
inches. It is French made, and is employed for costumes,
mantles, and other articles of dress. This material is
generally considered to be manufactured from the inferior
qualities of shawl wool in India, whore the material is
known as Puttoo.

Camera Work. — A modern embroidery of recent
invention. It consists of Photographs expressly designed
for the work, attached to linen or cream sheeting
materials, and surrounded with sprays and groups of
flowers. The photographs (Watteau landscape and figure
subjects) are sold ready fixed to the material, and the
worker is only required to embroider the already traced
flower design.

Camlet. — The name of this textile was due to its manu-
facture of camels’ hair, being of Eastern origin. By a
strange coincidence, the subsequent manufacture of a
similar kind of stuff had its rise in Montgomeryshire,
and was named after the river Camlet in that locality.
Subsequently to the employment in the East of camels*
hair, that of the white glossy hair, growing in spiral
ringlets, of the Angora goat of Asia Minor, has been sub-
stituted. In certain districts of that country the whole
of the population is engaged in the manufacture and
commerce of camlets. The best European article is made
at Brussels, where woollen thread is mixed with the hair.
The imitations are made of closely twisted worsted yarn
or worsted and silk, hair being sometimes added. Camlet
is thick and warm, and admirable for winter wear. It
turns off rain better than any other unprepared article, and
measures 25 inches in width. It is sold at various prices.

Camp an e Lace. — A narrow pillow lace made in France
in the sixteenth century, which was used as an edging to
wider laces. The Feston was ornamented with grelots and
sonnettes.

Canada Lynx Pur. — {Felix Canadensis.) This fur is
chiefly employed in British America and the States, but
is prepared, as all furs are, in this country. The animal
much resembles the cat, but has longer ears, and a short
thick tail. The fur is long, soft, and of a greyish colour,
and is sometimes covered with brown spots. Under the
body it is white, silky, and at times spotted with black. It
is dyed, and exported largely to America, and being very
soft and light, it is well suited for cloaks, facings, and
linings.

Canadian Embroidery.— The natives of Canada were
at one time celebrated for their skill in embroidery with
porcupine quills, and with the skins of reptiles and animals.
Their skin work was particularly ingenious, as they cut the
skins into minute pieces and formed from them designs
representing trees, plants, and animals, using their own
hair for thread. The porcupine quill work was of two
kinds — a coarse kind, executed upon bark or leather, with
split quills arranged in devices according to length and
size, and sewn together; and a much more elaborate
work, shown in Fig. 107, kept to ornament their dresses,

6 q

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

tobacco pouches, &c. 111 these the quills were split so fine
that they became flexible, and could be threaded through
a coarse needle. They were dyed various colours, and
worked upon scarlet and other bright toned cloths in the
same way as Satin Stitch embroidery. The quills were
dyed such pure colours as yellow, green, scarlet, blue, and
amber, and great ingenuity was exercised in bending
to shape them into flowers and leaves. The illustra-
tion is upon scarlet ground, the flowers are amber and
white, the white being in the centre ; the leaves, steins,
and tendrils are of shaded greens, terminating in bright
yellow. The desigu is part of a tobacco pouch, the whole
of which is hand made, the scarlet cloth being sewn to a
dark foundation, and the stitches concealed^ by a row of
■white quills couched down. At the present time Canadian
embroidery is no longer worked by the natives, hut is exclu-
sively executed in the French nunneries, and the true spirit
of the old designs is dying out, the nuns having intro-
duced into the work many fancy stitches and dyes unknown

Fia. 107, Canadian Embroidery.

to the real native patterns. The work made by the nuns
can be recognised by the elaborate French Knots that form
the chief part of the devices, by these devices being bad
imitations of natural flowers, and not so conventional as
the old ones, and also by the quills being dyed magenta,
pink, mauve, and other aniline colours. Bundles of these
split quills are procurable, and the work is easy of execu-
tion ; therefore English, ladies could embroider in Canadian
work without much trouble, and it would form a pleasing
variety to other fancy needlework. To work: Procure
bundles of split quills. Trace out upon thin leather or
scarlet cloth a design similar to the one given. Thread
the quills upon a large- eyed needle, and work with them
with irregular Satin Stitches to fill in the pattern.
Change the colour of the quills used, so as to represent
flowers, leaves, and stems, in their natural hues.

Canton. Crape.— One of the many varieties of crape-
woven fabrics. It is a dress material, measuring 27 inches
in width, and is made in various plain colours.

Canto on. — A kind of fustian, having a fine cord visible
on one side, and a satiny surface of yams, running at right
angles to the cords, upon the other. This satiny side is
sometimes made smooth by means of singeing- It is a
strong stuff, has a good appearance, measuring 27 inches
in width, and is employed for the dress of labouring men.

Canvas.— Derived from, the Latin Cannabis, hemp;
and the name literally means Hempen Cloth, There
are four distinct kinds of Canvas — the silk, thread of flax
or hemp, cotton, and woollen. They are to he distin-
guished by numbers corresponding to their several sizes.

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The finest Canvas, whether of silk, thread, or cotton, is
denominated Mosaic. Amongst those in use for em-
broidery are the Berlin or Penelope Canvas (Fig. 108),
Check Canvas (Fig. 109), Flattened French and Flax
Canvas (Fig, I1G), the Java and Japanese (Fig* 111),
Painters 1 Canvas, and coarse descriptions such as Scrim,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

6 1

made of hemp, for tent curtains and sails, upholstery,
papering, and sieves. The scat of the home manufacture
is at Dundee. ( See Berlin, Doltino, Cotton, Flat-

tened, Silk, Thread, and Woollen Canvas.) With
the exception of silk Canvas, four sizes only are gene-
rally manufactured, which number about twenty-one,
twenty-nine, thirty-four, and forty threads to the inch
respectively.

Canvas Work. — Before the introduction of Berlin
patterns, in 1835, all wool work upon canvas was called
by this name, which has now, however, become almost
obsolete. Besides the Canvas Work described under
Berlin Wool Work, there are four other kinds. For
the first: Paint in shades matching the wools to be
used; then take the wools and work in Cross or Tent
Stitch over the painted surface, commencing with the
darkest shade and ending with the lightest. To work the
second, in which the ground is of cloth or satin, and the
pattern painted upon the canvas : Work in Tent Stitch,
and pull away the threads when the design is finished.
To work the third : Sew gold or silver braid upon canvas
in outline patterns, and fill in the grounding with Cross
or Tent Stitch. The fourth is the Raised Canvas
Work. Ancient Canvas Work was done upon very fine
canvas :n Tent Stitch, and was really Tapestiy Work.
The works of Miss Linwood, during the last century and
the beginning of the present, are the most remarkable
examples of modern Canva3 Work. They are large
copies of celebrated pictures, sixty-four in number, and
were drawn upon closely woven canvas, or tammy, by that
lady’s own hand, and embroidered by herself in coloured
worsteds, or what are now called crewels, dyed expressly
for the purpose. These works were exhibited to the
public, and one is now in the South Kensington col-
lection. All the stitches enumerated in Berlin Wool
Work are suitable for Canvas Work.

Raised Canvas Worlc . — This is a work that is executed
from Berlin flower designs upon silk canvas with Plush
Stitch, and which, when completed, is raised above the
foundation, and has the appearance of velvet pile. The
Plush Stitches forming the pattern are made in single
Berlin wool, taken over a mesh, as described in Plush
Stitch. Begin the work from the bottom, and complete
each line before the next is commenced, holding the mesh
on the first line of stitches, until the second line is worked,
when it is withdrawn, and ready for using in the third
line. From this manner of working, a number of shades of
wool are required at one time. To prevent delay, have
them ready threaded and arranged before commencing.
When the pattern is completed, cut the loops made on
the surface by the withdrawal of the meshes, and be
careful that they arc cut quite evenly, and then turn
the work, and paste a piece of tissue paper at the back of
the Plush Stitches to prevent any of the cut threads
coming out. Raised Canvas Work is only suitable for
mantel boards and fire screens.

Cap. — Anglo-Saxon, Cappe ; Greek, Shepo, to cover.
A generic term for a head covering. See Millinery.

Capitonn€. — This is a French term, signifying drawn
in at intervals, as a stuffed sofa, chair, or pincushion,

which is buttoned down at each attachment of the double
material, at the front and back.

Cap Springs. — These appliances are made of steel, and
in either round or flat form. They are sold by the gross.

Carbonised Linen and Paper. — These are required
for tracing patterns upon thick materials, and are used in
Braiding, Crewel Work, Silk, Linen and Cloth Em-
broideries. The best is the linen, which is sold in two
colours, white and blue. It is durable and clean. The
paper is sold in black, blue, white, orange, and red ; but
the black rubs off upon the material, and is not good. A
new piece of linen or paper is either rubbed with bread
or tissue paper laid between it and the work, as the car-
bon, when quite fresh, is liable to come off. The white
is used when tracing on dark materials, the blue for light.
To trace : Lay the material upon a sheet of plate glass,
then place the carbonised linen, and then the pattern.
See that the pattern is over the part it is to be traced
upon, and pin all three together. Take a blunt bone
crochet-hook or steel knitting-needle, and carefully go
over every line of the pattern with a firm, even pressure
upon the needle. Look under the carbonised linen now
and then to see if the marks are right, and continue until
the whole design is thus transferred. Carbonised linen
is warmed with a moderately-heated iron, when, after
much using, the marks are becoming faint ; or it can be
entirely renewed by the maker.

Carmelite. — A woollen textile, almost identical with
beige. So called because adopted as the dress of the
order of Carmelites. It is 25 inches in width.

Carnival Lace. — A Reticella Lace, used in Italy, Spain,
and France, during the sixteenth century, and differing
only in its pattern from the ordinary Reticella. This
particular lace was ornamented with the badges of the
families who possessed it, and was given as part of the
trousseau to the bride, and worn by her during the wed-
ding ceremonies and upon state occasions, such as car-
nivals, during her life. See Bridal Lace.

Carpet. — Derived from the Latin Carpeta, woollen cloth.

Carpet Bindings. — These are manufactured in dif-
ferent qualities, the best being made entirely of worsted,
and the inferior kinds of a mixture of worsted and cotton
thread. They are to be had in plain colours and also in
chintz designs, so as to match carpets of every colour.
They are sold by the gross, four pieces of 36 yards each.
They may also be purchased by the yard from a few
pence upwards, according to the width and quality.

Carpet Thread. — A heavy-made three-cord sewing
thread. It may be had in black, drab, green, brown,
yellow, and red, as well as unbleached, and is made
with a soft and satin-like finish. Sold by the ounce and
the pound.

Carpet Worsted. — A very coarse kind of sewing
thread of worsted yarn, made in various bright colours,
and done up in balls. Sold in paper bags containing 31b.
or 61b. each, and used for darning and renewing carpets.

Carrickmacross Point. — A lace made in Ireland since
the year 1820, Miss Reid, of Allans, founding a school for
instruction before. There are two kinds of lace known as

62

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Carrickmacross, the first resembling Bruxelles Applique
Lace, except that the design is cut out of fine cambric,
and applied to net, with Point Lace stitches worked with
a needle. The second lace is a Guipure, and is quite dis-
tinct from the first kind. A design is traced by a thread
on cambric, and connected with Point Stitches, and w r orked
round with Overcast. Brides and Brides Ornees
connect the various parts of the pattern together.

Casbans. — Cotton textiles of similar make to jaconets,
only of a stouter quality, some being twilled and having a
finished surface, resembling sateen. They are chiefly used
for linings, the widths running from 30 to 36 inches.

Cascade. — The method of laying down a trimming of
lace folded in a zig-zag form, first one way and then back
again, taking a broken diagonal descent down the front
of a dress.

Casing. — A term used to denote a cover of material,
of whatever description, through which a ribbon is to be
passed, laid on separately from the foundation stuff.

Cashmere des Indes, or Goat Cloth. — A variety of
casimir, made of the soft wool of the Thibet goat, mixed
with Australian wool. It is exceedingly fine in texture
and twilled, measuring 42 inches in w r idth. The seat of
the manufacture is at Itheims, and those French made
are much superior to our own. Many imitations and
varieties of this cloth are made in Eu gland. One descrip-
tion is produced at Bradford, the weft of 'which is spun
from the fur of the Angola rabbit, which is an exceedingly
soft material, and much resembles cashmere. There is
also a variety made at Huddersfield, called the Tigre cash-
mere; a variegated cloth, having a cotton warp, figured,
and shot with goats’ hair. Ordinary French cashmere is
sent to England unwashed and undyed, is of a delicate
6cru or cream colour, and is made entirely of wool, either
of the finest Saxon or the Australian.

Casimer, or Cassimere, or Kerseymere.— A twilled
woollen cloth, remarkable for its pliability, so that when
pressed it does not become creased. One third of the
warp is always above and two-thirds below each shoot of
the weft. It is either single or double milled, and is
usually woven of the width of 31 or 36 inches, and reduced
by milling to 27 inches. Cassimerette is another variety
of this stuff.

Cassinette. — A cloth made of cotton warp, and the
woof of very fine wool, or wool and silk. It differs from
toilinette and Valentia in having its twill thrown diagon-
ally, and measures 27 inches in width.

Cast off. — A knitting term, used to describe the
finishing of the work in any part.

Cast on.— A knitting term, used to describe the first
putting of the wool upon the needle to form stitches.

Castor. — A heavy broadcloth, used for overcoats.

Cast over. — A knitting term, used when the cotton is
brought over the needle and quite round it. Identical
with “ Round the Needle.” See Knitting.

Caterpillar Point. — A Needle-made Lace, resembling
flat Venetian point, made in Italy during the seventeenth
century, and distinguished by this name from other
varieties of Venetian Lace. The reason it was so called
was the resemblance of the narrow, curling, and inter-

lacing sprig that formed its pattern to the bodies of cater-
pillars when in motion. These sprigs are surrounded with
a fine Cordonnet closely Buttonholed, and are filled with a
variety of thick stitches, such as Escalier and Braba^on.
They are connected together with fine Brides, trimmed
with Cockscombs and Picots, and the effect of the whole
design is peculiarly rich and delicate. A different kind of
Caterpillar Lace has lately been made at Munich by a
gentleman of that place, who has trained a large hairy
species of caterpillar to unconsciously become lace-
makers. The process is as follows : A paste is made of
the food the caterpillars most like, which is thinly spread
upon a smooth flat stone. A lace design is then traced
upon this with oil, and the caterpillars arranged at the
bottom of the stone, which is placed in an inclined posi-
tion. The caterpillars eat their way from the bottom to
the top of the stone, avoiding any parts touched with oil,
and spinning a strong web as they go, which serves to
connect the uneaten parts together. This lace finds a
sale because of the peculiarity of its make, and it is
distinguished from real lace by its extreme lightness, a
square yard of it only weighing 4$ grains, while the same
quantity of net would weigh 262 grains.

Catherine Wheel. — This wheel is also known by the
name of Spider Wheel or Spider Stitch, and is chiefly
employed to fill up round holes in embroidery on muslin.
It is made as follows: Outline the round to be filled by the
Wheel with embroidery cotton, and closely Buttonhole ;

Fio. 112. Catherine or Spider Wheel.— Detail A.
then work a row of loose Buttonhole under it, and from
this the cords that form the centre of the wheel proceed
(see Fig. 112, Detail A). Take these across the space in
the order shown ; the figures 1 to 2 being the first line ;

Fio. 113. Catherine or Spider Wheel.— Detail B.

Cord back 2 to the centre, and put the needle in at 3,
which Cord back to the centre, and so on until all the
lines are completed. Form the boss to pass the thread
under and over the threads until a round is made of the
size indicated in Fig. 113, Detail B, and Cord the thread

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

6.3

up No. 1 to finish. Take a line of Overcast round the
second line of Buttonhole when the branching lines are
formed, which will tend to strengthen and to stiffen the
work. Cut away the under muslin from the first Button-
hole line, when the Wheel is complete.

Catskin Pur ( Felts catus). — The fur of the wild cat of
Hungary is of a brownish grey, mottled, and spotted with
black. It is soft and durable, and is employed for cloak
linings and wrappers for carriages. The domestic cat of
Holland is bred for its fur, fed on fish, and carefully
tended until the coat has arrived at its full perfection.
The fur is frequently dyed in imitation of Sable.

Caul Work. — The ancient name for Netting, which see.

Centre Fibre. — This Centre Fibre is required in
Honiton Lace making and other Pillow Laces, when a
raised appearance is to be given to the centre of the
leaves. This is shown in Fig. 114, and worked as follows :
Hang on five pairs of bobbins at the stem of the leaf;
work up the middle of the first leaf, and when last pin
is stuck, work to the Turning Stitch and back; then,
with the pair lying at the pins, make a Rope Sewing,
and this, which is termed a Return
Rope, is made, not upon the stem,
but at the back of it. Work the
next two fibres in the same manner,
the middle one last, and when each
is finished, run a piece to its head
in the end hole, and take out the
rest. Now carry the Raised Work
to the tip of the middle leaf, hang F ‘°* 1U * C£NTRE FiBRE *
on two pairs, work back in Cloth Stitch, and when
the fibre is reached, take out the pin, stick it three
or four holes lower down, insert the hook into the top
hole, and make a Sewing with the centre stitch of
the work to the cross strand; this will secure the fibre,
and it can now be worked over. The other leaves arc
done in the same manner.

Ceylon PiUow Lace. — A lace of Maltese design,
made in Ceylon by the native women, and probably
imported there by early European settlers. It is of no
commercial value, and only remarkable because of its
semblance to that of European manufacture.

Chain Boulee. — A short rough cord, made in macrame
lace with two threads. Hold one in each hand, and keep
the left tight while looping the right-hand thread over it,
and running it to the top of left-hand thread. The right-
hand thread is then held tight, while the left-hand thread
is looped over it. In this manner a rough cord of any
length can be made. See Macrame.

Chain Fork. — This instrument is usually made of
ivory, bone, or boxwood. It is shaped something like an
ancient lyre, but flat, and the braid is fastened round
the two horns, and when made into a chain is passed
through the round hole in the middle of that portion of
the fork which resembles the sounding-board.

Chain Stitch. — A stitch used in Embroidery, Tambour
Work, and Crochet. The manner of working it for em-
broidery (shown in Fig. 115) is as follows : Bring the
needle, threaded, from back of material, and form a loop
on the right side, and keep this loop steady with the
left thumb, return the needle close to where it came out;

bring the needle up again in the centre of the loop,
and pull the thread evenly up ; then form another loop
and return the needle as before, and
so on for the whole of the pattern.

Gold thread, silk, and cotton are all
used for Chain Stitch.

Chain Stitch Crochet. See
Crochet.

Chain Stitch in Tambour Work
(of which it is the only stitch) is
formed with a crochet hook, and
can only be worked upon fine linen,
cambric, or muslin, that will allow
of the work passing through it with
ease. To work : Stretch the material
in an open frame, draw the thread
through from the back to the
front by the hook in a succession
of loops, the second loop formed
catching or securing the first ; and FiG (embk(?ideuy) STITCI 1
so on for the remainder.

Chain. Stitch Embroidery. — One of the most ancient
of embroideries, and first brought from the East, where it
is still practised by the Persians, Indians, and Chinese.
It was known to the workers in Europe of the Middle
Ages, and much of the celebrated Opus Anglicanum was
simply Chain Stitch’. When worked with a hook, and
not with a needle, it was known in later times as
Tambour Work. The imitation of Chain Stitch Em-
broidery by machinery has caused it to fall into
discredit ; but although machinery may do much in
reproducing the appearance of hand work, it can never
give such an amount of varied shades and minute
curves and embellishments as hand work. The embroi-
dery is worked upon any material, and with anything
that can be threaded ; it is chiefly worked in filoselle or
gold thread upon cloth or silk, or in bright-coloured
washing silks and cottons upon white materials, for
ornamenting washing dresses and household linen.
Fig. 116, p. 64, is an example of this kind of embroidery,
and is done with red ingrain cotton, upon flax or Kirrie-
muir twill, and used for a tea table cover. The same
pattern would look well as a border to a Japanese silk
tablecloth. The pattern is traced with the aid of car-
bonised paper and tracing linen, or ironed off. Chain
Stitch Embroidery is now more used for embellishing
Church linen than for anything else; the corporal, chalice
veil and cloth, used at Communion, should all be em-
broidered with designs in Chain Stitch, either in white or
coloured washing silks. The Communion cloth is generally
of a fine damask woven expressly for the purpose, and is
made so as to fall over the table to the depth of em-
broidery, should there be no super-frontal. The chalice
veil is of fine cambric or silk, from 9 inches to 18
inches square ; the corporal of fine lawn. The only colours
allowed in this embroidery are red, blue, lilac, and green ;
but the first two are the ones chiefly used. The Chain
Stitch, though forming the chief part of the design, can be
varied with Satin Stitch fillings, or with enrichments
of Dots and Bosses worked in dotting cotton; but the
character of the work should be that of an outline, or it

64

THE _ DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

will be too heavy for the purposo. To work, as shown in
Fig. 116 ! Trace the outline of the design upon fine
cambric. Thread a fine needle with scarlet ingrain cotton,
and work with it the centre part of the design in Chain
Stitch. Take blue iugrain cotton, and work the two
borders with that, also in Chain Stitch.

Chain Work Cloth. — A peculiar style of textile, em-
ployed for tambouring and hosiery.

Challis, or Chalis. — A thin textile, made of silk and
wool, and having a good lustre; employed for women’s

whether Reseau or Bride. It is identical with Fond and
Trielle. Sse Fond.

Chantilly Blonde Lace. — No other country can sur-
pass France in its black and white silk Blonde Laces. They
were first made at Chantilly, about the year 1740, and,
though produced at Caen and Bayeux, the mother town
was considered to manufacture finer patterns and textured
laces, though it did not produce such large pieces. The
old white and black Pillow Blondes were made of floss
silk, with flowers of large size, and with a fine open

F iq. 110. CHAIN STITCH EMBROIDERY.

dresses. It is twilled and printed in coloured flowers on a
white ground, which has the effect of velvet painting.
The material was introduced into this country about the
year 1832. It is made on a similar principle to the
Norwich crape, but is thinner and softer, and without a
gloss. The width measures about 30 inches.

Chamois Leather. — The skin of the Alpine goat of
that name, which has been “ efflowered ” or deprived of
the epidermis. It is dressed without tan, salt, or alum,
and is brought to a state of pelt by liming and washing.

ground. These cost twenty guineas a yard, and were
much used in the court of Marie Antoinette. Fig. 117
is an illustration of one of them, copied from one of
the old order books of that date; but is much reduced
in size, in order to take in its design. The flowers and
ground of this lace are worked in the same silk, and
the pattern has more open stitches than some of the laces.
The manufactory at Chantilly was broken up during
the French Revolution, and most of the lace-makers
were guillotined, as the popular fury could not dis-

F ig, 117. CHANTILLY BLONDE LACE.

That dyed buff colour is dipped in tan ooze. The skin
is strong, soft, elastic, and warm in wear, is used for tight
riding breeches for both sexes, as it does not wrinkle,
and is otherwise suitable for that purpose, as well as for
under- vests, linings of petticoats, and other garments,
which are perforated to make them more wholesome
wear. Chamois leather is used by jewellers in cleaning
trinkets and plate, and is also employed for cleaning
carriages. It is sold by the skin. Much leather, im-
properly called chamois, and rightly named w ash-leather,
is the skin of deer, sheep, and ordinary goats prepared-
with oil.

Champ.— A term used, in lace work, for the ground,

tinguish between the wearers and makers of a costly
fabric, and classed them both as royalists. It was, how-
ever, restored in 1805, when the white Blondes were eagerly
bought, and the trade flourished more than at any other
period of its history. The large-patterned Blondes Mattes
were then made. The machine laces spoilt the trade in
white Blondes, and black are now chiefly made. The flow r ers
of the modern laces are not so heavy and so distinct as
those of the old blondes; they are slighter in form, and
thoroughly dispersed over the lace, and cannot be trans-
ferred from the ground like the ancient ones. Another
variety has been brought to great beauty. It is a close
pattern with deep borders of irregular outline, flowered

CHANTILLY BLONDE LACE -FLOWERS " EN GRILLE."

CHANTILLY BLONDE LACE - DOT PATTERN.

i

i

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

65

in most patterns, and contrasts with the fine filmy Rescau
ground upon which it is worked. It is too expensive to
be an article of commerce, and the Chantilly laces now
in the market are nearly certain to be productions of
either Caen or Bayeux. See Caen.

Check-Mohair. — Dress material, so called from the
pattern woven in it, and measuring 21 inches in width. It
is much employed for children’s dresses; the cross-bars
being of small d pensions, like the shepherd’s plaid and
the “ Louisine silks.” The price varies according to the
quality. It may be had in pink, blue, brown, red, and
black “ shepherd’s plaid” checks; all on a white ground.
It is plain made, i.e., not produced in any fancy style of
weaving.

Cheese Cloth. — An open-make of fine canvas, employed
for drawn work embroidery. It is 42 inches in width, and
is inexpensive, but varies in price in different shops.

Chemise. — A loose under-shirt of linen, longclotli, or
calico, worn next to the vest ; sometimes called Shift. Sec
Cutting Out and Dressmaking.

Chemisette. — A plain or ornamental under-bodice,
with fronts and backs unconnected at the sides. See
Cutting Out and Dressmaking.

Chenille. — The French for Caterpillar. A beautiful
description of cord employed for embroidery and decora-
tive purposes. The name denotes the appearance of the
material, which somewhat resembles that of a hairy cater-
pillar. It is usually made of silk, is sometimes a com-
bination of silk and wool, and has been produced in wool
only. There are two sizes; the coarse is called Chenille
Ordinaire, the small Chenille a Broder. There is a new
kind of Chenille called Pomponet, having a very long pile,
boa-shaped, and employed for neckties. For the purposes
of millinery it is mounted on fine wire ; the fine soft silk
Chenille is that used for embroidery, and sold in art
colours.

Chenille Cloth. — Also known as Moss Bege. This
material is made with a fringed silken thread used as weft
in pile-weaving, in combination with silk, wool, or cotton.
When woven, the fringed threads protrude through the
interstices of the material, and produce a fur-like sur-
face. Many varieties are made, since the recent great
demand for the cloth, both in millinery, dress, and flower
making. It was appropriately named by the French
Chenille (caterpillar), from its great resemblance to the
insect’s velvety coat of fur. It is 27 inches in width.

Chenille Embroidery. — A work originating in France,
and deriving its name from the resemblance its round fluffy
threads have to the bodies of caterpillars. During the
eighteenth century, Chenille Embroidery was the fashion
at the French Court ; and many specimens of it executed
by Marie Antoinette and her ladies are still preserved.
From France it passed over to England, and was popular
for years, and never entirely disappeared in this country.
The taste for the work has now revived ; and, when well
executed, it has all the softness and beauty of painting
upon velvet, and well repays the time and money spent
upon it. It looks particularly handsome when made up
as curtain borders, in which form it has been lately

employed at the South Kensington School of Art Needle-
work.

Chenille is of two kinds : Chenille ii Broder, which is
soft and not on wire, is the one used in old, and in the
better sorts of modern, work. This Chenille a Broder comes
from Paris, and is extremely fine in texture. The other
kind is called Chenille Ordinaire, a coarser Chenille,
adapted for being either Couched upon the surface of the
material, or darned through large-holed silk canvas net, or
gold and silver perforated cardboard. The fine Chenille
costs about 3d. the yard, and the greater the number of
shades required in the design the greater the expense.
Simple Satin embroidery patterns are the best to work
from.

To work : Outline the design upon the material before
it is framed, and use a coloured pattern to work from.
Use for the needles large-eyed, sharp-pointed rug needles,
and thread the Chenille in short lengths, as every passing
backwards and forwards deteriorates its pile. If the work
is upon canvas, stretch it in a frame, and only work the
design in Chenille; make the ground in Cross or Tent
Stitch with filoselle or wool. The stitch used is Satin
Stitch. Thread many needlefuls of various coloured
Chenille before commencing the work, and put in each
shade of colour following the line preceding it, not the

Fig. 118. CHENILLE EMBROIDERY.-Detail A.

whole of one shade before another is commenced. Fig.
118 (Detail A) is of fine Chenille worked upon thin silk.
Frame the silk after the outline of the design is traced,
and fill the needles with Chenille, bring these up from the
back of the frame, and push them down again as in
ordinary Wool Work. Each thread of the Chenille can
also be laid on the surface in lines, and secured with silk
of the same colour, as in Couching. When this is done at
the commencement and end of the thread, make a hole
through the material with a stiletto, and pull the Chenille
through to the wrong side, and there secure it; but,
unless the foundation is thick and heavy, the first manner
of working is the best.

K

66

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Clienille Ordinaire can be worked as shown in Fig. 119
(Detail B), upon large open-meshed canvas. To work :
Pass the Chenille backwards and forwards through the
open-meshed canvas. Use but few shades. The stitches
for the rosebud are Satin ; for leaves and points of bud,
Tete de Bceuf ; for the stem, Crewel. Upon a closer

Fio. 119. Chenille Embroidery upon large Canyas.— Detail B.

material the Chenille is laid in lines close together for
the leaves of a pattern, while loops of Chenille, mounted
upon fine wire and sewn to the material with purse silk,
make the flower petals. Make the centres to the flowers
by loops sewn flat, and form the stems of Chenille plainly
Couched down.

Fig. 120 (Detail C) is an illustration of Chenille Ordi-
naire used upon perforated gold and silver cardboard,
and very pretty devices and patterns are worked by
simple arrangements of the stitches to form crosses,
stars, and wheels. The work is useful as an ornamen-
tation for sachets, blotting cases, dinner rings, and other

Fig. 120. Chenille uroN Gold Cardboard.— Detail C.

fancy articles suitable for bazaars. To work: Back the
cardboard with linen, to prevent its breaking away in
the process of working, and thread the Chenille into
large-eyed needles, which pass backwards and forwards
through the cardboard, as if it were canvas. Two or
three distinct contrasting colours are the best to use for
this kind of Chenille embroidery.

Chenille Lace. — A peculiar kind of Lace made during
the eighteenth century, in France. The ground of this
lace w r as silk honeycomb Roseau; the patterns were
poor, and chiefly geometrical, filled with thick stitches,
and outlined with fine white Chenille; hence the name.

Chenille Needles. — These Needles resemble in form
the ordinary rug needle, but are sharp at their points,
and to avoid rubbing the Chenille they are very wide
in the eye.

Chenille Rolio. — A twisted silk Chenille cord stiffened

by wire ; used, according to its width, either to surround
glass shades for clocks, boxes, &c., or to be twisted into
flowers. It is sold by the yard and by the piece. When
passed through an iron tube the Chenille becomes the
silky compact roll, appropriately nicknamed “ rats’ tails,”
employed in rich mantle fringes.

Chenille Travailleuse. — The French name to desig-
nate the fluffy silk thread employed in embroidery, fringes,
and gimp ornaments.

Chequer Stitch. — This Stitch is used for working
berries in Honiton Lace designs, and is illustrated in the
Poppy and Briony Design. (See Honiton Lace.) To
work : Hang on six pairs of bobbins, and begin at the
base of the lower berry, work the Stem all round, leave
the three outer pairs of bobbins to carry on the Stem
afterwards, hang on six more pairs. There being Stem
on both sides, there will be one pair of workers to pass
backwai’ds and forwards across eight pairs; work one,
Twist the workers thrice; work two, Twist thrice, work
two, Twist thrice; work one, and Sew to the Stem.
Repeat this row three times, then Sew the workers to
the next pinhole, Twist all the passive pairs three times,
and repeat the three rows; then Sew to two pinholes
in succession, and Twist the passive pairs. Be careful
to draw each stitch well up. This Stitch is used for
fillings to flowers as well as berries.

Cliequ6t6. — A French term employed in dressmaking,
to denote “ pinked out,” or cut by means of scissors, or
a stamping instrument having teeth, which produces a

Fio. 121. ChequktS.

decorative bordering in notched scallops, or diamond
points, to a silk ribbon, flounce, or other trimming.
See Fig. 121.

Chessboard Canvas. — A handsome thick white cotton
Canvas, designed as a foundation for embroidery. Each
chequer is upwards of an inch square, and made in
alternate honeycomb pattern, and simple Egyptian cloth
mat. The width is 26J inches. See illustration (Fig. 122)
on page 67.

Cheveril.— Soft leather, made of kid-skin.

Cheviot Cloth. — A rough description of Cloth, made
both for men and women’s dress, twilled, and coarser
than what is known as Homespun. This Cloth is 27 inches
in width. The Cheviot Homespun measures 25 inches
in width, and Cheviot Tweed 27 inclie 3 .

Chiffon Work. — A modem variety of Patchwork, which
consists of laying on to a foundation straight lines of
black velvet alternately with stripes made of pieces of silk
and satin. The advantage of Chiffon Work is that it uses
up pieces of silk too small for ordinary Patchwork, and
pieces that are cut upon the cross. To work : Cut out and
arrange bits of silk as in Patchwork, but upon the

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

67

cross ; lay down a line of velvet, and then Tack a piece of
silk to it, so that it will turn over on the right side. Con-
tinue to tack pieces of silk together cut into the forms
of crosses, wedges, rounds, and other devices, but keep
them within the margin of a broad straight band. Add
more velvet and more coloured stripes until the founda-
tion material is quite covered, then stuff the velvet with
wadding to give it a raised appearance, and ornament the
scraps of silk with Coral, Feather, Herringbone,
and other fancy stitches in filoselle, after the rest of the
work is finished. The foundation should be of ticking or
coarse canvas.

China Crape. — A beautiful variety of Crape, but
thicker in texture than the ordinary kind, remarkably
fine, but weighty in substance. It is generally sold at
Indian warehouses, being made in white and various colours,
exquisitely dyed, and is employed for women’s dress. It
is made of raw silk, gummed, and twisted on the mill, and
woven without crossing. The width is 24 inches.

China Grass Cloth. — A beautiful and delicate, as well
as a very coarse description of Cloth, having its origin in
China. It is produced from the fibres of a species of
nettle (Urtica nivea), which the natives split into lengths
and unite together at the smaller ends. Exquisite hand-
kerchiefs and fine linens are also made from China Grass,
and of late years it has been united with silk and cotton
for coloured textiles, having a brilliant appearance. It
is employed in Canton, and has been utilised at Leeds
with much success. Very beautiful textiles are produced
in China Grass with a silk warp. One of the chief
seats of the manufacture as a yarn is to be found at
Leeds.

China Ribbon. — A very narrow Ribbon, of about one-
eighth of an inch in width, woven with a plain edge, and
to be had in one colour, or shaded gradually from a dark

to a light tint of any colour. This description of Ribbon
was much in fashion about forty years ago, but the best
qualities are now only to be had at first-class embroidery
shops in town, and sometimes in country places. In-
ferior kinds arc procurable elsewhere. China Ribbon
is often used for book markers in the best bound books
(especially Prayer-books), being attached in the process of
binding.

China Ribbon Embroidery. — This work was largely
employed for decorative purposes during the earlier part
of the present century, and has lately reappeared under
the title of Rococo and Ribbon Embroidery. Ancient
designs were floral and of the Renaissance style, and
differed but little from those used at that period for
silk embroidery upon dresses, waistcoats, &c. The
materials required are China ribbon of various colours,
shaded and self-coloured ; thick cotton canvas, silk, satin,
or velvet foundations, and embroidery silk. Shaded
China ribbons, being now out of date, are sold only at
some of the first class embroidery shops; but the plain
can still be met with at linendrapers’.

The work, which is very durable, is done in a frame ; the
background being generally selected of a dark colour, as
the ribbons look best upon dark foundations. When the
material is stretched in a frame, trace the design upon it,
and apply the ribbon to it as follows : For all sprays
intended for leaves * or grasses, thread shaded green
China ribbon upon a large crewel needle, and work in
Satin Stitch. Bring the needle up from the back of
the material at the outer line of the spray, hold the
ribbon in the left hand, to prevent its twisting, and put
the needle into the material in the centre of the spray or
leaf in a rather slanting direction. Form all one side of
the leaf, and then work the other side in the same manner,
always bringing the ribbon from the outer edge and
finishing in the centre. By this means the appearance of
a centre vein is given to the leaves and sprays. The
flowers are variously worked : small ones with unshaded
ribbon in Satin Stitch worked to their centres, and a
knot of different coloured ribbon put over the Satin Stitch
as a finish ; while large ones make more raised, thus : Run
the ribbon at one edge, and gather it closely together,
and then sew it to the background in enlarging circles,
so that the unrun edge of the ribbon stands up from the
material in a thick round mass. Make the centres of
these rounds of shaded ribbon, and of a different colour
to the shaded ribbon used in the first part of the rounds.
Make the buds of Satin Stitch, with ribbons of two
colours, but not shaded; or all of the same tint, and
finish with stitches of embroidery silk, and work the
stems and other light parts of the work with the same
silk in Chain, Crewel, or Long Stitch. The best
patterns are those that introduce flowers of the forget-
me-not size, small roses and bluebells, as, although this
work does in no way attempt to be natural, it should
never offend by being executed in large designs; when
worked in small patterns, it has a quaint, old-fashioned
look which it cannot retain when enlarged.

Fig. 123 is an illustration taken from a piece of work
fifty years old, and intended for a sachet or hand-bag.

K 2

63

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

The foundation is of black satin, and the colours used
are as follows : Commencing from the top left-hand
comer, the spray there is formed of pink and white ribbon
intermixed, the large flower, of amber-coloured shaded
ribbon, with buds of a deeper tone, and the small bunch of
flowers beneath it, blue with yellow centres. On the
right hand, the small flowers at the top are yellow, the
rose of gathered ribbon of a plain crimson shade, and the
bunch of small flowers above it, white with pink centres.
The rose in the centre is formed by the ribbon being
closely gathered as before described, the colour a varie-
gated deep red ; the little two-petal flowers over it are rose

threads being drawn out easily, and is useful for table-
cloths and chair backs, and very simple in execution.
To work : Cut the material to the size, and then draw
out its threads in wide lines at equal distances from each
other, and wider than the width of the ribbon. Into
these drawn lines run ribbon which has previously been
threaded into a rug needle. Darn the ribbon down the
space left by the Drawn Threads, going over six and
under six of the threads still remaining. An inch and
a half space is generally sufficient to leave between the
lines, and this should be ornamented with a pattern in
Holbein or Cross Stitch. Various coloured ribbons

Fig. 123. CHINA RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

colour, and at its left side are yellow and white ; the four-
petal flowers underneath rose pink with white centres ;
leaves throughout of shaded yellow greens. Form all
stems, rose thorns, and other fine parts of the pattern of
green purse silk, and work in Stem or Crewel Stitch.
The above are the shades used upon this old piece of work,
and, as none of them are produced from aniline dyes, they
amalgamate extremely well.

China Ribbon Work. — A modern name given to a
kind of Drawn Work, into which coloured China ribbons
are run instead of crochet cotton. It is suitable for any
linen or cotton materials coarse enough to allow of the

are used in one piece of work ; their ends being allowed
to form the fringe with the Drawn Threads of the mate-
rial. Check and other drawn patterns are adapted to
China Ribbon Work, the ribbons being crossed in the
open spaces. The ribbons when forming check pattern
are sewn on the wrong side of the material, to keep them
from moving; and care is taken that they are run in flat
and are not twisted. Letters forming the initials of the
worker are made by darning the ribbon into the back-
ground, to form their outlines. These initials are placed
in a corner.

Chinas. — Ribbon composed of a common kind of satin,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

6g

designed for rosettes, book markers, and dyed in
white, black, and all colours. They are made in narrow
widths, and are trifling in price.

China Sewing Silk.— This Silk 13 of a pure white
colour. One quality is much used by glove-makers, and a
coarse two or three cord by stay- makers. The best Sewing
Silk is sold on reels, containing one ounce.

China Stripe Cloth,— A description of Broadcloth
(which see).

Chinchilla Par, — Of the animal producing this
Fur there are two varieties, both of South America.

broideries. But little of ancient needlework now re-
mains, the dampness of the Chinese climate being in-
jurious to the preservation of materials, and the long
civil wars proving destructive to much that had escaped
the action of the climate; but the ancient designs are
continually reproduced with extreme fidelity, the Chinese
mind being averse to novelty an 1 change, and preferring
what is already pronounced good to any innovations.
Tooehow was the ancient seat of embroidery, but at
Canton and King-po a great deal is now worked, particu-
larly large screens, fan cases, and robes, which are the

PIC-. 12 1. CHINESE EMBROIDERY

That giving the best Fur is a native of Buenos Ayres
and Arica, and is of a silver grey, the darkest and
best in colour coming from the latter place. Those
from Lima are short in the Fur, and inferior in quality.
The For is extremely soft and delicate, and lies as readily
in one direction as another. The skins measure 6
inches by 9 inches,

Chinese Embroidery, — The Chinese appear to have
learnt the art of embroidery from Persia at a very
early date, and became celebrated for their productions,
which display an amount of labour and delicacy of exe-
cution almost unsurpassed, save by the Japanese em*

principal articles in request. Men embroider as well as
women, and the patience with which they entirely cover
a state robe, curtain, or screen with elaborate needle-
work, is remarkable. Under the late dynasty, robes
embroidered with floss silk, and with gold and silver
thread, were worn much more universally than they are
at the present time, as it is now considered sufficient
to indicate a mandarin's rank by a small square of em-
broidery containing his device, instead of repeating the
same, combined with dragons, ribbons, and flowers, all
over the dress, as was universal during the Ming dynasty.
Chinese ladies are also now content with embroidery in

?o

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

bilk instead of floss about tbeir dresses, and the costly
floss and gold embroideries are found more upon screens
and actors’ costumes than upon ordinary wearing apparel.
The Chinese embroider in several ways.

In one, both sides of the work are^the same; this is
done by painting the pattern upon transparent material,
stretching it, and working in Satin Stitch backwards
and forwards, so that there is no wrong side.

Another kind is crepe work, a3 borders to crepe shawls.
In this, large showy flowers are worked in Long and
Feather Stitch, or in Chain Stitch. The beauty of the
last-named consists in the dexterity of its execution, the
lights and shades of the pattern being shown, not by
varying the shades of colour, but by working the Chain
Stitch open and wide apart for light, and close and thick
for dark parts, the effect being further enhanced by the
soft tones of the oriental colours.

Feather work, in which real feathers are introduced, is
another kind of embroidery they execute ; the designs in
the parts where the feathers are to be laid are stamped
upon metal, to which the feathers are glued, and the rest
of the pattern finished in silk work. But their most
famous embroidery is with floss silk and gold and silver
threads. The patterns for these, though numerous,
exhibit but little variety, the sacred dragons, various S
monsters, figures, jars, ribbons, asters, and cherry blossom, i
mixed with birds and butterflies, being repeated and accu- j
rately copied as to colours in most of the designs. Pattern I
books for these are sold in China for a penny.

Fig. 12 1 is an example of this kind of embroidery. It j
is taken from the border of a mandarin’s robe, which is j
covered from top to bottom with embroidery in floss silk, j
gold and silver thread, and purse silk, representing ;
dragons, quaint animals, flowers, ribbons, and jars. It is j
worked as follows: The foundation material is of dark I
blue silk, and the dragons are constantly repeated all over |
it. Make these of gold thread, laid upon the surface and i
Couched down with coloured silks. Where the animal i
has scales, arrange these threads as half curves, but upon !
the head, feet, claws, and tail make the lines to follow the \
undulations of the parts they represent. Pad the eyes
and make them very prominent, and work with coloured |
floss silk ; decorate the mouths with long white moustaches, |
which allow to trail and curl over the background. The
flower shown in Fig. 124 is taken from the border of the
robe; surround every petal with a fine white silk cord,
and fill with French Knots in purse silk, colour deep
crimson, shading to pale silk in centres; make the half-
opened flowers of the same colours, work them in Satin
Stitch, with leaves of a deep green; finish the large
centre one with veins of gold thread ; work the ribbons in
dark blue; where turned under in light blue, or green
turned under yellow silk ; the outline knot of ribbon with
white cord, and fill with crimson French Knots. Work
the animal at the side in red and white, without any inter-
mediate shades. None of the colours blend imperceptibly
into each other; all are sharply defined, and three distinct
shades used when any shading is employed, but the
greater part of the design is in Satin Stitch worked in one
colour. The effect is in no way bright and vulgar, as
the tints are all subdued and blend together.

Chinese Silks. — Although there are several varieties
of Silk, satin, and brocaded textiles, the Silk stuff most
known, and having a large sale in this country, is the
Pongee. It is manufactured from the silkworm feeding
on the leaves of the Ailanthus oak, and made in the
mountain ranges of the province of Shantung, bordering
on the Yellow Sea. Sec Shantung Pongee Silk.

Chinese Tape, India or Star. — This Tape is of
superior strength, and is made both soft and sized. It is
sold in any lengths desired, or on blocks. The numbers
run from 00 to 12.

Chine Silk. — So called because the patterns upon
them have the appearance of having run from damp.
The name is derived from the origin of the style in China.
The threads are coloured in such a manner before being
woven that when worked up into the silk textile, the
peculiar appearance of the shading is produced. The
silk measures 36 inches in width.

Chintz. — This word is the Persian for spotted, stained
or variegated. It is a term employed in this country to
denote a fast-printed calico, in which several, and gene-
rally five, different colours are applied to small designs
and printed on a white or yellow ground, highly glazed.
Originally of Indian manufacture, and known by the
names of Kheetee and Calum-koarce, or firm colour, it
is now made in this country, and is of great beauty.
Chintzes measure from 30 inches to a yard in width.

Chintz Braid. — A cotton galloon resembling dimity
binding, but having a minute chintz pattern, and printed
in all kinds of colours to suit the dresses for which
they are designed. They are much employed in the
making of collars and cuffs. Chintz Braid is sold in
pieces, or by the yard ; and the price varies according to
the width.

Chip . — Wood split into thin filaments, for bonnets.
See Millinery.

Chromo Embroidery. — This is a modern work, invented
by Mrs. Mee, and consists of coloured paper patterns of
flowers or geometrical designs laid upon silk, satin, or
coloured cloth foundations, and then worked over in Satin
Stitch with filoselles or fine crewels, so that the colours
on the pattern are reproduced upon the work. To work :
Trace out a design upon thin coloured papers, cut this
out, and then lay them upon the material. Work over
them in Satin Stitch in the natural colours of the
design until the whole is filled in. The paper pattern is
entirely covered with the Satin Stitch, and need not be
removed. Chromo embroidery is especially useful to
workers who arc diffident about their powers of shading
leaves and flowers naturally ; the design being so close to
the eye, they cannot fail to match the colours painted
upon it, and by following it out, line by line, need be
under no apprehension about the result.

Church. Embroidery. — Some of the finest specimens of
needlework ever produced are those that were consecrated
to the use of the Church during the centuries between
the tenth and the sixteenth. In them are displayed
both elaborate workmanship and good design, and we are
the more impressed at their production when contrasting
their excellence and refinement with our knowledge of the

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

7i

rude manners and customs of tlie times in which they were
made* The work is, verily, picture painting, tlie colouring
and the symbolical meaning attached to the ornaments
depicted matching with the famous illuminations of the
time. Many reasons combined to produce this perfection*
Thus, artists were employed to sketch out the patterns
(some of them lay claim to being those of St. Dun st-an’s),
and an embroiderer was content to labour for a lifetime over
one piece of work, which frequently was too elaborate to be
finished even then, and was handed reverently down from
one generation to another until completed. Such labour
was looked upon as a service particularly pleasing to the
Creator, nor was there any fear of its not being used when
completed. In the gorgeous ritual prevailing before the
Reformation, every altar required a different frontal and
appendages for each festival or fast; and curtains, known
as Tctravcla, were placed at the sides of the altar and
drawn in front of it, while priests and choristers had
as many various vestments, and all required rich and
elaborate embroidery. The Anglo-Saxons were not behind
other nations in this particular, and mention is made of
gifts of needlework to the Church as far back as 708 ;
while Pope Innocent and Pope Adrian collected from
England, for St. Peter’s, much of the celebrated Opus
Anglicanum ; and a good deal of the old needlework now
preserved on the Continent is undoubtedly of English make.
William I, enriched Normandy with it, audit is constantly
mentioned in the “ Roman de Rose” and “De Garin; ” and
in 1315 the Bishop of Marseilles made a special bequest
of Ms English alb to his church* The early Anglo-Saxon
embroidery was distinguished by its lightness and freedom
from overloaded ornaments. The designs were chiefly m
outline, and worked as borders to garments, &c. ; they
were all symbolical, and conceived and executed under true
art principles* These outlines were altered later, when
more elaborate work was achieved* The work executed in
Europe from the tenth to the twelfth centuries is of Eastern
origin, and possesses many of the features of the early
Phrygian and Babylonian embroideries ; but the workers
of Europe developed its sacerdotal character, and clothed
each individual ornament with symbolical meanings,
while they executed the designs with the minuteness and
untiring patience that now only survives in Japanese
and other oriental works. The magnificent embroidery
produced wus a mass of gold and silver threads, pearls,
spangles, precious stones, and silks* A few specimens
still remain; but at the time of the Reformation much
was burnt for the sake of the gold, while copes and
frontals were made into carpets and put to other base
uses. The Sion cope (1250), the cope of St, Guthbert, in
Durham Cathedral, the maniple of Sfc. Stephen and St*
Blaise, the palls of the Vintners* and Fishmongers 5
Companies, are still in good preservation, and are the
best-known specimens extant. In the earlier Anglo-Saxon
works, which were chiefly in outline, the symbol of the
Gammodian is frequently used, but it is not found often
in later examples. It had the appearance of the Greek
letter Gamma, and four of these letters are either en-
twined together, so as to form a square cross, or two of
them, arranged to make the figure S» are used with
Church roses and leaves as outline embroidery. This

Gammodian was of Indian origin, and was known to the
worshippers of Buddha, 600 B,c.; it was brought by the
Orientals to Romo, and adopted by the early Christians
as an emblem of Christ crucified. The celebrated Opus
Anglicanum of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries is
not an outline embroidery, but consists of the most
elaborate filled- in figure designs, the stitch used for the
faces and garments being considered to be an invention
of the English, and therefore its name* It is an
exceedingly fine Split Stitch, which has the appearance
of Chain Stitch, and it is so worked that it follows the
curves and lines of the face and drapery, and gives the
appearance of relief to a flat surface without any
great change of colouring. This relief was further
heightened by those parts that were intended for hollows
in drapery or flesh, being depressed by a heated knob,
thus throwing into bolder relief those places which were
arranged to be in the light* Some fragments of this work
can be seen at South Kensington, so carefully executed,
and with such exactness, that we can understand the

Fjg. I £5, Altar Cloth from Steeple Astox, Oxon*

admiration it gained from the whole world. The Opus
Anglicanum is not confined only to this stitch; the
Opus Plumarium, or Feather Stitch, is largely used; also
Crewel Stitch, Long Stitch, and many varieties of Couching*
Of the raised work formed with different kinds of Couch-
ing an example is shown in. Fig. 125, taken from an altar
cloth at Steeple Aston, Oxon, time Edward III* The
grotesque animal (an emblem of power) would not be in-
troduced in the present age upon such a covering, hut
figures of this description were not then considered irre-
verent; witness the representation of the Deity (Fig* 126)
taken from the same cloth. To work Fig* 125 ; Form the
chief parts of gold threads, which CotJCH over various
thicknesses of whipcord, and raise by this means above the
level of the flat embroidery ; the direction the gold threads
take copy from the design. For Fig. 126, work the face of
flesh-coloured silk, with the features rudely indicated, and
surround the silk with a thick gold cord* Work the
leaves above and below the face in floes silk embroidery.

72

' 4

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

surround them by a dark cord, and clearly define the
veins in the leaves. liaised work was not always in good
taste when applied to faces of the Holy personages, as the
embroiderer frequently imparted a grotesque expression
to the figures instead of the agonised suffering intended
to be conveyed by the contorted features; but nothing
could exceed the beauty produced by the backgrounds
formed with these raised Couchings or the flat floss em-
broideries of the figure* and pow derings. In Fig. 127,
taken from a pulpit cloth at Forest Hill, is shown one of
the favourite devices of early embroiderers. It is the
winged and crowned angel resting upon a wheel, and is
a symbol of eternity, power, and swiftness. This device is
frequently scattered over altar frontals, and is found
worked in every variety of colour; for this one, work the
wings in shaded blues and crimsons and in floss silk.
Couch each leaf round with a thick cord; make the
nimbus of silver or gold, outlined with a gold cord ; the

Fio. 126. Altab Cloth prom Steeple Aston, Oxoh.

wheel of silk, finished with gold cord; work the face and
hair of the angel in floss silk. In the rays proceeding
from the wheel and at the side of the device introduce
spangles, which are always largely used about ancient
embroidery, but never laid upon it; they either form
separate rays or small devices, as in this design, or are
used upon each side of rays, as sliowm in Fig. 131. Always
catch them down to the foundation material, and never
Applique them, and fasten them down with bright-coloured
silk. The devices used in ancient work from the thirteenth
to the sixteenth centuries are noticeable for their con-
stant repetition ; and, considering the very large amount
of embroidery that w f as then executed, and the ingenuity
and care expended upon it, this fact indicates that variety
in those days was not looked upon as essential, the aim
of the w r orker being excellence in execution. Thus,

although the figure scenes were varied, and ranged through
incidents in both Old and New Testaments, and through
the lives of numerous saints and martyrs, the symbols
that surrounded the subject embroidered as a centre, or
that were scattered separately over the foundation (and
called powderings in that position), were almost limited to
the following : Angels, with or without wheels, the Star of
Bethlehem (the rays of which are waved like flames), fleur-
de-lys, winged eagles, leopards, lions, -white harts with
crowns and gold chains, grittina, dragons, swans, peacocks,
moons, crowns, lilypots, thistles, roses, and black trefoils.
Secular subjects were not wholly excluded, and the coats
of arms of the donor of the frontal are occasionally met
with worked upon some part of it. Towards the close of the
fifteenth century Church embroidery became, overloaded
with ornaments, and more mixed with secular subjects.
The work may be said to have died out in England in

Fio. 127. Pulpit Cloth from Forest Hill.

the reign of Henry VIII. ; and, although it continued for
another century on the Continent, it gradually became
confined to the nunneries, and was no longer the universal
labour of the ladies of the land ; whilst, even among the
nuns, the embroidery produced was much inferior to that
of earlier times. The taste for it has during the last twenty
years revived, old specimens are eagerly sought for, and
the stitches carefully copied; and the productions of
the present age can vie in minuteness and beauty with
the most elaborate old work, for, with the exception of
a few alterations, it is identically the same. In modem
work, even the sprays and minor parts are Applique, and
laid upon the material when worked; while in old em-
broideries, although the chief parts were worked upon
double flax linen that had been boiled to take out its
stiffness, the lighter were frequently embroidered directly

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

73

on to tlie foundation, and the lines laid over to conceal the
junction were stitcifed on after the two were together.
Now these cords are worked on the Applique, and a small
second cord laid to conceal the edges, as by this means
the larger cord is more likely to be evenly stretched and
laid down. The linen foundations are no longer doubled,
it being evident that a double foundation is more trouble-
some to work through than a single; and the linens now
used, being expressly woven for the work, are made of the
right thickness. In old work, gold lace is often cut into
the shape required for a small filling and inserted instead
of needlework, but this practice has not been revived.
Requiring great attention and much labour to bring to
perfection, Church Embroidery should not be attempted
by anyone who cannot devote a large portion of her
time to it; but its difficulties are soon overcome by an
earnest worker.

The materials necessary are : Embroidery frames of
various sizes and shapes; good strong unbleached linen,
boiled to take out the stiffness and used single (bleached
and cotton materials are injurious to the gold work,
and have a nap on them, so should be avoided); best
English made Genoa velvet, 13s. the yard ; rep silk, 22s.
the yard, or broadcloth, 21s., for foundations, which
are always of the best; piercer, for helping to lay on
floss or pick up gold bullion; stiletto, for puncturing
holes; two thimbles, one for each hand; nail scissors;
round-eyed needles of many sizes ; carpet needles, Nos. 2,
0, 10, for gold and silk cord; packing-needles to pull
twist with ; the various floss silks, Dacca, sewings, purse,
Mitorse, gold and silver threads, pearl purl, coloured
cords, spangles, bullion, &c. Floss is the most used of
all; the thick floss is split and subdivided into many
pieces, or a finer floss used that needs no splitting ; both
are laid on or worked in Long Stitch over all the various
powderings and chief parts of the embroidery. Dacca silk
is used in the same parts of the work ; sewings for tacking
edges down ; purse silk for all parts requiring strength, and
frequently for Couchings ; Mitorse for leaves when floss is
not employed; twist, purse silk, gold and silver thread,
for Couchings and for ornamental sprays; spangles for
ornaments, and bullion of five kinds for raised work.
Cloth of gold and silver is inserted into the devices
instead of the embroidery, and sometimes brocades, the
“bawdkin” of the ancient chroniclers. All materials
must be of the best, and bought at the best shops, it
being worse than folly to execute such laborious work
with materials that quickly deteriorate; cheap gold and
silver thread, or inferior floss, quickly betraying them-
selves. The hands of the worker must also be smooth,
and should be rubbed daily with pumice stone. Plain
needlework, or anything that causes the flesh to grate
or peel, should be put on one side for the time, as the
floss silk catches in everything, and soon spoils. The
hands also should be dry ; people who have moist hands
cannot work with silk and gold, as they quickly tarnish;
and the left hand must be as ready and expert as the
right, as it is constantly employed under the frame
where the needle, without the help of eyesight, has to
be put accurately up to the front in perfect lines of
stitchery.

Before commencing the embroidery, draw a full-size
design of it upon paper, and tint it as the colours are
to come. The design when representing a large piece
of needlework, such as an altar cloth, curtain, or pall,
is too large and too heavy to be worked in one frame;
portions of it are therefore selected and worked
separately, and afterwards united, and Applique upon
the velvet or silk background; but the full-size design
gives a just idea of the whole, and enables the worker
to fit the various pieces correctly together. Stretch the
linen foundation in a frame, and pounce the outline
of the part to be worked upon it with charcoal, and
set or paint this outline with Indian ink. Carefully
tack in any pieces of enrich-
ments, such as gold tissue or
brocade, and commence the
work with raised Couchings
or with the laying down of
gold threads. Work these
lines of gold thread so as to
follow the wave of the part
they are ornamenting. Thus,
the flower shown in Fig. 128
is entirely executed with lines
of gold or silver, placed as
the shading of the pattern
indicates. Fig. 128 is much
reduced from natural size; an ornament so small as
it is represented rarely has threads laid down. Use wavy
lines of gold more than straight ones ; they are shown in
working detail in Fig. 129, and are managed in two ways,

Fig. 128. Church Embroidery.—
Working Detail.

Fig. 128. Church Embroidery.— Working Detail.

thus : For the first, through a hole made by the

stiletto in the foundation linen, bring to the front of the
work from the back two pieces of gold twist of equal
size and thickness, and make a bend or curve in them
by cui-ling them once round the stiletto, and then lay

L

74

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

them on the foundation with the curve still in them,
and catch them down with the holding thread thrown
across both at once. For the second, use very fine gold
twist, and, instead of putting the ends through to the
back of the work, stitch them securely down on the
front part. Lay the gold twist so curved between each
securing stitch {see Fig. 129, c) on the space it is to cover
in an upright direction, then turn and bring it down,
turn again and bring it up, and so on until the space
is quite filled. These lines need not be laid close together,
but with a space between them equal to one line in width,
and this space may be filled inwith a line laid afterwards ;
the gold twist lying flatter on the surface when so
arranged than when laid down in consecutive lines. Turn
the twist wherever possible, but in many places this
cannot be done, and it must be cut and fastened, and
again commenced. When angles and curves are being
laid, it is a task of dexterity and patience to lay the
lines and turn them so as to fill the paces with the fewest
breaks. The fastening threads are of bright-coloured
purse silk.

In Fig. 129 these fastening threads are shown worked
in two w r ays. To work : Arrange them in the space
marked c so as to form open diamonds, while in the
long narrow space marked d make every other fastening
thread form part of a straight line arranged across the
work. An illustration of the two ways of using floss
silk is also given in this working detail. In a lay it
in flat lines across the surface of the foundation, and catch
it down with lines of purse silk of a contrasting colour
to the floss, and laid in a contrary direction. Fasten
these above the floss silk by catching stitches of silk
brought from the back of the work and returned there.
Lay the lines of purse silk over the floss silk at nearly
equal distances from each other, to imitate the veinings
of a leaf, and make the threads that catch them down
of a silk matching them in colour, or a contrasting shade.
The space marked b shows the manner of working the
floss silk when it is passed through the foundation and
not laid upon the surface. It is Long Stitch j but work
it so that each stitch is placed in a slanting direction,
and does not follow the preceding one with the regularity

Fig. 130. Church Embroidery.— Stitch in Floss Silk.

of a straight line. The Long Stitch is more fully illus-
trated in Fig. 130, where it is considerably enlarged.

Fill the small space with black silk lines, which catch
down by three lines, two of gold tambour, and one of
silk. Make the border to the detail of two lines of thick
silk cord of harmonising colours, and catch both down
with the same stitch. The single cord that surrounds the
piece of work between c and b is a silk cord, round which

twist a fine gold thread, and Couch this down with a silk
thread. This working detail is an extremely useful piece
for a beginner to try her
hand upon, as it combines
several of the stitches that
must be known.

The powdering, from an
ancient chasuble, given in
Fig. 131, is another suitable
working detail, and should
be carried out as follows :

Lay gold tambour in waved
lines, as at A A A A, and
catch these down with even
rows of purse silk. Lay
down the head of the seed
pod with gold tambour, as
at A, but make the lines
straight. Fill the stalk bbb
with green floss silk of three
distinct shades, work in
Long Stitch; the leaves
are of the same, except the
veins E E, which make of
yellow floss silk; d d re-
present the soft hairs on stalk, and are in green
floss silk; k, the centre of the seed pod, which work

n

i

Fig. 132. Church Embroidery.— Powdering prom Hardwicke Hall.

with two shades of pinky red floss in upright lines,
and surround with a silk cord; work H h with silver

THE DICTIONARY OR NEEDLEWORK \

75

thread twisted round it and caught down with pale
blue silk ; in the inside of the cord place a narrow black
cord, and catch it down with black thread. The two
succeeding oval cords laid upon the gold tambour are of
yellow silk, one thick, L, and one thin, M y but both with a
silver twist round them. The outside cord, Q, is also of
yellow, hut thicker than either of the others, and caught
down with black. Fig. 132, p. 74, is a powdering, taken
from some ancient work at Hard wick e Hall. To work :
Fill the centre with lines of gold thread laid horizontally,
catch them down with stitches arranged as broad diagonal
bands, and surround with a line of black crochet twist.
Lay gold thread down, to form the calyx, in perpendicular
lines, and catch it with stitches arranged in a reverse
direction to those worked in the centre part of the powder-
ing. Make the leaves surrounding the centre in Long
Stitch, of floss silk, in three distinct shades of green, and
edge them with crimson cord. Fill the pine- shaped head,

Fra. 133, Church Embroidert.—Cuktain or Frontal.

as to its centre, with dark crimson floss silk, and secure
this with lines of silver twist, forming diamonds; as to
the half leaves on each side, in their upper parts work
Long Stitch in pink, shading to crimson floss, and their
lower with light blue floss, shading to dark, also in Long
Stitch; divide the crimson stitches from the light blue
ones with a line of black crochet twist; outline the whole
powdering with a gold cord caught down with crimson
silk. Work the sprays, proceeding from the powdering,
with gold thread, and ornament the upper ones on each
side with spangles caught down with crimson silk.

The next illustrations are for more advanced work, and
therefore are shown in smaller sizes, so as to give some
idea of a whole design. Fig. 133 is a border and pow-

derings suitable either for altar f rentals or for altar
\

curtains. Work the large fleur-dedys in Long Stitph,
with green floss of three distinct shades, and edge it with
bine purse silk. Fill the baud in the centre of the fleur-
de-lys with crimson floss laid in perpendicular lines, and
secure these lines either with gold passing or with gold
tambour, and edge them with black crochet silk. The
various tendrils or sprays springing from the fleur-de-lys
should be made of gold thread, laid in lines, and caught
down with crimson silk. These lines of gold thread re-
quire a line of floss silk laid close to them, and following
their outline; this is not shown in the illustration, but is
always worked when gold thread ie laid over an unorna-
mented spray. Work the smaller powderinga in Long
Stitch with floss silk; their colours are alternately crimson
and green, the crimson shading to pink, the green from
dark to light. Surround them with black crochet silk,
and with branching fibres of gold thread and floss silk.
The rounds are spangles, four to each round, caught down
with red or green silk. Work the border upon a band of
silk of a darker shade of colour to that nsed for the
large surface ; work the wheels or stars upon it in gold
thread or yellow purse silk, canght down with black;
work the leaves in shades of blue in Long Stitch, with
stems and tendrils of gold cord, and add small spangles
where shown. The three shades of blue, green, and rose
colour used should be perfectly distinct from each other,
not chosen, as in ordinary embroidery, so that one shade

Fig, 13 i. Church Emuroideky.—Bqebeil yob Surra Frontal*

blends imperceptibly into the other; but, although har-
monising, every one must be distinct from the shade
above and below it* Fig. 134 is another border for an
altar frontal or super altar. This is worked upon the
same coloured velvet as the rest of the embroidery. Form
the chief stem with several lines of gold tambour, caught
at intervals across with coloured purse silks. Work the
flowers with shaded silks, and further enrich them with
lines of gold bullion laid over them, and tiny spangles ;
while the little buds should be made of yellow purse
silk, surrounded with black cords, ornamented with
sprays of red cord, and crossed with the same. Straight
and battlement ed lines of various coloured cords finish
the work. Work these on the material, the set centre
only being Applique. The colouring of the flowers
in this pattern will depend upon the colour of the
foundation, which should always be introduced to a
certain extent in the embroidery, but not forming the
prevailing tint. Work the flowers alternately in colours
that harmonise and introduce the shade of the founda-
tion, and in those that contrast with it.

L 2

76

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

The centre cross for altar frontal. Fig* 135, is more
elaborate tlian any previously shown, and requires very
good workmanship. The difference in this design to those
previously given, is that some of the parts forming it are
worked directly on to silk, and others Applique on to velvet,
of a different colour to either the foundation or to those
used in other parts of the same design. The stitches on
the cross work are upon white silk ; the round enclosing
the four arms upon deep crimson silk* on to which the
floriated ornaments are Applique ; and the boss forming
the centre of the cross, and containing the centre jewel,
first work on to a linen foundation, and then Applique on

Couching in yellow silk or gold thread. Partially cover
the ends of the cross that appear beyond the round with
embroidery, leaving visible the foundation of blue velvet
of the same colour as used round the centre boss; make
the crowns finishing these ends of gold thread, laid upon
the velvet, also the thick line from which they proceed*
Work the leaves in crimson silk, shading to pink. The
round inclosing the cross is of crimson silk, on to which
the floriated ornaments that proceed from the cross are
Applique after having been worked upon a linen founda-
tion ; work the outside leaves of these ornaments in Long
Stitch in three shades of green floss, the space they

Fig. 135, CHUECH E M B BO IDE RY~ C E ST TEE FOR ALTAR FRONIAL

to deep blue velvet, which lay over the white silk founda-
tion* The cross is shown as it would be worked in the
embroidery frame* When removed and applied to the
foundation, rays of gold thread or yellow silk surround its
outside circle, and branching fibres proceed from the four
limbs, with spangles carried up each side of them. Make
the five bosses of jewels; surround each with gold thread
and w T ith rays of green floss silk, shading to light green.
Form the body of the cross with white silk, which orna-
ment with lines of gold thread laid in diamond patterns
caught down with spangles and red silk, and with straight
lines in floss silk; arrange the outside lines in Brick

inclose fill in — the lower part with crimson silk, worked in
Long Stitch, and ornament with Bobs or knots formed of
gold coloured silk; above this lay lines of gold thread,
and catch them down with crimson silk ; the points which
finish the ornament work in Long Stitch with, pale blue
silk. Cany pale blue cords round the edges of the orna-
ments, to hide the stitches connecting them to the silk
foundation. The scrolls that fill in the rounds, form of
lines of gold threads, terminating with spangles, and
catch them down with blue silk*

The designs given illustrate all the various ways of
using floss silk in fiat Church Embroidery, Thus, it is

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

77

either laid down in even lines of one shade of colour
and kept in position with gold or silk cords placed in
devices over it, or it is worked in Long Stitch with
three shades of colour. These shades are distinct from
each other, and are worked with the lightest upper-
most; they never blend together, but they match in
tint. If contrasts are used, such as pink and blue upon
the same leaf, they arc divided either by a line of black
crocket twist, or gold thread. In Church Embroidery
no regard is paid to copying any device in its natural
colours; the designs are never intended as realistic,
but as conventional ornaments, and blue, lilac, crimson,
and yellow are used about leaves and other floral orna-
ments as well as green ; though, in examining old
work, it will he seen that green and gold are more used
about the powdering b and border mgs than brighter hues,
which are found in all their glory in the picture centres.
The faces of figures are worked in Satin Stitch, in one
or two shades of flesh colour, or in Split Stitch; the
shade and contour of the features are managed by the
direction given to the stitches, which follow the lines
that would indicate them in an engraving. The manner
of embroidering the various raised and flat Couching 9
is described under that heading. The raised are as
diversified as the flat, and were particularly popular as
backgrounds during the fourteenth and fifteenth cen-
turies; the cords that raise them are laid under floss
silk, or Dacca silk, as well as under gold and silver
threads, with blndiug threads worked in almost endless
varieties, A very rich and favourite raised Couching
for backgrounds is the Spider or Wheel pattern. In
this fine whipcord is laid upon the foundation in rays
like the spokes of a wheel, only curved (each wheel
being about an inch in size); the gold floss silk is laid
over them, and the catching threads put in on each side
of every cord, so that when finished the appearance is
like raised spiders’ webs. Upon rich materials open
Couch ings are frequently laid for borders. These are
made of diagonal lines of gold caught down with crosses
of coloured silk, and the centre of the diamonds formed
by lines filled in with spangles, beads, or French Knots ;
in fact, the variety that can be made by laying down one
colour and attaching it to the material with stitches of
a different shade is almost endless,

Having worked the various parts of the design upon
frames and on linen foundations, it now remains to attach
them to their proper backgrounds. This, when the article
is an altar frontal or curtain, and large and heavy, is
better done for the lady worker at a shop where they
possess the necessary large sized frames to stretch the
foundation in when applying the embroidery, as, unless
that is perfectly tight, no work can he properly laid upon
it. First stretch the background, and then transfer the
various outlines of the traced pattern to it by dusting
pouncing powder through pricked holes. Upon these lines
lay the various detached worked pieces after they have
been carefully cut out from their frames with very sharp
scissors, leaving a small edging of about the sixteenth of
an inch of linen round them,. Stretch and hold down these
pieces in their proper positions with a number of fine pins,
and then secure them all round with fine stitching of

waxed silk or sewings. The large cord that always finishes
these detached pieces, sew on to them before they are cut
out \ it will nearly cover the stitches, and is caught down
over them; but, when in their right positions, a fine outline
cord is run round them, and entirely conceals any joins.
After the Applique work is arranged, sew spangles and
other ornaments on the foundation; also sprays made of
lines of gold thread. When not otherwise enriched, these
gold thread sprays require the finish of a line of floss silk
following their outline. Lay the floss silk as a line close
to the gold thread, but not touching it, and catch it down
with a silk matching it in colour, A fringe is generally
added to an altar doth; it is made of silk, the colours
used in the embroidery, as well as the background colour,
being represented, It is always knotted together in a
cross pattern at the top, and should be exceedingly rich
and good,

A less laborious kind of Church Needlework, useful for
pede mats, altar cushions, and other Inferior Church uses,
is made upon canvas, and the threads either drawn away
and the embroidery left upon velvet or cloth foundations,
or the whole filled in with needlework. Brown canvas is
generally used. To work : Stretch the materials in a
frame, and select geometrical designs of ecclesiastical
symbols ; work these in Tafestky or Ckoss Stitch,
partly in Berlin wool and partly in coloured filoselles.
Cross Stitch makc^ the embroidery coarse, unless worked
entirely with silk; therefore Tapestry Stitch is the best
to use. Damask and diaper patterns are suitable, while
the Church rose, lily, and passion flower, treated conven-
tionally, are good. Attempt no design that does not fit
easily and with a good margin into the space intended for
it, nothing looking so bad as work that is evidently too
big for its surroundings. Work cburch carpets, &c«, in
squares, so as to fit into the embroidery frames, and after-
wards join them together with a pattern edge placed
round them. This work, being similar to Berlin Work,
requires no further explanation. Crewel Work is also
used for Church Embroidery, and adapts itself admirably
for many purposes; but it can never vie with the true
Church work of gold threads and floss silks.

Church Work over Cardboard . — This is a kind of
Church Needlework which was not known in olden times,
and has only been introduced since the revival of interest
in church decoration. All ancient need' e work was in flat
embroidery, and was raised from the ground, when neces-
sary, by means of twine and cord; but the cardboard
foundations forming this variety are used for sacred
monograms and emblems, and are found invaluable when
clear, distinct, and slightly raised work is required. This
work over cardboard is only employed in church furniture
for such minor details as the emblems on stoles, burses,
alms bags, mats, book markers, sermon eases, &c* ; it being
considered too severe in outline, and too mechanical of
execution, for altar frontals and the vestments of the
Church* Being worked with silk of one shade of colour
throughout, and over rigid outlines, it requires no artistic
taste In execution, but it must be arranged with precision,
and the stitches laid down with great neatness, or it will
entirely fail of effect; therefore patience and knowledge
should be bestowed upon it. The designs are simple,

7 8

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

clear in outline, and correct as to ecclesiastical forms.
The usual ones are the Latin cross, the initials of our
Saviour and patron saints, triangles, circles, and other
unfloriated devices. Some of these are shown in Figs.
136, 137, 138, and 139, in their plain cardboard founda-
tion. Fig. 136, the double triangle, is an emblem of the
Trinity, as is also Fig. 137, the circle. Fig. 138, the Latin
cross, combined with the anchor and the circle, an emblem
of atonement and patience ; and Fig. 139, the Greek cross,
surrounded by triangle and trefoil combined, a symbol of
the Godhead. The manner of working is as follows:
Select the design, and trace it out upon paper ; prick this
outline thoroughly, and transfer it to thin Bristol board
by pouncing charcoal through it. Colour the design
yellow, and cut it out carefully, leaving little supports,
that are called “stays/’ to any part of the letter or emblem
that is too fine to support itself before it is caught down
in its position. The stays in the designs given would
only be required to keep the extremities of the Greek
cross (Fig. 139) in position. Tightly frame a piece of

great nicety; the thread or purse silk is kept evenly
twisted, and each line laid down with great regularity, as
the whole work is spoilt with one irregular stitch. When
the cardboard is covered, outline the letters or emblems
with a Couched line of gold, blue or red cord, or gold
thread, as shown in Fig. 140. This Couched line will take
away any unevenness of outline that may have been made
in the working. Cut the material away from the frame,
and the holland from round the edge of the embroidery
at the back, and the work is finished. Fig. 141 is an
illustration of a single letter worked in this manner.
Cut out the exact shape and size required in cardboard,
and lay the cardboard on the foundation, and carefully
sew it down; the arm of the “r” requires very delicate
adjustment. Then lay a line of carpet thread down the
centre of the letter and fasten it, and cover all the card-
board over with lines of yellow purse silk. Fig. 140 shows
the manner of working interlaced letters and adding the
Couched line round them. Cut these out in one piece,
lay them on the foundation, and cover with lines of yellow

Fig. 136. Church Work over
Cardboard.— Double Triangle.

Fig. 137. Cuurch Work over
Cardboard.— Circle.

Fig. 13a Church Work over
Cardboard.— Latin Cross,
Anchor, and Circle.

Fig. 139. Church Work over
Cardboard.— Greek Cross
Triangle, and Trefoil.

grey holland, sold expressly for the purpose, and secure
the material to be embroidered to it. If velvet, or a large
piece of plush, paste it down ; if silk, sew on with great
care, and sew round the centre when the emblem is
arranged. Then lay the pricked outline of paper on to
the velvet or silk, and pounce it through over with pipe-
clay; this will show where the cardboard is to come,
which put on and then carefully tack down into position,
and as soon as every part is secure, cut away the stays.
Fix a strand of yellow twine or carpet thread down the
middle of all the straight lines or the middle of rounds of
cardboard, to give the work the appearance of relief ; this
adds to the effect, but is not absolutely necessary. Now
commence the embroidery. Do this either with yellow
purse silk or with gold twist of short lengths, and follow
the manner of working shown in Fig. 140. Bring the
needle up from the back of the frame on the left-hand
side, and pass the thread over the cardboard. Use the
point of the piercer to lay it flat, and insert the needle
on the right side in a line parallel to where it came up.
This operation, though seemingly an easy one, requires

purse silk; put on no centre cord of carpet thread to
raise them, tlieir forms being too intricate, and no stays,

Fig 140. Cardboard Embroidery. Fig. 141. Cardboard

Embroidery.

as the cardboard foundation is not disjointed. Add
the Couched line, and the work is complete. A variation

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

79

in colouring devices is allowable, but there is no shading
necessary. Thus, in Fig. 142, if I, FLO/* placed upon a cross,
and which can be used for a sermon case, bookmarker,
or alms bag, is worked as follows: Work the cross

in gold purse silk or gold thread, and Ootjch it round

Pio. 142 * Cardboard Embroidery.

with a line of black silk; work the U I*H.(V* in crimson
silk, and Couch it round with pale blue silk, and place
the device upon green or blue velvet. The large X.H.S.”
of Fig. 143 is arranged for a banner. Work the “I”
in gold silk, the (t S ” in blue, and the " H " in red ;

Fig, 143 * Cardboard Embroidery,

outline all the letters in black, and make the foundation
of white silk; work the wreath in Satin Stitch and
in flat embroidery.

The chief nse of this embroidery being for such furni-
ture as ladies can make without the assistance of shops,

the lengths and widths of these various ornaments will be
welcome. For book-markers a very thick ribbed ribbon
is required, from one to three inches in width, according to
the size of the book, and a yard and a quarter in length
if a double marker, which should then have an ivory
barrel dividing it in the middle to keep the ends even.
These barrels cost 3s. 9d. to 4s. 6d., according to their
make, some being covered with a network of silk, others
with gold twist* Tack the ribbon to be embroidered down
to the framed holland, and put on the 'device at its lowest
part six inches from its end, so as to allow of five inches
or more turning up at the back to hide the lining* The
length of the book-marker is regulated by the size of the
book ; a yard and a quarter being the longest required.
The opposite sides of the ribbon are embroidered, or the
work will not fall properly when used* The fringe, which
requires to be very handsome, is either of gold thread or
knotted silk, double the width of the marker and an inch
over, so as to turn in* Sew one side on and then turn the
work, and fix the other side so that both may be neat;
hem the ends of the ribbon that turn up, and tack down
with frays from the ribbon to render the stitches invisible.
For alms bags there are two shapes : one, a regular bag
hung upon a ring or hoop of brass, and made of a straight
piece of velvet eleven Inches wide and nine inches deep,
joined, gathered, and sewn into a circular velvet bottom,
stiffened with cardboard; and the other, the ordinary
handbag, nine inches in length, six in width, with a front
flap of six inches long upon which the motto or emblem
is embroidered. Line tbe bag with white silk, but cover
any part that shows with coloured velvet surrounded with
an ornamental cord of gold and silk. The upper part of
the alms bag is shaped, and is either curved or pointed*
Make the alms mats to fit the plate, and work the mono-
gram ornamenting them so as to be contained in a square.
The ornament upon a stole consists of Greek crosses in
gold silk. The length of the stole is to the knees of the
wearer, and it is a narrow piece of silk that slightly widens
at the ends where the cross is placed, and is finished with
a handsome fringe or lace. Work a small cross at the
back of the stole in the centre. Make sermon cases of
velvet, lined with silk ; strengthen with a cardboard foun-
dation. The burse is used to keep the corporal and
smaller eucharistic linen in. It is a kind of pocket
made of silk, strengthened with cardboard and ornamented
with needlework, and is in the shape of a portemonnaie
without the fiap, being a square of from ten to eleven
inches. The colours of these ornaments vary with, those
used upon the altar, which are as follows : White for
festivals of our Lord, the Virgin, and saints (not martyrs),
and for Easter; blue for week days after Trinity, and
indifferently used with green on ordinary Sundays;
red, all Feasts of Martyrs, Evensong of Vigil, and of
Pentecost, to the following Saturday ; violet for Advent, ,
Lent, Rogation Lays, Ember week, and vigils; black
for Good Friday*

Church Lace.— An Italian JTccdle Lace made in the
seventeenth century expressly for trimmings to altar
cloths and priests 1 vestments. It was a thick coarse Lace,
the ground of which was first made and the pattern added
afterwards, and worked entirely of thick Buttonhole

8o

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Sbitclies. The patterns were chiefly figure subjects illus-
trating passages in the Old and New Testaments, or the
chief events in the history of the Church.

Cinq Trons, on Mari age. — A lace made at Puy and
in other parts of France, with five-sided mesh, similar to
the Reseau grounds of some of the old Dieppe Lace.

Circles. — When working Pillow Lace it is often neces-
sary to form Circles and curves with the threads for the
proper delineation of the design. In the inner part of a
Circle there will be fewer pinholes than on the outer, so
that it is necessary to work back in this part without set-
ting up a pin. To work : Upon reaching the end of the
pins, make a Cloth Stitch and a half with the Runners
that will be waiting ; give a Twist to the outside pair, and
return to the pins on the outside. If pins are put up on
both sides, the worker will have to miss every other on the
inside ; and, if that does not give room enough, two stitches
are worked into the 6ame pin on the inner side. This is
called making a False Pinhole. Take the runners
across to the inside, Twist three times, put up a pin; do
not take up the pair that will be waiting behind the pin,
but return with the same pair, and put up the pin on the
outer edge; finish the stitch, and return with the pair
behind the pin. When they arrive at the inner pin, take
it out and stick it in again, so that it holds the row just
worked, putting it in the same hole as before; work the
Plain Edge with the pair left behind. By this plan
there are two outer pins to one inner. In a very sharp
curve it is better to only Twist twice, as otherwise it
would give the lace a heavy and puckered appearance.
To keep the lace firm while it is being curved, occasion-
ally drive a pin down to its head.

Clavi. — These are bands of embroidery that were worn
by Roman senators, and, at a later period, by knights, on
their robes of state. These bands were embroidered with
thick silk or gold, and frequently ornamented with jewels.
The orphrey of the priests’ robes were similar in make.

Cleaning Woolwork. — If the Woolwork is not much
soiled, stretch it in a frame and wash it over with a quart
of water, into which a tablespoonful of ox- gall has been
dropped. If much soiled, wash with gin and soft soap, in
the proportions of a quarter of a pound of soap to half a
pint of gin. When carefully washed, stretch the work out
to dry, and iron on the wrong side while it is still damp.
If the Woolwork is only faded, and not dirty, stretch it in
a frame, and sponge with a pint of warm water, into which
a piece of soap the size of a walnut, and a tablespoonful
of ox-gall, have been dropped. Wash out the mixture by
sponging the work over with clean warm water, and
leave in the frame until it is perfectly dry.

Clear Point. — A lace made at Puy, in Haut Loire,
after Valenciennes pattern. The lace is of durable make,
but coarse, and of low price.

Clew (Anglo-Saxon Cleow ). — A ball of thread.

Clocks. — These are ornamental embroidered finishes to
the leg and instep of knitted stockings and socks, and are
worked with filoselle or washing silk of a colour that
either matches or contrasts with the stocking they adorn,
or with two shades of one colour. They are embroidered
before the foot is Knitted and after the heel is finished.

The name given to this decoration is considered to have
originated in the resemblance to the pendulum of a clock.

To work : No tracing is required, but rim a guiding line
up the foot from the point where the heel joins the foot;
the height of this line for a stocking is seven inches, for a
gentleman’s sock three inches. The Clock consists of a
plain line and an ornamental finish. Work the plain line
as follows : Overcast the two stitches in the stocking
that run up the leg from the point where the heel joins
the foot to a height of four inches, then Overcast two
more inches, but only over one stitch of the stocking.
The plain line thus made will be six inches in height.
The ornamental finish to this is varied to suit the worker’s
taste, the simplest being the fleur-de-lys and the arrow-
head. Make the fleur-de-lys by thickly Overcasting the
three leaves that form the well-
known conventionalised copy of
that flower ; for the arrow-head,
take the plain line already formed
up another inch of the stocking
and add to it on each side six
diagonal lines graduating in
length ; those nearest the end of
the line, or the tip of the arrow,
make the shortest, and the last,
half - an - inch in length, the
longest.

Fig. 144 is an illustration of
a much more elaborate final to
a Clock than the two described
above ; it is worked in two
shades of one colour, the darker
forming the centre, and the
diamonds on each side. Make
these diamonds of raised dots
formed with Overcast ; the
rest of the design is simply Overcast. Overcast a line
along the side of the foot of the stocking or sock three
inches in length, after the foot is nearly knitted and
before commencing to narrow.

Close Cord.— The thick lines in Macrame are called
Close Cords.

Close Knitting. See Knitting.

Close Leaf. — In Honiton Lace the Close Leaves of the
sprigs are worked in Cloth Stitch, which is illustrated in
Figs. 145 and 146, as a leaf with a Plain Edge half finished
and completed. To work : Commence by first running the
lace pin down to its head to hold firm the twelve pairs of
bobbins required to make the leaf ; Twist the outside pair
on each side 3 times to the left, put the left-hand pair
aside, and take the next two pairs, numbering them 1 and
2, and 3 and 4. 1 and 2 are the Runners, and will work
across, taking the other bobbins as they come. First stitch —
put 2 over 3 with the left hand, then with both hands
put 4 over 2, and 3 over 1, 1 over 4 with left hand, push
away 3 and 4 with left hand, and bring forward 5 and
6 with the right. Second stitch — 2 over 5 with the left
hand, 6 over 2 with the right, 5 over 1 with the left,
1 over 6 with the left, push away 5 and 6 with the left
hand, bring forward 7 and 8 with the right. Third stitch

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

81

Fia. 145. Close Leaf— ITalp
Finished.

First stitcli — 3 over 2 left Land, 2 over 4 left Land, 1 over
3 riglit Land, 4 over 1 left Land, put away 3 and 4 witL
tLe right Land, biing forward 5 and 6 with tLe left.
Second stitcL — 5 over 2, 2 over 0, 1 over 5, 6 over 1. Third
stitch — 7 over 2, 2 over 8, 1 over 7, 8 over 1. Fourth
stitcL — 9 over 2, 2 over 10, 1 over 9, 10 over 1. Fifth
stitch — 11 over 2, 2 over 12, 1 over 11, 12 over 1. Sixth
stitch — 13 over 2, 2 over 14, 1 over 13, 14 over 1. Seventh
stitch — 15 over 2, 2 over 16, 1 over 15, 16 over 1. Eighth
stitch — 17 over 2, 2 over 18, 1 over 17, 18 over 1. Ninth
stitch — 19 over 2, 2 over 20, 1 over 19, 20 over 1. Having
now reached the edge where the pair of bobbins were put
aside at commencement of row, twist 1 and 2 thrice
to the left, stick a pin in the first left-hand pinhole in
front of the Twist ; make the stitch about the pin 21 over
2, 2 over 22, 1 over 21, 22 over 1, Twist both pair thrice,
and pull Twist up. Repeat these two rows until three
rows near the end are reached, then cut off a passive pair
in each row close up to the work, and when the three rows
are finished, plait the threads into a beginner’s stem. See
Finished Leaf Fig. 146.

Close Stitch.— In Needle-point Lace the Close Stitch
is a simple Buttonhole worked without any openings.

Close Trefoil. — A Honiton Lace sprig, as in Fig. 147,

—2 over 7 with left hand, 8 over 2 with right, 7 over 1
with left, 1 over 8 with left, push away 7 and 8 with left
hand, bring forward 9 and 10 with right. Fourth stitch —
2 ove r 9, 10 over 2, 9 over 1, 1 over 10. Fifth stitch — 2
over 11, 12 over 2, 11 over 1,

1 over 12. Sixth stitch— 2
over 13, 14 over 2, 13 over 1.

1 over 14. Seventh stitch —

2 over 15, 16 over 2, 15 over
1, 1 over 16. Eighth stitch
— 2 over 17, 18 over 2, 17
over 1, 1 over 18. Ninth
stitch — 2 over 19, 20 over 2,

19 over 1, 1 over 20. Having
now worked across the leaf
to within one pair of bob-
bins, do the plain edge.

Twist 1 and 2 three times
to the left with the left hand,
while the right is taking a
lace pin from cushion; then
holding both bobbins in the
left hand, stick the pin in
front of the twisted thread
into the first pin hole on the
right !iand,give a small pull
to draw the twist up; this
had better be done after the
twist. Two pairs are now
outside the pin. The right-
hand pair will be found
twisted as it was done in
commencement. Make the
stitch about the pin 2 over
21, 22 over 2, 21 over 1, 1
over 22. Twist both pairs
three times to the left, using
both hands at once ; pull the
Twist up gently. The first
pair have now worked across, and are put away, the last
pair becoming 1 and 2 in their turn. In the first row the
bobbins were taken as they came ; in arranging them so as
to make the knots belong to the Hanging bobbins they
were, of necessity, twisted over each other. This is imma-
terial at the commencement, but each bobbin must now have
its own place, and every twist will be a defect. In putting
down a pillow the bobbins run together, and become
twisted, and half a beginner’s time is taken up in dis-
entangling them. It is a tiresome process, but it has its
uses, as it gives facility in handling, and accustoms the
eye to detect wrongful twists. In the 2nd row the bobbins
must be numbered from right to left, 4 and 3, 2 and 1, the
latter being the active pair. The stitch is apparently
reversed, but the theory is the same. There are two pairs
of bobbins used, a right and a left-hand pair; the middle
left-hand bobbin is always put over the middle right-hand
one ; each of the latter pair is put over the one nearest to it,
and the middle left-hand again over the middle right-hand
one. In working from left to right the Runners begin and
end the stitch, in returning, the Hangers begin and end it.

Fig. 147, Close Tbkfoil.

the leaf being worked in Lace Stitch, and the petals in
Cloth Stitch. Commence at the end of stem, and hang
on six pairs of bobbins ; work straight up the stem and
round the inner circle of flower, make a Sewing when
the circle is crossed. In the petals, which are next
worked, there are more pinholes round the outside edge
than there are on the inside, therefore false pinholes
will here be required ; and as the petals require a greater
number of bobbins to form them than the inner circle
and stem, they will have to be added. Work the first
two rows of petal in Cloth Stitch with the six pairs,
and, before putting in the second pin on the outside,
hang on a new pair of bobbins, winding the knot well
out of the way; pass the new thread well underneath the
two workers, and run it close up to the hanging bobbins ;
stick a pin, and complete a Plain edge. The pair just
added will count as the seventh pair, and will hang on to
the threads which come across; work two rows in Cloth

M

S 2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Stitch, and hang on an eighth pair in the same manner.
When the eighth pair is added it will he necessary to
make a false pinhole, in order to keep the enter and inner
edges level with each other. This is done as follows : Work
across to the inside in Cloth Stitch, Twist the bobbins
thrice, and stick a pin in; hut instead of completing the
edge, come back with the same pair, and again to the outer
edge; then return to the inside edge, take out the pin,
re- stick it in the same hole, and finish the Plain Edge with
the idle pair left. Two pins, by this arrangement, are
stuck in the outer edge to one in the inner, and a curve
is thus smoothly made. When the pins are pnt np close
together, Twist the bobbins twice instead of thrice at
the edges to prevent any puckering. The false pinholes
must be repeated until the petal is rounded and the
thinner part arrived at, when a single pair of bobbins
is cut away. When turning the corner of the first petal
and commencing the second. Sew twice to the circle,
and hang on two pairs o£ bobbins in two following rows,
and ent them cif when the petal is rounded and the
thinner part of it reached ; the middle petal being wider
than the others requires an extra pair of bobbins ; the last
petal will only require one additional pair of bobbins,
hung on where it widens ; the first and third petals require
eight pairs of bobbins to work them, and the middle nine.
When working, turn the pillow as the work turns, so as to
keep the hanging bobbins straight in the front; and
when the third petal is finished, Sew at each side; tie
all the threads np inside one of the working pairs, tie these
working pairs separately, and cut quite close. The leaf
requires eigh t pairs of bobbins, and two gimp bobbins ; the
latter will take the place of the Streak Stitch, the gimp
being passed through the working pair on each side, but
in all other respects the loaf is worked in Half Stitch.
When the leaf is nearly finished, tie up two pairs of bob-
bins in successive rows, and cut off, Sew to the stem on
each side, cut the gimp close, tie the remaining bobbins
inside the working pair, tie those separately, and cut oiL

Cloth. — '(Derived from the Saxon Clath, signifying any
woven textile, whether of silk, wool, flax, hemp, cotton,
arras, or hair.) A woollen material of several descriptions,
as also a generic term applied equally to linen and cotton.
Broadcloths are the best and stoutest, and are seven
quartern wide. They vary in fineness ; there is the super-
fine, second, and inferior. Harrow Cloths are half the
width of the last, or three-quarters, or seven- eighths.
Habit cloths are a thinner and lighter description of
material, generally seven quarters wide. Royal cashmere
is used for summer coating, being a fine narrow cloth,
made of Saxon wool, in worsted weft. The best superfine
is made of Saxon or Spanish wool ; the inferior superfine
of the English, as also the seconds, which is used for
liveries, beside coarser sorts. The excellence of the cloth
depends on the quality of the wool, the permanence of
the dye, and the degree of perfection attained in the
processes of manufacture. In judging the quality of
broadcloth, the fineness of fibre and closeness of texture
have to be observed ; and the hand should be passed along
the surface against the lie of the nap, when the fineness
of the wool will be made evident by the silkiness of the

feeling, A portion being taken up loosely in both hands,
a fold pressed strongly between the fingers of one hand,
and a sudden sharp pull given by the other, the peculiar
vibrating clearness of the sound produced by the sudden
escape of the fold indicates, to the experienced ear, the
goodness of the cloth. The gloss on cloth should not look
very satiny.

Cloth AppliquA — A modern imitation of the Cloth
embroidery so largely worked by Eastern nations. It
consists of cutting out and arranging upon a coloured
cloth foundation variously coloured and shaped pieces of
the same material, and securing these by fancy stitches
worked in silk or wool.

To work i Select a dark coloured cloth as a foundation,
trace upon it a geometrical design, and then stitch it in an
embroidery frame. Prepare pieces of cartridge paper by

FjG, H3. CLOTH EMBROIDERY.

cutting them into the shapes that fit the various parts of
this design, and lay these upon the coloured cloths selected
to form the pattern. Cut out these shapes accurately in
the coloured cloths, pin them on to the cloth founda-
tion in their right positions, and secure them by working
round their edges either with He hr I nob one or Point
Lance stitches. Use fine Pyrenean wool or filoselle for
these fancy stitches, and further enrich the work by
others, such as French Knots, Tete de Boiiuf, and
Satin Stitch, worked over the pieces of coloured cloth,
or made to form tendrils, bosses, and other ornaments
to the pattern.

Cloth Embroidery. — A kind of needlework exten-
sively practised by the natives of India and Persia, and
other Asiatic nations, who excel in joining together
coloured pieces of cloth in handsome designs, and covering
them with various fancy stitches made in fioss silk or
gold and silver thread. The work is a species of Inlaid
Applique, tiie pieces of cloth not being laid on any
foundation, but sewed together continuously.

APPLIQUE UPON LINEN

CLOTH APPLIQUE-

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THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

83

Fig, 14$ is a mat of this description. To work : Make
the centre of crimson or deep blue cloth, and the outside
edge of cream white, pale blue, or grey. Hide the parts
where these two pieces join with a row of Point Lance
stitches worked over the overcasting. Make the em-
broider j upon the light cloth with Wheels and Point
Lance, cut and turn down the outside edge to form
Vandykes, and om ament with a coloured silk tassel
in every hollow. The beauty of the embroidery depends

paper, and go over the lines so made with water colour
mixed with gum to render them permanent. Work the
whole pattern in Satin Stitch, with the exception of
the centres to the dowers, which either £11 in with French
Knots or with Leviathan Stitch, Work the large
flower in three distinct shades of one colour, using the
lightest as the outside colour and for the innermost circle,
and fill the centre of the flower with French Knots made
of the medium shade of colour. Work the small flowers

Fro. 140, CLOTH EMBROIDERY.

upon the judicious colouring of the floss silk fancy
stitches, which should be bright and distinct, like all
Eastern colouring, but not of bues that become gaudy
by reason of their violent contrasts.

Fig. 149 is of another description of Cloth Embroidery,
worked upon a dark -coloured cloth, such as maroon,
peacock blue, or invisible green, and is useful for valances,
tablecloth borders, and other purposes. Trace the out-
line of the design upon cloth with white carbonised

in two shades of colour, place the darkest shade inside,
and finish the centres with a Leviathan Stitch made
in the lightest shade used. Work the buds and leaves
in two shades of colour, also the small forget-me-not
shaped flowers; but in these last, keep each individual
flower to one shade of the two colours employed. In the
small pattern that forms the border of this design, use
two shades of one colour, and work all the under stitches
(m Fig> 149) in the light shade, and the stitches that fill

8 4

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

in the centres, and that arc worked so as partly to cover
the first made ones, in the dark- A handsome design is pro-
duced when the whole pattern is worked with a red brown
filoselle as the darkest colour, and orange gold as the
lightest, upon a cloth of a medium brown shade. Shades
of blue upon peacock blue foundation, and cinnamon
upon russet red, are good, as the embroidery worked

ing cushions and footstools- Materials required : a frame,
skeins of various coloured filoselles, No. 2 gold braid, and
Berlin canvas. To work ; Stretch the canvas in a frame,
and stitch the gold down upon it, line by line, until the
canvas is completely covered. Select an easy geometrical
pattern of those printed for Berlin wool work, and work
out tlie design in Gqbelix Stitch over the gold braid

Fig, I5& CtUNY GUIFUEE LACE,

out in shades of one colour is more artistic than when
many bright colours are used. The border in the illus-
tration is of chenille gimp, but a soft hall fringe of the
colours used in the work would look equally well.

Cloth of Gold Embroidory.^A modem work, formed
with gold braid and filoselle silks, and useful for cover*

with coloured filoselle, take each thread over one strand
of the gold braid foundation, and count it as one stitch.
No shading need he attempted, and two colours, such
as red and grey, are sufficient to work the whole design,
the foundation of braid being already bright enough for
effect,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

85

Cloth Patchwork. — This is Patchwork of the ordinary
kind, but made with pieces of bright cloth instead of
scraps of silk. See Patchwork.

Cloth Stitch. — The close stitch used in most Pillow
Laces, and consisting of simply weaving the threads like
those of a piece of cloth. It is fully described in Braid-
work ( Cloth or Whole Braid) and in Close Leaf.

Cluny Guipure Lace. — One of the Darned Net Laces
whose origin is lost in antiquity, and which were
known as “Opus Filatorium ” in early times, “Opus
Aranum,” or Spider Work, in the Middle Ages, and
“ Filet Brodc,” or Guipure d’Art, in more modern
times. Numerous patterns of these laces arc to be
seen in the pattern books of Yinciola, sixteenth century,
and much mention is made of them in the inventories
of lace from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries.
The groundwork is plain Netting, commenced with one
stitch, and increased and decreased like ordinary Netting,
and upon this is worked the pattern with counted stitches,
darned in and out like the modern Guipure. The name
“Point Conte,” generally given to Guipure, is derived
from this counting of stitches. Cluny was only a
variety of this Darned Netting, but into it were intro-
duced raised stitches, wheels, circles, and triangles, which
distinguished it from the plain darned Guipure. A
shiny glazed thread was also introduced about parts of
the lace as a contrast to the unglazed thread forming
the rest of the pattern.

Fig. 150 is a reproduction of a piece of Cluny
Guipure formerly ornamenting a bed quilt belonging to
Louis XIII., and is a good example of the quaint kind
of patterns that were anciently worked, and that have
been lately revived in French and Irish lace manufac-
tories. In this the glazed thread forms the raised
feathers of the bird, the stars and the circles, and also
surrounds what is intended for a tree in the design. In
many designs the glazed thread is worked as an outline
round every part of the pattern, and Buttonhole Stitch
used; but here Point Passe, Point do Toile, and Point
Feston are employed, and there is no Buttonhole. This
lace requires its foundation to be stretched in a frame
while the pattern is worked upon it. Its stitches and
manner of working them are similar to those used in
Guipure d’Art.

Coatings. — Black or blue cloths, in checks, stripes, or
diagonals, manufactured for men’s wear. The widths
comprise both the narrow and wide, and their several
prices vary according to quality and width.

Cobble. — (Danish Cobbler , to mend coarsely; the
Welsh Cob being a round stone, making a rough street
pavement; descriptive of the puckering of work; old
French Cobler, to knit or join together.) A term em-
ployed in needlework to denote coarse and unevenly
drawn work or mending.

Cobnrgs. — These stuffs are composed of wool and
cotton, and in their make resemble a twilled Orleans
or French merino. Some of the varieties have a silk
w’arp and woollen weft. They can be had in all colours,
and measure from 30 to 36 inches in width, varying
in price according to their quality and width. They

are chiefly used for coat linings and for dresses by the
lower orders, who always employ them for mourning.

Cockscombs. — A name given by laceworkers to the
uniting threads known in Needle Laces as Bars and
Brides. See Bar.

Cocoa Bindings. —These are to be had of 2£ inches and
3 inches width, and are sold by the gross. The lengths
run from 18 to 21 yards. They are employed for sew r -
ing round cocoa-nut mattings as bindings.

Coins. — A French term signifying the clocks of a
stocking; that is to say, the decorative embroidery,
consisting of a mere line made with floss silk, with
a finish more or less ornamental, running from the foot
to about half way up the leg of the stocking, on both
sides of the ankle and calf. These are sometimes of
a uniform colour with the stocking and sometimes con-
trast with it. See Clocks.

Coive. — A French term to designate the lining of a
bonnet, of whatever material it may be made.

Colberteen Lace. — A lace made in France in the
seventeenth century, and named after Colbert, the King’s
Minister, the founder of the French lace manufactories.
There is no accurate record of its make, but it is con-
sidered to have been a coarse network lace of an open
square mesh, and to have been used for ordinary
occasions. It is frequently mentioned by English and
French authors and poets of the seventeenth century,
as a common and gaudy lace.

Coloured Handkerchief Embroidery.— A modern
embroidery that imitates Indian embroidery. The
materials required are all shades of filoselle silks, gold
thread, and a large cotton handkerchief, such as worn
by peasants in France and Switzerland round the
shoulders. The handkerchief is selected for its oriental
design and colouring, and for its good border. To work :
Back the handkerchief with a piece of ticking, and
Run lining and material together. Work round the
chief outlines of the pattern with Crewel or Rope
Stitch, then Couch down a line of gold thread out-
side the outlines. Fill up the centres of the pattern
and the groundwork with Crewel and Satin Stitch
worked in filoselles that match the colouring; in fact,
reproduce the whole design in rich materials. Finish
with a border of plain velvet or plush, and use for a
banner screen or a table cover.

Coloured Twill. — A stout cotton material, made in
all the principal colours and employed for linings of
curtains and embroidery; it will not bear washing.
It is 1J yard in width.

Combed Out Work.— This is of two kinds : The first
consists of inserting loops of wool an inch and a half
in length into alternate rows of plain Knitting during
the process of making, and, after a sufficient length has
been knitted, cutting these loops and combing them
out with first a large toothed comb, and then a small
one, until the w T ool assumes the texture of hair, aud
entirely conceals the knitted foundation. This is fully
explained in Bird Nest Mats. In the second, detached
flowers are formed of combed out wool and bits of
velvet. This latter kind is illustrated in Fig. 151, which

86

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

shows two different coloured and shaped pansies, and
the manner of finishing them at the back.

The materials necessary for this Combed Out Work are
different shades of single Berlin wool, pieces of good
velvet, fine green wire, and gum. Each petal is made
separately, thus: Wind single wool of a light colour six
times round two fingers of the left hand, then take the
wool off the fingers without disturbing it, and run a piece
of fine wire through the loops at one end, and fasten the
wire firmly by twdsting it so that it secures all the wool at
that end. Cut the loops at the end where they arc not
secured with the wire, and proceed to comb out the wool;
use a coarse comb to commence with, and then change to
a smaller toothed one until the ^vool is as fine as floss silk,
then snip the edges of the wool to the shape of a pansy
petal. Carefully drop a little pure gum in and about the
w'ool forming the petal, to keep the combings from getting
out of place, and also use gum to fix on to the petal the

Detail C.

Fig. 151. Combed Out Wool Work.

light fibres of different coloured wool that form the mark-
ings in Details A and B. Comb these out before they arc
laid on the petal, and fix them to their places with the
points of scissors, not with the hands. Make the eye of
the pansy and the dark outside lines of Detail A with pieces
of velvet cut to shape and caught down with long stitches
of coloured silk, but gum the edges of the velvet into
position. As each petal is made, crook the end of the wire
supporting it, and hang it up by this crook to dry ; when
all are finished, combine the separate wires, cover them
with green wool, and finish off the back of the flower
quite neatly, to present the appearance of Detail C. The
colours of Detail A are a foundation of white wool with
dark ruby velvet forming centre spots and edges, and light
bits of combed out ruby wool put on the petals, to shade
the velvet into the white in the centre of flower and at
the edge. The silks used are yellow purse silk. Detail B
has an amber ground, with violet markings, with a deeper
violet velvet used for the eye of the flower, and violet

purse silk used for the lines. Pansy leaves are generally
formed like those used in 'Wool Work Flowers, or they
can be made of various shades of green wool combed out
and fastened as the pansy petals.

Commence a Loop. — A term used in Tatting.

Common Heel.— Sec Stocking Knitting.

Cone. — A term sometimes used in Guipure d’Art for
Point Pyramid.

Confection.— A French term applied to any kind of
ready-made article of dross.

Connaught. — A species of cotton cloth, otherwise
known as Basket Cloth, made after the manner of Aida
Canvas or Toile Colbert, the French name by which
it was first known. It is employed as a foundation for
embroidery. Java Canvas and Fancy Oatmeal are
names applied to the same cloth.

Connaught Yarns. — An Irish yam recently produced
by the peasants of Valencia Island. The fibre of the wool
employed is fine, soft, and elastic ; and the staple being
longer than that usually spun for the purpose of knitting
or weaving, it is durable in wear. Connaught Yarns
are thinner than the Blarneys produced in the same
island, and arc more loosely twisted. The Fingerings are
to be had in 3 ply and 4 ply. They may all be had in
black, white, grey, heather, ruby, navy-blue fancy mix-
tures, &c. See Blarneys.

Continuous Inner Pearl. — Used in Honiton and other
braid laces as an ornament to the inner side of any leaf
that is not filled in with stitches. It is shown in the left-
hand leaf of Fig. 152. To work : Hang on ten pairs of

Fig. 152. Continuous Inner Pearl.

bobbins and two gimps at the tip of the hollow leaf and
do Cloth Stitch to the place where the opening begins ;
work to the centre, stick a pin in the top hole, hang on a
pair of gimps round it, Twist the two pairs of working
bobbins twice, make a stitch about the pin and work first
down one side of the opening and then down the other.
The stitch at the inside edge is the Inner Pearl, made
thus: Work to the inner gimp, pass it through the pair,
Twist the workers six times, stick a pin, pass the gimp
through the pair, and work back, Twist the workers six
times, stick a pin, pass the gimp through again and work
back. When both sides are finished all but the lowest
hole the two working pairs of bobbins will meet in the
middle; make a stitch, stick a pin, tie the gimps and cut
them off, and let one of the working pairs merge into the
passive bobbins; finish the leaf, cut off all but six pairs of
bobbins, work the circle, and then work the other leaf in
Lace Stitch.

Contract an Edge. — A term used in Crochet.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

87

Coques. — A French term to denote bows of ribbon
arranged in loops as a decorative trimming.

Corah. Silk. — A light Indian washing textile, of a
cream white, lighter in shade than
any of the other undyed silks,
either Indian or Chinese. It is
much used by young ladies for
evening dress, and is very econo-
mical in wear. Sold in pieces of
7 yards or 10 yards each, and
running from 30 inches to 31
inches in width. Corah silk is one
of the class called “cultivated,”
in contradistinction to the Tussore,
or “ wild silk,” produced in India.

Coral Stitch. — See Em-
broidery STITCHES. Fio. 153. Double Coral Stitch.

Cord. — In Needle-made Laces the fancy and thick
stitches that form the centres of the flowers and sprays
are surrounded with a raised rim closely Buttonholed, and
called either a Cord or Cordonnet. This rim varies as to
thickness and size in almost all the laces, a peculiarity
particularly noticeable in the old Spanish and Venetian
Rose points. It never, however, varies as to being
finished with close lines of Buttonhole, the difference in
its shape and size being attained by the larger or smaller
amount of padding (made of coarse thread) that is run
in under the Buttonhole. For manner of working, see
Crescents.

Cord— Part of Macram6.

Cord, and Fancy Check Muslins. — These are cam-
bric muslins, with stripes and cords placed across each
other, in plaid fashion; thick threads being introduced
into the warp and weft. They are a yard wide, and are
employed for children’s dresses and servants’ aprons.

Corded Muslin. — This muslin is also known as “ Hair-
cords,” having a thick hair cord running one way only.
It is made a yard wide, and is employed for infants’
dresses, and otherwise.

Cording.— Sec Cord Stitch.

Cordonette. — The French term to signify an edging, or
small cord or piping to form an edging. It is also the
name given to French netting silk, which is finer than
our crochet or purse silk, and is sold wound on reels.

Cordonnet. — The raised rim in Needle Laces, identical
with Cord.

Cordova Lace. — This is the name of a stitch or filling
used in ancient Needle Point Lace and in modern Point.
There are two ways of working it, one like the Point de
Reprise of Guipure d’Art, and the other as follows : Com-
mence by throwing three threads across the space to be
filled in a horizontal direction, putting them in as near
together as they can be, worked. Twist the needle and
thread round the third or under thread twice, so as to
carry the thread along the third line for a short distance
from the commencement of the stitch, and Darn a flat
spot over the three lines by working up and down them
twice. Twist the thread again round the third line twice
and darn another spot, and continue in the same manner

to the end of the row. For the next row leave an interval
the width of three threads between it and the first, and
work like the first. Continue to work the second row to
the end of the space, and then throw three threads per-
pendicularly across the space to form a square with the
horizontal threads, passing them one over and one under
the horizontal threads and between the spots already
worked. Dam spots on these as upon the others, and
continue the perpendicular lines to the end of the space
requiring to be filled.

Cordovan Embroidery. — A modern Embroidery
founded upon Applique. The materials used are gold or
silver American cloth, Serge and Filoselles. To work :
Trace a bold but conventional pattern, either of flowers
and leaves, or a flowing arabesque that is continuous,
upon the back or under side of a piece of gold-coloured
American cloth. Cut this out, and lay it upon thick
brown liolland or coarse canvas, and paste the two
materials together. Cut out the canvas to the pattern
shape when the paste is dry. Stretch a piece of dark
blue, green, or crimson serge, tack the gold American
cloth to that with long stitches taken over, not through
the cloth. With gold-coloured filoselle Buttonhole the
cloth to the serge round the outer edges, and with crimson
and green filoselle work on the cloth in Satin Stitch,
the centre of the flowers, veins of the leaves, or any detail
that will mark out t tie design. On the serge background
work detached sprays, tendrils, and stems in Crewel
Stitch.

Cords. — These are of various kinds. Black silk Cords,
employed for watch guards, and for button loops and coat
edging, sold in knots of 35 yards and by the gross. The
numbers run from 2 to 10; 3, 5, and 7 being the most
useful. Black mohair Cords, formerly employed for coat
edgings, are now much used for looping up dresses ; the
numbers run up to 8 ; 2, 4, and 7 being the most useful.
They are sold by the gross — four pieces, 36 yards in each.
Blind Cords are of cotton thread, linen thread, and flax
covered with worsted, and can be had in various colours —
scarlet, crimson, amber, blue, green, &c. — sold in lengths
of 72 yards, two pieces to the gross. Cotton Cords, in black
and white, are extensively used by dressmakers for pipings,
and in upholstery ; they are sold in bundles of 51b., mixed
sizes or otherwise, and in single skeins. Picture Cords, a
heavy-made article, are sold in lengths of 36 yards, and
may be had in scarlet, crimson, green, amber, and other
colours, so as to correspond with the walls. There are,
besides, silk mantle Cords, also heavy-made, and much in
use, having four pieces of 35 yards to the gross; the
numbers run from 1, 1 £, 2, 21, 3 and 4: Nos. 1, 2, and 3
being most employed in black or colours.

Cords, Cloth. — A fancy woollen material, ribbed after
the maimer of a rep, only in vertical lines instead of
horizontal ones. It measures 28 inches in width.

Cord Stitch. — A decorative needle stitch, sometimes
called Cording, formed by interlacing two lines of silk or

Fio. 151. Cord Stitcii.

thread in the manner shown in Fig. 154. Cord Stitch is

88

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

also used in working Bars in Modern Point lace and Dama-
scene lace, wlien the Bars are not finished with Buttonholes.

To work : Throw a line of thread across the space to he
filled, and secure it tightly to the braid. Return the
thread to the spot it started from by winding it round and
round the tight line made as described.

Corduasoy. — A thick silk, woven over a foundation of
coarse thread.

Corduroy. — (From the French, Cord du JRoi.) A de-
scription of fustian. It is made of cotton, having a pile,
but has a cut, ribbed, or corded surface. The best kinds
are twilled, and they may be had in grey or slate colour,
and in drabs. There is likewise a very superior make of
Corduroy, especially made for ladies’ jackets and for the
trimmings of warm cloth dresses, which has a very broad
rib and high pile, is soft and pliable, and has no smell.
It is three-quarters of a yard in width.

Cord Work. — This is nufde with a needle, and is a
kind of coarse Needle Lace executed with black or coloured
purse silks, fine bobbin cord, or strong linen thread. It
loses its character unless worked with thick materials,
but it is immaterial whether silk or linen threads are
used. It is made in the form of rosettes (see Fig. 155),

Fig. 155. Cord Work.

or in squares, and the patterns are taken from Crochet
designs. Mark out the patterns upon tracing linen, and
back with Toile Cire. The only stitch is the ordinary
Buttonhole, the varieties in the patterns being attained
by either working these Buttonholes close together in com-
pact masses, or separating them by carrying the working
thread plainly along the pattern over a certain fixed space.

The rosette shown in the illustration is worked as
follows: First row — work into a small loop eighteen
Buttonholes. Second row — work a Buttonhole, miss the
space of one and work another, continue to the end of the
row, making nine Buttonholes and nine spaces. Third
row — work two Buttonholes, one on each side of the one
in the previous row, and carry the thread plainly along in
the spaces. Fourth row — as second, but working three
instead of two Buttonholes. Fifth row — as third, but
working five Buttonholes instead of three. Sixth row —
make nine loops, commencing each loop from the final
Buttonhole of the pattern and fastening it to the first
Buttonhole on the next pattern, so that the loop is situated
over the spaces in the rosette, and not over the Button-

holes ; run the thread across the thick parts of the rosette
between the loops. Seventh row — work nine Buttonholes
into each loop, and two over the thick part of the pattern.
Rosettes, of whatever design, are commenced from the
centre with a circle made of cord, and Buttonholed round.
They are increased by two to four extra stitches being
worked in every round of Buttonhole. In working squares,
commence at the top with a line of close Buttonhole
worked upon a cord foundation, and from this work either
a plain square Crochet pattern or a simple modern point
stitch, such as Cadiz or Escalier ; if the latter, see that
it is enclosed on every side with a line of close Buttonhole.

Another Variety of work with the same name is
formed over bodkins, and is suitable for quilts and couvre-
pieds, but not for flat articles, as when finished it has
the appearance of raised stars or wheels formed into round
or diamond- shaped patterns. It can be worked with
worsted, single Berlin or fleecy wool, or coarse, but soft,
knitting cotton, and each wheel is made separately and
joined together.

To work : Commence by taking three equal sized large
steel bodkins, and tie them firmly together in the middle
with the wool, opening them out to form a six-pointed
wheel with equal distances between each spoke, and with
their eyes following each other, as shown in Fig. 156.
Pick up the wool that tied the bodkins together and loop
it round the nearest bodkin, pass it on to the next, and
loop it round that, and so on round all six spokes, as shown

Fio. 156. Cord Won* —Detail A.

in Fig. 156, detail A. Work twelve rows in this way; the
space between the spokes will be wider in each row, and
the wool will have to be kept at even lengths, and
untwisted; fasten off by running the wool into the wheel.
Thread the bodkins with a long double piece of wool,
and pull them through and out of the wheel, filling in
their places with the doubled wool. Work other wheels
in the same way and thread them together. It will
require some practice to place these wheels together into
designs of diamonds and squares, so as to secure them
firmly, but the principle of all will be the same. Pass
a diagonal thread in one wheel horizontally through
the next wheel, and vice versa, and when no spoke of
the next wheel touches a thread, run it underneath

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

the work until it can be drawn through another wheel.
The manner of doing this is shown in the illustration, in
which the doubled thread is drawn through the top wheel,
and then taken under the part of the work where the
side wheels join. The manner of connecting these wheels

Fig. 157. Cord Work— Detail B.

together is shown in Fig. 157, detail B. When all are
firmly drawn together into a solid body, work a row of
Double Crochet round their outer edge, and draw and
work into this line all ends of threads, so as to secure
them without knots.

Corfu Lace. — A coarse Greek lace or Reticella, still
made by the natives of that place, but of no commercial
value.

Cork Lace .— See Irish Lace.

Cornet. — A French term used in dressmaking to signify
the open, trumpet shape of a sleeve at the wrist.

Coromandels. — A description of Manchester made
cotton stuffs, chiefly made for the African export trade.

Corsage. — A French term to signify a bodice.

Corset. — The French term to signify a pair of stays.

Corset Cord. — This cord is made both of linen and
of cotton. It is sold either by the dozen yards or by
the yound.

Costume. — A French term to signify a complete dress.

Cdteline, or Cdtelaines, — A kind of white hair cord
muslin, printed in all kinds of patterns and colours. It is
of French manufacture and designed for a dress material.
The width measures 31 inches. The printing and shading
of these goods are considered remarkably good.

Cotton. — (Latin Coctona , Welsh Cottivn, French Coton.)
The soft white downy pods of the Gossypium , or cotton
plant, which is spun and woven into a great variety of
textiles, and also employed for sewing thread. This plant
is a native of India and America, &c., and grows best near
the sea.

Cottonade. — A description of cotton cloth, in black and
white, of very inferior quality for wear, made for women’s
skirts and suits for boys. It is 27 inches in width.

8 <>

Cotton-backed Satin. — This material is comparatively
a new manufacture in England, but is inferior in one
respect to those Indian-made, under the name of Musliroo,
as the latter, in every variety of coarse and fine, wash well,
while our home-made examples and the French do not.
Our cotton-backed satins vary in width from half a yard
to three-quarters.

Cotton Bullion Fringes. — These are heavily made,
the widths running from 3 inches to 12. The lengths run
from 24 to 36 yards.

Cotton Canvas. — This textile is both home-made, and
also manufactured in France and Germany; the French, or
patent, being the best in its firmness, regularity, and clear-
ness of each thread, the meshes being remarkably square.
German cotton canvas is inferior, but may be had both
limp and stiffened. The French and German are made in
all sizes and widths ; the latter will not bear much tension.
That made in imitation of silk soon soils. They have
produced a kind especially for tapestry-stitch. The
| German cotton canvas is generally made with every tenth
| thread dyed yellow, for the assistance of the embroiderer
; in counting. It is made both limp and stiffened.

Cotton Cords. — These are made in white and black, and
are extensively used in dressmaking, as well as in up-
holstery. They are made up in half-bundles of 51b., in
mixed sizes, or otherwise; they may also be had in skeins,
in single pounds. -The numbers run from 1 to 0, 00, 000,
0,000, and 00,000.

Cotton Crape Cloth. — An imitation of the woollen
Crape Cloth; it is employed for children’s wear.

Cotton Damasks. — Made in imitation of the linen;
cheaper, less durable, requiring frequent bleaching, and not
much in request. Cotton damasks having a linen face have
been, and are, in use for table linen ; these being decorated
with coloured borders in ingrain red and blue designs.
Table cloths may be obtained in a variety of lengths.
Cotton damask is also the name given to a beautiful
material woven in different colours for curtains, and the
other purposes of upholstery. It is 54 inches in width,
and varies in price; is most durable, and bears almost
endless cleaning. It has, however, been much superseded
by Cretonne.

Cotton Ferrets. — A description of binding resembling
unsized tape. They are chiefly employed in black and drab
colours, and are made up in rolls of nine pieces, containing
16 yards; numbers 8-18, or 6-24.

Cotton Prints, or Calico Prints. — Calico cloths
printed in various colours and patterns to serve for dresses.
Specimens of cotton fabrics sent out of the country, from
Manchester alone, have shown upwards of 1,500 different
kinds, varying in strength and pattern, from coarse cloths
to the finest muslins, and from the richest chintz to the
plain white.

Cotton Quilting. — A material made for waistcoat
pieces, resembling diaper, strong and thick in quality.

Cotton Reps. — Handsome cloths dyed in all colours,
35 inches wide, and at lid. a yard. They are chiefly em-
ployed for the linings of cretonne curtains.

N

9 °

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Cottons for Sewing. — These are of several kinds — the
white ball, distinguished by letters or numbers ; and balls
in every colour. Reel cotton is superior in make, and to free
it from the projecting fibres, it is passed rapidly through
the flames of coal gas. Darning cotton, used for repairing
stockings, is composed of two threads but little twisted,
and can be had in black, white, and colours. Embroidery
cotton, a loose soft make, which can be bought in skeins,
by the pound or gross ; the numbers run from 4 to 100. It
is used for decorating all kinds of white cotton or muslin,
wearing apparel, and for handkerchiefs. Trafalgar, or
Moravian cotton, is quite soft, and is employed for working
nets, muslins, and cambrics. Knitting cotton is twisted
less hard than sewing cotton, and is used for gloves,
mittens, &c. Bonnet cotton, a coarse thread, consisting of
eight or sixteen strands twisted together, employed for the
making of seaside, and countrywomen’s calico bonnets, and
also in upholstery. Crape cotton is unsized, of quite a
dull black, and only made in five numbers ; it is used for
sewing crape. Crochet cottons may be had in reels, skeins,
or balls, the numbers running from 8 to 50. Marking
cotton is dyed before being twisted, and is sold both in
balls and on reels. Lace thread is made expressly for re-
pairing lace or bobbinette. Gimp thread is soft in quality
and make, and is used for embroidery on muslin ; and
glazed cotton, otherwise called glace thread.

Cotton Sheetings. — The best make in cotton sheetings
varies from two yards upwards to three in width. There
are also intermediate widths, and prices vary accordingly.
They can be had twilled, double warped, and plain made.

Cotton Ticking. — This material is made in stripes of
white and blue, ingrain colours, both in twill and plain
made. It is employed both for bedding and other pur-
poses of upholstery, and also for embroidery. The price
varies, and the ticking measures from 30 to 36 inches.
See Belgian Ticking.

Cotton Velvet. — A material made in exact imitation of
silk velvet, both in plain colours, and printed in patterns.
It was employed for a dress material, but has been for
some years almost entirely superseded by a better de-
scription of fabric, composed of silk and cotton, called
Velveteen. Ribbon is also made of cotton velvet, an
article inferior in quality, being cut in strips from piece
velvets, and thus having raw edges. The fraying of the
edges is to some extent prevented by sizing. They may
be had in various colours, and in rather short lengths of
12 yards each. The numbers run from 1 to 40, and
the widths from 1 and 1$ to 10 inclusive, consecutively,
and every even number to 24, inclusive; then passing
over those intervening, to numbers 30 and 40. There are
also fancy velvet ribbons partially of plain silk, as well
as of velvet, produced in various colours and patterns,
and very commonly in plaid designs.

Cotton Wool. — The raw cotton, after having been
passed through the “ willow,” “ blowing,” and “ scutching ”
machines, is spread out into broad, soft, fleece-like wadding,
when it is wound on a roller. It is employed for lining
garments, quilts, &c., being placed between the material

and its lining, and then sewn and kept in position by dia-
gonal runnings at even distances, called “quilting.” We
obtain cotton wool from Cyprus.

Couching. — A term signifying the various ways, in
Church Embroidery, that materials too thick to pass
through the linen foundations as stitches are formed into
patterns. All ancieut Church needlework was profusely
decorated with Coucliings, which although of endless
variety of names and designs, are of two descriptions only,
the Flat and the Raised. They are formed with gold or
silver thread, passing, gold braid, pearl purl, tambour,
purse silk, three corded silk, Crochet twist, floss silk,
mitorse, and Berlin silk. Gold twist and gold thread are
costly, as is also passing (which is partly silk and partly
gold); therefore gold silk frequently takes their place when
expense is an object of consideration. The silk is also less
likely to suffer from damp and gas than the gold threads,
which are not now manufactured as pure as in the oldeu
times, and are therefore liable to many changes, some kinds
of silks acting deleteriously upon them, while the vapour
of incense and the touch of a warm hand affect them. Flat
Coucliings are formed of threads of silk or gold laid
smoothly down upon the linen foundation, and caught to
it with small stitches brought up from the back of the
work, and returned to it. Raised Coucliings are the same
threads laid upon the linen, but over whipcord that has
been previously arranged upon it in a set design, the laid
lines of thread being secured in the Raised in the same
manner as in Flat. The names given to Coucliings are
taken from the direction of these securing stitches ; they
are called Basket, Battlemented, Brick, Broad, Diagonal,
Diamond, Diaper, Plain, Shell, Spider, Vandyke, Wavy,
Wheel. The manner of working them all only differs in
the patterns formed by the securing threads, and the
direction of the whipcord in the raised designs.

To work the plain Flat Coucliings: Take threads of
floss, mitorse, or purse silk, and lay them smoothly down
from side to side in the space to be filled, either in hori-
zontal, diagonal, or perpendicular lines ; then thread an
embroidery needle with fine purse silk or sewings, and
catch the laid threads down; bring the needle up from
the back of frame, put the silk in it over two or more laid
lines, and the needle again through the foundation to the
back ; work over the laid lines until all are secured, and
form the stitches into a pattern by altering the distances
between them.

There are two ways to work more elaborate Flat
Coucliings. The first : Lay the floss silk down as before
mentioned, then lay over it, one at a time, lines of purse
silk or gold thread, and catch these down upon the floss
with a stitch brought from the back of the work, and
returned to it as before described. Each line of purse silk
must be laid with reference to the pattern that it is helping
to form over the floss foundation. The second manner
of arranging the stitches is as follows : Lay two or more
threads of floss or gold upon the foundation linen, and
at once secure them with a stitch. Bring this stitch
from the back of the work, and work it at equal distance
down the two laid threads ; then lay two more threads and
secure them in the same manner.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Work Raised Coucliings as follows : Sew securely down
to the linen foundation a number of strands of whipcord
as straight or waved lines, or form them into a set pattern ;
over these lay floss silk or gold thread, and secure this with
a stitch brought from the back and returned there as
already described. On each side of the raised pari formed
by the whipcord that is underneath the floss, work a con-
tinuous line of these securing stitches so as to distinctly
outline the whipcord ; in the intervals between these raised
parts work the securing stitches up and down as in Flat
Couchings, and make them into any pattern that may be
required without reference to the raised design. When
Couching in various devices, hold the laid threads in one
hand and regulate them with that or with the piercer,
and bring up the securing threads with the other, and
do not change the position of the hands until the work
is finished. Outline the Couching with a cord of silk or
gold, and sometimes with more than one, according to
the design. Use the Raised Couchings for backgrounds,
the Flat for the centres of the various devices used as
Powderings ( see Church Embroidery) and for the
centres of altar frontals and embroidered vestments.

Basket Stitch. — (Fig. 158). This is a Raised Couching.
To work : Lay down perpendicular lines of whipcord upon
the foundation, and Sew them firmly into position. Take
four threads of purse silk, gold thread, or floss silk, and
Stitch them down with purse silk of the same colour
brought through from the back of the material and

Fig. 158. Basket Raised Couching.

returned to it. Place these securing stitches between
every second strand of the cord. Form the next line with
fom* threads laid over the whipcord and stitched down ;
but, in order to prevent the lines of stitches all coming
directly beneath each other, the first line must secure the

Fig. 159. Basket Raised Couching.

floss silk over one cord only, the rest over two cords as
before. Repeat these two lines until the space is filled in.

Fig. 159, also of Basket Couching, is worked as
follows: The whipcord and the floss silk lay down as
before described, but over them lay short lines of fine
gold thread or purse silk. Bring these from the back by

9t

making a hole with the stiletto for them to pass through,
and return them in the same way.

Fig. 160 is a Flat Couching with securing threads,
arranged as Battlemented lines. Lay the floss silk in

Fio. 160. Church Embroidery— Battlemented Flat Couching.

diagonal lines across the foundation, and then work the
securing stitches to imitate the design.

Brick Stitch , illustrated in Figs. 161 and 162, is
worked in two ways. For the design shown in Fig. 161 :
Lay down lines of floss silk in a diagonal direction, and
secure them with stitches from the back, pass each stitch
over two lines of floss, and work it in at an even dis-
tance from the stitch preceding it to the end of the
pattern. Work the next line of securing stitches over

Fig. 161. Brick Flat Couching.

two laid lines of floss, not directly under the stitches in
the preceding row, but between them. It will be seen
on reference to the illustration that these securing
stitches are not taken over the whole of the foundation,
but are arranged to form Vandykes. Fig. 162 is Brick

Fig. 162. Brick Flat CoucniNo.

stitch differently worked : Lay down two threads of purse
silk, and catch these down with a stitch from the back
also of purse silk, and placed at regular distances along
the line ; work the second line as the first, but place the
fastening stitches in it between those of the previous row.
Broad Couching , Fig. 163 : Work like the Brick Couch-
ing last described, but with the securing stitches slightly

Fig. 163. Broad Flat Couching.

draw the foundation floss together where they stitch it
down.

92

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Diagonal Couching is a Flat Diagonal Couching.
Make with lines of securing stitches worked through the
material in a diagonal direction, or lay threads over the
floss silk in a slanting direction,

Diamond Coaching , — A Flat Couching (shewn in Fig.
104) worked as follows : Lay down lines of floss silk, and
above them lay lines of purse silk or gold thread singly,
but in a diagonal direction, and at equal distances apart.

Fig. lfli, Diamond Flat Core sung.

Secure each single line with a stitch brought from the
back. Lay all the lines in one direction first and secure
them, then lay the lines that cross them, and wherever the
two meet and form one of the points of a diamond, work
a pearl or a spangle in at the junction.

Diaper Couching is the same as Plain Couching, the
securing stitches in it being worked so as to form zigzag
lines, diamonds, and crosses.

Plain Flat Couching , — Lay down floss silk evenly
over the foundation, and secure it with stitches brought
from the hack. Take these over two threads of silk and
return to the back again. Arrange these securing stitches

Fra, 165, Plain Flat Concilia; a.

to form straight or curved hues or diamonds across the
space covered. The Couched lines (shown in Fig. 165) are

not placed close together, but allow the material upon
which they are laid to show between them when so
arranged ; the foundation must be of silk, not linen.
Fig, 166 is a variety of plain Couching. It is worked
thus : Lay down perpendicular lines of floss silk close
together, then horizontal and wide apart single lines of

purse silk or gold thread, and secure these at even dis-
tances by a stitch from the back; wherever the stitch
from the back is made, work in a spangle or a bead.

Shell Couching, — A Flat Couching, in wb ich tbe
securing stitches are arranged in half curves, and bear
some resemblance to the shape of a scallop shell.

Spider Couching , — A Raised Couching, Upon a linen
foundation fasten down short pieces of whipcord. Cut
these of equal length, and arrange them like the spokes of
a w T keel or the chief threads of a spider's web. Fill in the
whole of the foundation with threads so arranged, place
the wheels they make as near together as they can be.
Then lay lines of floss silk over the whipcord and secure
it by stitches from the back of the work. Work these
stitches in lines on each side of every raised cord, so that
the shape of each wheel or spider’s web is clearly indicated,

Vandylce Couching , — A Raised Couching. Form with
lines of whipcord laid on the linen foundation in the shape
of Vandykes; lay floss silk over them, and secure it, and
outline the whipcord with securing stitches from the hack.

Wavy Couching . — This is a Raised Couching, and is
illustrated in Fig, 167. To work i Arrange upon the linen
foundation curved lines of whipcord ; lay a medium sized
purse silk over them and the foundation, two strands at
a time, and secure the silk as In Broad Couching, omitting

Fig. 161 Wavy Raised Couching.

the stitches wherever the raised part formed by the cord
underneath is approached. When the Broad Couching
is finished, lay a thread of gold or silk cord on each
side of the waved line, and catch it down with securing
stitches from the back, or work the line on each side of
the raised part with a continuous line of stitches brought
from the back.

Wheel “Similar to Spider,

Cou&re. — The French term signifying to sew*

Coulant Nattee. — See Macrame Lace.

Coulisse. — (French.) A small slip-stitched pleating,
sewn upon a dress by means of slip stitches.

Coulisse.— A French term denoting the gathering, by
fine runnings and drawing, so as to pucker up any mate-
rial, and to form Irregular wrinkles, yet so as to pre-
serve a general uniformity of hollows and puffings. See
Shirked.

Counter-Hemming,— -To execute this description of
plain sewing, place two edges of material together, one
overlying the other, so as to form a flat joining. The
wrong side of one piece should overlap the right side of
the other to the depth of an ordinary seam. If the pieces
so united have selvedges, nothing should be turned in ;
hut if cither piece have a raw edge, it must be once folded.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

93

The flat seam should then be tacked down throughout its
entire length, and afterwards felled (or hemmed), and as
soon as one side has been finished, the second, or
“counter-hem,” is made in the same way. This is an
untidy method of working, inferior to the ordinary plan
of simply “ running and felling.”

Couronnes. — An ornament to the Cordonnet, used in
Needle Point laces, and identical with Crowns. To make :
Work tiny loops of thread along the outer edge of the
Cordonnet, and Button-hole these over with a close
line of buttonholes, and finish with small Bobs placed,
at equal distances along the outer edge of the loops.
The Couronnes are either worked as a decoration to the
Cordonnet that forms the edge of the lace, or round
any raised Cordonnets in the body of the pattern ; when
in the latter position they, with Spines and Thorns, are
known as Fleurs Volantes.

Coutille. — A French word to denote a description of
jean used for stays. It has a small kind of armure
pattern all over it, woven in the material, like a succession
of small chevrons or zigzags. It is of a lighter make
than English jean, is usually employed without a lining,
and measures 27 inches in width.

Coutrai Lace. — In Belgium, at a town of this name,
Valenciennes is made. It is known as Coutrai Lace, and
commands a ready sale in England, being worked in
wider widths than the Valenciennes produced in other
Belgian cities. See Valenciennes.

Cover Cloths. — All pillows used for the purpose of
laccmaking require three Cover Cloths. Make the
largest, known as the under cloth, the size of the pillow,
of washing silk or fine linen, and use to cover the pillow
entirely. Place it on the pillow before the Passe ment
pattern is adjusted, it cannot be removed until that is
detached ; but as the lace is worked upon it, it must be
taken off and washed whenever it looks at all soiled
The other cloths are detached from the pillow and
altered at will as to their positions. They are made of
silk or linen, in size 18 inches by 12 inches. Pin one
over the top of the pillow to protect the finished lace,
which is there rolled up out of the way, and pin the
other down over the lower part of the Passement and
under the bobbins, to prevent the lace threads becoming
entangled with the pricked holes in the design. When
the lace is not being made, throw this cloth over the
pillow to keep it clean.

Cradle, or Shuttle.— An appliance (otherwise called
an attachment) belonging to a Sewing Machine

(which see).

Crankey. — A bend or turn, significant of the descrip-
tion of ticking employed for beds, composed of linen
and cotton, the patterns on which are irregular or zigzag.
It measures 54 inches in width.

Crape. — A delicate transparent crimped gauze, made
of raw silk, sized with gum, twisted in the mill, and woven
without dressing. It may also be had both crisped and
smooth, with or without a twill, the former being of
double width, and generally ranging from 23 inches to 42
inches in width. White crape is manufactured for a dress
material, and for trimmings. The production of coloured

varieties originated at Bologna, thence introduced at
Lyons, where those of Areophane and Crepe Lisse are
largely made. Our own manufactures at Norwich and
Yarmouth are likewise of superior make. The best sorts
are entirely of silk, but a new kind, called Albert Crape,
is composed of silk and cotton, and another, called Victoria
Crape, is made of cotton only. There is an improved variety,
of recent manufacture, having a small indented pattern,
which resists the influence of rain and a damp atmosphere.
The dyeing and dressing of crape are performed after
it has been woven. See China Crape and Yokohama
Crape.

Crape Cloth. — A woollen material, woven in imitation
of crape, dyed black, and employed for mourning in the
place of real crape. It is made of double width, in dif-
ferent qualities, and varies in price accordingly. It bears
washing, and wears well, and is known in the various shops
by several different names.

Crape Cotton. — An unsized cotton of a dull black,
employed for sewing crape, and made only in five
numbers.

Crash. — Called also Russia Crash, and round towelling,
the width running from 16 to 22 inches. This material
was utilised in the early days of crewel work for embroi-
dery, on which account that species of work was called
Crash Work. In process of time various makes of un-
bleached linen, copied from ancient examples of crewel
work textiles, have been misnamed Crash. These are to be
had in various degrees of fineness, width, and make. See
Barnsley Linens. A description of linen misnamed
Crash is a closely woven cloth, even in grain, rather fine,
and unbleached, which is employed as canvas for the pur-
poses of embroidery. It is 37 inches in width. Another
description of Crash, also used in embroidery, is known as
Buckingham’s hand-made Crash, having a chessboard pat-
tern, and made after the style of Huckaback. It is of
double width. The real Crashes are only two in number,
Russian and Barnsley. Russia Crash, which is not used
for embroidery, is unbleached and unpressed, and varies
from 16 to 18 inches in width ; Barnsley Crash may be
had at 16, 18, 20, and 22 inches in width, and it is this
material that is employed for embroidery. It is beautifully
bleached and pressed.

Crazy Patchwork. — This method of forming Patch-
work is otherwise, and more correctly, called Applique
Patchwork. (See Patchwork.)

Cream-twilled Linen. — A description of linen cloth
employed for purposes of embroidery, of 2 yards in width.

Cr6nele. — (French). Battlemented, or cut in square
scallops, producing that effect, as a bordering of a dress.

Crepe. — The French for Crape (which see).

Crdpe. — A French term to signify crimped, after the
style of crape.

Cr6pe de Dante. — A combination of silk and wool,
and silk and Lisle thread and wool, woven together.

Cr6pe de Lahor. — A washing material designed for
women’s dresses, and made in various colours. Its width
is much narrower than that of Crepe Lisse, measuring only
26 inches.

Crdpeline.— Crepon, or Crape Cloth. A dress material,

94

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK \

having a silken surface, much resembling crape, but con-
siderably thicker. It is 24 inches in width \ and is to be
had in wool and in silk tmmixed with wool. Those of
mixed materials have the warp twisted much harder
than the weft* Crepon made at Naples is of silk only.
It is chiefly manufactured in black, but is also to be
bad in colours, Norwich is the chief seat of the manu-
facture in England, and Zurich and Naples abroad,

Cr&pe Lisse. — A thin description of crape, like gauze,
chiefly employed for making frills and ruffles. It may be
bad in white, cream, and other colours, and is 36 inches
in width.

Crepe Work. — This work consists of forming imitation
flowers or leaves of crepe, and either sewing them to the
silk or satin backgrounds, or making them up upon wire
foundations as detached sprays. When attached to "wire,
they are used for wreaths and dress or bonnet trimmings ;
when sewn to backgrounds, for ornamenting sachet cases
and necktie ends. They are formed for the last- mentioned
as follows: Select crepe of a colour matching the satin
background; cut out the size of the flower petal to be
made upon paper 1 , and cut to it a piece of doubled
crepe ; turn in the raw edges, and draw the crepe together
at one end to form the narrow part of the petal ; then sew
this end to the foundation, and allow the other to stand

Fra 103. Cutre Woke*

up. To form the flower, five petals are made as described,
and sewn down as a round, their raw edges being well
tacked down and concealed by Feench Knots made either
of gold and silver thread or floss silk. The shape of the
flowers made of crepe cannot be much varied ; their centres
may, however, be filled up with three or four small petals
made like the outside ones instead of French knots ; the
number of flowers will depend upon the space available.

Make the leaves of pieces of doubled crepe cut and notched
to the shape of leaves, Applique these to the backgrounds,
and surround them with wide apart Buttonhole
Stitches of filoselle that matches the crepe in colour.

The detached crepe flowers can be made of fine muslin in-
stead of crepe, and, this latter material being the stiffest,
they last in shape better when formed of it. Tire materials
required for them are muslin or crepe, green wire, beads
or spangles, and embroidery silk. Fig. 1(>8 is of this kind
of Crepe Work ■ the flowers in it are formed of gold coloured
muslin or crepe. To work : Cut the petals out to shape
upon a flat but doubled piece of cr&pe, and then Button-
hole them round with a line of wide apart stitches (this
may be done before cutting out). When all are shaped,
flew them round a gold coloured pad, which should be
wadded and attached to the top of a piece of wire ready
to receive them. Form the stamen lines of yellow* purse
silk, and lay them over the petals after the latter are
attached to the pad, and finish them with a bead. Make the
back of the flower neat by winding green purse silk round
the wire to conceal the ends of the crepe. Form the
leaves like the petals, with veins marked out in Satin
Stitch. When a large bunch of flowers is being formed,
and not a single spray, so much care need not be taken
over each individual part, the flower petals not requiring
Buttonholed edges, but being made of double cr&pe turned
in at the sides, and the leaves of a straight piece of
material, 2 inches wide, and a quarter of a yard long, with
edges cut to Vandykes. This piece of crepe is box pleated,
and doubled, so that both edges turn to the front, and is r
then sewn close to single flowers and in and about groups,
forming bouquets. These leaves should be dafker in tint
than the flowers, but of the same colour.

Crescents “These crescents are raised Cordonneta
that enclose the fiat stitches of needle point laces or join
the separate pieces of w T ork together. Their use adds
immensely to the effect of the lace, and gives it strength
and beauty at the same time. They are of various shapes,
lengths, and thickness, according to the pattern of the
lace, but are all worked alike.

To work : Prick the shape o£ the Crescent out upon a
leather foundation, being careful to prick two holes close
together, and to make the same number of holes on the

FIG. 103, CltSSCKN T— PfUCIIlS d .

inside as upon the outer edge (see Fig. 169). With a
needle threaded with No. 12 Mecklenburg thread, outline

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

9S

the crescent thus bring up the needle from the back
of the Leather through the first of the two holes close
together and put it back through the second, thus
making a short stitch upon the surface and a long
one underneath. Continue in this way all round the
crescent, then fasten off by tying the two ends of the
thread together at the back of the pattern. Fill the
needle with No. 7 Mecklenburg thread and commence to
work by making a foundation for the padding that raises
the Cordonnet. Bring the needle up from the back and
slip the thread under thf small stitch already made
between the two holes, then take the thread across the

Fig. 170. Crescent— Manner op Working.

crescent and slip it under the two holes opposite, and
continue to pass it backwards and forwards under the
holes opposite each other, never pulling the thread up
fully until it has been run through all the stitches. Upon
these crossed threads Darn in soft Moravian thread until
a handsome raised foundation is formed (see Fig. 170), the
centre of which is thicker and higher than the pine
shaped end. Now work an even close line of Button-
hole Stitches over the padding.

Fig, 171 is a piece of Spanish rose point that illustrates
tlie use of a raised crescent, The stitch in the centre
of the crescent is worked before the outline* and is a
close Buttonhole, with open spaces left systematically

Fig* 17L Crescent, with Fleurs Yolantes.
unworked to give the appearance of veins or tracery.
Make these open stitches by missing three Buttonholes
wherever they occur. The pieces of lace shaped like
wings work separately and tack on to the leather

foundation and the outer edge of the Crescent in such
a manner that they join together in the process of
Buttonholing the padding over. The trimming to the
outer edge of the Crescent work last ; make it of
Couronnes edged with Thorns or Spines, which, when
arranged round the edge of a Cordonnet, are called
Fleurs Yolantes, Unpick the work from the leather
foundation by cutting the outline thread that was tied
at the hack, and join the piece of lace on in its place
in the pattern#

Crete Lace. — An ancient pillow lace, of the Torchon
description, made in the island of Crete, The grounds
were either formed of coloured silks or flax, and the dis-
tinctive feature of the manufacture consisted in embroi-
dery being worked upon the lace after it was made. This
embroidery was executed with coloured filoselle in Chain
Stitch, which was made to outline the pattern, like Fil de
Trace. The designs of Crete laces were chiefly geometrical,
and the colours used in ornamenting them so varied and
bright as to give an Oriental appearance to the handiwork.

A modern imitation of the ancient Crete laces, with
their coloured silk embroideries, and made by working a
pattern in coloured filoselles and gold cord over thick
lace, la easily produced. It is a kind of embroidery that
most ladies find easy and effective, and is adapted for
furniture lace, if executed in coarse lace, and suitable for
chimney -board covers, and for small round tea tables.
For dress trimmings, the lace used is fine, and of a colour
to match the dress it is placed on. The lace used ia
either black or white Yak or Torchon machine lace, a
crochet imitation of these, or blonde or Breton lace. The
design selected is distinct and rather open, and, when
selecting, especial attention is given to the ground, as a
light open ground is more effective than a close, thick one.

To work : Commence by cutting a strip of coloured cloth
or serge to the exact width of the lace, and lay it under that
as a background. Tack the two together, and proceed to
work Embroidery Stitches on the lace, taking them
through the cloth background. Work these stitches in
two or more coloured filoselles, and make Satin, Feather,
or Chain Stitch, Work them upon the thick parts of
the lace, leaving the open parts bare, so that the coloured
cloth background is seen through. The following arrange-
ment of the stitches produces a good pattern : Make a
number of festoons, either of Feather or Satin Stitch,
along the whole length of the lace, commence a festoon
at the top of the lace, and carry it down to the edge, each
festoon taking up the width of 4 inches; then fill in the
spaces left by the curves with stars, rosettes, or rounds,
worked in variously coloured filoselles, and in Satin
Stitch. Any shades of colour are used in one pattern,
provided they are not violent contrasts; the ancient Crete
laces* of which this work is the imitation, being em-
broidered with many colours. The colour of the back-
ground cloth should be rich and dark, such as deep plum.
Indigo blue, sap green, or maroon; the filoselles amber,
sky blue, sea green, and crimson.

Cretonne .“A French name for a cotton fabric which
has latterly superseded, to a considerable extent, the use of
chintz for upholstery work. It is to be had in every colour.

g6

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

both of ground and floral design ; is twilled, but unglazed
(or calendered), and is made from 30 inches to a yard wide.
It is manufactured in England as well as in Fiance. The
original material, called Cretonne, or Cretonne chintz, was
originated by the Normans two centuries ago, and was made
at Lisieux, being woven with flax and hemp, and in dif-
ferent qualities, for the purpose of body linen.

Cretonne Appliqug. — See Applique, Broderie
Perse.

Creva Drawn Work.— This is a lace made in Brazil
by the negroes. It is a drawn lace, and evidently copied
from the Italian drawn work. Some of it was exhibited in
England at the late Exhibition.

Crewel. — In early times known as Caddis , Caddas , or
Crule . Derived from the Anglo-Saxon Cleow , afterwards
changed to Clew (a ball of thread), and subsequently called
Cruell, or Krewel , old German Kleuel. Worsted yam
loosely twisted, employed in the sixteenth century for
embroidery on linen textiles, curtains, and household fur-
niture, and also for decoiating the dresses of the lower
orders; but now extensively for embroidery. It is to be
had in every colour, and is made in three sizes, and
known as tapestry crewel, very soft and even, sold in
cuts of about Is. 4d. the oz., or by the hank ; medium crewel,
sold in upwards of 300 art shades ; and the fine crew r el,
by the cut, or the hank.

Crewel Stitch. — One of the old embroidery stitches,
and w r ell known in earlier times as Stem stitch; but since the
revival of Crewel work, of which it is the most important
stitch, its original name has become superseded by that of
the embroidery now associated with it.

To w T ork : Put the needle into the material in a slanting
direction, as shown in Fig. 172, and keep the crewel upon

Fio. 172. Crewel Stitch.

the right hand side of the needle. Work to the end of the
line, every stitch being made in the same manner ; then
turn the material and place a line of stitches close to the
one already made, keeping the wool always to the right of
the needle. If the crewel wool is allowed to slip to the left
of the needle the stitch is not properly made, although it
appears so to the inexperienced. When using this stitch,
except for stems and outlines, the regularity of each suc-
ceeding stitch is not kept so perfectly as shown in the illus- |

tration, but is more carelessly done, although the stitch is
not otherwise altered. This is particularly the case when
forming the edges of serrated leaves ; the irregular Crewel
Stitch will give them the notched appearance of the natural
leaf, while the regular one makes the edges straight and
formal. Leaves and dowel's of various kinds are worked
in Crewel Stitch with regard to their broad natural out-
lines. A small narrow leaf, such as that of a carnation or
jasmine, requires no veining, and is -worked up and down.
Put the needle in at the base <$f the leaf, take a line of
stitches up the right hand side to the point, then turn the
work, and take the same line down the left side (now the
right) to the base of the leaf. Then work the centre up
and fill in the two sides afterwards in the same manner,
turning the work at every line. To save this constant
turning of material, good workers put their needle back-
wards down the line, but this is not so easy for a beginner
to accomplish. With a large leaf, such as an orange, or a
smaller leaf with deeply indented veins, a different plan
is necessary. In such a case take the stitches, instead of
upwards and downwards, in a slanting direction down-
wards from the outside to the centre of the leaf, all the
stitches tending from both sides to the middle By this
means a deeper indented line is given to the centre vein ;
afterwards work up the centre as a finish, and work the
side veins over the other Crewel Stitches, but in a different
shade of colour, and in the direction the natural veins
would follow. A rose leaf requires another modification :
Work from side to centre like the last-named, but with a
long stitch and a short one alternately at the outside
edge, so that the deeply indented sides may be properly
rendered. Work rounded flower petals as shown in Fig.
173, the stitches following each other, but decreasing in

Fio. 173. Crewel Stitch— Petal.

length as they approach the end of the petal, while in pointed
petals, like the jasmine, simply take the stitch up and
down, or cross the whole length with a Satin Stitch.
Work in Satin stitch any flower petal that is small enough

Figs. 174 and 175. Crewel Stitches-Improperlt made stems.

to allow of a Satin stitch carried across it; large ones
require Crewel Stitch. Use French Knots or Bullion

1

CREWEL WORK.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK . '

97

Knots for the centre of flowers , as they add to their
beauty. When the centre of a flower is as large as that
seen in a sunflower, either work the whole with French
Knots, or lay down a piece of velvet of the right shade and
work sparingly over it French Knots or lines of Crewel
Stitch, A Marguerite daisy is sometimes so treated, hut
after that size French Knots alone are worked, and no
velvet foundation added.

Always work stems in Crewel Stitch and in upright
lines; Figs, 174, 175 illustrate two ways of making stems
that should he avoided, hat which are constantly seen in
badly worked embroidery. The rounded appearance given
to them by the direction of the stitches serves to raise
them from, their backgrounds, and gives, instead of the
decorative flat design that is desired, one in relief. Stems
should he simply worked up and down in Crewel Stitch in
the manner shown in Fig. 173-

Crewel Work, — This is work that claims to be raised
from the level of ordinary fancy to an art work. The
name is but a modern one for embroidery with worsteds or
u Iv row els ,J upon plain materials. Ancient Crewel Work
was Indifferently classed with embroideries of silk and gold
or work upon canvas, as “wrought needlework” in old
chronicles, therefore it is difficult to separate one particular
kind by hard and fast lines of demarcation from other
embroideries. The proper definition of Crewel Work is
embroidery upon linen, twilled cotton or stuffs, the founda-
tion material being in most cases left as an unworked back-
ground, or, when covered, only partially concealed with open
Diaper or Darned Fillings. The employment of crewels
in needlework was the first form of embroidery known, and
worsteds mingled with thin plates of gold, or the latter
pulled into fine wirj?, ornamented all the fine needlework of
the earlier times before silk was used. The art came from
the East, thence spread into Egypt, acquired there by the
Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, and taken by the latter
wherever they carried their conquests ; and though by their
time embroidery with silk had become prevalent and super-
seded the plainer worsteds, still working with crewels in
various forms never entirely died out until the present
century, when the introduction of the new Berlin wools, in
1835, with their softer texture and more varied dyes, sup-
planted it for a time ; but in 1875 it was reinstated by
artists who found it the best vehicle for the expression,
through embroidery, of design and colour. Amongst the
earliest examples of this needlework are the curtains of the
Tabernacle, the coloured sails of the Egyptian galleys, and
the embroidered robes of Aaron and his priests. These are
worked with gold and worsted, and though the stitch used
on them is believed to be Gross Stitch, yet from the
foundation material of fine linen, and the workmen
forming their own designs, they undoubtedly rank among
art as Crewel Work. In latter times the Baycux tapestry
and the productions of Amy Robsart and Mary Stuart are
witnesses to the industry of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, while most of the hand- made tapestry of that
time consisted simply of crewel stitches entirely covering
coarse linen backgrounds. In the eighteenth century large
quantities of Crewel Work were done, much of which is
still extant, and gives evidence of the individual energy

and taste of that period. The great merit of the work
and the reason of its revival lies in the capability it has of
expressing the thought of the worker, and its power of
breaking through the trammels of that mechanical copy-
ing and counting which lowers most embroidery to mere
fancy work. Lifted by this power into a higher grade,
it ranks with laces and ancient gold and silver embroi-
deries that arc in themselves works of art, and which
were done in times when the best part of a life was sj)ent
in the effort to give to the world one new type of beauty,
Crewel Work has also the inestimable advantage of being
adapted to homely decoration, the cheapness of its material,
the ease with which it is cleaned, and its strength to resist
rough usage, Justly making it the chosen vehicle in the de-
coration of all common home objects of beauty. Partaking,
as Crewel Work does, of the general nature of ancient em-
broideries, it will be sufficient under this heading to point
out its characteristics and manner of working. In it good
work is known by the design and colouring being treated
as a decorative, and not as a realistic, copy of nature. It
is well ascertained that the materials capable of producing
embroideries are not of a kind that can imitate nature in
her glories of form and colour, and that any copy will
he a failure ; therefore all work claiming to be good must
he conventionally treated, the design being represented flat
upon a flat background, and no attempt made, by means of
shadows and minute shadings, to raise and round it from its
surface as in painting, and in correct Crewel Work this rule
is followed. Many unthinking persons object to this, proud
of the idea of only copying from nature; but let the
effect be tried of flowers worked as they see them, and the
same treated dccoratively, and a short experience will soon
convince them that one group can he looked upon for ever
with rest and repose, while the other offends by the bad-
ness of its copy, and the harshness of its colouring.

Crewel Work is a difficult embroidery, because it de-
pends for its success not upon the exact putting in of
stitches, and their regularity, or upon the time and labour
bestowed upon reproducing a pattern, but upon the abso-
lute necessity there is for the mind of the worker being
more than a copying machine, possessing the power of
grasping and working out an idea of its own, and of
being able to distinguish between a good or bad design or
system of colouring. The technical difficulties of the
work are so few and so simple that when described they
seem to be trifles, for after the broad rules of what
to do and avoid are stated, a written instruction is of
little help, as it cannot give the subtleties of form and
colour upon which the work depends for its perfection,
nor can it convey to an inartistic mind the power of
light selection between conflicting colouring. What can
be learnt from instruction, is the manner of forming the
various stitches used in the work, while practice will give
a free use of the needle, and the power of setting the
stitches so that each is put in with regard to its place
in the whole design, and is neither worked too close
to its neighbour nor too far from it, but by its direc-
tion expresses the contour of a line or the form of a
leaf. Just as in painting no master can inspire his pupil
with his own gift of colouring unless the power of seeing

O

gS

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

and delineating is already possessed* and only requires to
be brought out and strengthened by instruction* so in
Crewel Work the learner must have an innate taste for
what is true in form and colour to profit hy the rules that
are exemplified in the best examples of needlework*

One of the great advantages of this work over other
descriptions of embroidery is its usefulness for everyday
needs, as, from the nature of its materials, it is adapted
to almost all kinds of household decoration, and is not
out of keeping with either homely or handsome fur-
niture, provided the stuffs it is worked upon are selected
with regard to the ornaments and purposes of the room*
The selection of such suitable materials must be particu-
larly borne in mind when the work is employed to decorate
such permanent articles as wall hangings, friezes, portieres,
and window curtains* In a handsomely furnished sitting
room for winter use, these should be either of plush,
Utrecht velvet, velveteen, waste silk, velvet cloth, diagonal
cloth, or serge, according to the richness or simplicity of
the accompanying furniture, and the ground colour in
all cases dark and rich, with the embroidery upon it In
lighter shades of the same, or in a light shade of a
colour that harmonises with the background. Plush is
the handsomest of all these materials, as it dyes in such
beautiful tones of colour; its disadvantages lie in its
expense, and that the pattern traced upon it is not perma-
nent, and, unless worked over, at once wears off ; it also
requires a lining, and is therefore more used to work upon
as a bordering to curtains of velvet cloth or diagonal cloth
than as whole curtains, but if the above defects are not
objected to, there is no doubt about the softness and
beauty of a portiere or chimney curtain worked in plush.
Utrecht velvet is harder to work through than plush, and
is more used for curtain dados than for a whole curtain
or curtain borders. Velveteen of the best quality works
well, but is more suitable for screens and chimney curtains
than large hangings ; it looks best when embroidered with
coarse filoselles, Velvet cloth is a soft, handsome material,
warm looking, and falling in easy folds ; it is a good tex-
ture to work upon, and takes the tracing lines perfectly*
Diagonal cloth, felt cloth, and serges are soft materials,
easy to work upon, and artistic in colouring, their only
defects being that they do not take the tracing lines well,
and require to be worked at once, or the pattern lines run
with fine white cotton as soon as marked out*

Summer curtains, &c., for sitting rooms, are either made
of waste silks, silk sheeting, China silk, Erriemeer Twill,
real Russian Crash, and the superior makes of Bolton
Sheeting. The cheap sheetings and crash are not recom-
mended for large surfaces of embroidery ; they are too
harsh in texture and too coarse altogether to he used
when so much time and labour is expended over their
decoration* Waste silks and China silks are either
worked with filoselles or crewels, but the crashes and
twills being washing materials, should only be worked
with crewels.

In such articles as chair tidies, bed valances, toilet covers,
aprons, &c., cleanliness has to be the first object, and for
these the washing materials known as Flax, Smock Linen,
Oatcake and Oatmeal Linens, Kirriemeer Twill, Crash, and

Bolton Sheetings are used, while the work upon them is
limited to one or two shades of colour*

The embroidery upon ail large objects is worked upon
the material, and not applied to it, it being always better,
in an art point of view, to distribute the work in such
cases over the whole surface than to confine it to certain
limited spaces, such as a line of bordering, or a strip
placed across the background. The material is cumber-
some to hold, but the heaviness is much mitigated when
curtains, &c., are made with dados of a different colour,
hut of the same material, the embroidery being done before
tbe two are sewn together. Embroidered hangings of any
kind are never made either long or full; and wall panels
and friezes are laid flat against the wall. Portieres and
curtains are allowed sufficient stuff in them to admit of a
little fulness when drawn across, and they should not do
more than just touch the floor to exclude draughts. All
large pieces of needlework require patterns that convey
the feeling of breadth without the work being too fine
to be appreciated upon such objects. The best designs for
these articles are rather large flowers in outline, with long
upright steins and leaves starting from the bottom of the
hanging, and branching stiffly over the surface of the
material, or decorative or geometrical designs, such as are
familiar in Italian wall paintings or outline figure subjects.
The colours chosen for the embroidery when upon dark
handsome backgrounds are lighter in shade than the back-
grounds, and of little variety; but when the embroidery
is upon light backgrounds, greater variety of tint and
contrasts of colour are allowable in the decoration.

The patterns known as Outlines will be found sufficient
for most decorative work, hut where the design is to he
filled in, select flowers that are large and bold in outline
and that are single, and discard small and double ones.
Employ but few shades of colour to work together, and
do not include more than two primary colours in one
piece, filling in the rest of the design with those that
harmonise with the primaries, and with half tints of the
two chief colours. Avoid those that contrast with each
other, and choose harmonies— it is one of the chief faults
of Berlin work that violent contrasts of bright primary
colours are introduced together — he careful that the same
fault does not creep into crewels. Avoid all aniline dyes,
firstly, because they never blend with other colours, and
always make the object they are attached to harsh and
garish, and, secondly, because they fade sooner than the
other hues, and, instead of fading with the quiet tones of
softer dyes, look utterly dead and worn out.

The question of the colour of backgrounds to work
upon is most important* Avoid pure white or black, as
both are crude; cream or lemon white are good, but
not blue white. Most colours will look w T ell upon
a cream background, but the brightest shade of any
colour is not worked upon white. Reds and crim-
sons of a yellow tinge harmonise together better
than blue shades of red; yellow and sage greens agree
with other colours better than vivid blue greens ; yellow
blues better than sky blues; citrons and lemon yellows
better than orange coloured yellows. In working upon
coloured backgrounds the same attention to harmonious

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

colouring must be exorcised* It will be generally correct
that the background colour is repeated for the work
if lighter and deeper tones of the colour are selected
for the chief parts of the needlework than for the back-
ground, with a few needlefuls of the exact tint of the
background used in the embroidery* Thus, upon a blue
green ground, work a pale pure blue shade of crewels ;
yellow green backgrounds allow of yellow crewels, and
brown, gold colours; while maroon backgrounds allow
of scarlet crewels, The great thing to remember is that
the eye to be pleased must be contented by harmonious
colouring ; therefore the tints selected, although they can
be bright, must never be vivid, and must assimilate with
their surroundings, and not oppose therm

The materials, as already said, upon which crewels are
worked, are plush, velvet, satin, silk cloth, serge, unbleached
linens, cheese cloths, crash, oatmeal cloths, and the
numerous varieties of these ; in fact, there is hardly any
limit to the stuffs that are capable of being so ornamented.
Upon the crewels used much of the durability of the work
depends* Those knowrn as “ Appleton’s/* and used at the
School of Art, are smooth and fine, without much twist,
and work in without roughness; they are dyed in fast
colours and of correct shades* Unfortunately these crewels
are not generally used, their place being taken by those
that are fluffy in texture, harsh to the feel, tightly twisted,
and dyed in brilliant aniline shades, and it is owing to the
use of these and printed designs that the Crewel Work
generally seen does not come up to the true standard of art
needlework, the patterns being defective in drawing and
the colouring too bright. There are three kinds of crewels
made— the coarse, used for large pieces of embroidery ; the
medium, the one generally required ; and the very fine,
used for the faces and hair of figures and for fine outlines
upon d’oylcys and oilier small work* This fine crewel is
giving place to undressed silks, but it is still used. Silk
embroidery in Crewel Stitch is so similar to other flat silk
embroideries that it is described under that heading.

None of the stitches used in Crewel Work are exclusively
crewel work stitches ; they are all used in embroidery or
church needlework* They comprise Crewel Stitch, which
is really Stem Stitch; Feather Stitch, the Opus Plxt-
marhim of the ancients; Satin or Long Stitch, Chain
Stitch, Bullion and French Knot, besides fancy
embroidery stitches used to ornament parts of tlie w r ork,
where the foundation is left exposed, and for borders,
which, being only accessories, are not counted as belonging
to Crewel Work proper* Stem Stitch is the chief crewel
stitch, although the others are all used, and Satin Stitch
employed when the design is executed with silks* The
manner of working these stitches is given under their own
headings. Crewel stitch is used for leaves and stems;
Feather and Satin mainly for the petals of flowers ; French
and Bullion knots for centres to flowers and to imitate
shrubs and trees in landscape designs. Flowers worked in
silk are done in Satin stiteli* Chain Stitch iu silk is used
equally with Satin stitch to fill in the faces, &c,, of figure
designs, while draperies are executed with crewels in Crewel
stitch* Faces are worked like those already described in
church embroideries, the lines of stitches being made to

follow the contour of the features, and an appearance of
shade thus imparted to a flat surface* Ancient Crewel
Work was either done in this manner, or in the style of the
celebrated Opus Anolicanunu Chain Stitch was more used
in outline embroideries in olden days than it is now, the
introduction of it into machine work having led to its
being discarded by hand workers. During the last century
nearly all Crewel Work was done upon light linen or cotton
surfaces, and was used for much larger kinds of ornament
than the shortness of time enables ladies of the present
day to accomplish. The hangings for four-post bedsteads,
with heavy curtains, valances, and other appendages, are
some of the most frequent specimens of old work met
with, also portieres, room hangings, and bed quilts* These
large embroideries are not spread over all the foundation
material, much being left plain; and their designs are
necessarily holder than arc those in use now. Yine trees
with large stems, with each leaf separately formed, birds,
animals, rocks, water, flowers, and fruit, are the finest
specimens. These large patterns arc worked in double or
coarse crcwols, watli ratlier long stitches, and the colours
used arc of little variety and of subdued tint* The main
parts are filled with close Crewel Stitch, but a great variety
of fancy stitches, such as Herringbone, Feather, and
Point Lance, are allowed in the minor details. Birds are
always worked in Feather Stitch, so arranged that a few
individual feathers are completely defined. Leaves have
one side in Crewel Stitch, the other filled with French
knots or wdth open fancy stitches. Bushes and other
groundwork are entirely of Bullion knots.

Crewel Work includes, besides working a filled- in
pattern upon an unomamented background, another
variety, which is filling in the background with a fancy
stitch, and only outlining the real design and its principal
parts. The effect of this depends upon the stitch which
fills in the ground being chosen so as to give an appear-
ance of relief to the outlined pattern.

The simplest background is the plain darned lines,
formed with silk or worsted, darned in and out as in
ordinary darning in perpendicular lines about the six-
teenth of an inch apart over the whole background,
missing, of course, any part of the design. Again, these
darned lines are taken diagonally or horizontally, or are
made so as to form diamonds.

Another background stitch is given in Fig* 176, and

Ll

h

“?l

f

F

_aJ

L

F

F

Fig. 17S. Crewel Wouk— B iCEGROtOfu.

is worked thus: Fig, 176 — Trace the background design

0 2

' 'too

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

e r. C f i ij i • : . * t

upon the material, bein g careful not to mark it out upon
any part of the pattern ; take fine crewels or raw silk of one
colour and darn the long lines of the crosses, bub work the

*

*

Fro* 177* CREWEL WORK— BACKGROUND*

small lines in Satin Stitch* In Fig, 177, darn the long
lines forming the broad arrow part of design, and work
the short lines in Satin Stitch* In Fig* 178— Trace the

Fig. 178* Crewel Woke— Background*

long diagonal lines that form diamonds where they inter -
sect, and darn them down with three rows of fine crewels
or raw silk* Then cross the lines where they meet with
a Gross Stitch worked in a different coloured crewel or
silk to that used in the darned lines, and work a Bullion
or French Knot in the centre of the diamond*
Background stitches are numerous, those used iu
Darned Embroidery all being available, the most
effective are those containing continuous lines, such as
the following s A straight darned line, followed by
a laid line caught down with a fastening thread con-
cealed with a French Knot; Tandy ke lines laid and
fastened with knots; two perpendicular straight lines
caught across at intervals with three short horizontal

Fig* 170* Crewel Wore— Curtain Border.

ones; lines intersecting each other and forming stars;
lines like waves and Basket Couchin^s, &c. Filled-in
backgrounds with outlined designs all require founda-
tions of coarse linen, silk, or cloth, the coarse linen being
the most used, as the threads in that assist in forming
the d aimed lines at right distances from each other. An
ornamental border should finish these various stitches*

The example shown in Fig, 179 is worked as follows :
Draw threads out of the material as a guide for the two
horizontal lines, and work one line over with three rows
of Crewel Stitch and the other with one row; then
make half circles at equal distances apart with lines of
Satin Stitch arranged to form that device, and fill
in the spaces between them by lines of Satin Stitch
arranged like the mark known as the broad arrow*

Fig. 180 is a finished style of Crewel Work. It is
intended for a curtain border, and is a design of lilies
and their buds worked upon claret coloured plush. Work
the lilies in cream white silk, shading to grey and yellow,
with stamens and pistils of deep orange, buds with grey
and white crewels, leaves and stems with olive green
crewels of four shades*

The illustration (Fig* 181) of sweet peas is Intended as
a working design in Crewel Stitch for a beginner, and is
therefore given the right size* To work ; Trace the outline
upon fine linen or oatmeal cloth with tracing cloth and
carbonised paper, and commence by working all the
stems of the design* The colours used for the flowers are
either a yellow pink and cream white or shades of red

Fig. ISO. Crewel Work— Curtain Border*

J • r“- : ' !,j- v

purple and soft blue; for the leaves and stems, three
shades of yellow green; for the seed pods, one of the
greens and a russet yellow* Work in Crewel Stitch in
the directions depicted in the illustration, and be caref ul
to follow the lines indicated, as much of the effect of the
pattern depends upon so doing. For one blossom and the
buds, use the pink and white crewels, the upright petals
are pink, the drooping w T kite ; work the other flowers red
purple for upright petals, soft blue for the drooping.
Make the stems in the darkest green, the leaves in the two

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

IOI

other shades, and mix green with the russet yellow of the
seed pod. Work loosely, and do not draw up the material
more than can be helped ; a little does not matter, as it will
come straight when the work is damped and ironed. Make
each stitch with regard to its proper place in the formation
of the design, and hold the work over the fingers rather
tightly, so that the stitches are looser than the ground.
Work with a needle with a large eye, and use short pieces

any parts drawn up by the stitches. Crewel Work upon
satin, silk, velvet, or plush is smoothed out as follows:
Make ready a basin of cold clean water, a soft linen rag,
and a hot iron. Have the iron firmly held by a second
person, its flat part uppermost, then take the linen rag, dip
it in the water, and lay it smoothly over the flat surface of
the iron. While the steam is rising, quickly draw the
embroidery, right side uppermost, over the iron, and, as

of crewel, as the wool becomes thin if frayed by the eye of
the needle, or pulled frequently through the material.

When a crewel work pattern is finished, slightly damp
it at the back, and pin it, fully stretched out, upon a flat
board, or iron it on the wrong side with a warm, but not
hot, iron. All Crewel Work upon w-ashing materials
that is not worked in a frame requires this damping and
straightening to restore the fresh look to the material lost
in the process of embroidery, and also for flattening out

soon as the steam ceases, take the work away, wet the rag
again, and draw the work again over the iron; use both
hands to hold the work, and be careful that no lines or
wrinkles are made.

Crewels upon satin or silk backgrounds are finished with
a wide hem of the material, or w’ith a ball fringe made
of the same colours that are used in the embroidery;
crewels worked upon linen textures have the threads,
one way of the material, drawn out to a depth of from

ro2

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

two to three inches, and where the drawn threads finish
a line, wide apart, of Buttonhole stitch e3 made with
crewels. The threads are also drawn out above this line,
to form open squares and other fancy patterns. These are
described in Drawn Work.

Washing Crewel Work . — Crewel work done upon
cotton and linen materials, and in constant use, requires
to be occasionally washed or sent to a cleaner's. The
process is one that requires care, as if the work is sent
in the ordinary way to the laundress, or washed hastily
at home, the colours will run and the work be spoilt;
while if extra care is given, the embroidery can be
washed over and over again without losing its colour.
The great matters to avoid are hard boiling water, rub-
bing with soap, exposure to the sun while wet, and a
hot iron. To wash: Buy a pennyworth of bran, sew it
up in a muslin bag, and put it into a saucepan with a
gallon of soft rain water; boil, and pour out into an
earthenware pan; take the bran out, and leave until the
water is tepid. Put the material in and rub with
the hands, using as little friction as is consistent with
cleaning the background, and rubbing the Crewel Work
itself very little. Rinse out twice in clean cold rain
water, and expel the water, not with hard wringing and
twisting, but by passing the hands down the material;
then roll the work up in a towel so that it does not
touch itself, and leave in a warm room until nearly
dry. When ready, pin it out upon a board until it is
dry, or iron it on the wrong side with a warm (not hot)
iron. The pinning out is the safest plan, as the heat of
the iron will sometimes cause the colours to run. Should
they do so, rinse out again in clean rain water several
times. The bran is only required at the first washing
to set the colours of the crewels; warm rain water is
sufficient afterwards. If the article is very dirty, a little
hard white toilet soap is required.

Cricketings. — A superior quality of flannel, twilled,
and resembling cloth. It is of the same colour as the
Yorkshire flannels, and is employed for cricketing and
boating costumes. The widths run from 32 to 36 inches.
See Flannel.

Crimp. — To make very fine plaitings with a knife, or
machine designed for the purpose, called a crimping
machine, in the borders of a cap, or frill, or in ruffles.
The machine for that purpose consists of two fluted rollers.

Crimped Plaitings.— See Plaitings.

Crinoline. — A plainly woven textile, composed of hair-
cloth, and employed for expanding certain portions of
women’s dress, as well as for other purposes. It is made
in two widths, one of 18 inches, and the other of 22.

Crinoline Steels. — Flat narrow bands of steel covered
with a web woven upon them. They are manufactured
in widths ranging between Nos. 1 and 16, and are made
up in lengths of 36 yards, and sold by the gross.

Crochet. — The word crochet is derived from the French
croches, or croc, and old Danish krooke, a hook. This art
was known upon the Continent in the sixteenth century,
but was then chiefly practised in nunneries, and was in-

differently classed *as Nuns’ work with lace and embroidery.
It was brought into Ireland at an early date, and there,
under the name of Irish Point, attained to great perfec-
tion, the patterns from which it was worked being evidently
taken from those of needle lace. It was known in England
and Scotland, but never attracted much attention until
about 1838, when it became fashionable, and numerous
patterns were printed and cottons manufactured. Since
that date it has taken a prominent position among fancy
works, which it is likely to sustain. Simple crochet is well
adapted to the wants of everyday life, as it requires little
skill in execution, will resist wear and tear, and costs a
comparative trifle for materials. The finer kinds, known
as Irish Point, Raised Rose crochet, and Honiton crochet,
though costing little for material, require greater skill and
patience, and are chiefly made for trade purposes by the
peasantry of England and Ireland.

Crochet is done with almost any thread materials.
Thus, all kinds of fleecy and Berlin wrnol, worsteds, netting
silks, and cottons are used; also gold and silver cords,
chenilles, and ornamental fine braids. According to the
requirements of the article so is the material selected.
Warm heavy couvrepieds require double Berlin wool or
thick worsted ; light shawls, Shetland and Pyrenean wool ;
comforters, &c., fleecy or single Berlin; antimacassars,
purses, &c., and other fine w’ork, netting silks; washing
trimmings, &c., Arden’s crochet cotton or Faudall and
Phillips’, or Brooks’ Goat’s head.

The chief stitches in crochet arc Chain, Slip, Single,
Double, Treble, Cross Treble, Hollow and Open
Spots, and Picot, with fancy stitches founded upon these
plain ones, and made by passing the thread round the
hook several times, crossing it, and manipulating it in
various ways. The method of working these various
stitches will be found under their respective names.

The foundation of all crochet work is the Chain, or
Tambour stitch, and the various combinations that
form crochet are simply caused by either taking cotton
over the hook before making the loop of the Chain
stitch, or inserting the hook into the foundation by draw-
ing the made loop of the Chain stitch through tw T o or
more chains, or leaving it on the hook unworked, or by
missing a certain number of chains; therefore, there is
nothing in the work that cannot easily be understood from
written instructions.

The work, being a series of small stitches worked over
and over again, requires the names of the stitches to be
abbreviated, and certain marks made to show where the
lines and stitches can be repeated, or the explanations
of the patterns would be both long and tedious. The
principal mark used in crochet is the asterisk (*), two of
which are placed in the explanation of the pattern at par-
ticular parts ; this means that the stitches placed between
the two are to be repeated from where they end at the
second asterisk, by commencing them again from the first
asterisk and working them to the second as many times as
are directed. The following is an example — work 5 treble,
3 chain, * miss 3 on foundation, work 3 double, and repeat
# three times, would, if not abbreviated, be written thus :
work 5 treble, 3 chain, miss 3 on foundation, work 3 double

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

103

miss 3 on foundation, work 3 double, miss 3 on foun-
dation, work 3 double, miss 3 on foundation, work 3
double. Occasionally letters are used, as, for instance,
when a row is worked to a certain stitch and is then
repeated backwards. The letter B is then put at the
commencement of the row, and A where the stitches are
to commence being worked backwards. Repetitions will
sometimes occur within each other, and when this is so,
the piece of work to be repeated within the other part
is marked off between two asterisks, and the second repe-
tition placed within plain crosses.

Before commencing, be careful to select a hook suitable
in size to the cotton or wool, and one that is firmly
made and smooth. Hooks that have been used are much
preferable to new ones, and only those fitted to their
handles should be employed. Wool crochet is done with
bone hooks, and cotton and silk crochet with steel hooks.
Make a certain number of Chain stitches for the founda-
tion, holding the work in the left hand between finger
and thumb, with the thread over the first and second
fingers of that hand. Take the hook up between thumb
and first finger of the right hand, throw the thread round
it with a jerk of the wrist of the left hand, and commence
to make the stitch required. Good crochet is known by
the work being loose, even, and firm, while every stitch cor-
responds in size, and takes its proper space in the pattern.
From one end of the foundation chain to another is called
a row , and the work is done backwards and forwards, so
as to form no right side, unless it is especially intimated
that the crochet must all commence from one end. For
shawls and other large pieces of square work, commence in
the centre, work all round, and increase at the corners ;
this is done in order that they should have a right and a
wrong side; but work ordinary crochet in lines backwards
and forwards.

To add fresh cotton during the progress of the work, make
a Reef Knot, and work into the crochet one end of the two
on one side of the knot, and the other on the other, so
that there is no thick part in one place. When different
colours are used on the same line of crochet, work in the
threads not in use along the line, as in joining cottons, the
old colour commencing a stitch, and the new finishing it.

Leaves, stars, and points are often required to be joined
to the main work in Honiton and other fancy crochet
patterns. They are managed thus : Slip the hook with the
loop last made on it through the extreme point of the
piece of work to be joined to the one in progress, and
make the next stitch without considering this extra loop.
Passing from one point to another in Rose and Honiton
crochet is often advisable, without breaking the thread or
leaving off the work ; therefore, when one part of the pat-
tern is complete, make a Chain corresponding to the stitch
that commences the next point, draw this up by putting
the needle into the first chain, and it will form the first
stitch of the new pattern. Make a chain at the back of
the work with Slip Stitch to where the second point com-
mences, should it not be opposite the point of the finished
piece.

Contract edges in crochet work by working two stitches
as one, thus : Put the cotton round the hook, insert it into

the foundation work, and draw it through one loop;
put the cotton round again and the hook through tho
next foundation stitch, draw through, and work up all
the loops on the hook; continue imtil the part is suf-
ficiently contracted.

Increase crochet by working two stitches into one hole,
or by workiug two or four stitches on the regular founda-
tion line, with Chain stitches between them.

When working from the centre of a piece of crochet and
forming a number of close rounds, it is often difficult
to trace where the last round ends and the next begins,
and the errors caused by this uncertainty will throw the
work out. To prevent this, tie a needleful of a bright
and different coloured thread in the last stitch of the
second row made, and draw it through every row into the
stitch above it while working, until it arrives as a perfect
line at the end of the work.

When using beads in crochet work thread them before
the work is commenced and run them singly down at each
stitch. The bead will fall on the reverse side of the work,
so that when crochet with beads is being done, take the
reverse side as the right side.

As examples of crochet work we give details of a few
good patterns

Baby's Boot . — Worked in single Berlin wool of two
shades, either blue and white or pink and white. Make
Foundation Chain of coloured wool of 36 stitches, and
work backwards and forwards in Ribbed Stitch for ten
rows, increasing a stitch every row at one end, and
keeping the other edge straight. Cast off 20 stitches,
commencing from the straight end, and work backwards
and forwards with the 16 stitches left for seven rows;
at the end of the last row make a chain of 20 stitches, and
work all stitches for ten rows, decreasing at the same end
that was increased before, and keeping the other straight,
and cast off. This forms the foot of the boot. Take white
wool and tie it in the centre where the rows are short,
and pick up nine stitches which rib backwards and
forwards, increasing once on each side ; then carry
the white wool along the coloured to the back and
round again, and rib backwards and forwards until a
sufficient length is made to form the leg of the boot,
decreasing twice on each side for the instep. Make a
heading of an Open Chain, 1 Single and 3 Chain into
every other stitch, fasten off, and sew up the coloured
or foot part of the boot.

Ball Pattern . — Work with double Berlin wool and a
good sized bone crochet hook. Make a Chain the length
required, wool over the hook, and insert the hook in the
fifth Chain from the hook, draw the wool through and
raise a loop, wool over the hook, and raise another loop in
the same stitch, wool over the hook and raise another loop,
wool over the hook and draw it through all the loops which
thus form a kind of ball, as shown in the illustration,
Fig. 182, in which the hook is about to be drawn through
the loops, then draw the wool through the two stitches on
the hook ; * 1 Chain, w T ool over the hook, miss one Chain,
and raise another ball in the next stitch. Repeat from *
to the end of the row; fasten off at the end. Second
row — beginning again at the right hand side, wool over

To4

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

the kook, and raise a ball as described above under the
Chain at the commencement of the preceding row, 1
Chain, then a ball into the space formed by the 1 Chain
of last row. Continue working in the same way all along,
to keep the work straight. This row will end with 1
Treble after the Chain stitch, the Treble to be worked
oyer the ball of last row, fasten off. Third row — com-
mence with a Single Crochet over the ball at the
beginning of the last row, then 4 Chain, and make a ball

Fig, 182, C no CH ET — B all Pattern.

under the first space in the preceding i*ow, * 1 Chain,
1 ball in the next space, repeat from *. Repeat the second
and third rows alternately, taking care to keep the same
number of balls in every row,

Rordm \ — Useful for trimming shawls and hoods, and
looks well when worked in wool if formed with two shades
of one colour. First row— make a foundation Chain the
length required for trimming, and on that work one long

Fig. 183, Crochet Louder.

Treble Crochet and one Chain into every alternate stitch.
Second row— take up the second colour and work 1 long
Treble and 1 Chain into every Chain of preceding row,
five of these rows make the width of the border, three of
one shade and two of the other. To form the ornamental

edging, hold the work side uppermost (see Fig, 183), join
the wool into first loop, make a Chain, and work a long
Treble into same place, * 6 Chain, 1 long Treble, put into
the first Chain of the 6 and worked np to where 2 loops
are left on the hook, then put the hook into the same
space, and work another long Treble with all the stitches
on the liook worked into it (see Fig, 183), Put the hook
into the next space, repeat from # to end of border ; work
the other side the same.

Cable Pattern . — To be worked in double Berlin wool
in stripes of constrasting colours, four shades of each.
Commence with the darkest wool with 16 Chain, in
which work 15 Double Crochet, Fasten off at the
end of this, at every row, beginning again at the right
hand side. Second row — Double Crochet, Third row —
3 Double Crochet, * wool over the hook and Insert the
hook In the fourth Double Crochet of the first row,
bringing it out in the next stitch (the fifth stitch of the
first row), draw the wool through very loosely, wool over
the hook, and raise another loop in the same place, wool
over the hook again and raise another loop, draw through
all the loops together, then through the two stitches that
are on the hook, miss 1 Double Crochet of last row, and
work 3 Double Crochet in the three next consecutive

stitches. Repeat from *. Fourth row — Double Crochet
with the next lightest shade of wool. Fifth row — 3 Double
Crochet, # wool over the hook and insert the hook under
the bunch of raised loops that were formed in the third
row, raise 3 loops in the same manner as there directed,
miss 1 Double Crochet of last row, and work 3 Double
Crochet in the three next consecutive stitches : repeat
from *. Sixth row — Double Crochet with the next
lightest shade of wool. Seventh row — the same as the
fifth row. Eighth row— Double Crochet with the lightest
shade of wool. Ninth row — 3 Double Crochet wool over

the hook and insert the hook under the hunch of raised
loops that were formed in the seventh row, raise 3 loops
and draw through all the loops together, wool over the
hook, raise another bunch of 3 loops in the same place,
draw the wool through them, and then through the 3

stitches that are on the hook, miss 1 Double Crochet of
last row* and work 3 Double Crochet In the three next con*-
secutive stitches ; repeat from Tenth row— with the
same shade of wool, 3 Double Crochet # wool over the
hook, and insert the hook so as to take up the first bunch
of loops formed in the last row, and also the thread of
wool that lies across between the two bunches, raise 3 loops
and draw through all the loops together, wool over the
hook and insert the hook under the second bunch of loops
formed in the last row, raise 3 loops here, and draw the
wool through all the loops together, and then draw
through the 3 stitches that are on the needle, miss 1
Double Crochet of last row, and work 3 Double Crochet
in the three next consecutive stitches; repeat from *.
Eleventh row — plain Double Crochet, the same shade as the
sixth row. Twelfth row — the same as the fifth row, only
inserting the hook under the double bunch of the cable.
Thirteenth row — plain Double Crochet with the next
darkest shade of wool. Fourteenth row T — the same as
the fifth row* Fifteenth row — plain Double Crochet with

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

105

the darkest shade of wool. Sixteenth row — the same
as the fourteenth row. Seventeenth row — the same as
the fifteenth row. Repeat from the third row for the
length required.

Couvrepied (1). — This design, which is worked in
Tricot Ecossais and in Tricot, the centre strip in Tricot,
and the sides in Ecossais, is shown in Fig. 184. Wool
required, 8 ply Berlin, with No. 7 Tricot hook. Colours
according to taste. Work the centre of the strip in
the lightest colour, the Vandykes next to it in a middle
shade, the outside in the darkest, and the little crosses and
stars in filoselle after the Crochet is finished. The Couvre-
pied looks well made in three shades of crimson wool with
yellow-green filoselle for the crosses and stars. To work :

same way for four rows. Work the green filoselle in
Cross Stitch over the junction of the colours, and
form the stars with 8 Chain Stitches for each loop,
catch them together in the centre with a wool needle,
and also at each of the eight points. The outside strips
are in Tricot Ecossais, and require a foundation of 11
stitches. The centre and outside strips are joined to-
gether with rows of Slip Crochet; five rows on each side
are worked up the selvedges, in alternate rows of black
and sea green wool.

Couvrepied (2). — The Couvrepied shown in Fig. 185 is
worked in wide and narrow strips of Cross Tricot, and
consists of eight broad and nine narrow strips, which
are joined by being crocheted together with Slip Stitch,

Fig. 184. CROCHET COUVREPIED.

Make a Foundation Chain of 22 stitches with medium
shade. First row — miss the first stitch and work 7
stitches in Tricot, then tie the lightest shade on, and leave
the medium shade at the back of the work, and raise 8
stitches, put on another ball of medium wool, leave the
lightest at the back, and work the remaining stitches.
Work back with the medium shade of wool first through
the first stitch, and then through 10 loops, which will
leave 2 loops of its colour un worked; take up the light
colour, pass it through them and through 1G loops, then
drop it, pick up the medium colour that was left at the
back at the commencement, and finish with it. Work the
whole strip in this style, the only alteration being in
making a Vandyke with the light wool by increasing it a
stitch at a time for five rows, and decreasing it in the

the outer corresponding stitches in each strip being thus
drawn together. The wool used is of three shades^
crimson, green, and grey, and is either Berlin Tricot or
4 thread fleecy ; hook No. 13. For the broad stripes make
a Chain of 12 stitches in grey wool, and work a row of
common Tricot and a row of Cross Tricot (see Fig. 185).
Third row — work with the crimson wool in Cross Tricot
reverse the cross stitches by working and crossing the
loops that are separated, and not those close together. In
this row pass over the first perpendicular stitch, or the
crosses will not fall right. Fourth row as second, continue
working second and third row to the end of eight rows,
counting from the commencement of the crimson; then
work two rows in grey wool, eight in green, two in grey,
and return to the eight crimson rows, and so on until the

io6

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

pattern and strip is complete. Always finish with the two
grey lines, and be careful to keep twelve stitches on the
hook, and neither to increase nor decrease in working. The
narrow strips are in grey wool : Make a chain of 4 stitches

Fio. 185. CROCHET PATTERN FOR COUVREPIED.

the 2 outside being left unworkcd at commencement of
rows; in this strip there will be only one Cross Tricot,
which always cross in the way shown in the illustration.

A knotted fringe of the three colours completes the
Couvrepied.

Darning . — An imitation of Netting and Darning.
The designs used are those printed for Cross Stitch
Berlin work, or for plain square Crochet. The foun-
dation is of square Crochet formed with 2 Chain and a
Double. Work the double of the second row over the
double of the first row, and so on throughout the work.
The edge is formed thus : First row — work 6 Chain, and
loop into the middle stitch of the outer line or every
second line on foundation. Second row — Work 8 Slip
Stitches over the 6 Chains of the last row. Third row —
work 8 Chain and a Double into the middle of the loops
of the last row. Fourth row — 2 Double, 8 Treble, 2
Double, into every 8 Chain of the last row. When the
foundation and edging are complete, form the pattern on
the work by darning soft knitting cotton in and out the
squares to make a design. Fig. 186 illustrates Crochet
Darning when used as a furniture lace.

Edging. (1). — This pattern is useful for trimmings to
pinafores and underlinen. Work with a fine hook and
Evans’s Crochet cotton No. 30. Commence with a 7 Chain,
work 1 Treble into 4 Chain from the hook, 5 Chain and loop
into the last stitch on the Foundation Row, turn the work,

2 Chain, 3 Treble, and 5 Double into the 5 Chain of the last
row, 3 Chain and loop into the last stitch of the last row*,

turn the work, 1 Treble into the last stitch, 3 Chain looped
into the last Double on preceding row, 5 Chain looped into
the Treble of the preceding row next the Doubles, turn
work, 2 Chain, 3 Treble, and 5 Double into the 5 Chain
loop, 3 Chain and loop into last stitch of pre-
ceding row. Repeat from * until the edging is
complete as to length, then turn the plain side
uppermost, and work 1 Treble and 1 Chain into
every other side stitch of the edging, so as to
create a straight foundation. Fig. 187 illus-
trates the edging when finished, and will assist
workers in following the instructions.

Edging. (2). — A useful pattern for trim-
mings. The work is commenced from the centre,
the Foundation Chain forming the waved line.
To work: Make a Foundation Chain a third
longer than the required length. First row —
miss first Chain, and work 18 Double Crochet
along chain, then make 5 Chain, and, turning this
back to the light, join it with a Single to the
eleventh stitch of the 18 Double Crochet on this
chain, work 4 Single Crochet, repeat the 18
Double Crochet to the end and fasten off.
Second row — commence at the fourth stitch of
the Double Crochet on last row, work 2 Double *,
then 3 Chain and 1 treble in the centre of the
4 Single of last row — 2 Chain and 1 Treble in
the same stitch as last Treble, 3 Chain and 2
Single in the centre of the 10 Double Crochet
of last row, repeat from * to the end. Third
row — *, work 5 Double Crochet into 5 consecu-
tive stitches of last row, make 3 Chain, and form a
Picot or loop upon the fifth Double Crochet, and repeat
from * to end of row. Fourth row — *, work 5 Chain,
looping the fifth into the third to form a Picot, and then

Fig. 186. Crochet Darning.

3 Chain, miss 5 stitches of last row, counting the one with
the loop upon it as the centre stitch, and fasten the Chain
to work with a Single, and repeat from # . To form the
edge : First row — turn the work so as to Crochet on the

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Foundation Chain made at the beginning of the pattern,
and commence at the first of the 9 stitches, which form a
half circle, and on it work 1 Chain and 1 Treble alternately

Fig. 187. Crochet Edging.

9 times, then 1 Chain, and missing 9 stitches between the
half circles, repeat the Chain and Treble stitches. Second
row — commence on the third Treble stitch of the last row%
* make 5 Chain and loop back to third to form a Picot,
then 2 Chain, then miss 1 Chain on the foundation row, and
work 1 Treble on the next Treble stitch of last row, repeat
from * until 5 Treble stitches are made; then miss between

Fig. 188. Crochet Edging.

the scallops and work 1 Treole on the third Treble of next
scallop ; repeat until the edging is completed. The effect
of this edging is shown in Fig. 188.

Fringe. — Work a
Chain the length re-
quired, take up the first
stitch, * draw the cotton
through to double the
distance the width the
fringe is to be, keep the
cotton on the hook, and
twist the cotton round
(see Fig. 189) ; when
twisted give a turn up-
wards in the middle of
its length, take up the
stitch on the hook again,
and work a Double Crochet, working in the end of the cot-
ton on the hook; repeat from # to end of Foundation Chain.

Hairpin Crochet . — So called as the work is made
between the prongs of an ordinary large hairpin, though
bone imitations of the same are used. The crochet can be
done with fine black purse silk, coloured silk, and Arden’s
crochet cotton No. 26. When worked with silks it makes
pretty mats, gimp headings, and lacey looking trimmings;
when worked with white crochet cotton, capital washing
edgings, as it is strong. To commence : Hold the hairpin
in the left hand, the round part upwards, twist the cotton
round the left prong, pass it over the right prong to the
back of the hair pin, and lay it over the left forefinger.
Take up a crochet hook and draw this back thread to the
front under the first crossed one, and make a Chain by
taking up fresh cotton and pulling it through. Take the
hook out and turn the hairpin ; * the cotton will now be

loy

in front ; put it over the right hand pin to the back, hook
into loop, and make a Chain by drawing the cotton through,
then put the hook through the twist on the left hand
prong, and make a Chain having two stitches on the

hook, make a stitch drawing
cotton through these two
loops, so that only one loop
is left. Take out the hook,
turn the work, and repeat
from # . When the hairpin is
filled with work slip it off;
to steady the prong ends put
them through some of the
last loops, and continue to
work as before (see Fig. 190).

Work that is well done has
all the large open loops at
the sides of a uniform length.
The example shown is an
edging. To form rosettes
fasten off after sixteen or
eighteen loops on each side
are made, tying one side of
them together to form a
centre, and when several are
thus prepared make a crochet
Foundation with two rows of
Double Square Crochet, and
catch four or six of the loops
in each rosette to it. When
the first set of rosettes are
thus secured, another set be-
yond them is added by sew-
ing the loops together where
they touch, or form Vandykes
by sewing rosettes above and
between every second one of the first set. Scalloped and
Vandyked braid is often used for foundations to these
ornamental trimmings instead of Square crochet.

Honeycomb Crochet. — White single Berlin wool;
medium size bone crochet hook. Make a Chain the
length required for the shawl. First row — 1 Treble in the
sixth Chain from the needle, # 1 Chain, miss 3, 1 Treble,
3 Chain, 1 Treble in the same loop as the other Treble,
repeat from *, turn. Second row — 1 Double Crochet,
5 Treble, 1 Double Crochet under every loop of 3 Chain
of last row, turn. Third row — 4 Chain, * 1 Treble between
the two Double Crochet stitches of last row, 3 Chain,
another Treble in the same stitch as the last, 1 Chain,
repeat from # , 1 Chain, 1 Treble at the end of row.
Fourth row — 1 Double Crochet, 5 Treble, 1 Double Crochet,
under every loop of 3 Chain of last row; at the end of the
row work 1 extra Double Crochet in the comer loop.
Fifth row — 6 Chain, 1 Treble between the 2 Double
Crochet at the corner of last row, * 1 Chain, 1 Treble
between the next two Double Crochet stitches of last
row, 3 Chain, another Treble in the same place as the
last, repeat from *. Repeat from the second row accord-
ing to the size required for the shawl.

Honiton or Point Crochet — An imitation of Guipure

P 2

toS

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Lace, in the making of which the Irish peasantry excel.
It should only be attempted by skilled workwomen, as it
is difficult and troublesome. It requires Brooks’ Goats-
headj No* 48, crochet cotton, and a fine crochet hook. To
simplify the directions for working Fig. 191, the various
sprigs (which arc all made separately and joined together)
are named as follows : The sprig in the top left hand
corner of the pattern is called a Rose, the one beneath it
a Feather, the one by its side a Curve, the five Sprigs with
five loops Daisies, the two of the same make, but with
3 loops, Trefoils, and the one with a trefoil centre a Bud.

For the Daisies, work three with stems, and join
them to the fourth, which is without a stem ; work 1 with
a stem ready to be worked into position ; work one Trefoil
with a stem, and two without; work the Feather without
a stem, and the Rose with a stem, joining it to the Feather
in working. The illustration shows how the Curves and
Trefoils are joined.

Daisy. — Take a coarse knitting needle, Ho. 1, and
wind the crochet cotton thickly round it ten times, slip it
off and crochet 40 Single (this forms the raised centres of

most of the sprigs). First row — 10 Chain, miss 6 single,
and slip into seventh, repeat four times, then make 15
Chain and a Single into every Chain ; for the stem turn the
work and work a Single into the other side of the 15 Chain
until the end is reached, when fasten off or join to another
sprig. Second row — return to the centre round and work
18 Single into the 10 Chain; repeat four times. This
completes the daisy; for the ones without the stem, leave
out the 15 Chain.

Trefoil. — Hake a centre round over the knitting
needle as before, and work 40 Single. First row — ■* 10
Chain, miss 7 Single and slip into eighth stitch, slip 5
Single, and repeat twice. Second row — crochet 15 Single
into every 10 Chain, Slip Stitch the 5 single on first row.
Third row — crochet 15 single over the Singles in last row,
and work Singles over the Slip stitches of last row. This
completes the trefoil with a round centre; the others
make with 3 loops of 8 Chain each, cover with 20 Singles
for the first row, and with 26 Singles for the last row.

Curve. — First row — 8 Chain, join and work 24 Single,
but do not close up the round when 24 Single are made.

work 8 Chain for the stem from curve and 8 Single upon
it, connect it to the centre round and work back upon its
other side with 8 Single, and fasten the stem into a trefoil
and fasten off. Second row — return to the centre round
and commence on one side of stem 1 Chain, 1 Double info
2 stitch on foundation, # 1 Chain and 1 Treble into fourth,
repeat from * twelve times, then 1 Chain, 1 Double into
stitch close to stern. Third row — work a chain underneath
stem and 3 Single Into every space in the last row, orna-
ment every third Single with a Picot made of 3 Chain.
Upon reference to the pattern it will be seen that one
curve has a thick stem and one an open; for the last the
8 Chain forming it cover with 8 Single, and the open work
in 2 row continue down it, also the thick work and Dicots
of third row*

Bud. — Hake 3 loops of S Chain each, and cover these
with 20 single, make a chain of 15 to form the stem, and
cover on each side with Singles and fasten off. Second
row — commence on the point of first loop, work 8 Chain
and slip into the centre of next point, 8 Chain and slip
into the centre of 3 point, then work Singles, all along the

side of last loop* Third row— turn the work, and work a
Single into every stitch. Fourth row — turn the work,
work a Single into every stitch, and occasionally 2 Single
into the same stitch, and make a Picot with 3 Chain into
every fourth stiteli, and also upon the outer edge of stem.

Feather. — Make the centre round over the knitting
needle, as before described, and work 40 Single into it*
First row — m 10 Chain and a Single into every Chain,
connect the last with the centre round and repeat from m
twice* Cover 8 stitches on the round with these three
points ; Slip stitch 4 and repeat ; Slip stitch 4 and again
repeat ; Slip stitch 10 and commence. Second row— work
Singles up the first point of 8 Stitches, and work down from
the point to the centre round with a Chain caught in at
the back of the work ; * join the point finished to the one
next it by slipping the hook first info a stitch upon the
edge of the finished point, and then into the edge of the
next point, and make a loop by drawing both together;
work in this way up three-quarters of the length, and then
Slip stitch round the point of the unfinished feather, and
work Singles down it to the centre round ; repeat from #

Fig. 191. CROCHET II ONI TON OR POINT.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

109

for the third feather. Commence the next three feathers
from # , and work two sets.

Rose. — Make the centre round over the knitting
needle, and work 40 Single into it ; make each petal at
once. First row — *, 8 Chain, 2 Chain, 1 Double into last
Chain but one; 1 Treble, 1 Chain into every other Chain
of the last row three times ; turn the work, and work 1
Chain, 1 Treble three times, and 1 Chain, 1 Double once
upon the other side of 8 Chain. Second row — work Singles
into every stitch. This completes a petal — repeat from #
four times. Each petal takes up the space of seven
stitches on the centre round, the five remaining .form the
foundation for the stem. To work the stem: Slip stitch
along the foundation 2 stitches, make a Chain of 24, join
this to the feather sprig in the middle of the place left to
receive it, work 24 Singles back to the Rose fasten, into the
Rose and work back upon other side of Chain 24 Single,
and fasten into the feather.

Join each sprig to the others where shown in the
illustration with bars made with Chain Stitch, work back
in Slip stitch where necessary with occasional Picots,
made by working 3 Chain and joining them by slipping
the hook back into the first of the three Chain, and
drawing the Chain stitch that continues the bar through
that. Ornament the square straight crochet lines en-
closing and joining the flowers at top and bottom of lace
with the same description of Picots, making the last line
on both sides in Double Crochet. The point edging is not
crochet work, but is made with an ordinary needle and
crochet cotton in thick Buttonhole. Form loops of cotton,
Buttonhole them over, and ornament them with Picots.
Make the three loops connected together in the pattern at
one time, the two on the line first, and add the third on
the top of the others when they are completed.

Insertion . — This pattern is worked with Boar's head
cotton No. 18, and hook No. 4. It commences in the
centre, and half the circle, half the diamond, and one oval
is formed first, and the work is then turned and the other
halves and the headings added. The first side : First circle
—make 13 Chain, turn, miss the last 8 Chain, and work 1
Single in the ninth stitch, so as to form a round loop, and
leave 4 Chain, turn, and in the round loop work 8 Single,
which should cover half of it. To work the oval at the
side and half the centre diamond, make 10 Chain, miss the
last 4 Chain, and work 1 Slip stitch in the fifth stitch,
leaving 5 Chain ; this forms the first Picot ; and for the
second Picot make 5 Chain and work 1 Slip stitch in the
first stitch of these 5 Chain. Then for the third Picot,
make 5 Chain and 1 Slip stitch in the first stitch; and
for the fourth Picot, 5 Chain and 1 Slip stitch in the
first stitch. To join the Picots, work 1 Single in the
last stitch of the 5 Chain left before the first Picot;
repeat the circle and oval until the length required is
made, ending with the 8 Single in the circle (see Fig.
192). The second side : To finish the circle — work 8
Single in the half left plain, then on the next stitch of
the 4 Chain left between the circle and Picots work
Slip stitch ; and for the first Picot make 9 Chain, and
missing the last 4 Chain, work 1 Single, leaving 4
Chain ; and for the second, third, and fourth Picots make

5 Chain, and work a single stitch in the first stitch of the
5 Chain three times. To join the Picots — work 1 Single
on the last stitch of the 4 Chain left before the first Picot;
make 3 Chain and work 1 Single on the first Chain stitch
before the next circle; repeat from the commencement of
the second side. The heading : First row— commence on
the centre of the 8 Single of the first circle, and work

Fig. 192. Crochet Insertion.

1 Long Treble, then 5 Chain and 1 Single between the
second and third Picots, 5 Chain and 1 Long Treble on
the centre of the next circle, repeat to the end, fasten off.
Second row — commence on the first stitch of the last
row, make 2 Chain, miss 2, and 1 Treble, repeat to the
end; work the heading on the other side to correspond.

Knitting . — By working strips of Knitting and join-
ing them together with bands of Crochet, a greater
variety is given to large pieces of work, such as counter-
panes and couvrepieds, than when the whole is made of
one description of fancy work. The knitted strips can
be in any raised fancy knitting stitches, the crochet
strips in open square Crochet or in Treble Crochet. The
Knitting should be twice as wide as crochet.

Lace Crochet. (1). — This is a light and graceful trim-
ming, formed of a combination of Crochet and Point lace
stitches, and makes a pleasing variety to ordinary crochet.

Fig. 193. Crochet Lace.

In Fig. 193 the edging is given when completed. It is
commenced as follows : Make a foundation Chain of

the length required (say a yard), and work an open
row of one Treble into every other Chain on foundation

Fig. 19k Crochet Lace— Detail A.
row, and one Chain between ( see Fig. 194, Detail A);
thread a sewing needle with the crochet cotton, fasten,
and make a loose twisted stitch into every open space
of last row. Arrange these stitches as scallops, six to
a scallop, the centre loop being the longest. Com-
mence from same place as last row, and work close

i ro

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Buttonholes into the spaces between the loops (see Fig,
195, Detail B)* The next two rows are a repetition of the
looped and the Buttonhole row, hut the loops are shorter

Fie. 105, Crochet Lack— Detail B.
than on the scallops, and worked between every third
Buttonhole (see Fig. 193, Detail C). The next row after

Fig, ID?, Crochet Lace— Detail C*
the Buttonhole is formed of three twisted loops close
together, the space that three more would have filled being
missed, and another three then worked, and so on to
end of row. The last row consists of Buttonholes, with
Vandykes made at equal distances, thus — work four
Buttonholes, return the thread to first one, and work four
more, the first four being the foundation * return the
thread and work three Buttonholes above the four, and
lastly work one as a point, run the thread down through
the Vandyke, and continue the Buttonhole row until
another Vandyke has to be formed (see Fig. 197, Detail D).

!

Fig, 137* Crocitet Lace— Detail B.

Place these Vandykes above the open spaces in the last
row, and not above the stitches. The cotton used is
Brooks’ Goat's head No* 48, hook No* 5,

Lace Crochet , (2). — Make a Foundation Chain of length
required, into which work 1 Chain and 1 Double Crochet
into every 2 stitch. Second row — 5 Chain and 2 Treble,
missing 3 Chain on foundation for the whole row. Third
roiv — 1 Chain, 1 Double into every other stitch, and fasten
off. Make half stars separately, work a 14 Chain, form a
round, and surround it w r ith Slip Stitch ; into the upper
half of round work 7 loops, putting them into the stitches
one after the other. The first loop requires 24 Chain,
second and third lfi each, middle loop 24, repeat the first
three loops, reversing their order ; unite the plain part of
the round to the holder, crocheting them together, and
fasten the stars in at a distance of 48 stitches from each
other. Fourth row— commence at the 22nd stitch from
centre of star,* work 3 Chain, and pick up first loop,

6 Chain, pick up second loop, 6 Chain, pick up third
loop, 8 Chain, pick up middle loop, repeat backwards
for throe loops, and fasten into the twenty- second stitch
from the middle of the star, slip the cotton along four
stitches, and repeat from/** Fifth row— work a Double
into every Chain except the one in the centre loop : in
this one the increase is managed, and requires I Double,
2 Chain, 1 Double. For the open lattice part ( see
Fig. 197), work 4 Chain, catch it into three > row, and
then 4 Chain. Repeat fifth row eleven times, always
increasing at the pointed stitcli ; and for the lattice
part work a plain 8 Chain alternately with 4 Chain
caught into third stitch of the previous row and 4
Chain* Work the border without the straight lines
which are put in by mistake in the pattern close to
the thick Vandykes, and make it of a number of
Picot Chains interlaced, as shown in the illustration,
which is easier to follow than complicated written
directions.

Mignardise. — This is a variety of Crochet, formed by
inserting narrow fine braids into the design as the
heavy part of the pattern, that would otherwise be
formed by continuous stitches of Treble or Double
Crochet* The braid is woven into various sizes and
forms, and with an edging of fine loops, and the crochet
stitches connect it by passing the hook and the crochet
cotton through these loops* Mignardise is used almost
entirely to form narrow edgings for underlinen and
children’s dresses. The cotton used is sometimes white
and blue, sometimes white and pink, the colour working
one row of the centre, and one of the extreme edge
of a pattern*

Simple edging. — Take the braid, hold it in the left
hand and work an outside edge to it thus — join the
braid to the cotton with a Double Crochet through
the first loop # six Chain, put the hook into the second
Chain and make a Picot of the vest, 1 Chain, and a
Double Crochet ; repeat five times from *, 3 Chain,
and miss one loop on the braid, gather together the
four next loops, and work a Single Crochet, 3 Chain
and miss a loop, and work a Double Crochet* This
forms a pattern which is to be repeated until the
length required is worked* Second row — the edge
being finished, turn the other side of the braid upper-
most, and fasten the cotton into the braid in the
centre above the four loops fastened together in last
row work 1 Chain and a Single into next loop, and

then 12 Chain, miss the loop on the opposite side of
the loop missed in first row, and pick up the seven
loops that are opposite the five ornamented with Picot s,
make a Chain between each loop, and draw them all
together to form a circle, and connect them to the last
twelve Chain; work 3 Chain, and draw that through
the seventh Chain to form two lines above the circle;
work 6 Chain, and miss the loop opposite the one missed
Upon last low; work a Single, 1 Chain, 1 Single, repeat
from the third row 1 Treble and one Chain into every
other stitch upon last row.

Scalloped edging. — Formed of two rows of Mignar-
dise braid. Each scallop requires eleven loops of braid

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

i r r

upon the inside, and twelve upon the outer. Pick up
the braid, and hold it in the left hand, and commence
by making the crochet upon the inside of the scallop ;
this consists of four Vandykes radiating from a half
circle, the points of the Vandykes being the loops upon
the braid* First row — 1 Single Crochet into first loop
of braid, * 10 Chain, miss one loop, work Single into
nest loop, t uni the work, and make the Vandyke, work
2 Single into the first, 2 Chains, then 2 Double, and 1
Treble into the next three Chains, making 5 stitches,
then 5 Chain and 1 Single in the third loop on braid,
missing one loop; turn the work, 2 Single, 2 Double,
and 1 Treble upon the 5 Chain, 5 Chain 1 Single into
the second loop from one last worked (missing one);

Fig. m. CROCHET LACE.

turn work, 2 Single, 2 Double, and 1 Treble on the 5
Chain, 5 Chain 1 Single into the second loop on the
braid from last worked loop; turn work, 2 Single, 2
Double, 1 Treble on the 5 Chain ; turn the work, £ Chain
1 Single on the second loop from the one last worked, 4
Chain 1 Single into next loop. Repeat from * to length
required and fasten off. Second row — 1 Single upon first
Single of last row upon the 5 Chain, 2 Single, 2
Double, 1 Treble, 9 Chain, miss out all the 4 Vandykes,
and work 1 Treble 2 Double and 3 Single upon the
chains in last row. Repeat from * and fasten off. In
the next row the second piece of braid (which is worked
as a straight line) is inserted. Third row — 1 Double
Crochet upon last stitch of last row 2 Chain, insert

the hook into loop of braid and make a stitch, 2 Chain,
miss two stitches on foundation and work I Double
Crochet, repeat from # to end of the row and fasten
off. Fourth row— Turn the work, and form the edge
to the scallop upon the unfastened side of braid # 2
Chain, 1 Single into first loop, repeat from # and fasten
off. Fifth vow — commence by drawing the 3 loops to-
gether that are over the 4 Chain of first row, and work
a Double Crochet, then 3 Chain and 1 Double Crochet
in the loop following, repeat to end of the row* Sixth
row — over every 3 Chain of last row work 1 Double
Crochet, 5 Treble, and 1 Double.

Crochet Netting , — A variety of Crochet founded upon
Hair-pin. Crochet, The Wetting is worked with a Crochet
hook, and large wooden shuttles
terminating in four or two prongs
resembling the large teeth of a
comb. The prongs are of dif*
f event sizes* the lower one of a
shuttle with four prongs being
either twice or three times the
width of the other three, but all
are placed at equal distances from
each other* A shuttle fitted with
two prongs resembles the old
wooden lyres used for making
chains, and its two prongs are
set at a considerable distance
from each other. The different
widths of the prongs are intended
for the making of looped fringes
to the work, the double prougs for
a narrow strip of Netting, with
loops at each side of equal sizes,
and the four- pronged shuttle for
making broader and thicker centre
lines of work between the loops,
the stitches being placed on each
side of the second prong and over
it, instead of only as a centre line*
The work consists of long narrow
strips finished at both edges with
loops. These loops give the ap-
pearance of open Netting, and are
used to join the various strips
made by being fastened together
with lines of Crochet* Varieties of Crochet Netting are
made by the Crochet -work designs that join them to-
gether, or by passing the stitches over the centre prongs
of the shuttle, or by simply working them in one of the
spaces between the prongs. The shuttles are to be ob-
tained at 131, Edgwar e-road*

2b work a narrow strip of Crochet Netting , — Take a
shuttle of four prongs; hold it in the left hand by the
widest prongs with the three small prongs uppermost.
Take a skein of single Berlin wool, or of fine Arrasene ;
make a loop near the end; pass a medium- sized Crochet
hook through the loop, and hold the hook in the space
between the top and second prong, and the waste piece of
wool in the left hand* Throw the working end of the

I 12

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

wool over tlie top prong and commence. Draw the wool
from the back of the prong through the loop on the hook,
and make a stitch thus* ; turn the shuttle in the left hand
until the broad prong is uppermost; throw the wool round
the two small' prongs from the front of the shuttle to the
back, and make a stitch as before by drawing it through
the one on the hook, which still hold in the space where
the first stitch was made; put the hook with the stitch still
on it over the top and through the loop made by the first
stitch on the first prong (which is now the one held in the
left hand). Put wool on the hook and draw it through
this loop ; wool on again, and draw it through two of the
stitches on the hook; wool round, and draw it through the
remaining two stitches; turn the shuttle round, throw the
wool over the top prong, make a stitch, put the hook
across the top thread of the loop on the second and third
prongs, through that loop, wool on hook, draw through
the loop, wool on hook, draw through two loops, wool on
hook, draw through two loops, repeat from *. When the
shuttle is filled with the Netting, take off the loops, re-
adjust the last two on the prongs, and continue the work.
The strip made with the above will have loops at one
edge longer than the loops at the other ; if even size edges
are needed, work over but one prong on both sides.
Fringes are made as above, one set of loops being made on
the broad prong of the shuttle.

To work a thick broad centre line of Netting . — Hold
the shuttle in the left hand by the broad prong; loop and
hook in the space between the top and second prong
waste wool held down with the left thumb, and working
wool over the top prong. Make a stitch by drawing the
wool from the back of the shuttle through the stitch on
the hook. Pull this stitch out with the hook until it
stretches over the second prong, and is in the space below
it ; draw the wool from the back of the shuttle through
this stitch*; turn the shuttle in the left hand until the
wide prong is uppermost, and turn the hook in the stitch
at the same time ; throw the thread over the prong next
the wide one from the front to the back, bring it through
the last stitch, lengthen out the loop so obtained until it
reaches below the second prong ; make a stitch with the
thread from the back of the shuttle; put the hook into the
already made loop on the bottom prong, not over the top
thread of it as in the last pattern, but through the loop
and out under the left or under thread of it ; take up wool
on the hook, draw it back through the loop on the prong
and to the front ; take up wool, and draw it through the
two stitches on the hook, turn the shuttle, throw the wool
over the top prong, make a stitch as before, draw this out
over the second prong, make a stitch with the wool at the
back, put the hook into the loop on the bottom prong,
bringing it out under the under thread, wool on the hook,
drawn through the loop, wool on the hook, and through
the two stitches on the hook. Repeat from *.

Attention to the holding of the shuttle and the right
manipulation of the Crochet-hook is important, otherwise
the Netting comes apart when removed from the shuttle.

On Net . — This work is an imitation of Honiton and
Brussels lace. It is made with Raised Rose Crochet
sprays or simple Crochet edging, fastened down upon net.

There are two ways of working on the net : in one, over-
cast detached sprigs of crochet upon Brussels net, and
connect them together with Brides. In the second, work
a simple flower pattern edging, and connect this to the
net with Chain stitch worked to form tendrils and
sprays. As these Chains are worked take up portions
of the net on the crochet hook so that they are in-
corporated into it.

Over Brass Bings. — For a Mat. — Thirty-seven curtain
rings, and four shades of one colour, either of wool or
silk, are necessary. Cover one ring for the centre with
the lightest shade of wool, work fifty Double Crochet
over the ring, making the edges of the stitches on the
outer edge of the ring. Cover six rings with the next
shade, twelve with the third shade, and eighteen with
the last. Place the light ring in the centre, the six rings
round it and sew them to the centre ring. Arrange the
twelve rings round the six, and the eighteen round the
twelve. The side of the mat where the rings are sewn
together will be the wrong side; keep it still upon that
side, and finish the rings with working an eight-pointed
star in filoselle in the centre of each. Make a fringe
of beads round the mat, and ornament the rings with a
cross of white beads in their centres.

To form a Bag. — One hundred and one rings are
required, covered with Double Crochet in colours accord-
ing to taste. Sew the rings together in the shape of
a cup. First row or centre — 1 ring; second row — 6
rings; third row — 12; fourth row — 16; fifth row — 20;
sixth row — 22 ; seventh row — 24. Above the last row
of rings work a row of Crochet, 3 Trebles into the top
of a ring, 5 Chain and 3 Trebles into next ring; repeat
5 Chain and three Trebles to the end of the row.
Second row — 1 Treble and 2 Chain into every third
stitch on the foundation. Repeat second row eleven
times. Fourteenth row — 2 Long Trebles and 3 Chain,
missing 3 foundation stitches for the 3 Chain. Line
the bag with soft silk, run a ribbon in and out of the
last crochet row to draw it up, and finish the lower
part with a silk tassel.

Point de Chantilly. — To be worked with double Berlin
wool and a rather large bone Tricot hook. Commence
with 16 Chain, insert the hook in the second Chain
from the hook, raise a loop, and work a Chain stitch
in it, then raise another loop and work a Chain stitch
in that, and so on to the end of the row, keeping all
the Chain stitches on the hook, work back as in ordinary
Tricot. Second row — 1 Chain, insert the hook in the
first perpendicular loop and also through the Chain
stitch belonging to it, raise a loop, and work a Chain
stitch in it, * insert the hook in the next perpendicular
loop and through the chain belonging to it, raise a loop
and work a Chain stitch in that, repeat from #, keeping
all the Chain stitches on the hook, and work back as
in ordinary Tricot. Every succeeding row is the same
as the second row.

Raised Marcella Cherries and White Narcissus Flower .
— Materials required : Single Berlin wool, red, grey, green,
yellow, black, and white; a fine bone crochet hook.
For the red strip work 23 Chain, 1 Double Crochet in

CROCHET MANTEL BORDER

ILLUSTRATING THE VARIOUS STITCHES.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

”3

the third from the hook, and Double Crochet all along,
21 Double Crochet in all; two more rows of plain Double
Crochet, viz., 1 Chain to turn and 21 Double Crochet along,
take up both front and back loops. Fourth row — 1 Double
Crochet, insert the hook through at the bottom of the
third Double Crochet in the last row, draw the wool through
and raise five loops, draw the wool through the five
loops, and then through the 2 stitches on the needle, *
3 Double Crochet on the three succeeding Double Crochet
of last row, then insert the hook at the distance of four
stitches from the place where the preceding cherry was
raised, draw the wool through, and raise five more loops to
form another cherry, repeat from *, and end the row with
three Double Crochet. Fifth row — plain Double Crochet.
Sixth row — 3 Double Crochet, insert the hook through at
the bottom of the fifth Double Crochet of the last row;
and raise a cherry as directed above, 3 Double Crochet,
another cherry at the distance of four stitches, 3 Double
Crochet, a cherry, 3 Double Crochet, a cherry, 5 Double
Crochet at the end of the row. Seventh row— plain Double
Crochet. Repeat from the fourth to the seventh rows twice
more, then leave a space where the narcissus flower is
to be placed, omit the middle cherry in the sixteenth row,
the two middle cherries in the eighteenth row, and three in
the twentieth row, working instead plain Double Crochet;
in the twenty- second, twenty -fourth, and twenty-sixth rows
bring these cherries gradually back again, and then repeat
from the fourth row for the length required for the antima-
cassar. For the narcissus flower, white wool, work 7 Chain,
1 Double Crochet in the first from the needle, 4 Treble along,
6 Treble in the top stitch, 4 Treble and a Double Crochet
along the other side, and a Single Crochet to fasten off ;
secure the ends firmly. v Work six of these white leaves,
then a dot of yellow for the centre of the flower, 4 Chain,
join round, work 2 Double Crochet in each chain, and a
Double Crochet on each of these, tack the six leaves together
in the shape of a flower, the wrong side of the Crochet
uppermost, and place the yellow dot in the centre, arrange
it by means of a few stitches in the middle of the flat
space that is left among the cherries. For the grey stripe,
work 15 Chain, 1 Double Crochet in the third from the
needle, and Double Crochet all along, 13 Double Crochet
in all. Two more rows of plain Double Crochet, viz., 1
Chain to turn, and 13 Double Crochet along. Fourth
row — 1 Double Crochet, a cherry, 3 Double Crochet,
a cherry, 3 Double Crochet, a cherry, 3 Double Crochet.
Fifth row — plain Double Crochet. Sixth row — 3 Double
Crochet, a cherry, 3 Double Crochet, a cherry, 5 Double
Crochet. Seventh row — plain Double Crochet. Eighth
row — 1 Double Crochet, a cherry, 3 Double Crochet; a
green cherry, 3 Double Crochet, a cherry, 3 Double
Crochet; compose the green cherry of 5 loops of green
wool worked in without breaking off the grey wool,
which draw through the two stitches (1 green and
one grey) on the needle, leaving the green wool at the
back. Ninth row — plain Double Crochet. Tenth row
— the same as the sixth row, both the cherries to be
green ones. Eleventh row — plain Double Crochet.
Twelfth row — the same as the eighth row. Thirteenth
row — plain Double Crochet. Fourteenth row— the same

as the sixth row, and the same colour. Fifteenth row
— plain Double Crochet. Sixteenth row — same as the
fourth row. Seventeenth row — plain Double Crochet.
Eighteenth row — the same as the sixth row. Nineteenth
row — plain Double Crochet. Repeat from the fourth
row until the stripe is the same length as the red one,
work a double Cross Stitch with yellow wool in the centre
of every group of four green cherries. It will take three
of the red and two of the grey stripes to make a good
sized antimacassar. With black wool work a row of
Double Crochet round all the stripes, and join them
together with a row of white Double Crochet. For the
border : First row — white wool, 1 Double Crochet, 6 Chain,
miss 4, repeat the whole way round, but do not miss any
stitches between the Double Crochet at the corners.
Second row — black, 1 Double Crochet over the Double
Crochet of last row, 6 Chain, repeat. Third row — black,

1 Double Crochet, 4 Chain, 2 Double Crochet, 4 Chain,

2 Double Crochet, 4 Chain, 1 Double Crochet, under every
scallop of six Chain.

Raised Rose in Crochet Cotton. — For the mat shown
in Fig. 199, and consisting of a large Raised centre rose,
surrounded by eight smaller Raised roses, use Evans*
crochet cotton No. 10. For the large centre rose — Com-
mence with 8 Chain, join round, and work 16 Double
Crochet in the circle. Second round — 1 Double Crochet*

3 Chain, miss 1, repeat (there should be eight loops of
three Chain). Third round — 1 Double Crochet, 4 Treble,
1 Double Crochet under every loop of three Chain. Fourth
round — 1 Double Crochet at the back above the Double
Crochet in the second round, 4 Chain. Fifth round — 1
Double Crochet, 5 Treble, 1 Double Crochet under every
loop of four Chain. Sixth round— 1 Double Crochet at the
back above the Double Crochet in the fourth round, 5 Chain.
Seventh round— 1 Double Crochet, 7 Treble, 1 Double

Crochet under every loop of five Chain. Eight round

1 Double Crochet at the back above the Double Crochet in
the sixth round, 6 Chain. Ninth row— 1 Double Crochet,
9 Treble, 1 Double Crochet under every loop of six Chain.
Tenth round — 1 Double Crochet at the back, above the
Double Crochet in the eighth round, 7 Chain. Eleventh
round— 1 Double Crochet, 11 Treble, 1 Double Crochet
under every loop of seven Chain. Twelfth round— 1
Double Crochet between the two Double Crochet of last
round, * 7 Chain, 1 Double Crochet upon the sixth Treble,
7 Chain, 1 Double Crochet between the next two Double
Crochet of last round, repeat from* ; fasten off at the end
of the round. This completes the large rose.

For the small roses— Begin with 6 Chain, join round,
and work 12 Double Crochet in the circle. Second round
—1 Double Crochet, 3 Chain, miss 1, repeat (there should be
six loops of three Chain). Third round— 1 Double Crochet,

4 Treble, 1 Double Crochet under every loop of three
Chain. Fourth round — 1 Double Crochet at the back above
the Double Crochet in the second round, 4 Chain. Fifth
round— 1 Double Crochet, 5 Treble, 1 Double Crochet under
every loop of four Chain. Sixth round— 1 Double Crochet
at the back above the Double Crochet in the fourth round,

5 Chain. Seventh round — 1 Double Crochet, 7 Treble, 1
Double Crochet under every loop of five Chain. Eighth

Q

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

round — 1 Double Crochet between the two Double Crochet
stitches of last round, * 3 Chain, 1 Double Crochet on the
second Treble, 3 Chain, 1 Double Crochet on the fourth
Treble, 3 Chain, 1 Double Crochet on the sixth Treble, 3
Chain, 1 Double Crochet between the two next Double
Crochet stitches, repeat from * j fasten oft at the end of
the round.

It requires eight small roses to complete the circle,
and they are to be joined to the large rose by a Single
Crochet taken from the first stitch of the second group of
Chain of the fourth leaf, into the third Chain from the
centre of one of the leaves of the large rose, and again by
a Single Crochet taken from the first stitch of the next
group of Chain into the corresponding third Chain on the
other side of the same leaf of the large rose, and they are
also to be joined to each other by a Single Crochet on each
side, as shown in the illustration (Fig. 199).

For the outside edge — 1 Double Crochet over the
Single Crochet between the roses, * 8 Chain, 1 Single in

Fig. 199. Crochet— Raised Rose in Cotton.

the fourth from the hook, 8 Chain, 1 Single again in the
fourth from the hook, 3 Chain, 1 Double Crochet above the
Double Crochet in the middle of the next leaf, 12 Chain, 1
Double Crochet above the Double Crochet in the middle of
the next leaf, 8 Chain, 1 Single in the fourth from the hook,
8 Chain, 1 Single in the fourth from the hook, 3 Chain, 1
Double Crochet above the Single Crochet at the joining of
the roses ; repeat from *, and fasten off at the end of the
round. Last round — 1 Double Crochet between the two
Picots, * 4 Chain, 1 Double Crochet in the next Picot, 7
Chain, 4 Double Crochet under the 12 Chain of last round,
7 Chain, 1 single into the last of the four Double Crochet,
and 4 more Double Crochet under the 12 Chain, 7 Chain,
1 Double Crochet in the next Picot, 4 Chain, 1 Double
Crochet between the two Picots, 7 Chain, 1 Double Crochet
between the two Picots in the next rose, repeat from *,
and fasten off at the end of the round.

Raised Rose in Wools . — These raised roses are much
used for wool antimacassars. They are made separately,

and joined together. For a wool rose use single Berlin
wool, work a 6 Chain, and form into a round. First row —
8 Chain,* 1 Treble under nearest stitch of round, 5 Chain.
Repeat from * three times, then 5 Chain, and loop on
the third of the first 8 Chain. Second row — * 1 Double,
8 Treble, 1 Double, under all the succeeding 5 Chain
scallops. Third row — * 6 Chain, 1 Double, putting hook
in between the two next leaves; the stitches of the next
6 Chain place behind the next leaf in the same way, and
all the rest in following rows. Repeat from * 4 times.
Fourth row — 1 Double, 10 Treble, under next 6 Chain,
repeat four times. Fifth row — 7 Chain, 1 Double behind
leaves of preceding row. Repeat four times. Sixth row
— 1 Double, 12 Treble, and 1 Double in the next 7 Chain.
Repeat four times. Seventh row — 8 Chain, 1 Double,
worked in from behind between two next leaves. Repeat
four times. Eighth row — 1 Double, 14 Treble, and 1 Double
in the next 8 Chain. Repeat four times. Ninth row — 9

Fig. 20u. Crochet— Raised Rose in Wool.

Chain, 1 Double, hook from behind as before. Repeat four
times. Tenth row — 1 Double, 16 Treble, and 1 Double in
the next 9 Chain. Repeat four times. Eleventh row — 10
Chain, 1 Double, hook from behind. Repeat four times.
Twelfth row — 1 Double, 18 Treble, and 1 Double in the next
10 Chain. Repeat four times. Thirteenth row — Double
stitches over Doubles and Trebles of preceding row. Four-
teenth row — commence at fourth Treble of leaf, work 2
double Trebles and 7 Chain all round, making three of
these stitches into every rose leaf {see Fig. 200). Fifteenth
row — work a Double into every Chain of preceding row.
Sixteenth row (not shown in illustration) is 1 Double, 1
Chain into every other stitch of last row. Seventeenth
row — 1 Treble and 2 Double into every alternate stitch.
Eighteenth, and last row, is a looped chain ornamented
with Picots to form an edge, 2 Chain, 12 Chain divided
into 3 Picots, and 2 Chain, into every other space between
Trebles of last row. For an antimacassar make the roses
separately, and join when all are finished, as then they will
be fresh and clean.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

”5

Sequin Lace . — A modern name given to a work
formed with coloured braid and coloured crochet cotton,
formed into various easy patterns, and worked like Mig-
nardise waved braid and crochet. It is suitable for
furniture lace and dress trimmings.

Shawl . — There are two ways of commencing to work
a large crochet shawl. One, to commence from the centre,
and work round and round until the right size is attained ;
the other, to make a Foundation Chain of the full length
of the completed shawl, and to work backwards and for-
wards, as in a large quilt, until the width is the same as
the length. For a square shawl worked in most crochet
stitches, the number of rows worked will be one half
more than the number of crochet stitches cast on for the
first row. Thus, if 300 stitches are cast on, 450 rows will
make a square, with perhaps the addition of three or four
rows, if the crochet is tightly worked. Fig. 201 represents
the commencement of a shawl begun from the centre, the
first part of which is the only difficulty, and with that
explained the rest is easily accomplished. Square shawls
should be made of fine Shetland or Pyrenean wool, which
are both extremely light in texture and yet warm. The
needle should be of bone, medium size. Make a Founda-
tion Chain of nine stitches, join it up, and work for
first row 3 Treble and 3 Chain four times. Second row

3 Chain, and 3 Treble into the first corner stitch, * 3
Chain and 3 Treble into every space until the next
corner is reached, repeat *, and work in this manner
until the shawl is a yard and a quarter square. Different

Fig. 201. Shawl in Square Crochet.

coloured wools can be used near the end as border, and
a closer shawl made by working 2 Chain and 2 Double,
instead of the 3 Chain and 3 Treble, into every space.

Fig. 202. CROCHET SQUARE.

— into the space of every 3 Chain work 3 Treble, 3 Chain,
and 3 Treble. This second row turns the round loop of
that foundation into a small square, and commences the
increasing at the four corners of the square, which con-
tinues throughout the work. Third row — work 3 Treble,

Square for Quill . — Use for this pattern Strutt’s knit-
ting cotton, No. 6. Commence with 43 Chain, 1 Double
Crochet in the third from the work, and work Double
Crochet all along, making 40 Double Crochet in all ; turn,
1 Chain, miss the first Double Crochet of preceding row,

<a2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

1 1 6

and work 40 Double Crocket along, working upon the back
of the stitches so as to form a ridge. Third row — 1 Chain
to turn, 3 Double Crochet, pass the cotton twice round
the hook, insert the hook to take up the fourth Double
Crochet of the first row, and work a Double Treble, but
leave the stitch belonging to the Double Crochet stitch on
the needle, work 2 more Double Treble in the same place,
and, having finished them, draw the cotton through the last
and through the Double Crochet stitch ; this forms a ball ■
3 Double Crochet, and another hall, 3 Double Crochet., a
ball, 3 Double Crochet, a hall, then 9 Double Crochet, a
ball, 3 Double Crochet, a ball, 3 Double Crochet, a hall, 3
Double Crochet, a ball, 3 Double Crochet ; 1 Chain to turn,
and work back in plain Double Crochet, having 40 Double
Crochet in the row. Fifth row — 1 Chain to turn, 5
Double Crochet, 3 balls with 3 Double Crochet between
each, plain Double Crochet across the centre, and corre-
sponding balls at the other side, ending with 3 Double
Crochet ; 1 Chain to turn, and work back in plain Double
Crochet- The centre diamond begins in the ninth row,
and the 3 Double Treble are to be worked into the twenty-
first stitch of the seventh row ; increase the diamond until
there are 11 balls along the side, then decrease, gradually
bringing it again to 1 ball. The comers begin in the
row where there are four balls in the centre diamond.
Having completed the square, work a row of 1 Treble, 1
Chain all round it, putting 3 Chain at each comer ; then
a round of plain Double Crochet. {See Fig. 202,)

Stitches. — The various Stitches used in Crochet are
described at length, in their Alphabetical order, after the
article upon Crochet.

Tatting Crochet.— This is a variety of Crochet used to
ornament ordinary Crochet with rosettes, and worked with
any materials suitable for Crochet. The stitch has the
appearance of Tatting, and is a double loop connected
together at the base with a cross thread, and is made by
forming two different loops or knots on the hook, The
chief art in making these loops is the manipulation of
the left hand, the thread being held firmly between the
thumb and second finger while the twists to it are being
given. To commence : Work 2 or 3 Chain, then make a
loop round the left hand forefinger as shown in Detail A
(Fig. 203), insert the hook over the front thread and under
the back, and draw up the thread on to the hook as a
knot, change the arrangement of the loop with a twist of
the left hand, and insert the hook this time under the first
thread and over the second and draw up the loop on to the
hook (see Detail B, Fig. 204) as another knot ; this com-
pletes the stitch. Work 9 Double Knots and then thread
round the hook, and draw it right through every loop
on the hook, casting them off in this manner (see Detail C,
Fig. 205). Thread again round the hook, and draw it
through the loop left (see Detail D, Fig. 206), thus com*
pie ting the rosette show n in Detail E (Fig. 207), w hich
represents three of these tatted rosettes connected by 3
Chain. These rosettes can be formed into a pretty
border, like Detail F (Fig. 208), by working the rows
alternately in different colours. Work the first row
as already shown, and reverse the rosettes in the second ;
begin this row with a Long Treble, as shown, which

takes through the middle of first rosette ; work for rosette
4 Double Knots *, and the first half of the fifth, and with
the second half join the rosette to first stitch in the 3

Fro. 203 . Crochet Tatting— Detail A

Fig. 204. Crochet Tatting-Detail B.

Fig. £0$, Crochet Tatting— Detail C.

Fig. £06. Crochet Tatting -Detau. D.

Chain, placing the hook as shown by arrow in Detail F
(Fig. 208); carry the thread down in front of the hook,
pass it back under the hook, and then through the stitch

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

J1 7

just taken upon the hook ; this forms the second half
of fifth Double Knot. Pass over 1 Chain and repeat

Fig. 207. Crochet Tatting — Detail E.

working into the third, instead of 1 stitch of Chain,
4 Double Knots, draw up loop, 3 Chain, repeat to the end
of the row. All the rows are made like the second row,
except that the Long Treble commencement is only made
in every alternate one.

cotton Ko, SO is used instead of crochet cotton. Com-
mence with a Chain of 4, join and work 2 Double Crochet
into each stitch. Second row — 3 Double Crochet in first
stitch, 1 Double Crochet, 3 Double Crochet in third
stitch, 1 Double Crochet in fourth, 3 Double Crochet
in fifth stitch, 1 Double Crochet in sixth, 3 Double
Crochet in seventh, 1 Double Crochet in eighth stitch,
1 more Double Crochet; the last side of the square
will always have an extra stitch on the side, which mark,
as all the rows commence from it. Third row — 3 Double
Crochet in comer stitch *, 3 Double Crochet on side,
3 Double Crochet in corner, repeat from Fourth row

Fig. 209 is a square of Crochet, being part of a counter-
pane ornamented with Crochet Tatting as tiuy rosettes.
Fig, 210, Detail A, gives the commencement of the square

Fig. 208 . Crochet Tatting— Detail F,

and manner of working the rosettes into the plain Crochet,
The foundation is in Double Crochet, and knitting

— 3 Double Crochet into every corner, and 5 Double
Crochet on every side. Fifth row — 3 Double Crochet in
corner stitch # , 3 Double Crochet on side, and work
rosette, making 4 Double Knots, and then secure the
loop by passing the hook and thread through the loop in

Fig. 2io. Crochet Tatting— Detail A or Counterpane.
the second row, finish and draw up the rosette ; 1 Double
Crochet In next stitch, working the stitch on the hook
from the rosette as a Double Crochet, 3 Double Crochet
on the side, 3 Double Crochet in the corner, repeat. Sixth
row — plain Double Crochet, w T ork 3 into each corner, and

i iS

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

miss the stitch made by the rosettes. Seventh and eighth
rows — 3 Double Crochet in every corner, an increase of 2
on each side in each row. Ninth row — * 1 Double Crochet
in the corner, then a rosette in the same corner,, and 1
Double Crochet, 15 Double Crochet at the side, repeat
from # . Tenth row — plain Double Crochet 3 in each
corner stitch.

Having thus commenced the corners, and shown
how the increase is managed and the rosettes are secured,
the worker will follow the rest of the square from the
illustration, being careful always to work 3 Double
Crochet in every corner, with a rosette in every alter-
nate row, and to count and work that stitch as a Double
Crochet next time, while the rosettes that ornament the
other part of the design are treated like those on the
fifth row and the stitch they make passed over in the
plain line that follows them. The square is completed
in thirty-four rows.

Tatting and Crochet Edging . — This edging is com-
posed of Tatting and Crochet, and is used to slide ribbon
through, as shown in Fig. 211. It is worked with cotton
No. 20, a fine steel crochet hook, and a tatting shuttle.
The little diamonds in the centre work first; these are

Fio. 211. Cbochet and Tatting Edging.

Tatted. First diamond: First oval— 6 Double Crochet,
1 Purl, 3 Double, 1 Purl, 3 Double, 1 Purl, 6 Double, draw
close. Repeat this oval 3 more times, then join the two
ends of the cotton neatly together. Work as many
diamonds as are required for the length, join them to
one another by the centre Purl in the last oval of the
first diamond and the centre Purl in the first oval of the
second diamond. When all are worked, join the thread
to the centre Purl of the first oval at the side; work in
it 1 Double Crochet *, 6 Chain, 1 Single Crochet in the
next Purl of the same oval, 3 Chain, 1 Single in the Purl
connecting the two diamonds together, 3 Chain, 1 Single
in the first Purl of the next oval, 8 Chain, 1 Single in
the fourth Chain of the first six Chain worked, 3 Chain,
1 Single on the 7 Chain of eight Chain just worked, 1
Single on the sixth Chain, 3 Chain, 1 Single on the fifth
Chain, 1 single on the fourth Chain, 3 Chain, 1 single
on the third Chain, 1 Single on the second Chain, 3 Chain,
1 Double Crochet in the next Purl, repeat from * ; work
each side in the same manner, then work loops of Crochet
Chain at the back of each point to connect the top and
bottom point together, and in these loops run a coloured
ribbon the width of the work.

Watch Guard in Crochet . — This is made with the
finest purse silk and a small steel crochet hook. Work a
round of 6 Chain, and work round and round in Single
or Double Ribbed crochet until the right length is
formed. The guard is ornamented, if wished, with a bead

dropped into every stitch. Thread these beads on the
skein of purse silk before the work is commenced.

Waved Braid Crochet. — A variety of Crochet in which
waved tape braid is used instead of Mignardise braid
to take the place of the thick stitches in a Crochet
pattern. The use of this braid saves much time, and
it can be introduced into either Crochet edgings or into
rosettes for antimacassars. The braid is woven in
various widths, but the medium size, with Evans’s
crochet cotton, No. 14, is the best to use. To work an
edging for linen or children’s frocks: First row — work
1 Treble into the first point of the braid, 3 Chain, and
a Treble into the next point of the braid, repeat until of
sufficient length, and fasten off ; this forms the plain edge
which is sewn to the material. Second row — turn the work
and commence upon the other side of the braid, 2 row, *
work 1 Single into first point, 1 Chain 1 Treble into next
point, 3 Chain 1 Treble into the same, 1 Chain, and repeat
from * to end of row, and fasten off. Third row — Slip
Stitch into the one Single on last row, * cotton over the
hook, 4 treble into the 3 Chain between the 2 Trebles
of the last row, 6 Chain slip the hook through the second,
so as to make a Picot with the 5 Chain, 1 Chain, 4 Treble
into same, loop Slip Stitch into next Single, and repeat
from * to end of row and fasten off.

To Form a Rosette. — 8 Chain, join and work 16
Double into it. First row — 4 Chain, * miss 1 stitch on
foundation and work 1 Treble into the next stitch, 2
Chain, repeat from * to end of row. Second row — 4 Chain,
* 1 Treble, 2 Chain, 1 Treble first loop on last row, 2 Chain,
repeat from * to end of the row. Third row— 5 Chain, then
take the waved braid in the left hand and pass the hook
through a point while niakiug the next Chain, then 1
Chain, 1 Treble into the loop of the last row, * 2 Chain,
pick up the next point of the braid, 1 Chain, 1 Treble into
the next loop on the foundation, repeat from * to the end
of the row; when finished, sew the ends of the braid
together neatly, so as not to interfere with the round.
Fourth row — 3 Chain up to point of the braid and fasten
into it, 6 Chain 1 Treble into the same point, * 2 Chain,
1 Treble into the same, repeat from * end of the row.
Fifth row — take up the braid again, work 4 Chain, put
the hook through the point of the braid, 1 Chain, and make
a Double into the first loop, * 2 Chain, hook through the
next point, 2 Chain, 1 Double into the next loop, repeat
from * to the end of the row, sew the points of braid
together as before. Sixth row — same as the fourth.
Seventh row — * 1 Treble into Chain between the 2 Trebles
on the last row, 6 Chain, put the hook into the second
Chain to form a Picot, 1 Chain, 1 Treble into the same loop,
3 Chain, and repeat from * to end of row, and fasten off.

Wool Aster in Crochet. — Materials required : Yellow,
black, and three shades of crimson double Berlin wool,
and medium-sized bone crochet needle. Commence with
the yellow wool, with 5 Chain, join round, and work 12
Double Crochet in the ring. Second round — yellow,
1 Double Crochet, 1 Chain, twelve times. Third round —
darkest shade of red, 1 Double Crochet, 2 Chain, 1
Treble, a Picot (viz., 4 Chain, 1 Double Crochet in the
first of the chain), 1 Treble Chain, 1 Double Crochet,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

all in the front loop of every Chain stitch of the last
round, thus making twelve petals. Fourth round — next
lightest shade of red, 1 Double Crochet in the back loop
of every Double Crochet stitch of the second round, and

1 Chain between each Double Crochet. Fifth round —
same colour, 1 Double Crochet, 2 Chain, 1 Double Treble,
Picot, 1 Double Treble, 2 Chain, 1 Double Crochet, all in
the front loop of every Chain stitch of the last round,
again making twelve petals. Sixth round — lightest shade
of red — 1 Double Crochet in the back loop of every
Double Crochet stitch of the fourth round, twenty-four
Double Crochet in all. Seventh round — same colour, 1
Double Crochet, 2 Chain, miss 1, repeat. There should be
twelve loops of 2 Chain. Eighth round — Same colour, # 1
Double Crochet on the Double Crochet of last round,

2 Chain, 1 Double Treble, Picot, 1 Double Treble, 2
Chain, all under the 2 Chain of last round; repeat from *.
This will again make twelve petals. Ninth round — black,
1 Double Crochet in any Picot, 2 Chain, 1 Double Treble

119

next Treble, and another Picot, as just described; repeat.
There should be 10 Double Crochet stitches and 10 Picots
in the round. Third round — next lightest shade of red,
1 Double Crochet over the Double Crochet of last round,
insert the hook in the next Chain stitch, draw the wool
through and work 5 Chain, draw the wool through the
chain and through the stitch on the hook; repeat, in-
creasing 1 Double Crochet and 1 Picot in the course of
the round. Fourth round — lightest shade of red, the
same as the third round, making 12 Double Crochet and
12 Picots. Fifth round — the same colour, and to be
worked the same as the fourth round. Sixth round-
brown, 1 Double Crochet, 4 Chain, miss 2, repeat. There
should be 8 loops of 4 Chain. Seventh round — work 5
Double Crochet under every 4 Chain. Eighth round —
brown, 1 Double Crochet on the first of the 5 Double
Crochet of last round, 1 Treble on the next, 1 Double
Treble on the next, four Chain, 1 Double Crochet in the
first of the Chain, 1 Double Treble on the same Double

Fig. 212. CROCHET-YAK LACE

on the Double Crochet stitch of last round, 2 Chain,
repeat. Tenth round — same colour as the fifth round,
1 Double Crochet on the Double Crochet stitch of last
round, 3 successive Picots, repeat. Twelve of these asters
will make a good sized antimacassar, and to fill up the
spaces between each aster, work the two rounds as
directed for the yellow wool, and a third round in black
of 1 Double Crochet, 3 Chain.

Wool Dahlia in Crochet . — Materials required: double
Berlin wool, brown, black, and three shades of crimson,
and medium-sized bone crochet hook. Commence with
the brown wool, with 3 Chain, join round, and work 10
Treble in the ring. Throughout the dahlia take up both
the top loops of preceding row. Second round — darkest
shade of red, 1 Double Crochet, insert the hook in the
same stitch as the Double Crochet is already worked in,
draw the wool through, and work 5 Chain, draw the wool
through the last of the Chain and through the stitch on
the hook to form a Picot, 1 Double Crochet on the

Crochet as the other Double Treble, 1 Treble on the next
Double Crochet, and 1 Double Crochet on the last of
the five Double Crochet of last round; repeat. There
should be eight leaves in the round. Ninth round — black,
1 Double Crochet under the four Chain, 3 Chain, 1
Double Treble in between the 2 Double Crochet of last
round, 3 Chain, repeat. Tenth round — darkest shade of
red, 1 Double Crochet on the Double Crochet of last
round, 1 Treble, 1 Double Treble, 4 Chain, 1 Double
Crochet in the first of the Chain, 1 Double Treble,
1 Treble, all under the next three Chain of last round;
repeat. There should be sixteen leaves in this last round.

Yak Lace , Crochet . — This is a description of crochet
that is a copy of real Yak and Maltese lace, and is worked
in either fawn-coloured or black Maltese thread, with a
medium-sized hook. It is illustrated in Fig. 212. Make a
Chain the length required. First row — work 1 Long
Stitch, make 1 Chain, miss 1 loop, work 1 Long Stitch,
make 3 Chain, work a stitch of Single Crochet into the

r 2o

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

first of 3 Chain, miss 1 loop. Second row— wort 3 extra
Long Stitches into the first Chain % mate 0 Chain, wort
1 stitch of Single Crochet into the third from hoot,
repeat f rom * once, mate 2 Chain, miss 4 loops of first
row, work 1 stitch of Double Crochet into the next Chain,
make 10 Chain, work a stitch of Single Crochet into the
third from the hook, making the loop of Chain, turn
under the third Chain, work 1 stitch of Single Crochet
into the first, making the loop of 3 Chain over the 3
Chain, work a stitch of Double Crochet in Chain after
the next 4 Long of first row, make 6 Chain, work a stitch
of Single Crochet into the third from hook, make 3 Chain,
work 1 stitch of Single into the first stitch, make 7 Chain,
work 1 Single stitch into the third from the hook, make

3 Chain, work a stitch of Single into first, make 3 Chain,
work a stitch of Double Crochet into same loop as last,
make 6 Chain, work a stitch of Single Crochet into third
loop, the loop of three Chain over, make 3 Chain, miss

4 loops of first row and repeat third row, make 1 Chain,
work a stitch of extra Long Crochet into first Chain
after three extra Long stitches, make 8 Chain, work a
stitch of Single into the third, the loop of 3 to be under*
make 3 Chain, take up the third, and fasten the loop of
three Chain over, make 3 Chain, work a stitch of Single
Crochet in the third Chain under* 1 stitch of Double
Crochet into fourth loop of ten Chain in last row, make
7 Chain, turn, miss the first from the hook, work I
Double Crochet into each, make 1 Chain, work 1 Double
Crochet into each loop on the other side of 6 Chain* 1
single at point, make 2 Chain, work 2 Double Crochet
into central loops of four Chain, between the loops of
three Chain in first row. This forms the centre of
festoon; work the remainder to correspond. Fourth row
— work 5 stitches Double Crochet into successive loops,
beginning on the first Chain in last row, make 3 Chain,
work 2 Double Crochet* beginning on the Single at the
point of leaf, make 4 Chain, continue the row to corre-
spond. Fifth row — work 1 Double Crochet over the first
in the last row, make 1 Chain, miss 1 loop, work 10 of
Double Crochet into the next, make 1 Chain, miss 1 loop,
work 1 Double Crochet, make 3 Chain, miss 3 loops, work
1 Double Crochet, make 3 Chain, miss 3 loops* work I
Double Crochet* make 4 Chain, miss 4 loops, work 2
stitches of Double Crochet, and continue the row to
correspond. Sixth row — work 3 stitches of Double Crochet
into successive loops* beginning on the first loop of the
last row, make 13 Chain, work a leaf the same as in
third row, work 2 stitches of Double Crochet* beginning
on the second of 4 Chain* make 6 Chain, work a stitch
of Single Crochet into the third from the hook, make
3 Chain, work 1 stitch of Single Crochet into the first,
make 12 Chain, work a stitch of Single Crochet into
third from the hook, make 3 Chain, work a stitch of
Single Crochet into first, make 1 Chain, work a stitch
of Double Crochet into second loop of 6 Chain, make
1 Chain, continue the row to correspond. Seventh row —
work a stitch of Single Crochet over the Double in the
last row* work 5 stitches of Single, beginning on the
first of 13 Chain, 1 stitch of Single Crochet in the point
of the leaf, make 12 Chain, work a Double Crochet into

fifth loop of 9 left between the loops of 3 Chain in last
row. Eighth row — work 3 stitches of Single Crochet,
beginning on the first of last row, miss 3 loops, # , work
1 Long stitch into the next loop, make 1 Chain, miss
1 loop, repeat from # five times, * work 1 Long stitch
into the next loop, make 1 Chain, repeat from * eight
times* continue the row to correspond* Ninth row — *
make 4 Chain, work an extra Long stitch single, miss
1 loop, work 1 Long stitch, miss 3 loops, work 1 Long
stitch, make 3 Chain, work 1 Long stitch into the same
loop as last, # make 3 Chain, miss 3 loops, w r ork 1
Long stiteli, make 1 Chain, miss 1 loop, work 1 Long
stitch, repeat from ^ once* make 5 Chain, continue the
row to correspond. Tenth row — work 4 extra Long
stitches in the fourth Chain at the beginning of the
last row, miss 4 loops, work 3 stitches of single Crochet,
* make 4 Chain, work a stitch of Single Crochet into the
third from the hook, repeat from * twice, make 1 Chain,
miss 3 loops, work 3 stitches of Single Crochet, work
another loop of 3 loops of Chain, join the crochet, miss 3
loops, work 3 stitches of Single Crochet, work a loop of
5 loops for the centre, each made of 3 loops as before.

Chain Stitch . — All the stitches of Crochet are formed
of varieties of Chain Stitch. It is a loop drawn through
an already formed loop, a single loop counting as one
Chain. To work : Hold the crochet hook in the light hand,

Fig, 215. Crochet— Chain Stitch*
the work in the left, with the cotton thrown over the
forefinger of that hand. Hitch the cotton round the hook
by a movement of the right hand and draw it through
the loop already upon the hook (see Fig. 213). A given

Fjq. 214. Crochet— Cross Stitch.

number of these Chains form the foundation of Crochet
patterns, and open spaces In the work are always passed
over with a given number of these loops. The abbreviation
is < f ckn” in Crochet Instruction, Sec Foundation Chain,

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

12 1

Cross Stitch. — Commence with a Double Founda-
tion, and then work as in Slanting Stitch, except that
the hook is put through both loops of the Foundation.
To work : Put the hook through both the loops on the
line beneath and round the cotton, as shown by the arrow
in Fig. 214, draw the cotton through as a loop, put the
cotton round the hook, and draw it through the two
loops.

Cross Stitch , Open. — A useful stitch for light shawls
or petticoats. Make a Foundation Ciiain of width
required. Put the wool twice round at the back of the
hook, exactly contrary to the usual manner of putting
it round, and pass the hook downwards through the next
stitch (as shown in Fig. 215 by the left-hand arrow)

Fio. 215. Crochet— Oten Choss Stitch.

at the back. Bring the wool in front, take it up with
the hook, and draw it through the three loops that are
already on the hook. This stitch is shown by the right-
hand arrow. Continue to the end of the row, and in
the return row work in the same way.

Cross Stitch , Raised. — This stitch is used for couvre-
pieds and other large pieces of Crochet. The wool used
is four-thread fleecy or double Berlin, and the work is
formed in stripes of various colours. The ground is

Fio. 210. Crochet— Bused Cross Stitch.

in Double Crochet, the crosses in Treble Crochet.
To work : Make a Foundation Chain with any number
of stitches that will divide into five, and work back to
the right-hand corner of strip. Second row — 2 Double

Crochet and 1 Treble put into the lowest part of the
first stitch in first row, * 1 Treble into the fourth stitch
in first row, put in as the first Treble, 3 Double Crochet,
1 Treble worked into the stitch on the first row next
to the last-made Treble, repeat from *. Third row — ■
all stitches in Double Crochet. Fourth row — commence
with Treble, put one into the top part of the Trebles
in second row, 3 Double Crochet, * a Treble taken back
to the last one, and looped into the same stitch, then
a Treble into the top part of the Treble in the second
row (as shown in Fig. 21G), 3 Double Crochet, repeat
from *. Fifth row — like the third. Sixth row — like
the second row ; and so on to the end of the pattern.
The Trebles should be worked loose.

Cross Treble. — See Treble Crochet.

Cross Tricot Stitch . — See Tricot Stitch , Cross.

Doable Crochet. — To work: Twist the cotton round
the hook and draw it through the Foundation, take

Fig. 217. Crochet— Double Stitch.

the cotton on the hook again, and draw it through
these two loops, as shown in Fig. 217. Abbreviation in
Crochet Instructions, " D. C.”

Doable Crochet, Long. — A variety of Double Crochet
Stitch. To work: Take the cotton round the hook, and

Fio. 218. Crochet— Long Double Stitch.

insert the hook into Foundation, draw the cotton
through this as a loop, which will make three loops
upon the hook (see Fig. 218); take the cotton round
the hook again, and draw it through the three loops
on the hook at once.

Fig. 219. Crochet— Raised Double Stitch.

Double Crochet , Raised. — A variety of Double Crochet.

122

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Work tlie first row with Double Crochet, and for the
rest of the pattern work Double Crochet, but instead of
putting the hook through the top part of the loop of the
preceding row, as in ordinary Crochet, put it over the
whole of the loop and into the middle part of the stitch
under it in the preceding row, as shown in Fig. 219.

Double Knot. — Used when imitating Tatting -with
Crochet. Work 3 Chain, then make a loop of cotton
round the left forefinger, insert the hook over the
front thread and under the back, and draw up the thread
on to the hook as a knot, change the arrangement of the
loop with a twist of the left hand, insert the hook under
the first thread of the loop and over the second, and
draw up the loop on the hook as another knot.

Edge Stitch. — The first stitch of a row. Work as the
other stitches in the pattern, unless attention is especially
drawn to the Edge Stitch by a direction to work it plain.
To work plain : Retain the loop of the last stitch of the
previous row on the hook ; do not work it, but count that
loop as the first stitch on the new row.

except the last one, which only requires 1 Double Crochet
into it; work back as follows : Work the first stitch,
shown in pattern as a and b , draw the wool through the
three stitches on preceding row, and then through the
loop that has run through them. This is illustrated
in Fig. 220. Draw the stitch thus made through the
next three loops on preceding row, make as before, and
so on to end of row. Long loops will be formed with
the wool, and these must be loosely worked and pushed to
front of work. The next row consists in working 3 Double
Crochet into the three stitches drawn through. Work
these behind the loops that are shown by the figures 1, 2,
3 in design. The made stitch in last row is not worked ;
only the ones the work was drawn through. These last
two rows form the pattern, and are worked alternately
to end of strip. Be careful, in working this pattern, to
count the stitches every second row, so that none are
left unworked.

(2). — A suitable stitch for couvrepieds when made
in thick fleecy wool and with a large No. 8 bone hook, but

Fig. 221. CROCHET-FANCY STITCH.

Fancy Stitch (1). — A pretty stitch, used for making the
strips of couvrepieds or antimacassars when worked with
fine fleecy or single Berlin wool, and with a small bone

Fia. 220. Crochet— Faxcy Stitch.

hook. Make a Foundation Chain of an uneven number
of stitches. Work 2 Double Crochet into second stitch
of Chain, and continue working 2 Double into every Chain

which does not look well worked with fine cotton. Make a
Foundation Chain of an even number of stitches, work
a row of Tricot, and work back. Second row — Work
the first stitch plain, and then put wool round the hook,
bring it out at front, push the hook through the next two
long loops, still keeping the wool before the work, put
wool round hook, as shown in Fig. 221, and draw it through
the two loops. Put wool again round hook, thus making
a stitch for the one lost in the work, and continue
to end of row; work last stitch plain. Draw the wool
back through the Edge Stitch, and then through two
stitches, a3 in Tricot. The second row is repeated
throughout.

Fool's Crochet. — See Tricot Stitch.

Foundation Chain. — There are three ways of making
a Foundation to Crochet, all of which are varieties of
Chain. The simplest and most used is the plain Chain
Foundation illustrated in Chain Stitch ; the others
are Double and Purl Foundations. The Double Founda-
tion is made with two Chain stitches instead of one, and

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

is illustrated in Fig. 222* It is "worked thus : Make 2
Chain, put the hook into first Chain, draw the cotton
through it, take up more cotton, and draw it through both
loops on the hook, put the hook into left loop of the
work, draw cotton through so as to have two stitches on
the hook, then draw the cotton through both to have
but one, put the hook through the left loop of the work,

Fiej. 221 Crochet—! Double

FornDAiroir.

and continue until the length of Foundation is made*
Purl Foundation (Fig. 223) : Commence with making a 4
Chain, make a Treble into the first of the 4 Chain,
make another 4 Chain, and another Treble into its first
Chain, and repeat to end of length required. Tim line
just worked in any part of Crochet is known as Founda-
tion, and into it place the stitches of next row.

Half Stitch. — When tw'o stitches are worked as one
in contracting an edge they arc called Half Stitch* To
work : Put the hook with cotton round through Foun da-
tion and draw through as a loop, and then put the cotton
round the hook again, insert into next stitch on Foundation
row, and this time the stitch is completed by all the loops
that are upon the hook being worked up.

Hollow Spot StUch: — Sec Spot Stitch, Hollow.

Idiot Stitch * — Sec Tricot Stitch.

Josephine Tricot Stitch. — See Tricot Stitch , Josephine *

long Double Stitch.— Double Crochet, Dong.

Long Treble Stitch. • — Sec Treble Crochet , Long.

Loops Stitch, Raised. — See Raised Loop Stitch.

Open Crochet Stitch. — Tbc name given to either
Double or Treble Crochet, or their varieties when
worked in squares with spaces missed to correspond with

123

the height and number of stitches worked* Thus, to form
two Double Crochet stitches into a square of Open Crochet,
follow them by 2 Chain, which pass over 2 stitches on
Foundation Chain, or if three or four Treble Crochets
are to be made as a square, work four or five Chain, and
pass four or live Foundation stitches over.

Op on Cross Stitch . — Bee Cross Slit eh, Open .

Open Stitches Tricot. — -See. Trirol Stitches, Open.

Picot. — This is a Crochet stitch skuilar in appearance
to the Picot formed In needle-made .laces. In fine Crochet,
such as Irish and Honiton, it Is used to finish the Bars
that connect the detached sprigs together, as well as to
ornament the edge of the sprigs and design. In coarse
or ordinary Crochet it is used to give an appearance of
a lace finish to the edge of the design. To make : Foiun a
Chain of fi or 4 stitches according to the thickness of the
cotton, and put tlic hook back and through the first Chain,
and draw the cotton through that and through the loop
upon the hook at once, so that the stitches between them are
formed into a round or knob. It is sometimes called Purl.

Point de Tricot Stitch.-r&m Tricot Stitch, Pond de.

Point Heige Stitch , — An extremely effective stitch,
suitable for children’s jackets or petticoats, also for
couvrepieds and quilts. When worked in a round the
thread can remain unbroken, but for straight w r ork it must
be fastened off at the end of each row and commenced
from the starting point* To start with : Calculate that the
first stitch will take five of the Foundation Chain
to make, and the rest only two, so make Foundation Chain
accordingly. First row — Make a Foundation Chain the
length required, put the hook into the Chain next the last
one, and draw the weed through, then into the next three
Foundation Chain in succession, draw the wool through
each and leave all on the hook ; five loops will bo now
on the hook ; draw the wool through them all at once and
make 2 Chain; this completes the first stitch. Second
stitch — * put the hook through the first of the last two
Chains just made, and draw the wool through, then push
the hook through the loop on the last stitch on to which
the five loops were cast off, and draw the wool through it,
and then return to Foundation, and draw the wool
successively through the two next Chain on it, to again
have five loops on the hook, make 2 Chain, and repeat
from # to the end of the row, work the last stitch plain,
fasten off, and return to the other end* When the last
mentioned row is finished, each stitch will have a point
rising up above the line of work* Second row — Fasten the
wool into the side of the w'ork, make 3 Chain, draw the
loops through the second and first of these singly, then
through the stitch that makes the point mentioned above,
and lastly through the first or farthest away loop of the
five cast off together in the last row. The five necessary
loops being now on the hook, cast them off together by
drawing the wool through them, and then make 2 Chain.
Second stitch— put the hook through the 1 Chain, take up
the loop at the back upon which the five last loops have
been cast off, then the loop that forms the point in the
previous row, and the stitch farthest away of the five
loops in the last row, and draw these five loops through as
one ; continue this last stitch to the end of the row, and

124

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

make all the previous lines as tlie second. (See Fig. 224.)
“When using Point Ncige as au edgings make a border of

Fig. 22 A. CnOCHEr—PojNT Neige Stitch.

a Single Crochet on each side before comm cueing the
regular stitch.

Purl Stitch . — A useful stitch for edgings to Crochet,
and worked in three ways. The first, and the one that
most imitates Tatting or lace edgings, is shown in Fig. 225,
and is formed thus : # Work a Double Crochet, and
pull up the loop, as shown, take out the hook, and put it

Fig, £3j. Crocket— Purl Stitch*

through that part of the Double Crochet through which
the loop comes out, take the cotton round the hook and
make a loop, work one Double, and repeat from # * The
second Purl edging, which is shown in Fig. 226, work
as follows; One Treble, * 7 Chain, pass the hook
downwards into the second stitch of 7 Chain, put the
cotton put round it in that position and draw it through,

Fig. 226, Crochet— Purl Stitch,

so that the Furl thus formed with the 5 Chain is
turned upwards and forms an edging; work 1 Chain, and
make a Treble into the fourth stitch on the Foundation
from the last stitch, and continue from The other
variety of Purl is to turn this loop downwards, so
that a straight, an 4 uot a Purled, edge is formed. It is

worked like Fig* 226; but when the 7 Chain is made,
take the hook out and put it into the top part of the
second Chain, and the loop of the seventh Chain and
the fresh cotton draw through upwards* This brings
the purl below, and not above the row that is being
made* Also see PlCGT*

Railway Stitch. — Another name for Tricot Stitch
(which see),

liaised Cross Stitch .— See Cross Stitch,

Raised Double Stitch * — See Double Crochet .

Raised Loop Stitch, — A pretty stitch for making
Crochet borders and edgings that are executed with
wool. It should be done separately from the main work,
and sewn to it when finished. To form the design shown
in Fig, 227, malm a Foundation Chain of eight, and
work two Tricot rows ; the third row will be a return
row, and upon this the loops are formed* Make a five
Chain at every alternate stitch, and loop it in to the next
plain stitch* Leave the Edge Stitch plain. The next
row is Tricot; pick up the loops as usual, taking care to
take up those close behind the loops, keep the latter to
the front, and count the stitches before working back ; in
this return row T the loops will be taken alternately to those
of the third row* In the design shown in Fig. 227 two

Fig. 227, Crochet— Raised Loop Stitch.

colours are used in the border, and the loops are arranged
to form a diamond shape pattern. The colours are
red and white* The Foundation is all in red, and when
any white loops arc made, bring the white wool from
the back of the work, instead of the red through the
stitch preceding it* Make the 5 Chain with it, aud draw
it through the next loop, but draw the red through with
it; then drop tbe white wool until again required. A
reference to the pattern will show where it is inserted.
The scalloped edging is added when the border is finished.
First row— Double Crochet with red wool. Second
row — a white and red Double Crochet alternately, finish
each stitch with the colour to he used in the next one*
Third row — like first. Fourth row — with rod wool, I
Double Crochet # o Chain, 1 Long Treble in the first of
5 Chain, and fasten with 1 Double Crochet, put into the
fourth stitch of Foundation row; repeat from # *

Raided Open Tricot Stitch*— -See Tricot i Stitch, Open
Raised *

CROCHET LACE- IRISH.

DARNED LACE -OLD,

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

*25

Raised Spot Stitch. — See Spot Stitch , Raised.

Ribbed Stitch. — This stitch is also called Russian
stitch. It is much used for babies’ socks and muffatces,
and is also a good stitch for crochet counterpanes when
worked in various coloured wools. It is ordinary Double
Crochet, to which the appearance of ribbing is given by
the hook being put into the back part of the Foundation
every time a stitch is worked instead of into the front pari.
Provided the rows are worked backwards and forwards,

Fig. 22S. Crochet— Fibbed Stitch.

by always leaving the front loop and taking up the back
one, a rib is formed ; but if they are worked as a con-
tinuous round, a loop line only is the result. To work :
Put the cotton round the hook, put the hook through the
back loop of the Foundation Chain as shown in Fig. 228,
put the cotton round the hook and draw it through the
two loops, continue to the end of the row, turn the work,
and repeat.

Russian Stitch. — Another name for Ribbed Stitch
(which see).

Single Crochet. — A stitch used in close Crochet. To
work: Push the hook through the Foundation Chain,
draw the cotton through as a loop, place cotton round hook
and through both loops upon the hook. Abbreviation in
crochet instructions “ S. C.”

Slanting Stitch. — A variety of Double Crochet. Com-
mence by putting the hook into the Foundation as
shown by the arrow in Fig. 229 ; do not take any cotton
upon it, but pass it over the cotton after it is through the

Fig. 220. Crochet— Slanting Stitch.

Foundation, and then draw the cotton through the Founda-
tion as a loop ; then put the cotton roimd and draw the
two Foundation loops through into one. By this arrange-
ment a slanting appearance is given to the stitch.

Slip Stitch. — A stitch much used in Raised Crochet,
both in joining together detached sprays, and in passing
from one part of a pattern to another at the back of the
work. Put the hook through the Foundation at the back
part, and draw the cotton back with it through the loop

already on the hook, as shown on Fig. 230, where the
Foundation is slightly turned up to show where the hook

Fig. 230. Crochet- Slip Stitch.

should go through, the arrow marking the direction.
Abbreviation in crochet instructions " S.”

Spot Stitch , Hollow. — A stitch made with a Founda-
tion of Double Ccrohet wutli spots upon it in Treble
Crochet. A useful stitch for counterpanes, couvrepieds,
and antimacassars, and worked with fleecy or double Berlin
wool. Commence with a Foundation Chain of length
required, upon which work a straight row of Double
Crochet. First row — work five Double Crochet stitches,
insert the hook into the bottom front part of the stitch
of the preceding row, and work four Trebles without
touching the loop on the hook left from the Double Crochet,

Fig. 231. Crochet— Hollow Spot Stitch.

always putting the hook into the same stitch in preceding
row. For the fifth Treble put it into the same stitch as
preceding four, then take up the cotton and w T ork off the
three loops on hook, as in Treble Crochet. ( See Fig. 231,
which illustrates this last stage of the Hollow Spot.) Work
five Doubles, missing the stitch of preceding row under
the spot. The second row will have the spots worked as
above in it, but they w r ill be placed so as to come alter-
nately with the ones first w r orked. Must be w r orked all on
right side, each row being fastened off, the next com-
menced at the opposite end.

Spot Stitch , Raised. — This stitch is useful for large
pieces of w r ork, such as counterpanes, couvrepieds, &c., and
is generally worked in strips of various colours, and sew n
together w f hen finished, as the return Double Crochet row
allows of this. Berlin or fleecy wool required. It is formed
with a Foundation of Double Crochet, upon which
dots made wdth Treble Crochet are worked, and so
raised. Work tw*o rows of Double Crochet, and for third
row commence with 2 Double Crochet, * put the cotton
round the hook and jnsert into the third stitch of the first
row, passing over the second row ; take up the cotton and

126

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

work a Treble up to where two loops are left on the hook,
work 2 more Treble into the same stitch up to the same
length ( see Fig. 232, which shows the stitch at this stage);
take the cotton on to the hook, and draw it through the
four loops, leave the stitch of the preceding row under

Fig. 232. Crochet— Raised SrOT Stitch.

first part made is the uppermost; put the hook into the
first hole formed with the Chain stitches, draw the wool
through and make a Chain stitch as an outer rib, continue
up the line of holes left with the Chain stitches, draw the
wool through every hole, and make the Chain or Tambour

Fig. 233. Crochet— Tambour Stitch.

the spot unworked, work five Double Crochet ; and repeat
from # . Fourth row — a row of Double Crochet. Fifth
row — work seven Double Crochet, and then commence the
Raised Spot so that it may not come under that last
worked.

Square Stitch . — This is made either Close or Open.
A Close Square contains 2 Double Crochet and 2 Chain,
or 3 Double Crochet and 3 Chain; an Open Square requires
2 Chain and 1 Double Crochet, or 3 Chain and 1 Treble,
missing the same number of stitches on the Foundation
Chain as the Chains worked. Example : To form a Close
Square in Double Crochet, * work 2 Double Crochet
into the 2 following Chains on Foundation, 2 Chain,
miss 2 stitches on Foundation, and repeat from *. To form
a Close Square with Treble Crochet, work as in Double
Crochet, but work three Trebles into the three following
stitches on Foundation, 3 Chain, and miss 3 Foundation
stitches. To form an Open Square in Double Crochet, *
work 1 Double Crochet, 2 Chain, and miss 2 stitches on
Foundation ; repeat from *. To form an Open Square in
Treble Crochet, * work 1 Treble, 3 Chain, and miss 3
Foundation stitches ; repeat from *. In Close Squares the
Doubles or Trebles forming them arc worked in the second
row, upon the Chain stitches, and not above the Doubles or
Trebles of first row; in Open Squares they are worked
above those made in preceding row.

Tambour Stitch . — For straight Crochet this stitch
requires the wool to be fastened off at the end of each
row, but for round articles it will work correctly without
the wool being fastened off. In Fig. 233 two shades of
fleecy wool, one for Foundation and one for Tambour, are
used. To work : * Make 1 Double Crochet, 1 Chain,
miss one stitch on Foundation row, and repeat from *
to end of row. In the return row work Double Crochet
put into each Double Crochet of the preceding row, shown
by arrow in Fig. 233. When a sufficient length of Founda-
tion has been worked, fasten off and commence the Tambour
with another coloured wool. To make the Tambour stitch
over the Foimdation, join the new wool with 1 Chain on to
the first Chain in the last row of Foundation, keep the wool
at the back of the work, and turn the work so that the

above each one at the end of the line, and work Slip stitch
to the next hole; turn, and work up, and continue these
lines of Tambour (three of which are shown in Fig. 233),
until the entire set of holes are ornamented with the raised
Chain. The work can be diversified by using several colours
instead of one in the Tambour lines, but the Foundation
should be all of one shade of wool.

Fig. 231 is a variety of the same stitch. In this the
Foundation is all worked in Double Crochet, and the raised
lines worked at the same time as the Foundation. The
design of this pattern is to imitate square tiles. To work:
Commence with a row of Double Crochet in dark wool,

Fio. 234. Crochet— Tambour Stitch.

then work 7 rows of light wool and commence the eighth
with the dark, work 5 Double Crochet and then # , run the
hook downwards through the loops on the sixth stitch of
the seven preceding rows (see Fig. 231); put the w r ool round
the hook, draw it through the last loop on the hook and
make a Chain, put the wool round the hook and draw

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

1 27

through the next loop and make a Chain, and continue
until all the loops are worked off and a raised Chain is
made, then continue the row of Double Crochet with the
dark wool, work 7 Double Crochet, and repeat from *,
work 7 plain light rows of Double Crochet and repeat
the eighth row, but in this make the lines of Chain Stitch
not above the previous ones, but in the centre stitch of
the 7 of last line.

Treble Crochet.— Put the cotton once round the hook,
which insert into Foundation, put cotton again round,
and draw it through, having now three loops on the hook

Fig. 235 . Crochet— Treble Stitch.

(see Fig. 235), place cotton again round hook and pull it
through two of the loops, leaving two on the hook, place
cotton again round and pass it through the two left on
the hook. Abbreviation in Crochet Instructions , " T. C.”
Treble Stitch, Cross. — Take the cotton twice round
hook, and put it into the Foundation next to stitch
last worked, take cotton once round hook and draw it
through as a loop, take on more cotton and draw it through
two loops on the hook, which will leave three still there,
wind cotton once round the hook and put the hook into

Foundation, 2 stitches from last insertion (see Fig. 236)
and draw it through, forming a loop, thus having five
loops on hook ; take up cotton and work off two loops at a
time until only one remains, make 2 Ciiain and make
1 Treble into the upper cross part of stitch, and
repeat for the next Cross Treble.

Treble Stitch, Double Long. — A variety of Treble
Crochet, but where the cotton in Treble the first time
is wound once round the hook, in Double Long Treble
it is wound three times, and cast off with the worked
stitches one by one. It is but little used in Crochet,
as the stitch formed by so many castings off is too long
for anything but coarse work. Abbreviation in Crochet
Instructions, “ d. 1. t.”

Treble Stitch , Long. — A variety of Treble, in which the
cotton is wound twice round the hook, and cast off with the
worked stitches one by one, thus making a longer stitch
than ordinary Treble. To work : Wind cotton twice round
hook and insert into Foundation Crochet, draw
through, wind cotton once round and draw through
two loops, wind cotton once round and draw through

two loops, wind cotton once round and draw through

two loops, wind cotton once round and draw through

last two loops. Abbreviation in Crochet Instructions,

“L. T.” See Treble.

Treble Stitch, Raised. — Work three rows of Ribbed
Stitch. Fourth row — work 2 Ribbed Stitches, and make
a Treble for next, putting the hook into the stitch under-
neath it of the first row, work 2 Trebles in this way, then 2

Fig. 237 . Crochet— Raised Treble Stitch.

Ribbed Stitches, then 2 Trebles, and continue to the end
of the row. Fifth row — turn the work and work a row of
Ribbed Stitch. Sixth row — commence with the 2 Trebles,

Fig. 233 . Crochet— Raised Treble Stitch.

putting them into the third row beneath the stitch, and
continue to work 2 Ribbed and 2 Trebles to end of row, as
shown in Fig. 237. Seventh row — like fifth. Eighth — like
sixth ; and go on to end of the pattern. By working the

128

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Ribbed between the Treble row tlie raised part of the
work is always kept on the right side.

A variation of this stitch is shown in Fig. 238, in
which one Raised Treble is taken up the work in diagonal
lines. As this arrangement does not allow of the work
being turned, commence each row on the right-hand side,
or work the whole round. Commence with Foundation
Chain and two rows of Double Crochet. Third row-
work Treble Crochet between every third Double
Crochet ; take it over the lines already made, as described
in the first pattern, and put it in, as shown in Fig. 238,
by the arrow ; in the next row work as before, only putting
the first Treble in the stitch beyond the one worked in the
previous row. Always work 3 Double Crochet between
each Raised Treble.

Tricot Stitch. — Also known as Tunisian Crochet ,
Railway , FooVs, and Idiot Stitch . The easiest of Crochet
stitches, but only suitable for straight work ; it is usually
worked with Berlin or fleecy wool, and a wooden hook,
No. 4, and is suitable for couvrepieds, counterpanes, muffa-
tees, mufflers, and other warm articles. The hook must be
sufficiently long to take the length of the work upon it
at one time, and when large pieces are required work them
in strips and sew together, to render them less cumber-
some while in progress. To work: Make a Foundation
Chain of the required length, with 1 Chain over for second
row, put the hook through the second Foundation Chain,
and make a stitch, leave it on the hook, pick up the third
Foundation Chain, make a stitch, and leave on the hook ;
continue until all the Foundation stitches are picked up,

Fig. 239 . Crochet— Tricot Stitch.

made, and on the hook. Third row — wool over the hook,
which draw 7 through 2 loops, wool over and draw through
the next 2, and so on to the end of the row. Fourth row —
upon the work will now be visible a number of long upright
loops, put the hook through the first of these and make a
stitch, leave it on the hook, and continue to pick up loops,
make them and keep them on the hook to the end of the
row. The rest of the work is third and fourth row alter-
nately. Be careful to count the number of stitches on
the hook from time to time, as the end loops are frequently
overlooked. The work is increased in any place by a
stitch made at the end, and narrowed by tw r o stitches being
looped together. The stitch is shown in Fig. 239, which

is a Tricot of 14 Chain as Foundation, and worked with
shaded wools.

Tricot Stitch, Cross. — This stitch, worked with a fine
bone hook and in single wool, is a close, useful one for
comforters and muffatees, and with a large hook and fleecy
wool makes good couvrepieds or crossover shawls. It is a
variation of ordinary Tricot, in which the second stitch
is crossed under the first and worked before it. To w r ork :
Make a Foundation Chain of width required, and work a
row of Tricot, which take back in the usual manner.
Second row — work the Edge Stitch plain, then take
out hook and draw the second loop through the first,
as shown in Fig. 240, by the direction of the arrow and

Fig. 210. Crochet— Cross Tricot Stitch.

the figures 2 and 1, work the loop number 2, and retain
it on hook and then the loop number 1, which also retain
(see illustration) ; continue to the end of the row,
working the last stitch like the Edge stitch plain, return
back as in Tricot. In the next row the Cross stitches
will not come under the ones below them, but will be
altered in position. Work the first loop on the row
without crossing it, and turn the loop next to it over
the first loop of the second cross, thus working together
the two stitches away from each other instead of the two
close together; these two lines constitute the whole of
the work.

Tricot Stitch , Ecossais . — Commence by making a
Foundation Chain of eleven stitches, keep the loop on the
hook, the wool being at the back of it, bring the wool over
the hook to the front and leave it at the back, put the hook
into the last Chain stitch but one, and bring the wool
through in a loop. There will now be three loops on the
hook, put the hook into the next Chain stitch, bring the
wool through in a loop, put the hook into the next Chain,
and bring the wool through. There will now be five loops
on the hook. Hold the second of these five loops with
the finger and thumb of the left hand, turn it over
the other three loops at the back, and raise three loops
from the three upright stitches of those which appear
tied together. These three stitches are marked in Fig. 241
by an arrow and the figures 1 and 2. Then turn the
loop made on the hook over these three loops, repeat
from the commencement of the row twice more, and at

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

129

the end put the hook into the last stitch and raise one
loop ; work back as in the first row. Repeat the second
row until the length is made.

Fio. 241. Crochet—Ecossais Stitch.

Tricot Stitch , Fancy (1). — An arrangement of Tricot
by which perpendicular loops are formed. It is worked
with the usual Tricot wooden hook and with fleecy or
Berlin wool, and is useful for comforters and petticoats,
as it makes a warm, close stitch. Make a Foundation
Chain of the width required, and work a line of Tricot,
which take back, first stitch through one loop and the

Fio. 242. Crochet— Fancy Tricot Stitch (No. 1).

without taking the wool on the hook again, take up the
next small stitch above a long loop (the wool should be
still in front), insert the hook from the back between the
next two long loops, draw the wool to the back, and pass

Fid. 213. Crochet— Fancy Tricot Stitch (No. 2).

this stitch into the last raised, continue to the end,
work back in the usual way very loosely, and repeat
the second row. The arrow in Fig. 213 shows how the
wool should cross the loop, not where the hook is to be
inserted.

(3). — This stitch is useful for petticoats and muffa-
tees, as it is thick and close It requires a bone hook
and single Berlin or fleecy wool. ( See Fig. 241.) To work :
Make a Foundation Chain 8 inches long, take up all
the loops as in Tricot, and work back. Second row — take
up the Chain between the first and second perpendicular
loops, draw the wool through, put the hook through the
second long loop (see the arrow in Fig. 244) into the

rest through two. Second row — instead of picking up the
loops, as in Tricot, push the hook through the stitch below
the horizontal line and out at the back, as shown by the
arrow in Fig. 242; take up the wool, draw it through
to the front, and leave it on the hook. Repeat to the end
of the row, and work back as described before.

(2). — This is a pretty stitch for handkerchiefs,
shawls, &c., or as a stripe for a blanket. Cast on a
Foundation Chain the length required. First row — raise
all the loops as in Tricot, and work back very loosely.
Second, or pattern row — keep the wool to the front of
the work, take up the little stitch at the top of the long
loop without drawing the wool through, put the hook from
the back of the work between the next two !oops, draw
the wool through to the back across the long loop, pass
the stitch thus formed into the one above the long loop

Fia. 244. Crochet— Fancy Tricot Stitch (No. 3).

third loop (see dot), and draw the third loop through the
second which crosses them; then draw the wool through
the third loop, which is now on the hook, * take up the
next Chain after the third loop ; then cross the two next
long loops, and draw the wool through the last ; repeat to
the end of the row; work back in Tricot. Third row —
Tricot. Fourth — like the second. Continue these two
rows to the end of the work.

(4). — A variety of Tricot, and worked thus : Make a
Foundation Chain the width required, and take up all
the stitches, and work them off one by one for first row, as
in Tricot. Second row — * thread round hook, pick up two
stitches together, repeat to end of row from * until the last
stitch, which pick up singly; this is the row shown in

s

I 3°

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK ,

Fig. 245 ; work back, making a separate stitch of each one
in last row. Third row— thread round hook, do not work
the first loop of last row, so as to keep the edge of the
work smooth, * pick up nest two long loops, thread round

Tricot Stitch, Open . — A fancy arrangement of Tricot
so that an open stitch is formed. Work with fine Shetland
wool and with a wooden Tricot hook as large as can he
used with the wool First row — make a Foundation
Chain, and work the second and third rows as in Tricot.
Fourth row — put the hook in between the two perpendi-
cular threads that look like a plain knitting stitch, and
push it through to the back of the work under the
straight Chain [see Fig. 247 and arrow), draw the wool

Fra. 245. Crochet— Faxcy Stitch,

hook, and repeat from *, work the last loop by itself, and
making a loop before it, return back as before. The work
when seen on the wrong side looks like Treble Crochet.

Tricot Stitch, Josephine *' — This stitch, which is shown
in Fig. 246,13 used for shawls or antimacassars. Commence
by making a Chain of the full length as a foundation.
First row — insert the hook in the fourth Chain stitch, draw
a loop through it, draw another loop through the newly
formed stitch, which loop must be retained on the hook,
repeat this once more in the same stitch, insert the hook
again in the same stitch, and draw a loop through. There
will now be three loops on the liook as well as the loop,

Fig. Crochet— Josephixe Tricot Stitch.

which was there at the beginning. Draw a loop through
the three loops, and let that loop remain on the hook ; repeat
in every stitch of the row. Second row — work off as in
ordinary Tricot. , Third row — make 2 Chain stitches, work
in the same way as for the first row, with the exception of
working under instead of into the stitches. Work off as
the second row, continue to repeat the third row and
second row until the work is the length required. Only
work the two Chain stitches at the commencement of the
rows to make them even.

Fro, 247. Chochet -Tricot Open Stitch.

through and make a loop, which keep on the hook, and
repeat to the end of the row. Fifth row — like the return
row of Tricot, Sixth row — as the fourth. The work should
look, as shown in the illustration, like a number of open
loops with a horizontal chain as a Foundation. If the wool
used is very fine, stretch the work out when finished on a
board, wet it, and press it with a warm iron, protecting it
from the iron with a handkerchief. This will draw the
work into its right position.

Tricot Stitch, Open Raised, — A handsome raised
stitch used for crossovers, petticoats, and comforters. It
should be worked in double Berlin or four thread fleecy
wool. Make a Foundation Chain of the width required,
and work a row of Tricot, and then back. Second row-
work the first stitch plain, then bring the wool in front of
the work and put the hook into the hollow between the first

Fig. 2 IS. Crochet— Opes Raised Tricot Stitch.

and second loop, allow this to catch hold of the wool at
the back, the wool passing from the front to the back
over the work, bring the hook back again to the front with
the wool on it, put it into the hole between the second and
third loops, and let it catch the wool, returning with it on
the hook, where there will now be three loops for the one
stitch, draw the last made loop through the other two ( see
Fig. 248), and retain it on the hook. For the next stitch

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

put the wool forward, and the hook into the same space
as before, between, the second and third loops, and repeat
from Work the last stitch as the first stitch, and work
back in Tricot*

Tricot Stitch, Point de — A pretty stitcli, suitable for
children's quilts and couvrepieds, worked with double or
single Berlin wool, according to taste and the size of the
article to be made* It should he worked in strips for large
couvrepieds of various colours, or in shaded wools in one
piece for children's quilts. Make a Foundation Chain
of the width required* First row— wool round the hook,
pass the hook through the third Chain and draw the wool
through, leave it on the hook, wool round the hook and
again into the same third Chain, draw the wool through,
wool round the hook and pass through the first two loops on
the hook, then round and through three loops on the hook ;
(there will now be two loops left on the hook) ; # wool
round the hook and pass it through the second Chain from
last on the Foundation, draw the wool through, and leave it
on the hook, wool round, and again pass the hook through
the second Chain and draw the wool through, wool round
and through the first two loops on the hook, wool round

Fid. 2 Crochet— P orsT be Tricot Stitch*

and through the next three, leave three loops on the hook ;
repeat from * to the end of the row, always increasing the
stitches left on the hook ; work the last stitch by putting
the wool through and drawing it up to the length of the
rest. Second row — work back, wool tb rough the first
loop, * 1 Chain, wool round and through the loop of Chain
and one on the hook ; repeat from # to end of the row.
Third row— 1 Chain, # wool round the hook, put the hook
through the long loop and through a horizontal thread
that will be seen between the stitches of the last row
beneath the line made in working back, draw the wool at
once through these two loops, wool round the hook, and
this time put into the horizontal thread, only putting the
hook under and through it, not over it; draw the wool
through, then wool round the hook and through the two
first loops on the hook, tvooI round tbe hook and through the
nest three loops, and leave two on the hook ; repeat from
# to the end of the row, always leaving after each stitch a
fresh loop on the hook. Repeat second and third rows

131

throughout the work. Fig. 249 shows the stitch fully-
worked*

Tunisian Crochet . — See Tricot Stitch.

Crochet Braid, or Cordon Braid.— A description of
cotton braid, very fully waved. It is heavy -made, and
is employed both for braiding and as a foundation for
crochet work; hence its name.

Crochet Cottons. — So called because manufactured
expressly for crochet work* They can be had on reels,
in balls, or in skeins* The numbers run from 8 to 50*

Crochet Heedle, or Hook. — A name derived from the
French Crochet f a small hook* It consists of a long
round bone or gutta percha needle, having a hook at
one end, or a steel one fixed into a handle.

Crochet Silk.— {Sole Mi-serrc). This silk is so called
by the French because only half tightened in the twisting.
It is a coarse description of Cordonnet, varying only from
that material in the mode of twisting, hut more brilliant
and flexible than tbe usual purse and netting silks, and
thus distinguished from them by the name of the work
for which it is intended* A finer twist in black for
Russian stitch is to be had. There is also the ombre
crochet or purse silk.

Crochet Twist.— Otherwise called Getting Silk and
Purse Twist* A more tightly twisted cord than that
called Soic Mi-serrc. It is sold in large skeins of eight to
the ounce, by the single skein, or by the dozen.

Cross Bar, Open.— A stitch nsed in pillow laces for
Braids, or to form an open side to a leaf where the thick
side has been made in Cloth Stitch. Tlie manner of work-
ing is described in Braid Work* (See Open Cross Braid,)

Cross-Barred, or Cheeked Muslin.— Also called
Scotch Checks* These muslins are all white and semi-
clcar, having stripes of thicker texture and cords to form
the pattern, either in checks or stripes* The widths run
from 32 inches to a yard, and the prices vary much. They
are employed for curtains and covers of furniture, as well
as for dresses, aprons, and pinafores. There are also
Hair Cord and Fancy Muslins of the same description of
material.

Crossing.— See Knitting*

Cross Stitch* — The manner of making CROSS STITCH
in Berlin Work and Crochet is described under those head-
ings, but the stitch is also largely used in various fancy

Fig* 250 . Cross Stitch*

embroideries upon silk, cloth, and linen materials, and is
formed with all kinds of purse and other embroidery
silks, and coloured linen threads. The stitch is made as
shown in Fig* 259. Its beauty consists of its points being
enclosed in a perfect square. To work ; Take the first
part of the stitch from the left-hand bottom side of tb©
square across to the right-hand top side, and the second

B 2

132

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

from the right-hand bottom side to the left-hand top side,
crossing over the first stitch.

Cross Tracing. — Cross Tracing is used in Honiton
Pillow Lace as a variation to Vandyke tracery and Cloth
and Shadow Stitches for leaves. It requires to be exe-
cuted with extreme attention and care, as it is not marked
out with pins, and, as two arms of the cross are in pro-
gress together, two twists have to be attended to. The
two arms arc commenced at different sides, brought down
to meet in the middle, and carried again to the sides. In
making a Cross Tracing it is advisable to put a pin into
the middle hole, to mark it. The directions given arc
for working a Cross Tracing over ten pairs of Bobbins,
and in a small space; in a large space the twist can be
thrice instead of twice, and the work taken over a greater
number of Bobbins. The workers are twisted twice as
they pass to and fro, and the passive Bobbins on each of
the strands thus formed only once ; the pattern is made by
varying the place of the twist. First row — work 1, twist,
work 8, twist, work 1. Second row — work 2, twist, work
6, twist, work 2. Third row — work 3, twist, work 4, twist,
work 3. Fourth row — work 4, twist, work 2, twist, work 4.
Fifth row — work 5, twist, stick a pin, work 5. Sixth row
— work 4, tw T ist, work 2, twist, work 4. Seventh row —
work 3, twist, work 4, twist, work 3. Eighth row — work
2, twist, work 6, twist, work 2. Ninth row — work 1, twist,
work 8, twist, work 1.

Crowns. — These are used in needle-point laces to
ornament the Brides and Cordonnet, and are identical
with Couronnes.

Croydons. — A description of cotton sheeting, from two
to three yards wide; also a make of calico varying from
27 to 36 inches in width. They are stout, and have a
slightly glazed finish.

Crumb Cloths. — A heavy Damask, made in grey and
slate colour, of all sizes, in squares and widths, the latter
varying from 14 to 36 inches. The designs on these
Cloths are adopted for the purposes of embroidery, being
worked over in outline with coloured wools, silks, and
crewels. For stair coverings they can be had in grey and
slate colour, and also with borders, varying from 18
inches to two yards in width.

Crystal Silk Wool. — A knitting yam, composed of a
mixture of wool and silk, of fine texture, and very durable.
When knitted it shows more silk than wool, and has a
brilliant lustre. It may be had in twenty distinct varieties
of colour, as well as in plain black, in 8oz. packets.

Cubica. — A very fine kind of Shalloon, used for lining
coats and dresses. It is made of worsted, and varies in
width from 32 to 36 inches. See Shalloon.

Cucumber Braid. — See Braids.

Cucumber Flaitings.— See Plaitings.

Cuir. — The French word to signify Leather (which
see).

Curragh Point.— See Irish Lace.

Curtain Serge. — This is a new material, produced in
several “ art colours.” It is a stout all-wool stuff, employed
for portieres and other hangings. It is 54 inches in width,
and is a handsomc-looking fabric.

Curves. — These are made in pillow laces, with the false
pinhole3, in the same manner as Circles (which sec).

Cushion. — A term sometimes given to the pillow upon
which pillow laces are made. See Pillow.

Cushion Stitch.— Cross Stitch has become confounded
with Cushion Stitch, in consequence of its having been
so called when used in ancient Church embroidery to
ornament kneeling mats and cushions; but the real Cushion
Stitch is of almost as ancient an origin, and is a flat
Embroidery stitch largely employed to fill in backgrounds
in old needlework. It was sometimes worked very minutely,
to fill in the faces and hands of figures, before the intro-
duction of the peculiar Chain Stitch in Opus Anglicanum
work. As a background stitch it is well known, and
is to be found in many pieces of needlework executed in
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. After Church em-
broidery fell into disuse, Cushion Stitch was formed with
worsteds upon canvas that was slightly open, but woven
with the same distance between each thread; it then
formed both pattern and background. It is now worked in
a frame upon an evenly woven, close, coarse canvas, the
threads of which serve as guiding lines. It is a variety
of Satin Stitch; its peculiarities are its forming regular
Vandykes, curves, and half-circles, one above the other, on
the background, instead of being taken from end to end of
the space without variation. To work : Keep the em-
broidery silk entirely on the surface of material, bring the
needle up from the back at one end of Vandyke or curve,
and put it down at the other in a straight line from where
it came out. Bring it up close to where it went down, a
thread of the material being sufficient to hold it, pass it
back across the space to the side it first came from, and
put it through the material, to form another straight line.
Continue until the space is covered, and lay the lines of
stitches with the evenness and precision of weaving.

Cut Canvas Work. — This is similar to British
Raised Work.

Cut Cloth Flower Embroidery. — A fancy Embroidery
that is now out of date. It consists of producing upon
a flat surface garlands and groups of raised flowers
in their natural colours. Cut out of fine cloth that
matches them in tint, the petals of the flowers and the
various leaves. To work : Lay these upon the foundation,
and either fasten them to it with Buttonhole Stitch
in filoselles, as in Broderic Perse, or with long Satin
stitches. Fill in the centres of the flowers with French
Knots and various fancy Embroidery stitches, and or-
nament the leaves and form tendrils and sprays that
are too fine to be cut from the coloured cloth with Coral
and Feather Stitch worked upon the background.

Cutting off Bobbins. — Lift the pair to be tied and cut
in the left hand, and place the scissors, closed, under the
threads, which bring round over them ; then turn the scis-
sors, the points facing the pillow, open the blades wide, and
draw the upper threads in between them as high as the
hinge; close the scissors gently, and the threads will not
be cut. Now draw the scissors down out of the encircling
threads, and a loop will come through on one point of the

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

13 3

scissors ; snip this, and the bobbins will be cut off and yet
tied together for future use*

Cutting Out. —Cutting-out is tho art of dividing a
piece of material into such forms, and agreeably to such
measurements, as that, when sewn together according to a
due arrangement of the several pieces, they shall form the
garment or other article desired* To do this correctly and
without waste of the material, lay the patterns upon it, in
various positions, so as to utilise every spare comer, taking
care to lay each piece the right way of tho grain, and to
leave the ** tumings-in ” sufficiently deep not only to allow
for the stitching, but also for enlarging tbc article if found
to need alteration. The various pieces of the pattern
having been fitted to the stuff, tack them down and
then cut out* If the material be carefully doubled, the
two sides may be cut out simultaneously ; but take care
to make no mistake as to the right and wrong sides, if
there be any difference, or both may be found cut for
the same side. The following are a few general and essen-
tial rules applicable to the cutting out of every article of
wear or use, more or less*

All linings should be cut out first. If about to
prepare a Bodice ^ for example, lay the rolled lining on the
table in front of you, the cut end towards you, having first
pinned a smooth cloth tightly across the table, on which
to fasten the work when necessary* Along the selvedge of
the lining on the left side place the right front of the
bodice pattern (the side with the buttonholes or eyes), and
pin along the edge of the pattern parallel with the selvedge,
allowing an inch and a half for turning in. The whole
pattern must be smoothed out well, and pinned down*
Then place the left hand side (where the buttons are
placed) on the front, on the opposite side of the lining,
and pin it down likewise at the selvedge, running or
tacking down the whole model upon the lining, following
the outline throughout* Then the two backs should be
laid upon the lining, the centres being laid parallel with
the selvedges, one inch being allowed from them ; pin them
down and tack the outlines* Then follow the sleeves,
which must be so turned that the upper part ill front is
placed straight with the material, which will throw the
under portion a little on the bias. This done, eut out each
outlined piece half an inch beyond the outline, to allow
for turning in; but the fronts must be left uncut to
preserve the selvedge edges* You should then chalk, or
run in cotton, the letters “It*” and ** JjT on the right and
left sides of the bodice, and also on the two sleeves,
adding a " T* ?s to distinguish the top of each of the latter*
After cutting out the lining, the material itself is to be
tacked to it, and cut out likewise, having previously been
laid smoothly on the table and pinned down* Supposing
the article to he a. bodice, as soon as prepared, and the
material and lining arc tacked together, try it on inside
out, tightening it in at the “ darts ,J by means of pins run
in successively along them.

In cutting out side-gores, side-pieces, and back-pieces
of a polonaise or bodice, be careful to lay the grain of the
material in an exact line parallel with the line of the waist.
The bodice will he drawn aside if the cutting out be at all

on the bias* Cut the fronts the long way of the stuff, If
the material be striped, or a plaid, the matching of the
several parts of the pattern should be carefully attended
to* There should be a perfect stripe down both the front
and back of the bodice*

Silk materials are sometimes too narrow for a large
sleeve to be procured from a breadth of it. I11 this case
the joining of two selvedges would he advisable, making
the union underneath the sleeve* A little of the latter
should be sloped out in front at the top, to make it less
deep there than at the back, where room is required,
remembering always that the sleeve must be cut on
the straight in front, the crosswise part of the same
falling behind. Make no mistake as to cutting them in
pairs* The length of the sleeve on the upper part of the
arm should be about 2 inches longer than that of the
underneath portion, where it has been cut out* In shaping
out the shoulder-pieces and arm pieces, which stand in lieu
of sleeves on mantles such as dolmans, remember to cut
them with tlie bias down the middle* When cutting any
piece of stuff on the bias, such as trimmings, flouncings,
&c., it should be correctly and completely so done, other-
wise the work wull be drawn awry*

In cutting out a Skirt, the front sides of tlie gores
must always be straight, and the bias sides towards the
back* The same rule applies to overskirts and trains*
Seams in the middle of either the front or back of a
skirt should be avoided. Figured materials and those
having a nap or pile need careful attention, so that the
several portions of the cloth should be cut to lie in the
same direction, the flowered designs running upwards, tlie
ordinary nap of the cloth running downwards, and the pile
of velvet or plush whichever w T ay may be preferred,
provided that uniformity be observed ; but as sealskin —
which supplied the original idea of plush — is always laid
with the fur lying upwards, so it is usually thought that
velvet looks more rich when laid thus, than downwards.
Ho incision in the material should be made until every
portion of the pattern has been laid in its proper place.

The method of cutting out a Bodice lias been given,
because a more complicated undertaking than that of a
skirt, while the general rules of tacking on the pattern, and
then cutting out the lining, and then the material, applies
equally to all parts of a garment* It is usual, however, to
cut out the skirt first, then the polonaise or bodice and
overskirt if there be one* The sleeves might be made up
underneath by means of joinings, were there a scarcity of
material, and the trimmings should be left to the last,
as scraps might be utilised for them* When there is any
deficiency in stuff it may be economised by facing the
fronts, or adding a false hem, instead of turning down the
hems, also by adding small pieces under the arms, as well
as piecing the sleeves, and often both fronts of a bodice
may thus be obtained out of one breadth.

When cutting from a pattern , take the right side of
the bodice, and when you have cut another right side from
it, turn it on the other side, the reverse side now being
; uppermost*

Should there he a floral design on the material, take
care not to cut it double, without first taking note of the

*34

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

position of such design, that the flowers, pines, or other
such pattern ma y not be turned upside down on one of tlie
two pieces.

Frills, to be sufficiently full, should be cut twice the
length of the piece of stuff (cap front or collar) on which
they are to be sewn when whipped, and

Linings of hats, bonnet fronts, tippets, and other round
forms should be cut on the cross, and so should strips for
pipings and linings for broad hems.

To cut cloth of any kind on the cross or bias, that is,
diagonally with the grain, fold the end of the stuff comer
over, like a half handkerchief, so as to lay the raw edge
along the selvedge. Then cut off the half square, and from
this obliquely cut piece take the strips for piping if
required. To take off a yard crosswise, measure a yard
along each of the selvedges, after the half square has been
removed, crease the material carefully across obliquely,
let someone hold it in place, and cut it iu the fold*
Satins, velvets, and silks may be purchased cut either
on the bias or straight. In order to save the trouble
of measuring each bias length to be taken off, it is a had
habit of some workers to place the first -cut piece on the
material, and cut by it. This causes the bias to be untrue
throughout, and the flounces to hang badly. Experienced
workers begin by cutting the edge of the material very
straight, and then folding it cornerwise, so as to lie on the
selvedge* A perfect bias line is thus formed. The required
widths of the fabric should be marked at each side of the
selvedge with chalk when measured; they can then be kept
to the bias line* It must be remembered that a flounce of
4 inches wide must be measured on the selvedge 6 inches
and so on. In cutting willed fabrics and crape, the right
side of both materials must be laid down on the tabic, and
the left-hand comer tinned over. This brings the twilled
lines to the perpendicular, keeping the right side always
uppermost*

So various are the patterns of underclothing, and so
different the sizes required, that it would be impossible to
supply hard and fast directions for the cutting out of
special articles for infants, children, and adults. Thus a
few general rules respecting them alone can be given, but
these will be found sufficient to guide the needlewoman,
and enable her to avail herself of the paper patterns in
every style, and of any dimensions which she can procure*

All linens and calicoes should be washed prior to being
cut out* All linens, including lawn, cambric, and Holland,
should be cut by the thread, one or two strands being
drawn to guide the scissors* All calicoes, muslins, and
flannels may be torn, but to do so the material should be
rolled over on each side at each tear that is given* All the
several portions of underclothing which are liable to be
stretched in wearing, such as skirts, sleeves, wristbands,
shoulder straps, collars, and waistbands, should be cut
with the selvedge, or straight way of the stuff* Frills and
pieces gathered or fulled between bands and flounces
should be cut across the material, from selvedge to
selvedge*

For the cutting out of ordinary Underline®, for adults
the following are the average quantities that will be
required. For a Chemise of longcloth, from yards to

3i yards, and from to 3i yards of embroidery edging.
For a Combination Garment about 3 yards of longcloth,
2 % of embroidery for the neck and arms, and 1 yard 4 or
6 inches of ditto for the legs. For Drawers yards of
longcloth and 24 yards of frillings. For flannel Knicker-
bockers yards* For a square-cut Petticoat Bodice , cut
the same behind as in front, 1\ yard of longcloth, and
yards of trimming for the neck and armholes. For a
Digit Petticoat Bodice cut down T shape in front, I \ yards
of longcloth, and If yards of trimming*

To cut out a Nightdress of ordinary length and propor-
tions 4 yards of longcloth will be required, and tho
quantity of trimming depends on the pattern and the
fancy of the wearer* Those intended to be made w ith a
yoke at front and back, should be cut 5 inches shelter ; or
if with a yoke at the back only, the back alone should be
cut shelter, because the yoke drops it off the shoulders at
that part. The yoke must always be cut double, and on
the straight way of the stuff, to allow the gatherings of
the skirt depending from it to be inserted between the
sides of the double yoke, and to be stitched down*

A White Petticoat of longcloth, of walking length,
will require about 41- yards, supposing that the front
breadth be slightly gored, one gore on each side, and one
plain breadth at the back*

Having given the quantities required for several under
garments, the order of cutting out the same follows ; but
the rules in reference to certain amongst them will be
given in extenso , such as — for adults, a shirty chemise,
nightdress, and drawers ; and an infant's barrow, shirt ,
stays, petticoat, and nightgown.

Shirt — To cut out an ordinary medium sized shirt,
like the annexed pattern at Fig. 251, allow 37 inches in
length for the back and 3G in front, cutting from a
piece of linen or calico 33 or 34 inches in w idth. About
three yards of this width would suffice for one shirt*
Were half a dozen required, an economical and experienced
cutter could procure them out of 17 yards of material*

Fits. 251 * Bugeajt Of MEEiuar-SiZED Han's Shirt*

So place the back and front pieces of the body together as
to leave the difference in their length or "tail” at the
lower end* Mark off at the side, from the top, the 9 inches
in depth for the armhole, and divide the remainder below
it into tw o equal parts. At the upper half the back and
front pieces must be sewn together ; the lower must be

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

*35

left open and tlie front corner rounded. Next slope out
tlie armhole. Mark off 2 inches at the top, and cut down
to within 2 inches of the bottom, which is to be curved out
to a point. From the armhole, along the shoulder, mark
6 inches, taking off a slope of 1 inch in depth, cutting from
the armhole, gradually decreasing in depth towards the 6
inch mark, finishing in a point, and preserving a straight
line.

The neck piece is measured and cut as follows : Draw
the line A inches long, and dot at 3i inches from the
bottom. Draw with a square the lines 0, D, and B. Mark
2 inches on B, 4£ on D, and 2h on C, and draw line E, as
indicated in the diagram, then, with a piece of chalk in
the right hand, draw a half circle, or small arc from D to

4 ;

Fig. 252. Neck Piece op Shirt,

B to give the proper curve for the neck. The pattern for
half of the neck piece being completed, it should be
arranged on the material so that the neck piece may be cut
on the bias, from shoulder to shoulder, tlie seam uniting
the two halves being in the centre of the back. The neck
pieces must always be double. (See Fig. 252.)

The breast of the shirt has now to be made. Mark
the centre of the front at the top of the body, and cut
out of it a piece G inches on each side of the point
marked to the extent of 14 J inches. The piece to re-
place this should be cut 15 inches long, that when
inserted it may be 8 inches in width. If it be desired
to make the breast quite plain on each side of the
centre plait, the linen must be doubled ; otherwise, the
fulness allowed for the plaiting must depend on the
current fashion or individual fancy. The neck band must
be 17 inches long and 11 inches in depth at the centre
of the back, gradually sloping to £ of an inch in front,
and should likewise be of double linen. For the sleeves
take 22J inches of the material, cut it on the bias, 14
inches, broad at the wrist, and 20 inches broad at the
shoulder. One width of 31 inch linen or calico will be suffi-
cient. But should the material be narrower, a small gore
placed at the top of the sleeve on the straight side will
give the necessary width. The wrist should be 8£ inches
in length, and may be 3 J inches or more in depth, accord-
ing to the fashion of the time or personal fancy. If
intended to turn over, and lie back on the wrist, a
single lining will be sufficient, as the thickness should be
reduced.

For a man’s night shirts a greater length must be
allowed than for day shirts, and the collars and wristbands
wider. Strong calico should be employed instead of linen
or calico shirting. Otherwise there is little difference
between the two garments. To make half a dozen of full

size about 21 yards of yard wide linen or calico will be
required. Lay aside 15 yards for the bodies of the shirts,
dividing the piece into six. Each will then be 2£ yards
long. Then cut from the remainder of the piece 3| yards
for the sleeves, which subdivide again into six parts.
Each will then be about 20 inches long, which, when cut
lengthwise into two parts each, will make a pair of sleeves.
For the collars cut off 1 yard and 4 inches from the
original piece of calico, subdividing the width of the
collar piece into three parts, and each piece into two in
the length. This division of the 1 yard and 4 inches will
give six collars of 20 inches in length; 20 inches more
will be wanted for wristbands, subdividing it so as to
allow 10 inches in length for each. The sleeve gussets
will require 12 inches of the calico, the shoulder straps
10i inches, and the neck and side gussets 9 inches.

For cutting out an ordinary Chemise in the old
fashioned, and but slightly gored style, suitable for poor
persons, the following are the leading rules : Take 2 J yards
of calico of ordinary width, and cut off a strip 7 inches in
depth for the sleeves. Double the remaining length. On
the centre crease, or fold, measure off from the selvedge
3£ inches for the width of the side gores, and from this
point measure 4 inches for the length of the shoulder,
marking at the corresponding points for the opposite
selvedge. Cut each gore down, sloping gradually from the
point, Sh inches from the selvedge, to a point at half the
length of the chemise. The straight side or selvedge of
each gore is to be joined to that of the chemise, the
selvedges being sewn on the right side. Oversew and
fell the sides, leaving 11 inches open for each of the arm-
holes. Cut out a piece 4 inches in depth for the neck at
back and front, and from the point marking the length of
shoulder, to the corresponding point on the opposite
shoulder, rounding out the comers. The half of this
piece which has been cut out will serve to make the neck
band, which latter may be about 3G inches in length and
2 in depth. Into this band the neck of the chemise must
be gathered, stroked, and stitched. Cut the sleeves
14 inches in w r idth, and each gusset 4 inches square.
These latter can be obtained from the remainder of the
pifece cut out of the neck part of the material. Unite the
gussets to the sleeves, run or stitch and fell the latter,
stitch the ends of the sleeves, stitch and fell them into
the armholes, stitch or hem the skirt, and trim the neck,
sleeves, and skirt according to taste.

The rules for cutting out a Night Dress resemble in
many respects those for a shirt. The alterations requisite
will be too obvious to the needlewoman to require any
notice here, and the same diagram supplied for the neck
piece of the shirt will suffice for a night gown or night
shirt. See Gored Underlinen.

To cut out women’s ordinary Drawers the following
arc good general rules, always remembering that differ-
ences in size, both width and.length, and certain variations
in cut, may be made from this pattern to suit individual
convenience. From a piece of calico 2$ yards in length
cut off one-eighth for a w aist band. Then fold over half
of the remaining length from the centre of the width, so
that the two selvedges shall be even, one lying exactly over

136

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

tlie other. At the lower end mark a point 12 inches from
the centre crease, and on the selvedge another at 21 inches
from the lower end of the leg, or ankle. At the top make
a mark on the crease at a point 2} inches from the waist,
and on the selvedge likewise one at the same distance from
the waist. Below this point mark one at 5$ inches from
the selvedge, and on the waist at 3 inches from the
latter. Cut from point 12 inches at the extremity of the
leg to point 21 inches on the selvedge, forming a well-
curved line, and from thence to 5J on the waist line.
Then turn back the upper fold, and cut the single mate-
rial from point 21 to that at 3
if inches at the waist, and proceed
to cut along the under fold from
this point, 3 inches, on the waist,
to the point on the crease marked
2J inches in a straight line,
crossing the material obliquely.
From this point cut straight
along the upper fold to the
point marked at 5} inches, and
thence on to the 21 inch point,
making a cutting parallel with
that of the waist; this completes
the half of the drawers. If
many tucks be desired, the
length given must be aug-
mented, and insertion, or
Fig. 253. Woman's Drawees. edgingg of wbite embroidery

may be added at pleasure. See Fig. 253.

The making of infants* clothing is usually learnt at
an early age, and is almost too simple to need description,
but two or three garments may be made an exception,
and general rules given.

To make an infant’s Barrow a yard of flannel will be
required. Make three box pleats in the centre, down the

each other, so dividing the bodice portion of the barrow
into three equal widths, the armholes being sloped out
so as to bring the centre of each to the outer line of
Herringboning. The whole barrow should be bound round
with flannel binding, and four strings attached on either
side, placed on the edge on one side, and further inwards
on the other, so as to make the fronts overlap. There
should be a crossbar of double stitching where the box
pleating opens free from the herringboning. See
Fig. 254.

To cut out an Infant's Shirt , about 22$ inches of cambric
or lawn will be required. Fold it so as to overlap across
the chest, and then fold it back again straight down the
centre of the piece at the back. Allow for the width of
the shoulder-strap, and cut through the four folds of the
cambric to a suitable depth — say 2} inches for the front
and back flaps, which are to be turned over the stays.
Then cut down from the top of the shoulder on each side
to a depth of from 2 $ to 3 inches for the armhole. The
depth of the shirt, cut down the selvedge, should be 11}
inches. If sleeves be not worn, frills round the armholes
supply their place.

For an Infant's Stays , about a quarter of a yard of a
corded cotton material will be required ; or, if not made
of this, stitchings should be worked at even distances, in
doubled piqtie from the top downwards. A band of linen,
doubled, should be stitched down at each side for the

Fig. 255, Infant’s Stays.

Fig. 251. Infant’s Barrow.

lengtli-way of the stuff, tack or pin them securely, and
then Herringbone them down on each side to a depth of
about six inches. The pleats should be so regulated in
width as to make the Herringboned back of the same
width as each of the fronts, which are to fold across

buttons and buttonholes, and a cutting made for the arms
(see Fig. 255), the shoulder-straps to which may be of
white or pink elastic. The stays should measure about 18
inches in width, and be bound round.

For an Infant's Petticoat , two yards of fine flannel and
a quarter of a yard of longcloth will be required. The
latter will be needed round the body ; it should be doubled,
and left about 20 inches in length at the waist. The
flannel should be cut in two and joined, so as to leave two
breadths in width for the petticoat. It should then be
gathered into the deep bodice band, and bound all round.
The former should be stitched and bound, and tapes sewn
to it, two on each side, but one pair within the edge, that
it may lap slightly over the other side.

The Bronze Medal was awarded by the National
Health Society, at their Exhibition, 1883, for a new design
in the cutting-out of infants’ clothing, each article of
which is fastened in front. The clothes are shorter, the
skirts fastened to the bodice by buttons, so as to be
quickly removed, without denuding the child completely ;
an elastic knitted “ body-belt ” being substituted for
the old flannel binder, and flannel shirts for lawn or
linen ones.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

*37

Cut Work. — The name given by English writers to one
of the earliest known laces that shared with Drawn
Work and Darned Netting in the general term of Laces,
and one by which all laces was designated by ancient
writers: but known individually as Point Coupe, Opus
Seissum, and Punto Tagliato.

The first mention of the lace occurs in chronicles dating
from the twelfth century. The manufacture was then
confined to the nunneries, and kept a secret from the
general public. The work was used to adorn priests’
sacramental robes and the grave clothes of saints. From
the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries it was univer-
sally made, and formed the chief occupation of high-boni
ladies, who ornamented all their fine linen with it, and
made costly gifts of palls and altar cloths ornamented
with the lace to the Church, while in the pictures of those
centuries it is often represented as borders and trimmings
to dresses. The pattern books of those times, particularly
those of Yinciola, published in 1587, are full of numerous

the frame close together, in others leave open spaces
between them, and cross and interlace them where neces-
sary. After these threads are arranged take a piece of fine
lawn (that used in olden time was called Quintain, from
the town in Brittany where it was made), 'gum it on at
the back of the fastened threads, and tack them to it.
Wherever the pattern is to be left thick, shape the fine
lawn to form the design, and Buttonhole round the
edge of that part, and where the pattern is left open inter-
lace and draw the threads together, and, when the work is
finished, cut away the fine lawn from underneath these
parts. Form an edge to the lace with Buttonhole, and
ornament the Buttonhole with Picots and Couronnes.
Ornament the parts of this lace where large portions of
lawn are left with embroidery in coloured silks and gold
and silver threads.

The lighter kind of Cut Work is made thus : Fasten
into the frame a number of unbleached threads and tack
underneath them a parchment pattern. Where the pattern

Fio. 25G. CUT WORK.

geometrical designs for this work. Two kinds of Cut
Work were made — the most ancient, a thick kind in which
the threads were backed with linen; and a light sort,
where the threads were embroidered without a foundation.
This was the commencement of needle made lace, and
was elaborated in Venice into the celebrated Venetian
Point, while in other parts of Italy it gradually merged
into Reticella, and in the Ionian isles into Greek Lace.
The making of Cut Work has gradually been superseded
by the finer and more complicated lace making, but in
Sweden it is still to be met with, and in England and along
the coast of France during the last century it was occa-
sionally worked. The stamped open work decorations
used inside coffins, and known in the trade as “ pinking,”
owe their origin to the trimming of grave clothes in olden
times with this lace.

The thick Cut Work is made as follows: Fasten a
number of fine and unbleached threads in a frame, and
arrange them to form a geometrical pattern by their
crossing and interlacing. Fasten them in some parts of

is to be thick, Buttonhole these threads together to
form a device. Buttonhole together a larger or smaller
number of threads, according to the width of the part to
be made solid. Ornament the edge of the lace with fine
Buttonhole and with Picots and Couronnes. Fig. 256 is
one of Vinciola’s patterns, and is intended to be worked
in both kinds. Back the cross forming the centre of
the right hand scallop with lawn, and Buttonhole its
edges round; make the star surrounded with a circle,
in the left hand scallop, entirely of threads Buttonholed
together. Form the light edgings with Buttonholed
threads ornamented with Picots.

Cyprus Embroidery.— In the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries the Island of Cyprus was celebrated for its
embroideries with gold and silver thread, an art the
natives had probably acquired from the Phrygians and
Egyptians. • The work was of Oriental design, but has
long ceased to be manufactured in the place.

Cyprus Lace. — The lace known under this name was

T

138

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

identical with so me kinds o£ Out Work, and was of very
ancient manufacture. It formed a great article of com-
merce during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and is
mentioned both by English and French winters as having
been used in their countries* It was made of gold and
silver threads. A coarse lace is still made by the peasants,
but it is not valuable*

Cyprus, or Cyprus Lawn, or Cyprus Crap© Cloth.

— A thin, transparent, elastic stuff, somewhat resembling
crape, and exclusively designed for mourning attire* It is
known by the three names given above. It is 26 inches in
width, and w as formerly manufactured in both white and
black, the latter being the most common: —

Lawn as white aa driven anow,

Cyprus black ns any crow*

— Winter's Tate.

Cyprus used to he worn wound round the hat as a hat-
band in the time of Elizabeth and James I. In <£ Gull's
Hornbook ” (1609) Dekkcr speaks of “ him that wears a
trebled Cyprus about his hat.”

D.

Dacca Muslin* — In Sanscrit the word Dacca appears
as Daalcka, signifying the H hidden goddess,” the town in
Bengal being so named because a statue of Burg a was
found there. Dacca muslin is an exceedingly filmy and
fragile textile, manufactured at Dacca, in Bengal, and
much used by women for dresses and by men for necker-
chiefs in England about 100 years ago. The Dacca Muslin
now employed resembles the modem Madras Muslin,
and is used for curtains. The figured is made 2 yards in
width, and the plain 1J yards*

Dacca Silk.— Dacca silk is called by the French sole
ovale , It is employed for embroidery, and is sold in
knotted skeins. That which is now in ordinary use is not
Indian made, although it is so-called from having had its
origin at Dacca,

Dacca Twist. — A description of calico cloth, produced
at the so-called “ Dacca Twist Mills ” in Manchester. It
is made both twilled and plain, but woven after a peculiar
method, by which the threads of the warp are “ drawn ” or
“twisted” in — that is to say, threaded through the
ft healds ” — or, where it is possible, twisted on to the rem-
nants of the old threads* As many as a hundred varieties
of calicoes are produced at these Mills, and amongst them
the finer qualities of sheeting, twills, and shirtings, and
much of the work is so fine that a square yard of calico
will require 6000 yards of yarn. Dacca Twist Calico
is suitable for underlinen, and measures 36 inches in
width,

Daisy Mat. — A wool mat, made In a wooden frame,
and called Daisy from the likeness the round, flu if y balls
of which it is composed are supposed to bear to the buds
of daisies. The frames used are of various sizes, ranging
from a square of Sin. to 6in,, and are grooved at intervals
on their outer edges. The number of skeins of wool
required to make the mat is regulated by the number of

grooves in the frames. Thus, for a frame with ten grooves
upon each side twenty skeins of wool are required, and for
one wi th twelve grooves twenty-four skeins. 0 hoo s e si ngle
Berlin wool, either of two shades of one colour, or of five or
six i the most effective colours are deep shades of crimson,
blue, or green. When more than two shades are selected,
four skeins of each shade will be required, except for tho
lightest, when only two skeins will he necessary. Provide
also purse silk, matching the wool in colour, and a netting
mesh* Commence with the darkest shade of w r ool, and wind
each skein of it on the frame into the four outside grooves,
then pick up the next shade of colour and wind that upon
the grooves, next the outside ones, and continue until all
the grooves on the frame are filled. Each skein must
keep to its ow n groove, and cross with the others in the
centre of the frame. Wind the purse silk upon the netting
mesh, and commence to secure the wool, wherever it crosses
in the centre of the frame, by cross loops or knots, made
thus : Fasten the silk on to the wool in the centre of the
mat, put the mesh through the frame at the place where
two skeins cross at the left-hand side at the bottom, bring
it up in a diagonal direction oil the right-hand side, loop
it through the silk in the front, put it again down on
the left-hand side this time at the top, bring it out on the
light-hand lower side at the bottom, loop it through the
silk, and thus make a knot which forms a cross at the back of
the frame. Full these knots very tight, and never make a
straight stitch, always a cross one. Enclose the whole of
the two skeins of wool that cross each other at that par-
ticular place, hut not a strand of any other. Work from
the centre stitch in squares, carrying the silk from one
knot to the next along the wool. When all the wool is
secured, turn the frame hack to front, and cut the w t oo! in
the spaces left between the knots, hut not entirely through,
only that part wound upon the upper side of the frame, the
wool wound upon the lower being left as a foundation*
In cutting the wool be careful never to cut the knots or
cross threads of silks, as these are the chief supports of
the fluffy balk, while on the outside row of balls only cut
the two sides, or the fringe will be destroyed* As each
space is cut round the knots, little square fluffy-looking
balls or Daisies will rise up. Hold the mat over steam, when
the wool will rise round the knots and conceal them, then
fluff the balls so made with scissors, and cut them round,
should they not form good shapes. The last operation is to
take the mat out of the frame by cutting the wool in the
grooves ; it should be cut quite straight, as it forms the
fringe.

Dalecarli&a Lace*— A lace still made by the peasants
of Dalecarlia (a province of Sweden) for their own use, and
not as an article of commerce. It is a kind of coarse
Guipure lace, and is made of unbleached thread* Its
peculiarity lies in its patterns, which have remained
unchanged for two centuries. A specimen of the lace can
be seen at South Kensington*

D'Alen^on Bar*— Identical with Alen^on Bar, and
used as a connecting Bar in Modem Point lace. It is
showm in Fig. 257. To work : Pass a thread as a Her-
ringbone backwards and forwards across the space to be
covered, and either strengthen the thread by covering it

CYPRUS LACE, -IMITATION

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

139

with Buttonhole Stitches or by Cording it. The
thread is covered with Buttonholes in the illustration.

Fio. 257. D’Alen^on Bar.

Damascene Lace. — An imitation of Honiton lace,
and made with lace braid and lace sprigs joined together
with Corded bars. The difference between Damascene and
Modern Point lace (which it closely resembles) consists
in the introduction into the former of real Honiton
sprigs, and the absence of any ncedleworked Fillings.
The worker can make real Honiton Lace braid
and sprigs upon the pillow, and is referred to the
instructions on Honiton Lace for them, or can purchase
the sprigs and the braid at good embroidery shops.
The cotton used is a fine Mccklenburgh thread (No. 7).
The method of uniting together the sprigs and the
braid is as follows: Trace the design upon pink calico,
tack the braid and then the sprigs into position, keeping
the tacking threads well in the centre of the braid and in
the middle of the sprigs. Overcast all the edges of the
braid, and wherever it crosses or in any way touches another
piece, or is turned under, firmly stitch the parts down
and together. No fancy stitches or Fillings being required,
it only remains to join the braid to the sprigs by a variety
of Corded Bars (see Cord Stitch), Hexagons, and
variously shaped Wheels. Commence a Bar by joining
the lace thread with a loop instead of a knot, as in

Fio. 238. Fig. 259.

Damascene Lace.

Fig. 258, as the edge of the braid is too open to hold a
knot. Form the connecting bars with a treble thickness
of thread, as illustrated in Fig. 259, thus : Commence the
bar at A, fasten it to B, return the thread to A, and back
again to B, fasten the Bar firmly in position with a
Buttonhole Stitch, shown in Fig. 260, and then Cord
it back to where it commenced. The Bars need not all be
straight, but they can be Corded part of the way and then
divided into two lines, as shown in Fig. 261. Throw a
loose thread across, as shown by the dotted line in Fig.
261, from D to C, and tie with a Buttonhole Stitch, Cord
to X, tighten the thread and draw it up, and begin the
arm by throwing a third thread from X to E, tie, and
draw the Bar up to its proper position at F; Cord up from

E to F, and throw the thread across to D; Cord back
again to the centre and return to D, or Cord every lino
again should they look thin.

Fio. 260. Fio. 261.

Damascene Lace.

Hexagons are composed of a number of Bars arranged
as in Fig. 262, and worked as follows : Commence w T ith a
loose thread throwm from G to H, tie the cord to T, and
throw the thread across to J, and Cord up to K ; throw the
thread to L, tie, and Cord to M ; thread to N, tie, and Cord
to O; thread to P, tie, and Cord to Q; thread to R, and
Cord over all the Bars. The Bar X is not part of the
hexagon, being added afterwards.

Fig. 262. Fig. 263.

Damascene Lace.

Wheels arc made in various ways, and can be worked
with any number of bars. To w ork Fig. 263 : Throw threads
across the space to be covered, tie them to the braid, and
Cord back to the centre, taking care that all meet there ;
unite them in the centre with a backward Buttonhole
Stitch, and run the needle round under one thread and
over the other until the Wheel is of the desired size. To

Fio. 264. Fig. 265.

Damascene Lace.

work Fig. 264 : Throw five threads across the space, tie, and
Cord back to the centre as before; run three threads
loosely round the centre, and Buttonhole these tightly
over, taking care that the circle thus formed is an open
one, and that the centre of the Wheel is not closed up.

To work Fig. 265 : Throw four lines across the space, tie

T 2

140

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

and Cord back to the centre, secure with a backward
Buttonhole Stitch, then Cord a little way down one of the
bars, make a Buttonhole Stitch, and throw the thread
across the space to the next Bar at the same distance from
the centre as the first Bar, make a Buttonhole Stitch, and
repeat until a transparent Wheel is formed.

Having secured all the sprigs to the braids with the
various Bars and Wheels, untack the lace from the pattern,
by cutting the tacking threads at the back of the pattern
and unpicking, and then slightly damp and stretch the lace
if at all drawn in any part.

To work design for necktie end, shown in Fig. 266 : Tack
on the lace and braid, and make the Hexagons, Wheels,
and divided Bars as indicated. Work the six Bars con-

century it flourished in the City of Abbeville. The designs
were Oriental in character, and usually represented birds,
quadrupeds, and trees. Royal and noble personages
much affected the material. Its introduction into England
was due to the French weavers, who took refuge here in
the time of Queen Elizabeth. Damask is now made of
silk, intermingled with flax, wool, or cotton, the warp being
of the first named. These mixed Damasks are chiefly
employed for furniture. Some of the patterns require
upwards of 1200 changes of the draw-looms for their com-
pletion. There is also a species of Damask solely made of
worsted, employed in upholstery. Damask Linen is a fine
twilled fabric, manufactured for table-linen, which is
chiefly made at Belfast and Lisburne, and also at Dun-

Fig. 2C6. DAMASCENE LACE.

nected together with a centre line upon the right hand
side of the pattern, thus : Always Cord back the Bars to
the centre, there make firm with a Buttonhole and a few
turns of the thread to form a spot, and take the thread
straight down the centre for a little distance between
every divided line.

Damask. — A twilled stuff, decorated with ornamental
devices in relief, woven in the loom, and deriving its
name from Damascus, where the manufacture had its
origin. The ancient textile so manufactured was of rich
silk, the threads being coarse, and the figure designs
executed in various colours. The Normans found this
industry already established at Palermo in the twelfth
century, and carried it on there, while in the following

fermline. It is made both single and double. The Cotton
damasks, made in crimson and maroon, for curtains,
measure from 30 inches to 54 inches in width ; the Union
Damasks for the same purpose 54 inches, and the Worsted,
in all wool, in blue, crimson, and green, the same width.
See Linen Damask.

Damask Stitch. — A name given to Satin Stitch
when worked upon a linen foimdation. To work : Bring
the thread from the back of the material, and pass it in a
slanting direction over the space to be covered; put the
needle in, in this slanting direction, and bring it out close
to where the thread was brought up from the back. Con-
tinue these slanting stitches, keeping them all in the same
direction.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

four horizontal threads of canvas in a slanting direction,
and over two upright threads. See Berlin Work.

Damass6. — A French term applied to all cloths manu-
factured after the manner of damask, in every kind of
material.

Dame Joan Ground. — This is a Filling used in
Needlepoint lace, and also in Pillow lace, where sprigs and
patterns are made upon the Pillow and connected together
with a ground worked by hand. It is of hexagonal shape,
with a double thread everywhere, and must be begim in a
corner of the design, otherwise the pattern will work out
in straight lines, and not in honeycombs. To work:
Fasten No. 9 lace thread to the side of the lace in a
corner, and make a loose stitch nearly a quarter of an inch
off. Examine Fig. 267 carefully, and two threads will be
seen in it, one that runs up and one that comes down ; the
thread that is working is the latter. Insert the needle
between these threads, and make a tight Point de
Brussels stitch on the first, that is, on the thread

Fio. 267. Dame Joan Ground.

belonging to the loop just made ; this makes the double
thread on one side of the stitch. Fasten the thread firmly,
and work back for this row. Continue the loops and the
Point de Brussels stitch until the space is filled in suc-
ceeding rows. For the return row : Make a Double
Point de Brussels stitch into the centre of each loop,
and also over the tight stitches in the centre of each loop.
Dame J oan Ground requires to be worked with great care
and exactitude, every loop in it must be of the same
length, and the Filling, when finished, lie flat upon the
pattern, as the effect is spoilt if perfect uniformity is not
maintained throughout.

Danish Embroidery. — This is an embroidery upon
cambric, muslin, or batiste, and is suitable for handker-
chief borders, necktie ends, and cap lappets. Trace the
design upon the material, then tack it to a brown
paper foundation, and commence the stitches. These are
partly Lace and partly Embroidery stitches. Work all
the parts of the design that appear solid in Fig. 268
in thick Satin Stitch, with a very fine line of Button-
hole round their edges, and thick Overcast lines to

141

mark their various divisions, and make the Wheels,
Stars, and Bars that fill open parts of the work as in
Modern Point Lace (which see). Surround the embroi-
dery with a fine lace edging, and connect it with Bars.

Another Kind.— -A variety of the work only useful
for filling in spaces left in Crochet, Tatting, and Em-
broidery. It consists of a variety of Lace stitches,
worked upon Crochet or Tatting foundations, and is made

Detail A. Detail B.

Fm. 263. Danish Embroidery.

as follows: Make a round of Tatting or of Double
Crochet size of space to be filled, and ornament its edge
with Picots, tack this round upon Toile ciree, and fill it
in with various lace stitches. These arc shown in Fig. 269.

142

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

To work Fig. 269, Detail A: Fill a round of Tatting
with seven long loops, which draw togetlier at their
base, to form an inner circle. Take the thread through
them in the manner shown. Then mm the thread up to
where one of the loops commences, and darn it hack*
wards and forwards, as in Point de Reprise, to fill in

Detail B. Detail C*

Fig. 270. Danish Embroidery.

Fill in all the loops, and then work seven short loops
in the centre of tlie circle, and draw them together wdth
a line looped In and out at their base, as shown in Fig. 269.

For Fig. 270, Detail A : Fill a Tatted round with thirty-
two small interlaced loops, and draw together with a
thread run through them at their base. Work sixteen

Detail A. Detail B»

Fig. 271. Danish Ebi broidery.

interlaced loops into this thread (see Detail B), and draw
the lower part of the sixteen loops together with a thread
through their base. Finish the round by working a line
of thick Buttonhole stitches into the last thread {see
Detail C),

To work Fig. 271, Detail A: Into a Tatted round
make a Wheel ; form it of seven long loops interlaced as
worked, thus : Fasten the thread into the Tatted round,
and carry it as a loose thread to the seventh part of
the round. Fasten it into the Tatting and return down

it, twist the cotton round the straight thread for three-
quarters of the distance down. Then carry the thread to
the next division of the round, and repeat until the Wheel
is formed, twisting the thread round the first stitch
made as a finish (see Detail A). To finish : Make an oval
of each arm of the Wheel, and -work it over with Button-
hole stitch. Form the foundation of the oval with a
thread, which pass through the top and bottom part of
twisted thread (see Detail B), and work in the twisted
thread as one side of the oval.

Darn. — A term generally used to signify the method
employed for the reparation of any textile, w hether of loom
or hand manufacture, hy substituting a web by means of a
needle. This reparation is die etc d in various ways, viz.,
by the common Web darning, hy Fine drawing. Cashmere
twill, Damask darning, Grafting, Ladder filling, and Swiss
darning. For the repairing of all linen textiles (< Flourish-
ing thread’* should he used.

In the ordinary Web darning every alternate thread is
taken up by the needle, and these runnings, when made in
a sufficient number, crossed at right angles hy similar
runnings, thus producing a plain web or network. By
this method a hole in the material may be refilled. The
thread should not be drawn closely at any of the turnings,
when running backwards and forwards, because it may
shrink in the washing. The darn should he commenced
and finished at all four sides at some distance from the
beginning of the hole, a little beyond the w^orn or thin
portion requiring to be strengthened. The toes and heels
of socks and stockings, if not of extra thickness, should
ho darned one ’way, hut not across the grain, ivhen new ;
and the knees of children 1 s stockings strengthened in the
same way.

Cashmere Darning *— The method of replacing the web
of any twilled material, such as Cashmere, is to employ the

Fig. 272. Cashmere Darn.

ravellings of the cloth itself ; and having tacked the latter
closely to the hole, on a piece of Toile ciree, begin as in

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK,

*43

ordinary darning, by running threads across the hole to
form a warp. Then take up two threads and miss two ;
and in every succeeding row raise two together, one of the
threads being taken up in the preceding row, and the other
missed. This will produce the diagonal lines of the twill.
The foundation must now be crossed on the same principle
as the border darning, working from right to left. Our
illustration, Fig. 272, is taken, like many others, from worked
specimens produced in the Irish schools of needlework.

Corner-tear Darn . — The darning of a corner-shaped or
triangular tear in any textile must be effected as illustrated,
thus : Draw the edges together, having tacked the material
all round the tom square to a piece of Toile ciree. Then
dam backwards and forwards, the runnings extending
double the length and width of the rent ; and afterwards
turn the work and repeat the process, until, as represented

fourth row — leave 3, take 3, leave 5, take 1 three times,
leave 5, take 3, leave 3. Fifth row — leave 4, take 3, leave
3, take 1 three times, leave 3, take 3, leave 4. Sixth row —
leave 5, take 3, leave 1, take 1, leave 5, take 1 twice, leave
5, take 3, leave 5. Seventh row— take 1, leave 5, take 3,
leave 5, take 1 twice, leave 5, take 3, leave 5, take 1.
Eighth row— leave 1, take 1, leave 5, take 3, leave 3, take 1,
leave 5, take 1, leave 5, take 3, leave 5, take 1, leave 1.
Ninth row — leave 2, take 1, leave 5, take 3, leave 5,
take 1 twice, leave 1, take 3, leave 5, take 1, leave 2.
Tenth row — leave 3, take 1, leave 5, take 3, leave 5, take
1, leave 5, take 3, leave 5, take 1, leave 3. Eleventh row-
leave 4, take 1, leave 5, take 3, leave 5, take 1, leave 3,
take 3, leave 5, take 1, leave 4. Twelfth row — take 1, leave
5 twice, take 3, leave 1, take 5, leave 3, take 1, leave 5
twice. Thirteenth row — take 1, leave 5 twice, take 3, leave

FlO. 273. CORNER-TEAR DARN.

Fio. 274. Damask Darn*.

in the wood-cut (Fig. 273), taken from a worked specimen,
the former opening shall form two sides of a square of
crossed darning.

Damask Darning needs close examination of the
woven design to be restored by means of the needle and
“ Flourishing thread,” and to supply directions for the re-
production of one design will be sufficient as a guide to the
needlewoman to enable her to copy others, after the same
method of darning. The pattern (Fig. 274), showing a
St. Andrew’s Cross, of which we have given an illus-
tration, taken from a specimen of the work, may be repro-
duced in the following way : For the first row take 3,
leave 5, take 1 four times successively, leave 5, take 3.
Second row— leave 1, take 3, leave 3, take 1, leave 5 four
times, take 3, leave 1. Third row — leave 2, take 3, leave
5, take 1 four times, leave 1, take 3, leave 2. For the

5, take 3, leave 5, take 1 twice. Fourteenth row — leave 1 ,
take 1, leave 5, take 1, leave 5, take 3, leave 3, take 3,
leave 5, take 1 twice, leave 1. Fifteenth row — leave 2,
take 1, leave 5, take 1, leave 5, take 2, leave 1,
take 1, leave 1, take 1, leave 1, take 2, leave 5, take 1 twice,
leave 2. Sixteenth row — leave 3, take 1, leave 5, take 1
twice, leave 3, take 1, leave 5 twice, leave 3. Seven-
teenth row — leave 4, take 1, leave 5, take 1 twice, leave 1,
take 1, leave 5, take 1 twice, leave 4. Eighteenth row —
leave 5, take 1 five times, leave 5. The nineteenth row is
a repetition of the seventeenth, and the twentieth of the
sixteenth.

Filling a “ Ladder ,” formed by a stitch being dropped
in the stocking-web, should be effected thus: Insert in
the stocking the Darning Ball employed in darning,
pass the eye of the needle from you upwards through the

144

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

loop, which has slipped from its place, and run up ; thus
leaving a “ladder” or line of bars, as in Fig. 275. Insert

Fig. 275. Ladder in Stocking-web.

the needle between the first and second bars of the ladder,
bringing it out through the loop, and under the first bar.
The needle will thus have brought the first bar through

authorities in plain needlework direct that the loops made
at each turn of the thread, at the ends of the runnings,
should be cut ; but it might be more secure to draw the
needle out at the back, and to pass it through to the front
again, for every fresh running, leaving the loops out of
sight at the back. This style of darning is called in French
a Reprise perdue. In former times the art of fine drawing
was much cultivated, and brought to such extraordinary
perfection in this country, that extensive frauds were
practised on the Government, by sewing thus a heading of
English cloth on a piece of foreign importation, and vice
versa, in such a dexterous manner that the union of the
two edges and the threads that united them were not to be
discerned. Thus the whole piece was nefariously passed
off as being either home made, or foreign, so as to escape
paying the duties imposed or the penalties due for in-
fringement of the law. All fine drawings are supposed to

Fig. 276. Square for Insertion.

Fig. 277. Grafting Knittino.

the loop, which is to be pulled sufficiently far through it to
form a new one, through which the second bar is to be drawn
after the same method. Be careful to avoid splitting any of
the threads, and when you have filled the ladder, fasten off
the end of the thread, as in grafting. A crochet needle or
hook may prove a more convenient appliance than an
ordinary needle for the purpose of filling a “ladder.”

Fine Drawing is a method of darning cloth or stuff
materials of a thick substance. A long fine needle, per-
haps a straw needle, will be required, and the ravellings of
the stuff employed when available. In the event of there
being none, as in the case of cloth or baize, very fine
sewing silk may be used to repair the latter, and the
ravellings of Mohair braid for the former, the exact colour
of the material being carefully matched. The runnings
should not be taken quite through the cloth, but the needle
should be run straight through the nap, so as to be quite
concealed from view in the thickness of the stuff. Some

Fia. 273. Graft Completed.

be indicated by the manufacturer by a piece of packthread
tied to the selvedge, that the draper may allow for that
blemish when he sells to the tailor.

Grafting . — This term signifies the insertion of a sound
piece of stocking-web into a space from which an unsound
piece has been cut out, and is illustrated in Figs. 276 and
277. Out the unsound portion exactly with the thread,
on either side, the long way of the web; and rip, by
drawing the thread, which will at once run out, at top
and bottom of the square to be filled. The piece for inser-
tion should be prepared in a similar way. The square
formed should correspond with the dimensions of the hole
cut, only rather wider across, to allow for turning in the
sides (Fig. 276). Hold the two parts to be joined in juxta-
position very firmly between the left hand thumb and fore-
finger, so that the rows of loops left in unravelling may
stand out clearly, running from right to left, the thread
having been secured on the wrong side, at the right hand

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

M5

corner. Bring the needle through, and pass it through the
first loop of the stocking, pointing the needle to the left,
then through the first and second loops of the patch of
web, drawing the thread gently so as not to disarrange
the two rows o£ loops, then insert the needle again
through the first loop of the stocking, only taking with it
the second loop also; draw the thread gently again, then
pass the needle through the second loop of the patch last
taken up, take with it the loop next to it, and thus
continue, so that, by this process, the separate pieces may
be completely joined, as in Fig. 278.

Machine Darning must also be named, as a perfectly
new idea, carried out by means of a “mending attach-
ment/* employed on a sewing machine. Hips, tears and
holes in table linen, underclothing, or silk and cotton
goods, men’s clothing, and every description of article, may
be effectually repaired, the rente, &c ., at the same time
being scarcely discernible, by an arrangement attached to
the middle of the machine, while no skill is required in
the needlewoman for its attachment or use* The repairs
thus executed are not patchings, but bond fide darns*

Swiss Darning is the method of reproducing “stock-
ing-web ” by means of a darning needle and thread of yarn
worked double. The warp must first be made with a single
thread, as in plain darning, and, when formed, place a
darning ball inside the stocking, and begin with the double
thread at the left-hand side, securing it in the unbroken
part of the stocking, at about four stitches from the bole

Fig. 279 Swiss Darkixg,

to be filled. Run the needle through these stitches, as in
plain darning, until the first thread of the warp is reached*
Then insert it between the first and second threads of the
warp, bringing it out under the first thread, then pass it
between the second and third threads, bringing it out
under the second j that is, between the first and second,
and proceed to insert it between the third and fourth,
bringing it out under the third. Continue thus until the

last thread of the warp is crossed, always pointing the
needle towards the left hand* As soon as the last thread
is crossed, plain darn a few stitches into the stocking, then
turn the needle, and darn back again to the hole, the
threads being kept as closely together as possible, and a
loop left at each turning, to allow for contraction in wash-
ing. Cross the threads of the warp from right to left in
the same way as at first. Bee Fig. 279*

Darned Crochet.— Make the foundation of this work
of Square Crochet, upon which work a pattern in soft
netting cotton* Darn the netting cotton in and out of
the Crochet so as to form a design. The patterns are the
same as used for Crochet. Bee Crochet Darning.

Darned Embroidery. — An art needlework, practised
in Europe during the sixteenth and two following cen-
turies, but originally of Oriental origin, and still worked
in India, the natives of that country executing, without a
pattern, upon almost any material, elaborate designs
formed of Darned lines. The Darned Embroidery most
practised in Europe has been chiefly worked upon cotton,
linen, and other washing materials, and is well fitted
for the wear and tear such articles are exposed to. The
patterns used in the earlier centuries are diaper arrange-
ments as backgrounds to more important work, and
these diaper patterns are much the same as the designs
found in the missal painting of the same period; but in the
seventeenth century D aimed Embroidery received a greater
impetus from the East, and was made in intricate designs
and carried over the whole material. Some elaborate
specimens of English, Italian, and Indo-Portugiiese work
of this date are still extant, and should be objects of study
to anyone seeking to bring the work again to perfection*
Tu one, upon a curtain of white linen, a pattern of yellow
silk is executed in Darned lines, representing in compart-
ments a fleet in full sail; while upon another, on a red cotton
ground, darned with red silk, are hunting groups, in which
elephants, lions, and various wild animals are chased by
Indian officers, who arc mounted upon horses and elephants*
The Darned lines in these designs partially filling in the
figures are run so as to take the direction of the limbs and
clothes of the object, and are so beautifully curved and
arranged as to give all the appearance of shading. Small
portions of the design, such as saddlecloths, are enriched
with very minute diaper patterns, while the manes of lions
are arranged as curls, made with a number of Knots, and
the bodies of leopards ancl stags spotted with the same*
During the reign of Queen Anne, Darned Embroidery
returned to its earlier patterns, and it is this kind that is
now attracting attention* The eighteenth century patterns
are all of large conventional flowers, worked in outlines,
with their backgrounds run with horizontal lines, as shown
in Fig. 280, p. 146* The effect of this partially filled in
groundwork is most artistic, softening, as it docs, the em-
broidery info the material, and throwing up the pattern
with a boldness hardly conceivable from such simple
means* The Darned lines are generally run parallel to
each other, in one given direction ; but this rule is not
absolute, and much variety is gained by altering the
direction of lines and introducing fancy stitches. The
following are the best known Darned Backgrounds ;

v

146

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Point minuscule a darned line, one thread taken and one
left, and both sides of the material alike ; Point sans
evers t a Cross Stitch surrounded with four stitches in-
closing it in a square, or a number of Cross Stitches— in
both varieties the back and front of the stitch alike j
Point de Carreau and Point Droit , lines forming a design,
both sides being alike; Point de Rosette* or Pcijii d'Moile,
isolated stars, worked so that both sides are alike*

To imitate Indian work, the lines are curved, either
making complete circles or flowing along in rising and
falling waves.

It will be understood that a clearly woven back-
ground is a great assistance to Darned Embroidery, but
other materials can be made to conform to the design.
The colours for tins Embroidery are few aud har-
monious* They are selected to contrast without being

Fig* 280. EARNED EMBROIDERY.

Combinations of stitches make good background
designs* Thus, a number of waved and run lines filling
the space and crossed by horizontal run lines; stitches
dividing the background into a number of small squares,
with stars worked in the alternate square; Vandyke lines,
made with Chain Stitch, alternating with Holbein Stitch*
To work these fancy stitches, see Embroidery
Stitches*

in violent opposition — that is to say, if Yellow and
Blue are chosen for the same embroidery, the tint of
the Yellow should be what is called a Blue Yellow, and
the tint of the Blue a Yellow Blue* Pink, if selected,
choose of a Yellow shade, and not a Blue Pink; and
when using Crimson or Green, the Crimson should shade
to Yellow, not to Blue, and the Green to Yellow, not to
Blue. The best combinations are dull Yellow with dull

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Fig. 281, DASHED MUSLIN.

spent over a pattern being doubled when silk is used
instead of worsted. To work : Traee the design upon the
material with tracing paper and tracing cloth, and then
embroider the background lines. Work up and down the
pattern ; take up only a small portion of the material in
the needle, and make the design evenly.

When the ground is finished, outline the pattern in
Crewel Stitch, and wort two rows of Crewel Stitch, if
the pattern is hold and requires to he outlined with a
broad line*

The pattern of Darned Embroidery shown in Fig, 280 is
worked thus : Trace out the design, Darn in the background
lines with yellow pink silk, and work the outline of the

the background. Another ground: Work a series of
parallel Vandykes across the material, and work seven
lines of one shade of colour, and seven of another, alter-
nately. Another ground : Form circles upon the back-
ground, all of an equal size, and fill these either with
lines arranged as lessening circles, or with curved lines
radiating from the centre like the spokes of a wheel.

Darned Laces, — The Darned Daces are amongst the
oldest of all lace work, and the term is a general one to ,
denote Embroidery upon a Retted ground. The various J "
laces so made are described under Filet Erode, Guipure
d'Art, and Spider Work.

Darned Muslin. — An easy and effective kind of fancy

Fink and Green, Blues arc better used by themselves
than with other colours. Yellows, when used alone,
should shade into chestnut.

The materials now used for Darned Embroidery are
unbleached cottons and linens, Huckaback towellings,
Java canvas, and twilled and diaper linens. The
old work was done upon Indian cloth \ but, as long as the
material chosen is w'oyen with distinct and straight
threads, any kind is suitable. The work is executed with
Vegetable and Raw silks and fine Crewels, Vegetable
silk is the best for small pieces of work, hut large cur-
tain borders, Ac,, require Crewels, the time and labour

flowers with a double line of Crewel Stitch, using dull
crimson silk. Fill the centres of the flowers with Satin
Stitch, worked in a medium shade of crimson. The
same pattern can he used with a different ground, thus r
Darn lines at even distances in a parallel direction, and
intersect them with similar lines that cross them, and so
form open diamonds. Fill the centre of each diamond
with a French Knot, Another ground: Make similar
lines upon the foundation, and, wherever they cross each
other, work thick pointed stars. Another ground : Run a
diagonal, but straight line, then a line of French Knots
only, and repeat these lines alternately over the whole of

148

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

work, used for ornamenting white muslin dr esse s, aprons,
or for antimacassars. It consists of working with fine
darning cotton in floral patterns upon good, clear white
muslin, and is illustrated in Fig, 28 L To work that
design : Draw out the pattern upon pink or white calico,
hack this with brown paper to stiffen it, and tack the
muslin on to it. Commence with the stems, branching
sprays, and tendrils. Work them up and down as in
ordinary Darning until of sufficient thickness, then
work the leaves. Begin each leaf close to the stem, and
work a series of Herringbone ; take up hut little of the
muslin, and increase and decrease the length of the
stitches according to pattern. The point of the leaf
being reached, Hem Stitch back to the stem, work up
the centre of leaf, and secure the loops made with the
Herringbone. Work the berries in Satin Stitch, and
Darn the little points and connecting lines. The work
should be very neat ; some people turn it when finished,
in order that the herringbone stitches may show through
the muslin; but this is entirely a matter of taste. When
soiled, have the work cleaned, not washed.

Darned ITet. — A very effective and fashionable imita-
tion of lace, and used for all kinds of dress trimmings, and
for table and cushion borders. It can he worked with fine
face thread, with coloured purse silks, or with floss and filo-
selles, either upon white, coloured, or black nets. Darned
net is carried to great perfection in the lace that is known
as Imitation Brussels Lace, and a very great variety of

stitches can be formed if Guipure d’Art and Modern
Point Lace Stitches are taken as guides. When
used as trimmings to ball dresses, black net is usually
selected for the foundation, and the embroidery worked
in bright- coloured floss or filoselle. The designs for Darn-
ing upon net are extremely varied, those that are suitable
for embroidery in Satin Stitch being the best ; but simple

geometrical designs, such as a series of Vandykes, crosses,
diamonds, or spots, are also used. The embroidery is done
in Satin Stitch or in plain Darning. To work Fig. 282 \
Trace the design upon pink calico, tack the net down with
the honeycombs in straight lines, with its wrong side
uppermost upon the calico, and thread a long lace needle
with the Embroidery cotton or silk. Fill in all the centres
of the leaves or flowers, by Darning the silk in and out of the
honeycombs in the various directions shown in illustration,
and work the spots over the net. Thread the needle with
another coloured silk, and double it, and Darn tbis doubled
silk as an outline all round the outer edge of the leaves and
flowers, and form the steins and sprays with it. The double
thread is run 111 and out of the net as in plain Darning.
Join and fasten off the silk on the upper side of the net, the
right side of the work being underneath. Unpick and turn
the work, and finish the edge of the lace with a series of
scallops made in Buttonhole Stitch.

Fig. 288 Is intended for a border* The net is laid upon
a background, but a traced pattern is not necessary. Work
the design with six slanting upward and downward Satin
Stitches, the commencement and end of the stitches
forming straight lines up the net. Pass each stitch over

Fig. 2SL Louder, in Darned Net.

three honeycombs, and put the silk Into the first and fifth
honeycomb. Commence the next line of stitches in the
honey combs-tlie first line finished in. and work this line
either upward or downward, but slanting in a contrary
direction to the last.

Fig. 2St is formed with a series of Diamond- shaped Satin
stitches. To form a diamond : Loop the silk through two
honeycombs for the first stitch, over three, five, and seven
honeycombs for the three next, and then decrease by

reversing the stitches thus — five, three, and two. Continue
to work iu this way down the not for its length, and then
commence another row. Work the centre stitch over seven
honeycombs of these Diamonds beneath the first stitch of
the previous row. Work to the end of the net, and work a
third row of Diamonds like the first.

Figs. 285 and 286 arc fillings for the centre of any designs
that are not w orked in Satin or Darning stitch. Fig. 285
is given in its natural size, and upon net the size it should
be placed upon, Tn Fig. 286 the stitch and net are enlarged

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

*49

to more plainly show the manner of working. Run el
fine lace thread in curves over three lines of honey combj
pass entirely over the centre line, and loop the curves at

Fig. 285v Fillings in Darned Net*

even distances into the first and third lines. In the second
line, run the thread through the same honeycomb as the top
curve of the first line, and continue running these curved

Fig. £8 e. Fillings in Darned Net,

lines backward and forward, until the space is filled. The
little loop upon the ends of the lines shows how the thread
is carried from one line to the other in an ornamental
manner, without any join, This loop corresponds to the
curve on the lines.

Fig* 287 is a pattern for embroidering coarse nets in
imitation of Darned Netting or Filet Erode* To work ;
Darn the thick lines up and down in Point be Reprise

Flo. 287* Pattern in Darned Net.

or plain Darning stitch, and leave every alternate honey-
comb plain : work in Overcast Stitch, and run the thread
into the thick Hue to carry it down, without showing, to
the next honeycomb that is to be Overcast.

Fig. 28 S is another pattern to be worked upon coarse net*
The Embroidery for this design is worked with purse silks
of different shades of colour* To work : Leave the centre
honeycomb line un worked; upon each side of it work in

Overcast one honeycomb, miss two honeycombs, pass the
silk over these, and work the third in Overcast, continue
to the end of the row, pass the silk alternately over the

Fig* 238. Darned Net*

upper and lower part of the honeycomb line* (See Fig.
287.) The lines upon each sides of these two centre lines
work as Darned lines, and catch the silk alternately over
and through every honeycomb upon the line*

Darned Wetting. — This work is an imitation of the
ancient Point Conte, Spider Work, or Darned Laces, and
consists of a plain netted foundation, upon which a pattern
is worked in a stitch known as Point de Reprise in
Guipure d’Art, but which is simply plain Darning*
It is much used for making summer curtains, window
blinds, and other washing articles, as it is very durable,
and, when a suitable pattern is selected, extremely hand-
some* It is worked either with ingrain cottons, raw silk,
or plain darning cotton. The netted foundation is either
coloured or plain* To work: Commence the Netted
foundation with one loop or mesh, and increase one stitch
in every row until the desired width is obtained. To form
a square article, decrease a stitch every row until one loop
only is left, but for a pattern that is longer than its width,
such as are required for curtains or window blinds, Net a
certain number of plain rows and then decrease. Slightly
starch the Netted foundation, and pull it out to its proper
shape, pinning it upon a board until dry* Upon this
foundation work the pattern* Take this either from a
Cross stitch Berlin Work pattern or a square and open
Crochet design. Thread a coarse darning needle with
soft knitting cotton, and fill in the meshes, counting each
mesh as a square in the Crochet or a stitch in the Berlin
pattern. Work from left to right, and Dam in and out
of the meshes four threads of cotton, two going one way
and two the other* Work the stitches as continuous lines
where possible, pass the cotton up and down until the
meshes are filled, and then commence tlie next line.
Always commence on the line that contains the smallest
number of stitches, and work the lines with the greatest
number of stitches second, as, unless this rule is attended
to, the cotton passing from one line to another will bo
visible. Work detached stitches by themselves, fasten off,
and commence them in the stitch. Make a Weaver's
Knot, and Darn the ends in when fresh cotton is required,
fasten off, and commence by running the cotton at back
of work, and not with a knot*

Darners. — Long needles, with considerably elongated
eyes, somewhat like the long eye in a bodkin, intended to
receive the coarse, loosely- twisted strands of darning

* 5 <>

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

yarn, either of wool or cotton. They are to be had in
various sizes. They are sold, like all other needles, in
papers containing a quarter, half, or a hundred needles.
They may also be purchased separately.

Darning Balls. — Egg-shaped balls, made of hard wood,
ivory, cocoanut shells, and glass, and employed as a substi-
tute for the hand in the darning of stockings. Instead of
inserting the hand into the foot of the stocking, and draw-
ing the latter up the arm, one of these balls is dropped into
the foot, and the worn part of the web is drawn closely
over it ; and, being firm, smooth, and rounded, it forms a
better foundation than the hand to work upon. Sometimes
these balls are hollow, and can be unscrewed in the middle,
the darning cotton being kept inside.

Dart. — A term employed in needlework, denoting the
two short seams made on each side of the front of a
bodice, whence small gores have been cut, making the
slope requisite to cause the dress to sit in closely under
the bust. These should be firmly stitched on the inside,
sufficient edge being left to allow for letting out the
waist part of the bodice if required. If the bodice be
turned inside out, during the fitting upon the figure, the
darts will be the better adjusted.

De. — The French word for a thimble.

Decorative Darning. — A general term, including
Darned Crochet, Darned Embroidery, Darned Net,
and Darned Netting.

Decorative Needlework. — This name includes, under
one head, all needlework that is intended as an orna-
ment, and is not a necessity upon the article that is being
made.

Decrease. — A word used in Crochet, Knitting, Netting,
Tatting, and Pillow Lace, to intimate where parts of the
pattern are to be diminished. To decrease in Crochet:
Work two stitches as one, or pass over one foundation
stitch without counting it. To decrease in Knitting : Knit
two stitches together as one. To decrease in Netting : Net
two stitches together as one. To decrease in Tatting : W ork
a fewer number of stitches in a given space. To decrease
in Lace: Plait the threads closer together for narrow
parts, but, where a marked difference in the widths is
required, tie the Bobbins together in pairs and cut them off.

De Laine. — A common abbreviation for Mousseline de
Laine, a thin woollen fabric, but sometimes of a mixed
material. See Mousseline de Laine.

Delhi Work. — An Indian Embroidery, so named
from the work being done chiefly in the neighbourhood of
Delhi. It is an embroidery in Chain and Satin Stitch,
worked in silks and gold and silver threads, upon satin
and other materials. The patterns are extremely rich, the
ground being in many places entirely concealed with
various coloured silks, while gold and silver thread are
profusely worked into the material. See Indian Em-
broidery.

Demyostage. — A description of Taminy, or woollen
cloth, formerly used in Scotland, but now superseded, or
known under a different name. {See Taminy.) The name
Demyostage appears to indicate that the textile was only
partially stiffened with dressing.

Denmark Satin.— A kind of worsted stuff employed

in the making of women’s shoes, measuring 27 inches in
width.

Dentel€. — The French term denoting that a border is
scalloped.

Dentelle. — The French word for lace. Laces were
known by this name in the latter part of the sixteenth
century; before that time they were known as Passe-
ment.

Dentelle a la Heine. — The name given to a Needle-
point lace manufactured for a shor: period in Amsterdam,
by French refugees, after the revocation of the Edict of
Nantes, 16S5. The lace was not peculiar to this particular
band of workers, having been made in France before that
time, but it gained a certain popularity during the short
time it was made in Holland.

Dentelle d, la Vierge. — A double-grounded Normandy
lace, made at Dieppe, and so named by the peasants. See
Dieppe Point.

Dentelle an fuseau.— One of the ancient names for
Pillow lace.

Dentelle de fil. — A name by which simple patterned
Thread laces are known.

Dentelle de Moresse. — A coarse, geometrical pattern
lace, made in the sixteenth century in Morocco, the art of
making which w*as acquired either from the Spaniards
or the Maltese. It is no longer manufactured, but may
still be bought at Tetuan.

Dentelle des Indes. — A name sometimes applied to
Drawn Work. A machine-made Yak lace, made in the
Jacquard looms at Lyons, is also called Dentelle des
Indes.

Dentelle Irlandaise.— The name by which Modem
Point lacc is known in France. See Modern Point
Laoe.

Dentelle Nette. — A coarse net having a lace pattern,
employed for window blinds, and for walls at the back
of washstands. It may be had both in 6cru or coffee
colour, as well as in white; both descriptions are made
from 1£ ynrds to 2 yards in width.

Dentelle Volants. — A term for lace in relief, whether
made upon the pillow or by hand.

Dents. — A French term employed to denote either
pointed or square scallops, cut as a decorative bordering to
a flounce or frill of a dress.

Derries. — A description of coloured woven cotton
cloths, manufactured in blue and brown, and employed for
women's dresses. It measures 31 inches in w T idth.

Design. — Since the revival of taste in the matter of
Embroidery, great attention has been paid to the pattern
or Design of the work, and various rules have been laid
dowm as to what constitutes a good Design ; the following
are the most important : Patterns of needlework should
be drawn with reference to the articles they will orna-
ment, and neither in form nor colour attract attention
from the main harmony of the room they help to decorate.
Simplicity of pattern, breadth of tone, and harmonious
colouring, arc all essentials to a good pattern, w hile great
contrasts between light and shade, loudness of colour, and
marked peculiarity, are to be deprecated. Natural objects,
wdien imitated, except in very fine Church Ecclesiastical

OLD DEVONSHIRE LACE (OLD).

Mil

HM i H pi

0tm

wii*«l

wS^mmMM

ENGLISH THREAD LACE (OLD).

MWWSi

MWM

mmmmmm

V^SWfe. v r ,i r i»ii. -Imt, * 'X£ r * ■ ? >M> ■ \'t*s> .

MMA

BUCKINGHAM POINT LACE (OLD),

BRUSSELS APPLIQUE LACE (MODERN),

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

embr cider j t or fine silk work, are not shaded to throw
those objects up in relief from their ground, as in picture
painting, but are conventionalised, and depicted as lying
flat upon a fiat ground, as in wall painting*

Devonia Ground. — A ground used in Duehesse iaee,
and as a variety when making Ho niton lace. It is worked
as follows ; Hang on four pairs of Bobbins at the place

Fig, 269. Devonta Ground.

where a lino is to be commenced {See Tig. 289), and, to
avoid pulling the lace while working, stick a pin on each
side of the hole to be sewn to, and several in the lace
already formed. First row — work Stem Stitch thus j
Give three twists to the outside pair of bobbins, and put
them aside, and with the next pair work across until the

T 5 1

to the right. Fifth row — make a Purl to the left, which
differs from the right Purl, thus : In the right Purl the
loop is formed by placing the pin under the thread, and
carrying the other thi'ead round the pin after it is stuck
from the lower side, moving the thread first to the right.
In the left Purl, place the pin upon the thread, and bring
the bobbin over it with the left band, then stick the pin,
and bring the other bobbin round the pin from the lower
side, moving first to the left. Sixth row-turn stitch to
the right. Seventh row— turn stitch to the left. Eighth
row — purl to the right. A Purl is made every third row
on alternate sides. The more irregularly the lines are
arranged the better, and when a fresh one is made to
start from some part of the line being worked, bang on
four pairs of Bobbins at that place before doing the Purl
stitch, and leave them there until the original line is
finished. Three or four sets of Bobbins may he left
behind in this manner, and afterwards carried on in
different directions. Where a line is crossed make a
Sewing, and commence, where possible, with a Rope
Sewing. Fasten off with great care.

Devonshire Dace .—At one time the hulk of the female
population of Devonshire was engaged in lace making,
and many were the varieties produced in that county,
all which, with the exception of the celebrated Honiton,
were copies of Belgium, French, and Spanish laces. A

Wm

mm

wmm

FIG, 200. DEVONSHIRE I ACE.

last pair are reached, then make a stitch and a half, or
Turn Stitch, on the left side, thus : Work a Cloth or
Whole Stitch, give each pair of bobbins one twist to
the left, put the middle left-hand bobbin over the middle
right bobbin, lift the two pairs with each hand, and give
a pull to make the inner edge firm,, and put aside the
inner pair of bobbins. Second row— work back with the
other, making a Purl on the right side, thus i Twist the
worker bobbins seven times to the left, lift one of them
in the left hand, take a pin in the right hand, and place it
under the thread, give a twist to bring the thread round
tlie pin, stick it, lay down the bobbin, and pass the other
one round the pin from the lower or nearest side, twist
once, and make a Cloth stitch. Third row — work to the
Turn stitch, left side. Fourth row — make a Turn stitch

coarse kind of Bone lace was made prior to the sixteenth
century, at which period the immigration of the Flemish
and French Protestant lace makers to England improved
the manufacture, while in the seventeenth century a certain
John Bodge, of Honiton, discovered the secret of working
the fine stitches used in Brussels and Flemish Lace. Fine
flax thread and Flemish patterns were introduced, and the
lace made from these during the sixteenth and seven-
teenth centuries was so beautiful as to rival the far-
famed Brussels lace. Fig. 290 is a specimen of this work,
the pattern being decidedly Flemish, although the lace
is Devonshire make. Besides this description of lace,
Venetian and Spanish Fee die- point, Maltese, Greek, and
Genoese laces have been successfully imitated by these
workers. For the last hundred years the lace makers

■ 5 *

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK \

have chiefly turned their attention to the making of
Honiton lace, hut during the French war the making of
Devonshire Trolly lace, coined from Normandy lace, was
successfully carried on, Honiton Lace is now the chief
lace made, but since the revival of interest in this
English manufacture, Spanish, Italian Guipure, and To-
ne ti an Point Laces are worked.

Diagonal Cloth, — A soft, woollen, twilled material,
made in various colours, without any pattern. It
measures 52 inches in width, and is much employed for
purposes of decorative embroidery.

Diagonal Couching , — A flat Couching, and one of
the numerous varieties of that stitch. It is chiefly em-
ployed in Church Work, To make: Lay lines of floss
silk flat upon the foundation, and close together, and to
secure them ill position bring up a thread of silk through
the foundation, pass it over one or two strands of floss
silk, and return it to the hack of the foundation material.
Arrange the direction of these securing stitches so that
they form diagonal lines across the floss silk. A variety
of Diagonal Couching is formed thus : O ver the floss silk
foundation lay a line of purse silk or gold twist in a
diagonal direction, and catch this down with the securing
stitch, brought from the back of the material as before
described ; continue to lay down diagonal lines of purse
silk, keeping them at an even distance from each other
until the floss silk is covered.

Diamond Couching.— One of the Fiat Couching s used
in Church Work, illustrated in Fig. 201, and worked
as follows : Lay down lines of floss silk upon a flat founda-
tion, and above them single threads of purse silk or gold
twist, at equal distances apart, and in a diagonal direction.
Lay each line singly, and secure it with a thread brought

Fig. SOI. Diamond Couch inO.

from the back of the material and returned there. The
lines running in one direction first lay and secure, then
cross them with lines laid in an opposite direction, so as
to form, with the ones already secured, a number of
diamonds; catch these down to the material in the
manner already described, and ornament the points of
the diamonds with a bead, pearl, or spangle.

Diamond Holes* — The Fillings in the centre of
Honiton lace sprigs are made in various fancy stitches,
the various arrangements of open squares or holes which
form Diamond Holes, Straight Rows, Chequer stitch,
being some of the most used. To form Diamond Holes :
Hang on twelve pairs of Bobbins, and work across from
left to light in Cloth Stitch six times, putting up the
pins on each side in holes pricked for them, then divide
the bobbins into two equal numbers, and put a pin in the

centre. Take up left-hand bobbins, and work Cloth stitch
with six pairs up to pin in the centre, work hack to the
left without twisting or putting up pin with the same six
pairs, twist and put up a pin, and leave bobbins hanging,
take up those on right hand ; put up a pin and work right
across the whole twelve bobbins to tlie left hand, and so
enclose the centre pin. Work a couple of Cloth stitch
rows, and then make a hole upon each side, dividing the
bobbins into fours, and working the two sides as men-
tioned above. Plait the four bobbins under the upper
hole in Cloth stitch, work two Cloth stitch rows with the
twelve bobbins, and make a hole in the centre under the
one first made.

Diamond Lace*— A stitch either worked as open or
close Diamonds, and used in Modem Point and in Aucient
Needle-points. In the first row, for making the open
diamond, work 6 thick Butto^iiole stitches, leave the
space of two open, work 14 Buttonhole, leave the space of
two open, work fi Buttonhole, Second vow — work 4
Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 2 Button-
hole, leave the space of two open, work 10 Buttonhole,
leave the space of two open, work 2 Buttonhole, leave the
space of two open, and work 4 Button hole* Third row —
work 2 Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 2
Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 2 Buttonhole,
leave the space of two open, work 8 Buttonhole, leave the
space of two open, work 2 Buttonhole, leave tho
space of two open, work 2 Buttonhole. Fourth row —
work 4 Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 2
Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 10 Button-
hole, leave the space of two open, work 2 Buttonhole,
leave the space o£ two open, work 4 Buttonhole. Fifth
row— work 6 Buttonhole, leave the space of two open,
work 14 Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, and
work G Buttonhole. Sixth row — w r ork 19 Buttonhole,
leave the space of two open, and work 19 Buttonhole*
Seventh row — work 17 Buttonhole, leave the space of
tw T o open, work 2 Buttonhole, leave the space of two
open, and work 17 Buttonhole, Eighth row — work
15 Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 2
Buttonhole, leave the space of two open, work 2 Button-
hole, leave the space of two open, and work 15 Button-
hole* Ninth row — work 17 Buttonhole, leave the space of
two open, work 2 Buttonhole, leave the space of two open,
and work 17 Buttonhole* Tenth row — work 19 Button-
hole, leave the space of two open, and work 19 Button-
hole. Repeat, and work the ten rows in the same order
to end of the space.

Diamond Linen,— This is also known as Diaper, and
tlie name includes several varieties of the latter, such as
Bird’s-eye, Fish-eye, and Russian Diaper, See Diaper.

Diamond Netting,— See Netting.

Diamonds, — A stitch used in Macr&mc lace to vary
the design. It consists of Mageame Knots made over
slanted threads, that are called Leaders. There are three
ways of making Diamonds : The Single, which is composed
of a single Leader from right and left hand, slanting out-
wards to a certain distance, and then returning to the
centre to form a Diamond. The Double, made with
a greater number of threads, and with two Leaders on

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

r 53

each side ; and the Treble , with more threads, and with
three Leaders on each side* To Worh a Single Diamond :
Take twelve threads and divide them, make the seventh
thread into a. Leader, and slant ifc down from left to right
in an angle; make a Macrame Knot upon it with the
eighth thread, then with the ninth, and so on to the
twelfth. Pin it down to the Pillow, and pick np the
sixth thread* Turn this over the first threads from left
to right, In a reverse direction to the other Leader, and
make Macrame Knots upon it ; commence with the
fifth thread, and work all np. Pin it to the Pillow, and
slant ifc hack in a diamond shape to the centre* Use the
same thread as Leader, and work Macrame Knots upon it
with the others in their order; then take the Leader left
at the right hand, slant it to the centre, and work it over
with Macrame Knots; when the two Leaders meet tie
them together. To Worh a Double Diamond : Double the
amount of threads, so that there are twelve upon each
side, and make two Leaders on each side. With twelve
threads on each side, the two right-hand Leaders will he
the first and second threads of the second set of twelve ;
commence by knotting the threads round the second
thread first, and then knot them round the first* The two
threads for Leaders on the left hand are the eleventh and
twelfth of the first twelve threads, counting from left to
right* Work the eleventh as a Leader first, and knot upon
ifc all the other threads, then knot them all upon the
twelfth. To Worh a Treble Diamond , sixteen threads and
three Leaders upon each side are necessary. The Leaders
are the first three on the right hand and the last three
on the left hand, and the work is similar to that in the
other Diamonds*

Diaper, — A term originally denoting a rich material
decorated with raised embroidery* It is now generally
employed to denote figured linen cloth, the design being-
very small, and generally diamond -shaped. It is also
used to signify a towel:

Let one attend him with a silver basin,

Another bear the ewer, tho third a diaper*

— Shakespeare *

Diaper is a damask linen, manufactured in Ireland and
Scotland ; there is a kind called Union, composed of
linen and cotton* There are also cotton ones, in-
cluding Russia Diaper* The finest linen Diapers, with
the smallest Diamond, Fish, or Bird's-eye patterns, are
chiefly used for infants’ pinafores, and other articles of
their dress. The name of this material is derived from
that of the city in Flanders where the manufacture
originated being formerly called d'ipre — or, Yprcs* The
Birds 5 - eye may be had in either linen or cotton, the
former measuring from 34 inches to 44 inches in width,
the latter 34 inches ; Pheasant- eye or Fish- eye measures
from 3G inches to 44 inches in width. Russia linen Diaper
may be had in four varieties — the cream-coloured at
21 inches* the half-bleached Irish at 24 inches, the Basket-
pattern (Barnsley) at 26 inches, and the Fancy Barnsley
(which is an extra heavy cloth) at 32 inches in w r idth.

Diaper Couching. — A variety of Couching used in
Church work, and made as follows : Lay down upon a fiat
foundation, even and close together lines of floss silk.

Secure these by bringing a thread of purse silk from the
hack of the material, pass it over two, three, or four
strands of floss silk to form a succession of Crosses,
Diamonds, or other Diaper patterns, and return to back
of material*

Diaphane. — A w f oven silk stuff, having transparent
coloured figures, and for some years past out of use, and
scarcely to be procured.

Dice Holes,— This is a stitch, shown in Fig. 232, used
in Honiton and other Pillow-made !ace, as a Filling

Fig. 232. DICE HOLES.

or a straight Braid. The manner of working it is
fully explained in Braids, as ifc is easier to learn to
make it as a Braid than a Filling. See Braids,

Fig. 293. DIEPPE POINT— DE NX ELLE A LA VlERGE.

Dieppe Point, — The tw r o centres of the Normandy lace
trade are Dieppe and Havre, and the manufacture in both
towns is very ancient, dating hack to before the introduc-
tion into France of Alcn^on. Normandy laces are among
those enumerated in the “ Revolt des Passe mens,” a poem
written upon a protest made to Colbert by the original

x

154

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

lace workers against the manufacture of Alen^on.
Brussels, Mechlin, Point de Paris, and Valenciennes were
all made during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
in Normandy, but the true Dieppe Point was a kind of
Valenciennes, made with three instead of four threads,
which received many local names, the narrow make
being known as Ave Maria and Poussin, the wider and
double-grounded as Dentelle a la Vierge, of which Fig.
293, p. 153, is a specimen. The laces of Havre were con-
sidered superior to those of Dieppe, but the manufacture
of both was nearly destroyed at the time of the Revolution ;
and though the Dieppe lace manufactures were restored
in 1820, and afterwards encouraged by Napoleon III.,
the trade ha3 almost disappeared, owing to the cheap
machine laces.

Dimity. — A cotton fabric, originally imported from
Damietta, the Dimyat of the Arabs. It is made both
striped and cross-barred, plain and twilled, and is stout in
texture, being made of double thread, with the pattern
raised. The designs are various, and some are not only
embossed, but printed. This fabric is employed for bed-
room hangings and furniture, for other articles, and
was in old times utilised for women’s petticoats. It is
made in two widths, 27 inches and 32 inches.

Dimity Binding. — This i3 also called Bed Lace, and is
a kind of Galloon, having plain edges, and a pattern
raised in the weaving down the centre of the braid. It
may also be had twilled and in diamond patterns. It
is sold by the gross, in two pieces, of 72 yards each.

Distaff. — An implement formerly employed in spinning
flax, tow, or wool. It consisted of a staff, round which
the yarn was wound; in early times it was held under
the arm of the spinster, and subsequently placed upright
in a stand before her. The distaff was introduced into
England, by the Italians, in the fifteenth century.

Doeskin Clotli. — This cloth is distinguished by having
a smooth dressing on the upper surface. It is made of
different qualities in thickness and colour, and employed
for clerical garments and riding trousers. The single-
milled doeskins measure from 27 inches to 29 inches in
width.

Doeskin Leather. — This leather, being softer and
more pliant than buckskin, is employed for riding and
driving gloves. It is thick, durable, and, being dressed
in a particular manner, w T ashes Veil. The seat of the
manufacture of doeskin gloves is at Woodstock, Oxon.

Doeskins. — These woollen stuffs are classed among
Narrow Cloths, and so distinguished from Broad
Cloths (which see).

Domett. — A plain cloth, of open make, of which the
warp is of cotton and the w eft of wool. It is a description
of Baize, and resembles a kind of white flannel made in
Germany. It is manufactured both in white and black,
the former of 28 inches in width, the latter of 36 inches,
and there are 46 yards in the piece. Both kinds are used
as lining materials in articles of dress, and in America to
line coffin caskets.

Dornick. — This is also written Darnev and Vorneh. A

stout Damask linen, made at Tournay, or Doornik, or
Dorneck, in Flanders, for hangings, as well as for table
linen.

Domock. — Also known as DorrocJc. A coarse linen
cloth, closely resembling Diaper, decorated with a pattern
of checkers in the weaving. It is made for household
purposes, and chiefly for table cloths. It takes its name
from the town, in Sutherlandshire, on the Firth of
Domock, where it is manufactured. It is also made at
Norwich ; the weaving of “Dornick” was a pageant
paraded before Queen Elizabeth on her visit to that
city.

Dorsetshire Lace. — From the time of Charles II. to
the middle of the eighteenth century Dorsetshire was
celebrated both for its Bone and Point laces, which were
considered the best productions of the English market,
and were not inferior to the laces of Flanders. Blandford,
Sherborne, and Lyme Regis were the towns that produced
the best kinds. No specimens of the lace seem to have
been preserved, but it is believed to have been a kind
of Point d’Argentan. After the trade declined, no lace
seems to have been made in Dorsetshire, but at the present
time, along the coast, and at Lyme Regis, Honiton lace
sprigs are manufactured.

Dorsonr. — A species of cloth, made in Scotland, ex-
pressly for the wall-bangings of halls or chapels, to supply
the place of Tapestry. The name is probably a corruption
of Dorsal, derived from the Latin Dorsum , the back.
These hangings were probably placed behind the altar
or the seats, or employed as portieres, to preserve the
people from draughts behind them at the entrance doors.

Dot. — An Embroidery stitch used in all kinds of
fancy work, and known as Point de Pois, and Point d’Or.
To make: Outline a small round, and Overcast it.
Work in the stitches all one way, and fill up the round
space with them.

Dotted Stitch.— Dot is the right term.

Double Bar. — A stitch used in the making of Macrame
lace. To work : Work with three or four strands of
thread, according to the thickness of the Bar required,
and tie these together with a succession of Macrame
Knots.

Double Coral Stitch. — An Embroidery stitch much
used in Ticking Work and for ornamenting linen. It is
composed of a straight centre line, with long Button-
hole stitches branching from it on each side, in a
slanting direction, and at even distances. To work : Bring
the thread up in the line, hold it down in a straight line,
and at a short distance from where it came up, put the
needle in on the right side of this line, in a slanting
direction, bring it out in the straight line and over
the thread held down, and draw up thread; repeat the
stitch on the left side, then on the right, and continue
working stitches on the left and right of the centre line.
See Embroidery Stitches.

Double Crochet. — A stitch used in Crochet, and
made as follows : Put the cotton round the hook, and
draw it through the foundation; cotton again round hook,
and draw it through the two loops. See Crochet.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

155

Double Cross Stitch.— An Embroidery Stitch used
in Cross Stitch Embroidery when both sides of the
work are required alike. See Point Sans Evers, Em-
broidery Stitches.

Double Diamonds. — A stitch in Macrame Lace, made
with a slanting thread covered with Macrame Knots,
worked like Single Diamonds, but with twelve threads
upon each side and two Leaders. See Diamonds.

Fig. 201. DOUBLE CROSS STITCH. -Detail A.

Another Kind. — A fancy Embroidery Stitch used
to ornament cloth, linen, and silk materials, and worked
with fine No. 100 embroidery cotton or purse silk.
To work: Make a series of evenly-placed Herring-
bone stitches across the space to be filled, and as wide
apart as shown in Pig. 294, Detail A. To finish the stitch
as a plain Double Cross, make a return line of Herring-
bone in between the points of the Herringbone already
worked. To finish the stitch as a Double Cross Stitch
ornamented with Knots, as shown in Fig. 294, Detail A,
wdiicb is the stitch usually made, return the thread at the
side of the line already made, so as to make a double line,
and cross it twice with ornamental Knots. Hold the
fixed and working threads together, and cross them wdth a
foundation of Buttonhole stitches, over wdiich work
Overcast Stitch until a Knot is formed. Secure the
second line close to the first with a Herringbone (sec Fig.
295, Detail B), and continue the double line to end of space.

Double Feather.— A variety of Feather Stitch, and
worked thus : Hold the material
in the left hand, bring up the
cotton, and hold it under the
left thumb ; put the needle into
the material on the left side,
on a level with the place where
the cotton w T as brought up, but
one-eighth of an inch away from
it; make a stitch, slightly slant
the needle in doing so from
left to right (see Fig. 296),
and draw the cotton up, keeping
the thumb upon it and the
needle over it. Again insert the
Fig. 296. Double feather needle to the left on a level
with the lower part of the last
stitch, but one-eiglith of an inch from it, and in a

V

Fig. 295. DOUBLE CROSS STITCH.- Detail B.

Then make a single line of Herringbone between the
points, as in plain Double Cross (Fig. 295, Detail B),
and ornament the plain line with a double thread
and Knots.

slightly slanting direction. Draw up as before. To
return : Put the needle in to the right of the last stitch,
as shown by the figures 1 and 2 on Fig. 296, hold the
cotton with the thumb, and draw it up as before, and

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK \

* 5 6

repeat tlie stitch to the right. Continue to work two
stitches to the right and two to the left until the
space is filled, The beauty of Double Feather consists
in the perfect Vandyke line it makes down the material
when worked with regular and even stitches*

Double Knitting - .^ A stitch in Knitting, which, pro-
ducing a double instead of a single web, is especially
useful when light and yet warm articles are to he knitted,
or stocking heels are to be strengthened* The double
web is formed by every other stitch of a row being a Slip
stitch and the intermediate one a Flain stitch; the Slip
etitcli is worked in the next row, while the Plain stitch,
worked in the first row, is slipped in the second. To
knit : Cast on an even number of stitches, miss the first
stitch, knit one, wool forward, slip the next stitch, pass
the wool back, knit the next stitch, and continue slipping
and knitting for the whole of the row; work last stitch
plain. Second row— knit the slip stitch and slip the
knitted. To make loose Double Knit tin g, put the wool
twice round the needle instead of once when knitting.
£ee Knitting.

Double Knot. “A knot used in Tatted Crochet, and
made as follows : Commence with 3 Chain, make a loop
with the cotton round the left forefinger, and nold it

down with the thumb (see Fig. 297). Insert the hook
over the front thread and under back, and draw up the
thread on to the hook. Now change the arrangement of
the loop on the left hand with a twist of that hand (see

Fig. 298, Detail A), and insert the hook, this time under
the first thread and over the second, then draw the loop
on to the hook. See Crochet, p. 116,

Double Long Treble.— A stitch used in Crochet as
a variety to Treble Crochet, To work : "Wind the
cotton three times round the hook, put the hook
through the Foundation, and draw the cotton through
as a loop, # take cotton on the hook and draw through
2 loops, and repeat from # 3 times. The stitch is a
long one, and one not often required, See Crochet.

Double Overcast Stitch. — This is Buttonhole Stitch
worked in a straight line. To work : Trace the outline, and
run along it a straight line of embroidery cotton. Over
this work an even and continuous series of Buttonholes,
using the run line as a guide to keep the Buttonholes per-
fectly even. See Buttonhole Stitch.

Double Point de Brussels. — A stitch used in needle-
point laces as a Filling. To work : Make a Buttonhole
stitch at a distance of one-eighth of an inch from the com-
mencement of the space to be filled, then a second close
to it ; miss one- eighth of an inch, carry the thread along
it as a loop, and work 2 Buttonholes, and continue to
miss a space and work 2 Buttonholes to the end of the
row. To work back : In the loops made in the last row
work 2 Buttonholes, and make loops under the Button-
holes of the first ro;v. Repeat the second row to the end
of the space, and work loosely.

Doubles. — Thick, narrow, black ribbons, made for shoe-
strings. They arc supposed to he entirely of silk, hut are
mixed with cotton, and are done up in rolls of 36 yards
each, four to the gross. The widths are known as two-
penny, threepenny, sixpenny, and eightpenny. Watered
Doubles are called Fads. See Bindings.

Double Satin Stitch. — A Satin Stitch worked over a
p repared foundation, and similar to Raised Satin Stitch.

Double Square*— An Embroidery stitch, also known
as Queen Stitch. It is formed of Long or Satin
Stitches, arranged as squares, one within the other. To
work : Make the outside square first, with four Satin
stitches, then work a smaller square inside it, with four
shorter Satin stitches.

Double Stitch.— Used in Berlin Work and in
Tatting, In Berlin work it is a variety of Tent stitch,
and made thus : Cross a square of four threads of canvas
in the centre with a Tent Stitch, and fill up the square
with a small Tent stitch placed on each side of the first
made and long Tent stitch. See Berlin Work.

In Tatting, pass the thread to the back of the hand,
push the shuttle upwards between first and second finger,
and draw up, then work the usual Tatting Stitch, See
Tatting,

Double Warp .—A cotton cloth in which the warp and
weft are of a uniform size. This kind of calico,’ being
stout and heavy, is in much request for sheetings. The
width varies from 2 to 3 yards,

Doublures.— A French term to signify Linings,

Dowlas. — A strong, coarse, half unbleached, linen cloth,
made for sheeting, chiefly manufactured in Yorkshire,
Dundee, and Forfarshire. It is now almost superseded
by calico. It is also made and used by the peasantry
in Brittany for common shirts, aprons, and towels. It

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

157

varies in width from 25 inches to 35 inches, and is to
be had of various qualities. The threads are round, like
Russian Crash. See Linen.

Mistress Quickly.— I bought you a dozen of shirts.

Falstaff.— D owlas, filthy dowlas ; I have given them away, Ac.

—Merry Wives of Windsor.

Down. — The soft and almost stemless feathers of birds,
such as swans, geese, eider ducks, Ac., and employed in
needlework for quilting into skirts, quilts,' tea coseys,
dressing-gowns, Ac. Before using, the feathers undergo
a process of washing and purification, so as not only to
cleanse, but to free them from any unpleasant odour.
Down is sold by the pound, the white being regarded as
superior to the grey. That of the eider duck is the best
to be procured for raffs for the neck, muffs, linings of
hoods, and trimmings for infants’ cloaks. Opera cloaks
are also made of the white swan’s down.

D’Oyley. — This was once the name of a woollen stuff,
but is now that of a small article of Napery (which see).
It is usually produced with fringed edges, for use at
dessert, or for the toilet. D’Oyleys are woven in both
cotton and linen ; in white and in ingrain colours. The
name appears to be derived from the Dutch dwaele, sig-
nifying a towel.

Drabbet. — A description of coarse linen material or
duck, made at Barnsley. It is heavy in quality, and
twilled, and is made both undyed and in colours. It may
be had in widths of 27 inches and 30 inches respec-
tively.

Drab Cloth. — A dun-coloured woollen cloth, woven
thick, and double-milled; it is employed for overcoats,
and is manufactured in Yorkshire.

Drafting. — The drawing or delineating a pattern or
diagram; it is a technical term employed in reference
to the execution of outline plans for needlework, and
the cutting out of materials employed for the same.

Drap. — The French term signifying Cloth.

Drape. — A term employed in dressmaking and up-
holstery, signifying the decorative arrangement of folds.

Drapery. — A comprehensive term denoting cloth of
every description. It seems to be derived from the
French word drap.

Drap Sanglier. — A loosely made, all-wool French stuff,
44 inches in width. It is of a rather coarse grain, plainly
woven, and has a good deal of nap or roughness on the
face. It is more especially designed for the purposes of
mourning, and w ill be found lighter in wear, as a spring
or summer travelling dress material, than its appearance
promises.

Drawbays. — A description of Lasting, being a double
warp worsted material, employed for making shoes and
boots, chiefly for women; it. is 18 inches in width. See
Lasting.

Drawing. — A term employed in reference to the making
of Gathers, by means of Running or Whipping, when the
thread used for the purpose must, of course, be drawn
through the material, in and out of the stitches taken,
leaving a number of small folds or gathers compressed

together. This thread is called a Drawing Thread. Rib-
bons and tapes employed within casings, for the same
purpose, are called Drawing Strings.

Drawn Work. — One of the earliest and most ancient
forms of open work Embroidery, and the foundation of
Lace. It was known in the tw r elftli century as Opus
Tiratum, and Panto Tirato, and later as Hamburg Point,
Indian Work, Broderie de Nancy, Dresden Point, Tonder
Lace, and Drawn Work, and seems at one time to have
been known and worked ail over Europe, being used
largely for ecclesiastical purposes and for the ornamenta-
tion of shrouds. The ancient specimens of Drawn Work
still to be seen are of such fine material as to require a
magnifying glass. They were formed of fine liuen, the
threads being retained in the parts where the pattern was

Fig. 290. DRAWN WORK.

thick, and, where it was open, cut, or drawn aw T ay, so that
only a sufficient number of warp and woof threads were left
to keep the work together, and these were Buttonholed
together (three to each stitch) so as to form a groundwork
of squares like Netting. The edges of the pattern were
also Buttonholed over. Fig. 203 is of a later description
of Drawui Work, and would be known as Indian Work, as
its foundation is muslin. It is two hundred years old, and,
as it is unfinished, shows how the threads were drawn away
an'd those retained for the thick parts of the pattern and
Buttonholed round. The ground of Fig. 290 is not worked
in Buttonhole squares, but is made in the Honeycomb
Reseau ground of lace. The leaves and sprays forming
the pattern are outlined round with a thread, and then
Buttonholed before any threads are drawn away. The
threads going one way of the stuff are then carefully cut
for a short distance and pulled away, and the Honeycomb
ground, made with the threads that are left, Overcast

158

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

together in that shape. This kind of Drawn Work is now
quite obsolete, as is likewise the geometrical, which suc-
ceeded these grounded flower patterns. In the geometrical
the threads that were retained were Overcast together, and
formed patterns without grounds.

In Fig. 300 is given a pattern of Drawn Work in the
Reticella style, which has been revived. It is worked as
follows : Take a piece of coarse linen, and draw warp and
woof threads away, to form a succession of squares (this
process has to be very carefully done, or the squares will
not be perfect). Leave six threads each way between the
squares to form a support, and commence the work by
covering these threads. Divide the six threads in the
centre, and work Point de Reprise thickly over them;
first throw the thread over the three to the right and bring

Drawn Work was frequently enriched with Embroidery
and Lace stitches made with coloured silks. Broderie de
Nancy, Dresden Point, and Hamburg Point were of this
description of Drawn Work. Fig. 301 (p. 159) is a modern
adaptation of this kind, and is made thus: Draw the squares
out as in the last pattern, leaving sixteen to twenty threads
between each. Buttonhole round the outer edge of the
drawn part of the work with coloured silk, and then work
the Lace stitch. Thread the needle with coloured silk,
fasten it firmly to the edge, and loop it tw r ice into the side
of one square ; when it comes to where the threads are
left, divide them in half, and loop it through one half of
them ; cross the thread over the thick undrawn parts, and
continue to loop it twice in every side of the square until
all the squares are worked round and all the left threads

Fig. 300. DRAWN WORK-RETICELLA.

it back to the centre, and then over the three to the left
and bring it back to the centre, as shown in the illus-
tration. Work until the threads are quite covered. Fill
the open squares with Buttonhole stitches. Throw a
thread across the space as a loop, and cover it thickly with
Buttonholes ; leave it as one line, or continue to throw
threads and Buttonhole them over and down to the first
line until the pattern is formed. Where this is done is
amply shown in the illustration, in many parts of which
the Buttonholed lines are given half-finished, in others
completed and ornamented with Picots, while dotted lines
indicate where other fillings, formed of Buttonholed lines,
are to come. For the bordering, draw out threads, leave
an undrawn space between, and work Hem Stitch first on
one drawn-out line, and then upon the other. Take up
four threads in every Hem stitch.

secured. Then work the ornamental Wheel in the centre
of the open squares upon the loops. Make the Wheels of
three Buttonholes close together, with a space left between
the ones made and the next to be worked. Three Button-
holes are worked in every loop, eight forming a Wheel.

When Drawn Work is done upon fine linen, muslin, or
cambric foundations, it is tedious pulling out the threads
before any design is commenced ; but upon such materials
as cheese cloth and open linen canvas the whole of the
material can be drawn without trouble and embroidered.
The pattern shown (Fig. 302) is intended to be worked
upon coarse linen, and is made as follows : Draw out a
succession of squares, leaving sixteen threads between each
open square. Take coarse knitting cotton or coloured silk,
and -work down each square, twisting the left threads
thus : Pick up the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth threads

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

*59

upon the needle, and twist them over the first four threads ;
draw the needle and silk through them, and pick up the
thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth threads

coarse cheese cloth. It is ornamented with fine chenille
or wool instead of silk, and is worked thus : Draw out
squares on the material, leaving eight threads between

Fro. SOL BRAWtf WORE,

and draw them over the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and
thirteenth threads \ work in this way all down the left
threads, then turn the work, and work from the side in

each square. Make Lono Ckoss stitches as in Berlin
Work, with various coloured chenilles or wools, to
secure the threads that are left. Work the under or dark
line of stitches first, fasten the dark coloured chenille into
one of the open squares, miss the open square upon the

Fig. 303 h Drawn Work,

Fig* 302, Drawn Work*

the same manner, knotting the silk together where it
meets, as shown in the illustration*

Fig. 303 is a pattern intended to be worked upon

next row, and loop into the square on the right in the third
row, making the first half of a Cross Stitch. Bring the
needle out to the left through the open space on that side
and finish the Cross stitch by returning it back to the first
row into the space on the right hand to where it first

i6o

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

began. Continue to make this Cross stitch until all the
spaces are filled or covered over. Then take liglit
Chenille, and work with it over the dark Chenille in
the same stitch, looping it into the squares that were
only covered in the first row.

The borders that can be made with Brawn Work are
very numerous, and arc much used as ornamental finishes
to Embroideries upon linen and other washing materials,
not only in needlework coming from India, Turkey, and
Arabia, but by English ladies for Ecclesiastical linen and
Crewel Work. The first of the stitches used is Hem
Stitch, to secure the threads, but after that Fancy
Stitches are worked to embellish them. Fig. 301 shows

Fig. SOi. Dhawn Woke,

two stitches much employed for borders. To work the one
on the left hand : Draw out the thread one way of the stuffs
to the width of three-quarters of an inch, and commence
the work on the wrong side of the material, holding it so
that the left threads are in a horizontal position, and work
in a straight line down them and close to the undrawn
material. Secure the thread, and make the Hem stitch,
thus : Take up eight threads on the needle, and loop them
with the thread, as if making a Buttonhole Stitch :
Draw up tight, make a short stitch into the material
to secure the thread, and make another Hem stitch ■ then
take up eight more threads on the needle and repeat.
Work down one side and then down the other, at the
top and bottom of the drawn-out space. Insert a centre
line made of crochet cotton, twist the threads round it;
take four threads from the first Ilem stitch and four
from the nest for each twist, to give the plaited look
to the threads shown in the illustration. For the
stitch upon the right-hand side of Fig, 301, Draw out
threads to the w idth required, and work at the back of
the material, holding it as before- mentioned \ Hemstitch
as before at the top and bottom of the space, but
inclose four threads instead of eight in every Hem stitch.
Cover with a line of Button hole the threads composing
every seventh Hem stitch, and make a narrow slanting
line running across the six Hem stitches between the ones
Buttonholed, with four Buttonholes worked across every
two stitches.

Fig, 305 is worked thus : Draw out the threads length-
ways of the material. First draw out six, then leave three,
draw out another six, leave three, draw out twelve, leave
three, draw out twelve, leave three, draw out six, leave
three, draw out six, and leave three. Then Buttonhole
the top and bottom edges of the drawn space (use
fine lace cotton for so doing), and secure the left threads
together in loops at the same time, making six threads
into one loop. Make a loop by twisting the cotton twice
round the six threads and drawing it up. Turn the
work, and hold it as before mentioned. Work the second

line in Hem Stitch as before described, and for the
third line make a Chain Stitch line with cotton down
the centre, drawing up twelve threads in every Chain
stitch. Repeat the Chain and Hem Stitch lines for the
remaining spaces.

To work Fig. 303: Draw out threads of the material
one-eighth of an inch deep, leave three threads, draw out
threads for a space of half an inch, then leave three
threads and draw out for one -eighth of an inch. Work at
the back of the material from left to right. Take up six
threads on the needle, and make them into a loop by
twisting the thread twice round them, run the needle
slantwise through the three threads left undrawn, then
take three of the threads just secured, and three in front

r v - : " "

V 7 V ' ■ A v

( Jf'-f

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m .?#■;, ' ' ii' 1 l i

V W'lJub '-I: f,

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Fig. 30EL Brawn Work.

of them, and make a loop of them, upon the side of the
three undrawn threads nearest the centre of the work.
Continue to work these two loops, one upon each side of
the left three threads, until the line is finished. Work the
line similar to this, and opposite it before the centre line.
For the centre line : Take one cluster of six threads and
three threads from the cluster upon each side, and Qvek-
cast them together, keeping the Knot thus made in the
centre of the line. Finish each Knot off, and do not carry
the cotton from one to the other.

To work Fig. 307 : Draw out an inch of lengthways
threads on the material, and leave at equal distances
apart in this space. Work at hack of the material
with lines of Hem Stitch at the top and bottom of
the space, and along lines made with the centre lines;
the threads that are left use as a groundwork for the
three centre lines of Hem Stitch. Secure six threads with
every Hem stitch, take three from one stitch and three
from the next in the second line. Work the original

RUG WORK FORMED WITH COUCHING AND CROSS STITCH

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK,

six together for the third line, and repeat the second and
third line for the fourth and fifth. The Hem stitching
being finished, ornament it by Overcasting two stitches

Fig. 307 , Drawn ^Vatle,

together with coloured silt, and work these Overcast
stitches in a Vandyke line over the whole of the inch of
Drawn threads, as shown in Fig. 307.

To work Fig. 80S ; Draw out six threads of the material,
and leave three threads, then draw out threads to an inch
in depth of the material, then leave three threads, and
draw out six threads. Work lines of Buttonhole down
the upright threads in the centre space upon the right

Fia. S03. Drawn Work,

side of the material, and take in four threads into each
line. When all the threads are Buttonholed over, take a
narrow piece of ribbon, and run it through the lines thus :
Take up the third line and twist it over the first, put the
ribbon over it, and pass the ribbon through the second
line, twist the first line over the second and third, and pass
the ribbon over it. Treat all the Buttonholed lines in
this way.

Dresden Point. — The exact date of the introduction
of lace making into Germany is still a matter of dispute,
hut there is no doubt that the movement owed much of its
success to the labours of Barbara U ttmann (born 1514,
died 1575), who, with the hope of lessening the poverty of
her countrywomen, founded a lace school at Annaberg,
and, with assistance from Flanders, taught Pillow lace*
making to 30,000 persons. To her labours may be added
tbe kelp given to the manufactory by the constant passing
over into Germany of French and Spanish refugees, many
of whom brought with them tlie secrets of their various
trades. For some time the laces of Germany were simply
copies of the common peasant laces made in France and
Spain, and were only known to, and bought by, the non-
weal thy classes, but gradually copies of better kinds of
laces were attempted, and Silk Blondes, Plaited Gold
and Silver Laces, Point d'Espagne, Brussels and Mech-
lin laces produced. Dresden became celebrated during
the last part of the seventeenth century, and for the whole

l6t

of the eighteenth, not for a Pillow lace, hut for a Drawn
lace, an imitation of the Italian Punto Tirato, in which a
piece of linen was converted into lace by some of its
threads being drawn away, some retained to form a
pattern, and others worked together to form square
meshes. This Dresden Point was likewise embroidered
with fine stitchery, and was largely bought by the wealthy
during the time of its excellence. Its manufacture has
now died out, and Dresden only produces either coarse
Pillow lace or imitations of old Brussels.

Dressed Pillow. — A term used by lace makers to
intimate that all the accessories necessary for tbe art are
in their proper positions. These are : A Pillow (for
Honiton lace this is fiat, for Brussels round, for Saxony
long), (see Pillow), three covers for the same ( see Cover
Cloths), a hank of lace thread, a hank of shiny thread
known as a G imp, four dozen pairs of bobbins, lace plus
and common pin% a small soft pincushion, a needle pin or
darning needle with a sealing wax bead, a fine crochet

Fra, 30EC DRESSED PILLOW, with Lack in Process of Mae iso.

book, a bobbin bag, a pair of sharp scissors in sheath, and
a passement pattern. The bobbin hag is made shorter
than the bobbins, and stitched up in compartments, so
that each division holds twelve pairs of bobbins; it is
finished with a little tongue by which to pin it to tlie
Pillow, as arc also the pincushion and the scissor sheath.
The fine crochet hook is required to make the Sewings,
and is stuck into the pincushion, with the pins and the
darning needle, the latter being required to prick patterns
and wind up thread.

The Pillow is dressed as follows : Lay the under Cover
Cloth on the Pillow before the passement is adjusted, then
the passement, over whose lower end pin a second cover
cloth, to lie under the bobbins and protect them from
getting entangled in the pricked pattern. Tim pin-
cushion, the scissor sheath, and bobbin bag, pin on to
the right-hand side of the pillow, to be out of the way
of the work ; the Pillow is then ready to receive the
bobbins and commence the lace. Fig, 309 illustrates a

Y

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

162

Dressing Frame. — A frame shaped like the trunk of
a human body to the waist, and thence extending outwards
like the skirt of a dress. It is made of steel wires, and
upon it dresses and skirts are placed for the purpose of
draping, and otherwise arranging the costume in making it.

Dressmaking. — The first step to be taken in Dress-
making is to cut out the material. For all rules of general
application, as well as for certain notes having especial
reference to Dressmaking, see Cuttinq-out.

Dressed Pillow, with a piece of Lace Braid in making upon
it. The first Cover Cloth is tied on with ribbons ; the
second at the lower end of the Pillow is shown white. The
passement is covered with the Lace already made, which is
secured to it by the pins pushed through its pricked holes
in the process of working. The tuft of threads at the top
of the Pillow show where the bobbin threads are tied
together and pinned on to the pattern, the Passive Bobbins
are laid down over the second Cover Cloth, while the

Fig. 310. DIAGRAMS FOR TAKING MEASUREMENTS WITH A TAPE.

Workers are pinned up on each side of the passement,
not to become entangled.

Dressing. — The stiffening, or glaze, applied to silk,
linen, or cotton fabrics, to give an artificial substance
and firmness. It is made of china clay, starch, or gum.
In the selection of Calico and Longcloth for underlinen,
it is expedient to rub the end of the piece to remove the
Dressing, so as the better to ascertain the real quality
and substance of the cloth, which is sometimes much
disguised by it, and thus given a fictitious excellence.

The above diagrams (Fig. 310) will indicate to the dress-
maker the exact method of taking measurements by means
of a measuring-tape, thus obviating the necessity for
supplying further directions. The tape marks show the
manner in which the measurements are to be taken from
point to point.

Commencing with the shirt , the following may be
regarded as the order in which the work is to be carried
out : Always run the seams down from top to bottom,
so that if any unevenness should occur it may be pared off

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

163

from the latter edge, but if cut out accurately there will be
nothing to spare. When a gored edge is put next a
selvedge, take great care that it be not stretched, nor
too loosely fixed to the other piece. Begin by uniting
the gores on either side nearest the front width, then the
next gores to those right and left, and so on to the back.
The stitching should be \ inch from the edges, the placket
hole opening left unjoined in the scam of the back width
on the left hand side, which is the usual place for it, if the
skirt or tunic be separate from the bodice. If the dress be
unlined, sew over each edge of the scams separately, using
fine cotton, and neither work too closely, nor pull the
thread tightly. When all are over-sewn, press open the
joins with an iron, by laying a wooden roller longwise up
the joins underneath them, on the right side of the dress,
and ironing up the centre of the separated edges on the
wrong side. Very stout or springing materials need a
damp cloth laid over the scam to be pressed. A broom
handle is the best roller, and it is well w'orth while for
one to be kept for the purpose, covered with two or
three layers of ironing cloth sewn round it. By using
a roller the heater only presses on the actual stitching
of the scam, and not on the turnings, the marks of
w r hich always show through on the right side, if the
seani3 be pressed open on a table. With silk it is better
to lay a dry cloth over the seam to be ironed on, instead
of rubbing the heater immediately upon the silk. The very
delicately tinted, such as French grey, dove, and lavender,
must not have a very hot iron applied; and it is better
not to rest the seam on a roller, but to get tw r o persons
to hold the scams, at the top and bottom, pulling firmly,
while a third shall pass the iron up and down the parted
edges of the join. Cotton and other washing skirts do not
need the turnings quite so wide as \ inch, and the two edges
are sewn over together instead of being opened. Gauze,
thin barege, or any yielding, flimsy material, is usually
joined by a Mantua Maker’s Hem, and, whenever possible,
the selvedge of it is used for the turning which is hemmed
dowm, thus saving an extra fold of the stuff.

If the dress be gored, but not lined, and a shaped facing
used, tack it smoothly round the bottom after the seams
have been pressed, and then Hem the cover and lining
up to the 1£ inches allowed in the length when it w r as cut,
of course only putting the needle into the hem and the
lining, not taking it through to the face. The top edge
must be hemmed with small stitches taken very far apart,
and with fine silk or cotton.

With petticoats, or round skirts that are little gored, it
is quicker not to stitch up the hem after the. facing is
tacked in, but to place the right side of the facing against
the right side of the skirt, and projecting beyond it as
much as the hem of stuff which has been accounted for ;
then run the dress stuff against the facing, \ inch within the
edge, and afterwards turn the facing over on to the inside
of the skirt, and hem down the upper edge. Pull the lining
up a little higher than the actual depth of the hem, so as
to make the extreme edge of the dress of double material.

Whatever trimming, in the way of flounces, &c., has
been prepared, is now put on the skirt. Begin with the
bottom row in horizontal trimming, and fix it by having

the hem, and not the waist, of the skirt over the left arm
while the running is executed ; the trimming being first
fixed in its place with pins. Work diagonal and longi-
tudinal puffs, quillings, or ruches from the waist to the
feet, and be careful that the fulness of puffs decrease
tow r ards the top. These trimmings, however, mostly apply
to ball dresses, and in making transparent skirts, it is
more convenient to leave a join (one of those next the
train) open, until after the trimmings have all been put
on, and join it up subsequently; for if they be of net,
tarlatan, grenadine, tulle, or gauze, the running on of such
flounces or puffs should be done from the inside of the
skirt, as the drawing threads and pins are as plainly visible
from that as the right side, and there being then nothing
in which the sewing cotton can be caught, the work is more
rapid, and becomes les3 tumbled. Always use a long straw
needle, No. 5 or G, and avoid coarse cotton.

After the trimming, make the placket hole, which needs
a facing on the right-hand side, and a false hem on the
left, when the placket fastens behind. Cut the facing and
false hem on the bias or the straight, according to the
breadth to which they are attached, and the false hem
ought to be quite 1$ inches w r ide.

Next sew on the waistband, and let it be as much
longer than the wmist, as the placket hole’s False Hem i3
wide. Turn dowm the waist edge for the % inch allowed in
the cutting, and sew the top of the False Hem for its width
to the left end of the band, and stitch two eyes on in a
line with the sewing of the false hem. Pin the band with
its right side to that of the skirt, and hold it with the
band towards you, w r hile sewing the two together strongly.
The fulness, which is either pleated, or gathered at the
back of the waist, must also be kept from you while being
sewm to the belt. The size of the gathers depends on the
quantity of the skirt to be gathered into a certain space,
but the stitches arc usually made an inch long on the
wrong side, and very small on the right, so that when the
gathering thread is drawm up, the inch is folded in half,
and makes Gathers I inch deep. Sew these to the band at
their threaded edge, and then sew them over at the oppo-
site one, so as to keep all the corners regular, and make
the Gathers set in uniform folds. Sew r the hooks a little
way in from the right hand end of the band, and a third
one, with eye corresponding, to keep up the lapped piece
which holds the false hem. Sixes arc the best sized hooks
for w T aistbands.

Make the pocket from the -same stuff as the body
lining, the sides sloped off to a point at the top. Face the
opening for the hand with dress material, and put a
strip of the same on the inside of the pocket opposite
the opening, so as not to show the w r hite lining when the
pocket-hole bulges. Dot the edge of the pocket either with
a Mantua Maker’s Hem, or stitch it on the inside close
to the edges, turn it inside out, and stitch it round again,
so as to inclose the raw turnings. The top of the pocket
should be about 9 inches from the waist.

Put the braid on last of all, and it looks and wears
better if folded in half, width way, and so used double.
Hem it on, and slightly ease it if coloured, as it shrinks
from damp. Black, and some chirk shades will bear

Y 2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

164

shrinking prior to use, and whenever the shade will stand
the process, it is better to plunge the braid in boiling
water, that the scalding and subsequent drying may
prevent the necessity of easing it in hemming.

In making the bodice , Tack the lining, which has been
cut and fitted on, to the covering material near the edge
all round, including both sides of the darts, but the hem
tacking should be further in than the others. When every
part of the lining is Basted to the material, and cut out by
it (leaving no margin beyond the lining, unless it be of a
stuff that frays greatly), turn down the fronts, and Run
them near the folded edge, to keep them in shape until
the buttons and buttonholes be added, which will then fix
the front Hems, the turnings of which are not actually
hemmed down. After Tacking down the fronts, stitch the
seams, doing so closely, and being cautious to hold both
edges with equal firmness. Join down the centre of the
back next, then attach the side pieces to it, by stitching
the edges together on the inside, if there be two or more
side pieces ; but when there is only one on each side, they
are sometimes stitched on from the outside, the edge of the
side piece being tacked down and Basted in place on the
back, and then stitched very near the folded edge; but this
is not an unalterable rule, and depends on whether the
taste of the day be to make seams conspicuous, or as little
observable as possible. The under arm seams follow, after
the side pieces are done, and then the shoulders. Always
begin the stitching of joins and darts at the top, and so
work downwards. Shave off any ravellings, and then
oversew the cover and lining together, on cither side of
each seam, and press them open. The seam from neck
to arm is not opened, but the four layers are oversewn
together, and the piece turned towards the back, when
the sleeve and neckband are added, which then confines
the ends of this shoulder seam. With a clear bodice, such
as Swiss, book, or organdie muslin, join the shoulders
by a Mantua Maker’s Hem, if both fronts and back be
plain ; but if the fronts be full and the back plain, tack
a piping cord, laid in a crossway casing, on the back
parts, and stitch the fronts to it. When a very thick
cord is laid lip all the bodice seams, to act as a trimming,
cut away the ends of the cord, when it reaches the
seam into which it has to be stitched, like a pencil point,
until only enough of its centre remains to be held securely
in the stitching. If this thick cording be used for the
backs of bodices in which there are side pieces, which
run into the shoulder seam, that seam is then turned
forwards, instead of backwards, when the collar and sleeves
are put in.

Now make the buttonholes on the right front hem,
and mark their relative positions, each being sewn over
with fine cotton before it is worked with the twist.
Buttonholes with “bar” ends are nicest for silk,
washing, and thin stuff dresses; but real cloth ought to
have proper tailors’ buttonholes. If silk, velvet, or other
buttons without shanks be used, in sewing them on take
up so much of their base through the dress at the back
that the buttonhole, when extended over it, will not spread,
causing a looseness between each buttonhole. Thus, in
order to leave room for the shank of the button, a little of

the hole should be cut away. A buttonhole, thus wider one
end than the other, must be worked roimd both ends
radiatingly, instead of with bars. “ Medium ” twist (there
arc three sizes) is best for most dress materials, but
“ coarse ” is best for extra thick serge or cloth.

If there should be any trimming over the shoulder, or
down the fronts, ending at the basque edge, waistband, or
throat, it must now be put on, so that the ends may be
enclosed. When those parts are finished off, put on the
bodice, and button it up, and place a tacking thread where
the trimming is to go, as it is almost impossible to
obtain a correct square, or equidistant Brctelles, &c., by
sight alone, when the bodice is in the hand. It is quite
easy for the worker to do this for herself by standing
before a mirror, placing pins where the trimming is to be,
and winding a cotton from one to another of those pins.
The back, being a Hat surface, can be marked for the
trimming when the bodice is taken off. While it is on, see
that the neck is of a right height, particularly where the
shoulder seams end, and quite at the back, for if at all too
high there it will drag into creases. Put the neck band
on next. If a straight one of even height, cut it from
the straight of the material, and used it double, stitch one
edge on at the right side, and Fell the other down on
the wrong, but if very stout or rough, it must be of one
thickness for the outside, and a strip of silk run to
its top edge, and Felled down for the inside, over the
stitching made by the exterior of the band. Should the
neck band be one of those that stand out from the throat,
and are deeper at the back than the front, cut it of that
shape in book muslin, and cut the muslin (used as a
stiffener), the material, and its inner lining, with the direct
cross of the stuff at the centre. In sewing on neck bands
or collars, do not draw them in the least degree.

Cord the armholes now, if desired. Lay the cord in
the centre of a f inch bias casing and tack it there, so as
to use the cording ready made round the armhole, instead
of embedding the cord at the same time as tacking it on
the dress. Commence it immediately under the arm, not
at the seam, and cross the beginning and ending of the
cord.

The lower edge of the bodice has next to be seen to.
If one with a waistband, first run the tapes for whalebones
down the opened and pressed seams, at the darts and
under the arms, leaving the tops of the tapes (which
should not reach the armhole by 2k inches) open for the in-
sertion of the bones, when everything else has been done,
for v r hen stitching in the sleeves it is easier to handle if
it be limp. Cut the bodice the right length, and i inch
additional in the first place, and then tack up the J inch, and
put a w ide (1 inch) twilled tape on the inside, stitching it
from the outside close to the edge, and afterwards
hemming up the top of the tape.

A basque should be corded or faced on the inside, but
must never be itself hemmed up. Cut the facing on the
cross, 1 \ inches wide, and run it with its right side on that
of the basque about 4 inch from the edge, and afterwards
turn it over to the inside and hem it up. Before running
on the facing, pull its edge so as to stretch it, to make it
take a better curve for the first running ; by doing so the

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

inner edge can be hemmed tip flatly, without having to
make any pleats, unless the basque describes a point, or be
deeper in the middle than the sides, or vice versa ,

The sleeves are put in last. If of a plain coat shape,
lay the right sides of the linings together, and place
this on the top of the exterior stuff, which is also put face
to face ; then stitch all four through together, the hand
ins eiied between the two linings, so as to draw the sleeve
through, and thus turn the top layer of lining over to the
under side of the stuff, when the sleeve, though inside out,
will he completely lined, and the raw edges hidden by
being under the lining. If the coat sleeve be so tight as
to require pleats at the elbow, to give the arm play, the
joining ought not to be done in the foregoing way, but the
linings should he tacked to the stuff, and the halves
stitched together and Oversewn* With sleeves so fitting
the arm as to need pleats, care must he taken not to leave
the lining in the least degree loose, or the strain then put
on its cover will make it ravel out at the seams. The
margin beyond the joining should not be more than | inch.
Transparent materials, such as gauze or grenadine, are
sometimes lined, and then the stuff and lining should be
all closed together in the way first mentioned. While the
sleeve is inside out, run a band 2 inches wide on the edge
of the sleeve, by putting the band against its right side,
and so farthest from you. Begin it at the inner seam
of the arm, and on reaching the outer one, ease in the
baud a little, and when again arrived at the inner seam,
fasten off, and then turn the waist facing down on the
sleeve lining, and Fell if there, before closing the opening
at the seam with blind or Slip stitches* These are
made by inserting the needle under the fold of the hem,
and running it in and out between the two inner sides,
out of sight, so as to form an invisible connection be-
tween them* When a sleeve is to be trimmed by straight
rows of braid at the cuff, leave the inner seam undone
till the last, so as to lay the sleeve out flat for the
trimming, and when the seam is closed, stitch in the
ends of the braid. The ouff should be made up sepa-
rately, and applied to the sleeve by Slip -stitching the
two at the waist, letting the cuff project the smallest
possible degree beyond the edge. AU cuff's should be made
on book muslin, whether deep and plain, ornamental, or
only a band dividing two frills. Sleeves that are in puffs
downwards, take the same extra length as do puffs that go
round— viz., about half as much again for opaque materials,
but net or tulle requires rather more, and these filmy
tissues arc made on a foundation of the same, to keep the
puffs in place. Begin the runnings at the shoulder end,
commencing at the middle first (that where the elbow
seam is), and bring the rest nearer together towards
the wrist, so that the puffs may not be as large there
as at the top, then secure all with pins to regulate the
fulness, and run down with fine cotton. For puffs that
go round the arm run a cord at the required distances,
for a thread alone does not give sufficient support. The
same rule applies to muslin, gauze, or grenadine, when
puffed longitudinally without a foundation. To prevent
their falling to the wrist w T hen the sleeves are gathered
across, and are unimed, sew a cord, the length of the

165

arm, from running to running, at the seam, and put a
second cord in more immediately under the arm. With
net or tulle, whether the puffs go up or round makes no
difference to the lay of the material ; they must he laid in
the direction of the selvedge from shoulder to hand. For
short sleeves for ball dresses cut the deepest part directly
on the cross of the lining, and when covered by a little
puff, make this by a bias strip, and pleat fully as long again
as the lining. Single puff it rather than gather, doing the
top edge first in small single pleats all turned one way,
and then the lower edge, but turn the pleats there in
the opposite direction to those at the top. The mouth of
the sleeve may he faced with a narrow ribbon, or corded.
For long hanging sleeves cut the longest part on the
straight way of the material. Transparent bodices with
low linings, have long transparent sleeves over short thick
ones, the edge is piped, and short and long sleeves arc
tacked together, that they may be attached to the arm-
hole by one stitching. The stitching must be very firm,
and with stout thread, and the raw edges should be sew T n
over. When no cording is put round the armholes, take
care not to pull it on the sleeve, and in addition to firm
stitching, Hem a silk ribbon over the turnings, the ribbon
being of the precise width to allow of hemming each
edge on the line of stitches made by putting in the
sleeve.

Low bodices may be finished at the neck in two ways.
Sometimes the edge is turned down, and a A inch wide
sarsenet ribbon hemmed over it on the inside, the ribbon
being used as a runner for a string (silk lacc) to draw the
top to the figure ; the other plan is to cord the edge ivith
a fine piping cord, as the neck can be drawn in a little
when this is being done. If a low body be fastened behind
and have a seam up the front, place a bone up the join,
from its extreme eud to within 2 inches of the top, and put
a bone in every gore seam, but do not carry it high, for
if so the tops of the bones w ill press outwards and push
through. In most cases the scams of low bodices are
so shallow, that they do not need opening, but will in
themselves act as bone cases. If the lower edge of a low
body be peaked or basqued, cord it either single or double,
and take great care to turn the peak point well, by taking
two or three secure stitches, when the centre is reached,
after going down one side, before turning the piping to
go up the other, and do not allow any easiness in the
piping at the bend, or it will not be a sharp turn.

For double cording, lay a cord under each edge of a
crossway strip, then fold It so as to inclose the raw edges
in the middle of the casing, allowing one cord to lie below
the other, and run them together close to the lower. Then
place this face downwards on the edge to be piped, and fix
it to that part with an occasional Back Stitch, using
the last row of running as a guide to sew by. The folded
edge of the piping is then ready to he hemmed to the
lining without making a turning. This is a quick method,
and answers for straight lines, hut it will not do for curves,
as the outer cord would have to describe a wider circle
than the inner one, and so would be strained. For proper
double or treble cording, tack each into its own casing,
and run on separately by first putting on the one nearest

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK, .

1 66

to the dress, then run the second cord over the first, so a3
to project beyond it, and the third beyond the second, in
the same way, finally laying a crossway piece over the
last cording, and turning it over to be Felled up on the
inside, and so hiding the numerous raw edges.

Square necks should be piped, and sharp turning at the
comers is essential ; but while in turning a peak there will
be a piece to fold over there, when felling up in the corners
of a hollow square it will be reversed, and the casing of
the piping must be snipped in a precise line with the
corner, quite up to the cord itself, that the angle may be
acute.

Polonaises , dressing gowns, mantles, and such like long
garments are frequently made to meet, but not lap at the
front, and, when so, use hooks and eyes to connect them,
placing a hook and an eye alternately on either side,
so as to prevent their coming undone. After they are
6ewn on, lay a sarsenet ribbon over the shanks, leaving
only the ends of the hooks, and two-thirds of the eyes
exposed.

In reference to the many varieties of form, and of trim-
ming, which the fashion of each season may prescribe, the
dressmaker must be guided by the illustrations provided in
the periodicals of the current time, and by the paper
patterns of the same. The method of making various
descriptions of trimmings, and the signification of the
terms employed in the construction of dresses, such
as Box Pleating, Flouncing, Fringing, Gathering,
Gauging, Honeycombing, Pleating, Puffing, Quil-
ling, Quilting, Reeving, Ruching, Slashing, &c.,
will be found described under their respective headings.

Drills. — A very stout linen twilled cloth, having a treble
cord; it may be had unbleached, white, and in colours, and
is used for summer trousers. It is less thick and heavy
than Duck, and somewhat resembles thick twilled Holland,
and is suitable for men’s wear in India and other hot
countries. It is much used in the navy and army, and is
also useful for boys.

Droguet. — A French term for a worsted Rep-made dress
material, not much known at present, or else under a
different name.

Dropped Stitch. — In Knitting, a stitch is frequently
slipped off the needle without the knitter being aware of
the mistake, and speedily runs down through the rows,
and, unless picked up, destroys the whole work. This is
called a Dropped stitch, and is detected by the loop head-
ing the line which a stitch forms in the Knitting becoming
disconnected from the rest of the work. The number of
stitches should be constantly counted during the progress
of Knitting, and when a stitch is found short, the work if
fine and complicated, unpicked until the loop is reached,
or if in plain Knitting the stitch picked up thus : Take a
medium sized Crochet hook, put it through the Dropped
loop, stretch the Knitting out straight and Chain Stitch
the loop up the line of threads above it until the last row
of Knitting is reached, when slide it on to the Knitting
needle in its proper place in the work.

Drugget. — A coarse cloth made of Felt, and printed in

various patterns and colours, not only employed as a carpet
and to underlie carpets — to preserve them from being cut
and worn, and to render them softer to the tread — but also
employed as linings for rugs made of skins. They should
measure 1J yards in width, but are rarely found to exceed
li yards.

Ducliesse Lacc. — A beautiful Pillow lace, a variety of
Point dc Flandrc or Brussels lace made in Belgium, and
similar in workmanship and design to Honiton Guipure
Lace, the patterns of which originally came from abroad.
Ducliesse Lace is worked with a finer and different thread
to that of Honiton, and the leaves, fiowers, and sprays
formed are larger and of bolder design, the Primrose
flower and leaf of Brussels Lace being the design chiefly
worked. It contains a greater amount of the Raised or
Relief work, that distinguishes the best Honiton, but the
stitches and manner of working in both are the same, and

Fig. 311. Duchesse Lace.

a reference to the instructions for Honiton Lace will teach
the worker how to form the sprays of Duchesse Lace.

When working Duchesse Lace unite the large sprigs
together with the ground described as Devonia Ground,
and fill in other open places with the same ground. Work
nearly all the leaves and Flowers in Cloth Stitch {See
Braid Work, Close or Whole Braid and Close Leaf),
and make Rope Sewings for veins and stems when they
are in Relief, and Cross Tracings and Cucumber
Plaitings when they are open work. Work a few leaves
and sprays in Half or Lace Stitch, but generally use
this stitch for the foundation to Relief work, working
leaves, tendrils, and stems in Cloth stitch in Relief over
the parts in the body of Lace filled with Half or Lace
stitch. Make a Plain Edge round the sprays with a
Gimp, except on the outside edge of the design, when
make a Pearl Edge with a Gimp.

The illustration of Duchesse Lace given in Fig. 311 has
no complicated Raised work in it. It is of a flower and leaf

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

167

frequently met with in Duchesse patterns, and shows a
peculiar manner of working a Rope Sewing, and one often
met with in the Lace, Fig. 312, Detail A, illustrates the
leaf part of the design, and is worked as follows : Hang on
six pail's of bobbins at a t and work in Cloth Stitch with
Plain Edge on both sides and without a Gimp to b ; here make
a Pearl Edge on the outer side, hut continue Plain Edge on

Fig. 312. Dutches be Lace— Detail A*

the inner. At c collect ibc bobbins together, and with the
exception of the two used for the edge, and shown detached
at e t return all the bobbins to d over the Plain Edge on
the inner side of the leaf, making a Hope Sewing over
them with the two threads and two Pearls close to c. From
d work down to e in Cloth Stitch with a Plain Edge on the
inner side; make a Pearl Edge on the other, hanging 031 the

Fio. 313. Duchesjse Lace— Be tail B.

bobbins where the leaf parts. Work back to /, as before
described, and continue until all the divisions of the leaf are
filled. The flower in Fig. 313, Detail B, is an enlargement
of the pattern to show Devonia Ground and the working of
the flower. The stitch used is similar to the one described
in Plain Braid (see Braid Work,) Work in Cloth Stitch
with a Gimp and Plain Edge on the outer side, and a Plain
Edge, without Gimp, on the inner, for piece of braid. For

the flower, work a plain Braid with Plain Edge on both
sides from a to b, then continue the Plain Edge, and
Cloth Stitch round the outer circle of the flower, but
detach the threads forming the inner edge and carry them
from b to c t fasten them there into the Lace, and then
cany them to the next curve, and so on until the outer
part of the flower is made- Then finish the centre with
Cloth Stitch.

Dnchesse Satin.— A thick, plain satin, exceedingly
durable, and made of extra width. It is to he had in all
colours, the white and cream being much used for wedding
dresses,

Duck. — A white fabric made of flax, finer and lighter
than canvas, and used for trousering, and small sails. Irish
Ducks are made In white, or unbleached, and in black,
brown, blue, grey, and olive colours. They are used for
labourers? blouses. The cloth Is strong, plain, and very
thick, having a glazed surface. It varies in width from
27 inches to 3G inches.

Duffels, or Dufficlds, — A species of stout, coarse,
wool] in cloth, having a thick nap or frieze, resembling
small knots, on the face. It is 52 inches in width, and is in
much use for the cloaks of poor persons and children, and
employed for charitable purposes. Reference is made to

Good Duffel gray, and flannel fine/ 1 by Wordsworth.

Dunkirk Dace. — In the districts round Dunkirk during
the seventeenth century a Pillow lace with a flat thread
was manufactured, which, with the laces produced at
Bruges and Ypres, was indifferently classed as Mechlin

Lace.

Duns ter. — The old name for Kerseymere, for the
manufacture of which the ancient towm of Duns ter, m
Somersetshire, was once famous. The industry, w r ith
which the wooden market -house is associated, is mentioned
in an Act of James L, where the stuff is called “ D misters M
(sec Casimik),

Durants, or Durance. — A stout, worsted cloth,
formerly made to Imitate buff leather, and employed for
dress. It is now made In various colours, and in three
widths, 27 Inches, 36 inches, and 40 inches, and Is employed
for covering coloured stays, and also for window blinds.
Tins stuff is a description of Tammy, or Everlasting.

Ia not a buff jo rk in a most sweet robe of I) urance p

— Shakespeare.

Duratee, or Durety.— This cloth is more generally
known under the name Durants (which see).

Dusters. — These are made in squares, each bordered ;
in various sizes, checked or tw illed, and arc made of linen
and cotton combined. They can be bought by the yard,
the material being i yard in width. Those sold separately
measure 20 inches by 24 inches; 24 inches by 24 inches;
24 inches by 27 inches, or 27 inches by 30 inches square.

Dutch.— A kind of tape made of fine linen, the numbers
running as in the Imperial, from 11 to 151. See Tape.

Dutch Corn Knitting, See Knitting.

Dutch Heel, See Knitting,

1 68

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Dutch Lace. — Although for many years the finest and
best flax thread for lace making was supplied to France
and England from Holland, being grown in Brabant and
steeped in the rivers near Haarlem, the inhabitants of
the country have never become celebrated for their lace
manufactories. At various epochs lace schools have been
established in Holland, particularly one about 16S5, by
French refugees, for making a Needlepoint known as
Den telle a la Heine, and another for plaited Point
d’Espagne, while the native manufactories were pro-
tected by the Government and foreign laces forbidden to
be imported in the eighteenth century, still the industry
has never really flourished. Home manufactured lacc was
largely worn at the Dutch Court, and was also used to
trim house linen, &c., but it was not of a fine description
or make. Fig. 314 is an example of real Dutch lace. It is
a kind of coarse Valenciennes, made with a thick ground,

throughout the world. Climate has much influence on the
success of certain dyes, and the scarlet produced on cloth
in this country is considered the finest in the world. Wool
has generally the strongest affinity to colour. Next to
wool, silk and other animal substances receive it best ;
cotton is the third, and hemp and flax follow successively.
As a rule, pigments and dye-stuli*s do not produce perma-
nent colours, and some substance is required to produce
an affinity between the cloth and the colouring matter.
The substances that are employed to act as this bond of
union arc called “Mordants/* the principle being known to
the Egyptians and other nations of remote antiquity. The
use of aniline dyes is one of recent date, and a great
variety of colours have been introduced into the “ dry
goods ” trade. More recently still the Oriental shades of
colour have superseded them in favour, and are known by
the name of “ Art Colours.”

Fio. 314. DUTCH PILLOW LACE.

and of a heavy design, and though substantial and good,
it is not equal to the laces of France and Belgium.

Dyeing. — Anglo-Saxon Dectgan and Deagian, to dye,
tinge, or stain. The art of dyeing is one of great antiquity.
Moses speaks of stuffs dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, and
of sheepskins dyed red ; and the Israelites derived their
acquaintance with it from the Egyptians, but doubtless
the art was of much earlier date. The Greeks preferred
their w T oollen stuffs to remain in their natural colour, but
the external dresses of the wealthy were dyed, scarlet
being in great favour, and Tyrian purple the colour
reserved for princes, which dye was procured from a shell-
fish (a species of the Murex) found on the shores of the
Mediterranean, and very costly, owing to its scarcity.
Amongst the Romans, also, purple w T as restricted to the
use of persons of the highest rank. A great advance
has latterly been made in the art, both in England and

E.

Ecaille. — A French term, which, as applied to needle-
work, signifies pieces of flattened quill cut into the form
of fish scales. This is effected by means of a punch, whilst
the quill is in a soft condition, and which, at the same
time, pierces little holes, through w r hich it is sewn to the
material to be thus decorated.

Ecaille Work. — This is an imitation of Nacre, or
mother-of-pearl work, and consists of sewing quills upon a
velvet or silk foundation and forming w ith them patterns
in relief. To work : Take small pieces of soft and flattened
quills, and with a punch or pair of scissors cut these so
that they fit into and make some device. When the usual
punch is used to cut the quills into shape, it will at the
same time pierce a small hole large enough for a needle to

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

169

pass through* Make tins hole with tlie point of the
scissors, when they are used* When the pieces of quill
arc ready, arrange them upon the foundation, and sew
them down to it, passing the needle through the pierced
holes* Having Used the quills, take gold thread or cord
and outline them with it- lay the cord upon the sur-
face of the wort, and Conch it down with a securing
stitch, brought from the back of the work, as in

Couching.

Ecclesiastical Embroidery* — A term used for needle-
work dedicated to the service of the Church, better known
as Church Work*

Echevau. — A French term, denoting a Skein (which
see).

Ecru* — A French term, denoting the colour of' raw
silk or unbleached linen and cotton* Much lace is sold
of this colour, a hue which may be more fully described
as Cafe an lait.

Fig, 315. ECRU LACE.

Ecru Eace. — A modern lace made with two kinds of
braid, connected together with various Wheels and Bars,
To work Fig* 315 : Procure a plain braid coarsely plaited,
and of ecru colour ; also a crinkled or Honiton braid of
the same colour* Trace the design upon pink calico, back
it with brown paper, and tack the braid to the calico. The
crinkled braid will not require to be cut in the upper part
of the pattern ; where it forms tlie medallions, make the
narrow connecting lines between the centre parts by turn-
ing the braid over itself, sewing it firmly together, with
one of the outside edges uppermost. Cord the Bars that
connect the upper Braids together, Buttonhole the ones
between the medallions, ornament these with Pioots, and
work the pyramid-shaped Bars in Point de Reprise.
Fill the centres of the medallions with an open Wheel,
and finish off the scalloped edge of the lace with a narrow
bought edging.

Edge. — There are two edges to lace: the outer rim,

which is either scalloped or plain, and is ornamented with
PicoU, and called the Cordonnet in needle-made laces,
and the Engrclure, or Footing, which is used to sew the
lace to the material* See Cordonnet and Engrei/ure*

Edge Stitch* —In Crochet, Knitting, and Netting,
the first stitch upon a row is sometimes called by this
name* Treat it as the rest of tlie pattern, unless special
notice is drawn to it, when either do not work it at all, or
work it according to the instructions set forth. When
it is not worked, keep the loop of the last stitch in the
last row upon the needle, and, without working it, count it
as the first stitch in the new row (this is known as Slip-
ping a Stitch in Knitting or Netting). By not working
this first stitch when making straight lines of Crochet,
Knitting, and Netting, a uniform edge is attained, and the
strip kept more even than it is when the first stitch is
worked*

Edgings. — Narrow lace or embroidery, used to trim
cambric and muslin frills, or to sew as a finish on net in-
sertions* Those of real lace are made chiefly in Bucking-
hamshire, those of imitation Valenciennes at Nottingham.
Coventry is famous for its machine-made and cheap em-
broidery edging* Edgings are sold by the yard and by
the piece*

Efflle. — A French term signifying Fringed, usually with
reference to a narrow width of fringe.

Egyptian Cloth* —A basket -woven cotton cloth, em-
ployed for crewel embroidery. It is otherwise called
“ Momie Cloth, n being made in imitation of that in which
Egyptian mummies are found enwrapped. It is from
32 inches to 3i inches in width,

Egyptian Needlework * — The Egyptians (800 b.c.)
were distinguished for their beautiful Bead work, of
which head dresses and other handsome ornaments were
made, besides its being used for fringes and borders to
garments. Their embroidery in coloured silks was used
to elaborately ornament their garments* The designs, as
gathered from the mural paintings still perfect, are chiefly
borders* Some of these are of distinctly coloured and
wide apart horizontal lines, finished as a heading with
diagonal lines* Conventional flowers and plants, placed
[n separate compartments, and finished with wide borders,
are amongst the specimens, the flowers being arranged
without any set pattern, but with great spirit* Mytho-
logical figures and subjects are worked on the robes used
in a royal enthronement. Amongst these are visible
eagle-headed figures, winged divinities, the sacred tree, and
gryphons* The stitches used resemble Satin, Chain,
and Overcast, but as no actual piece of embroidery of
the date when Egyptian art most flourished is preserved,
the nature of the stitches can only be surmised.

Eiderdown.— The fine down taken from the nests of
the Eider ducks of Iceland and Greenland, which nests
are so lined by the female bird from her own breast. The
down is light, warm, and soft, and is sold by the pound
weight, and likewise by the skein. The down plucked from
the living bird possesses much elasticity, but taken from it
when dead is deprived of this characteristic to a consider-
able extent* It is much employed as wadding for quilts
and petticoats, being both lighter and warmer than any

i;o

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

other material so used. The Eider is twice the size of the
ordinary duck, and frequents the shores of solitary islands.

Eider, or Eyder Yam.— Tins yam is made of the
wool of Merino sheep, and is employed for knitting shawls
and other articles of wear. It may he had in black and
white, in scarlet, blue, and violet, and other colours, and is
sold by the pound, ounce, and half ounce.

Eis Wool (sometimes written “Ice Wool A very fine
glossy description of worsted wool, made of two -thread
thickness, and employed double for making shawls. It
may be had in all colours, and also shaded, and is sold by
the one ounce ball.

Elastic Belting. — This material is stout and firm in
texture, made as the Elastic Webbing (which see}. It
has a plain edge, and is to be had in black, drab, white,
and fancy- coloured stripes, of half an inch, three-quarters
of an inch, one inch, and upwards in width, and is sold in
pieces of 12 yards and 1G yards. It is employed for chest
expanders, belts, garters, &c.

Elastic Flannel. — This description of flannel is
woven iu the stocking loom, and has a pile on one face, on
which account it is styled Veleurs de Laine , and by other
names, according to the fancy of the several manufacturers,
The chief seat of the industry is in Wales. These
flannels measure from 32 inches to 30 inches in width,
and are principally employed for women's dressing-
gowns and jackets. They are usually made either in
coloured stripes on a white ground, or else in plain rose
or blue colour.

Elastic Textiles, — These consist of bands, garters,
braces, elastic stockings, kneecaps, ribbons employed for
articles of women's dress, surgical bandages, &c. The
waip of this material is made of in diar ubber, and the woof
of silk, cotton, mohair, or worsted thread. It was first
made at Vienna, having been invented by a major in the
Austrian service, who afterwards removed to Paris, and
erected a large factory at St. Denis. It is now manu-
factured in this country. Boot elastics are made from
3 inches to 5 inches wide, and may be had in silk,
mohair, and thread. Methods of weaving are adapted to
produce the quality of elasticity, as in the various kinds
of Laine Elastiqtte (which see), as also in knitting, a
lib being made in stockings and vests, enabling them
to cling closely, and yet to expand in proportion to the
size to be fitted.

Elastic Webbing.— This material consists of india-
rubber covered with cotton, mohair, or silk. The india-
rubber is spread out into very thin, flat sheets, and cut
with a knife, by means of machinery, into square threads
no thicker than a fine pin, if so desired. The width is
decided by the number of these cords— 1 to Id, or upwards.
These narrow and single cords are turned out in two
lengths of 72 yards to the gross ; and the wider, iu four
pieces, of 3G yards each.

Elephant Towelling. — Although primarily designed
for towelling, this cloth has latterly been much used for
crewel embroidery. It is a variety of the Huckaback
and Honeycomb (which see).

Elephant Towelling Embroidery.— This is a com-
bination of Dkawn Work and Em be gibe by, and takes its

name from the material upon which it is executed. It is
suitable for making antimacassars and mats. To work :
Take a piece of Elephant Towelling the size required,
allowing for a fringe all round. Trace out in its centre a
sixteen pointed star, or a Vandyke, or Cross, and work
over this iu flat Satin Stitch with coloured Pyrenean wool
Make a wide border round ibis centre ornament thus: 3
inches from the edge of the material draw out inch squares
of threads, leaving a plain square between each drawn
out square. Buttonhole round the drawn out squares
and fill them with Wheels, and fill in the plain squares
with an eight -pointed star, worked with fine Pyrenean wool
of the same colour, but of a different shade to the wool
used in the centre star. To make the Fringe : Draw out
the threads round the edge of the material for the depth
of If inches, and ornament with a line of wide apart
Buttonhole in Pyrenean w r ool of the same shade as that
used in the centre star.

Eliottine Silk. — A description of knitting silk which
is the especial manufacture of a particular firm, and so
called after a popular writer on the subject of Needle-
work, This knitting material is a composition of silk
and wool.

Ell. — A standard measure of length, employed for
textiles. It measures 45 inches, or 3 feet 9 inches, or If
yards. It was fixed at 45 inches by Henry I,, a .IX 1101,
A French ell is Ij yards, or 54 inches $ a Flemish ell is
only equal to 27 inches. The English ell to the Flemish is
in proportion as 5 to 3. The Scotch ell comprises 37*%
English inches. The term is one which also is used pro-
verbially to denote an indefinitely long measure.

Ely see Work. — An arrangement of two coloured cotton
materials after the manner of Applique, and an easy
and inexpensive kind of Embroidery. The designs are
florid, and are cut out of light coloured sateen cloth, laid
upon dark sateen cloth, and ornamented with Embroidery
Stitches in coloured filoselles. To work : Select a con-
tinuous running pattern, chiefly composed of sprays of
leaves and tendrils. Trace this upon pale green sateen
cloth, and cut it out with a sharp pair of scissors. Frame
a piece of olive green or ruby coloured satceu cloth, in an
Embroidery Frame, paste the sea-green leaves, &e., on
to it, and leave it to dry. Then unite the leaves together
with stems of Chain Stitch, made of various shades
of green filoselles. Vein the leaves with green and ruby
coloured filoselles in Stem Stitch, work the centres of
flowers with French Knots, and fill m any open or
bare spaces with tendrils in Stem Stitch, made with ruby
filoselles.

Emboss. — A term employed in Embroidery to signify
the execution of a design in relief, either by stuffing with
layers of thread or succession of stitches underneath the
Embroidery, or else by working over a pad made with
thick materials*

The formation of ornamental figures iu relief entered
largely into all ancient Embroideries, and was considered
as a distinguishing mark of good workmanship. The
taste for it has not been encouraged with the revival
of needlework, it not now being considered true art
to detach from the surface of a material a representation

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

171

of natural objects which should, when copied in
needlework, never be treated save in a flat and conven-
tional manner. Figures were slightly raised from their
grounds and padded out in the earlier centuries, but it was
during the seventeenth century that this padding attained
its greatest relief, and became known as Embroidery in
the Stamp, as well as Emboss, as the latter term includes
all raised parts, whether made by Paddings or Raised
Couchings, or by sewing to various parts of the design,
hammered up plates of gold and silver, or bullion, tinsel,
spangles, paillons, mother-of-pearl, beads, precious stones,
and other materials. To Emboss : Pad out the surface
of the material with wool or hair, and confine this padding
to its right place by sewing white or coloured silk tightly
down upon it. Lay the bullion over it, as described in
Bullion Embroidery, or fasten the other materials to
the work by sewing them on through holes expressly
drilled in them for that purpose.

Embossed Plusli, or Velvet Embroidery. — A hand-
some work, very fashionable at the present date. The
materials used are stamped plush or velvet, Japanese
gold thread, filoselles or floss silks, and very narrow silk
cords. To work : Select a bold conventional flower design,
clearly stamped out on its material. Couch down on to
the flat parts either the narrow silk cords or the gold
thread, outline with these the chief parts of the pattern,
cut off the cord or gold thread where each outline
finishes with care, and Sew it down on the right side
of the material until it is quite secure. The outline
finished, take the floss silks and work in Satin stitch
with them, fill up the small parts of the pattern, and
make the veins of leaves, and the centres of flowers or
buds, with the silks, using several shades and varieties
of colour over the various parts.

Embroidery. — An art which consists of enriching a
flat foundation, by working into it with a needle
coloured silks, gold or silver thread, and other extraneous
materials, in floral, geometrical, or figure designs. The
origin of embroidery is lost in antiquity, but it is known
to have existed before painting, and to have been the
first medium of reproducing natural objects in their
natural colours. The work came from the East, and
was first called Phrygium, or Phrygian work, while an
embroiderer was called Phrygio, and designs worked
entirely in gold or silver thread, Auriphrygium ; and
these names seem to indicate that it was first brought
to excellence by the Babylonians, although Sir J. G.
Wilkinson has discovered upon Egyptian monuments
painted in the Eighteenth Dynasty, before the time of
Babylon, designs in arabesque Embroidery upon the
garments and furniture of the Egyptians. There is no
doubt that both the Assyrians and the Egyptians were
particularly lavish in their needlework decorations, not
only in their temples, houses, and garments, but even for
the sails of their boats; and it was from them that the
Jews learnt the art, and considered it worthy of express
mention in Exodus as part of the adornment of the
Tabernacle, and of the sacred robes of their priests. From
the Egyptians and the Hebrews, and also from Eastern
nations, the Romans and the Greeks became acquainted

with its higher branches, and the latter appropriated the
honour of its invention to their goddess Minerva, while
Homer introduced into his writings descriptions of the
Embroidery executed by Helen, Andromache, and Penelope.
The Romans, after their conquests, became possessed of
much spoil in the way of Embroidery, and the needlework
of Babylon, which retained its reputation until the first
century of the Christian era, was highly prized by them.
The veils given by Herod to the Temple came from Babylon,
and Cicero describes the magnificence of the embroidered
robes of Babylonian work worn by Tarquin the Elder.
Gradually the Romans learnt to Embroider, and after the
introduction of Christianity into Europe and the founding
of religious houses, the art became of great importance and
almost a science, the designs being contributed by artists
and a lavish expenditure of time and money bestowed to
bring it to a high state of perfection. At one time only
the borders of garments were worked, and as the name
of Phrygium gradually died out, the Latin words Brustus ,
Bmdatus, Aurobrus, were substituted to denote needle-
work, and from these the French Broderie and the English
Embroidery are derived. From the first to the end of
the sixteenth century, Italy was looked upon as the centre
of Embroidery, the Popes of Rome collecting from all
countries the most beautiful specimens, and ordering that
costly presents of needlework should be made by the
faithful to the churches and religious houses. As the
knowledge of needlework increased, its varieties were no
longer classed under one name, but were each distinguished
with separate titles : Thus, OpU3 Consutum meant two
materials applied to each other, like our modern Applique;
and also Cut Work, OpusPlumarium, Embroidery in Satin
or Long stitch, in which the stitches are laid over each
other, like the plumage of a bird; Opus Pulvinarium, or
work upon canvas in Cross, Cushion, or Tent Stitch, like
our modern Woolwork; and Opus Anglicum, a name given
to an English needlework that attained great celebrity
both at home and abroad, from the thirteenth to the
sixteenth century, from the peculiarity of a stitch used
in its manufacture. Up to the time of the Wars of
the Roses English Embroidery was justly famous, but
it then languished, and when the taste for it revived, it
was never again executed with the same amount of
gorgeous simplicity, the patterns becoming too over-
loaded with ornament for true taste. On the Continent
during this period the work flourished with increased
vigour, and in Paris the Embroiderers formed themselves
into a guild, and were in esteem, grants of land being
frequently given for their handiwork. The Reformation
may be said to have given the death blow to Church work
in England, and, through it, to the finer sorts of Embroidery.
Churches were no longer allowed to be decorated with altar
cloths, priests’ robes were almost abolished, and the
convents (the great schools of the art) were destroyed.
During the reigns of James I. and Charles I., besides work
with crewels, very fine Embroidery was done upon silk and
satin foundations for secular purposes, but this never
attained the dignity and costliness of the Church work.
The chief patterns were heraldic devices, portraits, and
flower scenes. During the wars between Charles I. and

z 2

172

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Lis Parliament, Royalist ladies were fond of embroider-
ing miniatures of the King, anti working into them the
real hair of tliat monarch; and mention is made in old
chronicles of the granting of hair for that purpose. After
the King's execution these miniatures were treasured as
sacred relics, and many of them can still be seen in a good
state of preservation. A peculiar kind of Raised Embroi-
dery, known as Embroidery on the Stamp, was much in
vogue at this period, and for a century afterwards* During
the reign of Queen Anne the patterns for Embroidery
were extremely good and well considered, and the work,
chiefly in flat Satin Stitch upon flat grounds, was essen-
tially artistic, both in design and in colouring. This fine
Embroidery flourished during the reign of that queen and
that of the Georges, the patterns becoming gradually more
refined, and consisting of light garlands of flowers, or
delie ate sprays, and groups or figures in the Watteau style,
all shaded and worked in imitation of the most minute
of paintings. In the earlier part of the present century
fine Embroidery was succeeded by a coarser kind, into
which large figures were introduced, whose hands and
faces were not w r orked, but painted, while their dresses and
surroundings were either worked in silks or crewels.
Etching Embroidery, or Print work, was then also much
the fashion* To this period the works of Miss Linwood
belong, which are full-size copies from Guido, Carlo Dolei,
Opie, and Gainsborough. Embroidery then sank to its
lowest ebb, Church work had entirely disappeared, the
fine silk work became out of date, and the only work that
at all flourished was the mechanical copying of Berlin
patterns, first in Tent, and finally in Cross stitch ; but the
revival of the taste for design fostered by the Exhibition
of 1851 produced a favourable change in needlework, and
f rom that date old work lias been hunted up and copied,
and artists have emulated each other in pointing out the
differences between bad. and good designing, and in fresh
patterns ; and at present both Church work and Embroi-
dery for home uses are carried to as great a perfection as, if
not actually surpassing, the needlework of the Middle Ages.

During all these changes in the history of European
needlework, the art of Embroidery in the East may he said
to bays remained in its original state* True to their
Oriental character, the Eastern nations have continued
steadily to reproduce the ancient patterns without in-
venting new ones ; and, as they possess in a high degree
the most magnificent conceptions of colouring, they execute
needlework of the most gorgeous tints, yet of such har-
monies as to be in perfect good taste. Tltc Chinese,
Persians, Indians, and Japanese are all remarkable for
their skill, and the modern Egyptians, Bulgarians, and
Algerians are not far behind them, embroidering head veils
and towels with gold and coloured silks, and frequently
enriching these with precious stones, and executing the
whole with great taste ; in fact, until the introduction into
the East during the last few years of our meretricious
aniline dyes, and the inharmonious colouring produced by
them. Eastern needlework continued to be as beautiful as
it was in the time of Moses,

Embroidery is divided into two chief heads : that worked
upon white with washing materials, and that worked with

coloured materials upon a coloured foundation. The latter
of these is the original Embroidery, and embraces most of
the finest kinds of work, and it is again subdivided under
three heads — Guimped Embroidery t Embroidery on the
Stamp, and Low, or Plain Embroidery.

Gu imped Embroidery consists in cutting out shapes
in vellum and laying them upon the surface of the material,
or raising the groundwork with cords and then covering
these parts with gold or silk threads* It also includes the
hammering out of very thin plates of metal and attaching
these to the surface of the material. It survives in our
modem Church work.

Embroidery on the Stamp is formed by raising in
high relief from the groundwork figures, animals, and
other objects* It is done by outlining the figure upon
the groundwork, and then padding it up with horsehair
and wool to a great height, and covering this with thick
white or coloured silk and satin. Above and upon this
most elaborate Embroidery stitches are worked; some-
times the figures are entirely clothed with the most
delicate of needle-made laces, at others with the finest
of Embroidery, and with real jewels, such as pearls and
garnets, interwoven into the pattern. This work
flourished in the seventeenth century; it has no counter-
part in modern times*

Low , or Plain Embroidery f includes all the Embroi-
dery in Satin and other stitches upon a plain found-
ation, whether worked alike upon both sides or slightly
raised from the surface by run lines (not by padding), or
worked as the usual Embroidery with coloured silks upon
satin, velvet, cloth, or linen foundations.

White Embroidery, so called from its being worked
upon white or other light materials with cotton or ingrain
silks, was imported from the East, particularly from
India, whose natives still excel in it, as do the Chinese m
Tambour work, one of its varieties. It gave the first idea
of 3 ace, and may be looked upon as one of the foundations
of lace work. The Guipure Carrickni across lace is a fine
white embroidery on cambric connected with Lace
Stitches, For a very long period in Europe it was only
worked in nunneries, and used for sacerdotal purposes, but
it at length became more universally practised, and the
natives of Saxony were the first who were particularly ex-
pert in making it* It does not seem to have been intro-
duced into France until the middle of the eighteenth
century, into Scotland and Ireland at the end of that time,
and into Switzerland at the beginning of the present
century. Wherever it becomes established, it adds con-
si derably to the comfort of the poorer classes, as it forms
the staple occupation of the women and children in those
districts. It is of two descriptions, the Open and the Close ,
In the Open, the pattern is produced by the disposition of
the boles cut and Overcast, and includes Erode lie Anglaise,
Madeira, and Irish work, besides other kinds differing but
little from these ; in the Close, the stitches arc worked
upon the cambric or muslin foundation in the same
manner as in fiat Embroidery, and the stitches arc
described alphabetically under the heading of Stitches,
which will be found after the Embroideries.

Embroideries. — Embroidery alike upon both sides 0 /

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

*73

material * — This Embroidery requires to be worked In
a frame* The patterns are the same as used for flat
Embroideries, and the work is executed in Satin Stitch,
with filoselles on floss silk. To work : Trace a design con-
sisting of small flowers and leaves upon a material, and
place in a frame* Bring the needle up upon one side of a
traced flower or leaf, and put it down again on the opposite
side, and in a slightly slanting direction ; return it along
the back of the material to the place it first came up at, and
bring it out there, close to the last stitch and on the right-
hand side. Put It down close to where it went in in the
last stitch and on the right-hand side, and continue this
manner of working for the whole design. Shade by work-
ing leaves or petals in different colours, not by blending
colours in one leaf, and fasten off, and commence threads
by running them in, so as to show neither at back nor
front of work*

Embroidery, an Pa$&£* — Bee Embroidery in Batin
Stitch.

Embroidery, Beau Ideal , — -This is a machine-made,
imitation of Brodcrie Anglaise, and consists of strong
and well made strips for trimmings, varying in width from
three-quarters of an inch to 1| inches. It is an extremely
clever imitation of hand made Embroidery, the edges being
finished with plain and scalloped lines of Double Over-
cast, and the holes forming the design worked over in
Overcast* A thread is run in readiness to draw the
trimming up into gathers, so that it can be sown on to
a foundation with little trouble*

Embroidery in Batin Stitch . — This work was
anciently termed Low or Plain Embroidery, to distinguish
it from the G lumped Embroidery or Embroidery on the
Stamp, and it is now sometimes called Embroidery an
Passe* The work, though named after one particular
stitch, induces all flat Embroideries clone with coloured
silks, filoselles, or wools upon coloured satin, silk, velvet
or linen foundations, and these materials may either be
worked into the foundation as shaded embroideries or as
needlework executed in one colour. Satin Stitch Em-
broidery, when the designs are shaded, is capable of pro-
ducing the most beautiful results, and is equal in effect to
painting. It was this branch of the art that was brought
to such perfection in the time of Queen Anne and the
Georges, when sprays and garlands of flowers were worked
upon light silk or satin grounds in tints that matched
their natural colours to the minutest detail* The Satin
Stitch Embroidery in one colour is much easier and more
quickly executed than the shaded, and is adapted for
many purposes that the shaded is too good for, such as
mats, tabic -borders, 1ft gs, sachets, slippers, and other
articles of daily use* To work a shaded pattern : Draw
upon light silk or satin a delicate pattern consisting of
flower sprays, and tint this design in natural shades with
water-colours* Then frame it in an Embroidery Frame
and commence to work* Let the right hand he always
above the frame, ready to receive the needle when pushed
through, and the left beneath the frame ; bring the needle
out to the right hand and put it in to the left* Do not
handle the silk at all, and make the stitches rather long
and of unequal lengths, as in Feather Stitch, and be

careful that the outlines of all the filled- in design shall be
clear and distinct, and blend the various shades of one
colour into eacli other by running the stitches one into the
other* Arrange that the lightest shades of silk shall ho
worked in so as to show where the light falls most promi-
nently, and see that these lights all fall from one side of
the work to the other. Use eight shades of silk in a
medium sized flower, and work flowers of the same kind in

Fus, 31(3* Embroidery is Satin Stitch*

the same shades, but make some darker and some lighter
than the others, by leaving out the lightest or the darkest
shades in these, and so altering their appearance, and
make the stitches of different lengths in the petal of a
flower, as in Feather Stitch* Fill in the centres with
French Knots, and also work these as finishes to the
stamens. Work the leaves in eight or ten shades of green,
using greens shading to yellow and brown, and green
shading to blue, upon different leaves* Make the edges

Em. 317. EMHttoiDEitT in Satin Stitch,

of the leaves lighter than the centres, but preserve the
fall of light; shade one side of the leaf differently to
the other, and vein with light or dark veins, accord-
ing to the position of the leaf* Work the veins in Split
Stitch; work the stems and tendrils of the design
in Rope Stitch. Make no knots in the embroidery silk,
but run the ends in on the right side of the work, both
when commencing and fastening off a thread.

1 74

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Embroidery in Satin Stitch in one shade need not be
worked in a frame. The design is traced upon the founda-
tion, and then worked in various Embroidery Stitches.
Several distinct tints of colour can be used upon the same
patterns, but there must be no shading or blending of
shades of one tint into the other. The appearance of the
work is dependent upon the judicious selection of primary
colours and the amount and precision of the Embroidery
stitches. Fig. 31(> is intended for a border of this kind of
Embroidery, and is worked as follows : Trace the design
upon olive green satin or silk, work the petals of the
flowers in Satin Stitch in orange gold silk, and fill in their
centres with French Knots of a deeper shade of orange
silk. Work one side of the leaves in Satin Stitch of an
olive green shade of filoselle, Overcast round the outer
edge of the other side of the leaves, and fill
in with Point de Pois worked in a light
olive green shade; work the small leaves in
the same shade, and the stems in a brown
filoselle and in Crewel Stitch.

To work Fig. 317 : Select a light- coloured
silk foundation, and work the Embroidery in
three contrasting tints; outline the battle-
dores in Double Overcast, and raise them
with a padding of run lines; work their
centres in Point Russe, and surround with
a line of Chain Stitch. Work the shuttle-
cocks in two shades, and in Satin Stitch,
their feathers in Point Russe. Work the
rose with Satin Stitch, petals and centre in
French Knots, the leaves in Point de
Plume and Satin Stitch, the grapes in
Point de Pois, the ribbon outlines with
Chain Stitch in a light colour, and till in
with Satin Stitch in a dark colour.

Embroidery on Canvas . — The chief
ancient Embroidery upon coarsely woven
canvas or unbleached materials i3 known
as Tapestry, and when this became out of
date it was superseded by Crewel Work,
and then by patterns drawn and painted by
hand upon an open-meshed yet fine canvas,
and executed in Tent Stitch with English
worsted or crewels. This fine canvas allowed
of every stitch being worked of the same
size and length, but as it was a tedious operation to fill
in large pieces of work with such fine stitches, a coarse
canvas with wide apart meshes was introduced, and Berlin
patterns executed upon it, first in Tent and then in Cross
Stitch. The old-fashioned Canvas Work allowed of
some display of the worker's taste and ingenuity in draw-
ing the design and shading it, and patterns so drawn
could be shaded without the tedious attention to counting
stitches necessary when executing Berlin patterns, but
since the introduction of the last named it ’ has almost
entirely fallen into disuse. See Berlin Work, Canvas
Work, and Tapestry.

Embroidery on Chip . — The material upon which
this work is executed is manufactured abroad, and is made
either of fine plaited chips or wood shavings. Rushes dried

and plaited together would form the same kind of founda-
tion, and would have the same appearance of coarse Java
canvas, and are as suitable as the chips to form the mats
and other articles for keeping heat and wet from furni-
ture for which this work is used. The Embroidery is
executed in bright coloured silks, and the designs and
stitches are extremely simple. The design given of this
work in Fig. 318 is a mat with its four coiners filled in with
sprays of flowers, and the centre ornamented with a star.
To work : Make the centre a star of twenty-four points
and of three shades of a bright-coloured silk, and where the
points meet in the centre of the star, work one Cross
Stitch in the medium shade of silk. Work the cornflower
spray in blue and green silks, the cornflowers in Picot, the
leaves in Satin, and the stems in Crewel Stitch. Work

the rosebuds in rose colour and green silk, the buds in
Picot and Satin Stitch, the leaves in Satin, and the stems
in Crewel stitch. Work the pansies in shades of purple
silk with amber centres, leaves and flowers in Satin Stitch.
Work the ragged robin in whito and green silks, the
flowers in Picots of white silk with a French Knot as
centre, the principal leaves in Picot, the stems in Crewel
Stitch. Edge the mat with a double Vandyke line in
Point Russe worked with the darkest shade of colour
used in the centre star.

Embroidery on Lace . — A modern work made with
a foundation of machine-made laces, selected for their
bold designs, and worked -with coloured filoselles, tinsel,
and gold cord. The lace, when ornamented, is used for
dress trimmings, and curtain or table cloth borders.

FINE ENGLISH EMBROIDERY, FINISHED WITH LACE STITCHES AND

WORKED IN THE 18 th CENTURY.

“BABY LACE."

RAISED EMBROIDERY ON MUSLIN

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

*75

Coloured, white, or black laces are used* To work :
Select a coarse lacc w T Itk an effective pattern, outline
the chief parts of the design with gold cord or tinsel ^
sew this down on the material, as in Couching, with a
coloured silk. Work over the centre parts of the pattern
with variously coloured silks, using colours that contrast
but yet blend together. Work in the silks with Crewel,
Herringbone, or Satin Stitch* Use Japanese gold

lin, and rub powdered blue through the holes, and then
back the muslin with brown paper. Outline the pattern
with a run thread of Embroidery cotton. Work the stems
in Rope Stitch, the leaves, with the veins left unworked,
in Point pe Plume, the rest in flat Satin Stitch, the
flower by itself in Satin Stitch, with a centre of French
Knots, the two flowers together in French Knot centres,
surrounded by Satin Stitch, with outer leaves made with

Pjg. 31P* EMBROIDERY ON MUSLIN

thread and raw silks for mantel borders ; tinsel, filoselle,
or crewel wools for less permanent work. Leave the
lace background untouched*

Embroidery on Leather.— The patterns for this
Embroidery are the same that are used for Embroidery
in Satin Stitch, and the foundation is either of kid or
very fine leather. To work : Trace the design upon thin
leather, and prick holes for the needle to pass through,
or buy a pattern already traced and pricked. Work the
design in Satin Stitch, with various coloured filoselles,

Point de Pois, and finished with Overcast, and work
the large balls as raised Dots.

Embroidery on Net— Thin work is a combination
of Lace stitches, Embroidery stitches, gold thread, and
Braid, and is suitable either for Insertion or Edgings in
Dress Trimmings. To work as an Insertion, and as
shown in Fig, 32(1 : Draw out the Design upon pink calico,
and tack fine black or white net upon it. Take the black
or white lace braid that is made in loops, cut it, and
tack each loop separately in its place on to the pattern.

and when the work is finished, paste the back of the
leather upon thin linen to keep it from splitting.

Embroidery on Muslin .— This is a fine kind of close
white Embroidery, and is also known as Irish, Saxony, or
Madeira work, from the skill exhibited in its manufacture
by the peasants of those countries. The work is illus-
trated in Fig* 319, and is done upon fine cambric or
muslin, with Embroidery cotton, Walter and Evans* Ko. 40.
Trace the design upon thin cartridge paper, prick it round
with a number of pin pricks, lay this pattern on the mus-

Where the design shows large stitches in the centre of
these loops, Bach Stitch them to the net with coloured
filoselles, and where they are left plain, Overcast their
edges on to the net with the same coloured filoselles*
Fill the centres of the flower with Wheels, and work
the stems by darning coloured filoselles in and out, or
by couching gold thread down on them.

Embroidery on Net with Silks . — Worked without
braid, with ecru or coloured net, filoselles of various
shades, and gold and silver threads. To work: Trace a

i 7 6

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

group of flowers, or a "bold Arabesque pattern, upon pink
calico, tack: the net to it, and outline all the design with
lines of gold thread, Couched down, or with Button-
hole worked with filoselle. Finish by Darning the silks
in and out of the net, to All in the leaves, or thick part
of the design. Work the centres of flowers, and other
light parts, with open Point L&ee stitches, using the net
foundations as a background, or cut them away and
secure with Buttonholes.

To work the Edging shoivu in Fig. 321 : Trace the
design, and lay the net over; tack the Braid down, and
make the Bars. Buttonhole the net where left as an
edging, and Overcast the braid to the net where it is
to he cut away. Work the sprays in Satin Stitch,

Fig. 32L Embroidery ox Net.

untack the pattern, run the net on the wrong side to
the braid, close to where it is to be cut, and cut it away
from underneath the Bars.

Embroidery on Netting. — A name given to Darned
Getting,

Embroidery on Silk . — This Embroidery is executed
in any of the usual Embroidery stitches, but Satin,
Feather, Crewel, and French Knots are most selected.
To work Fig. 322 ; Trace the design upon olive green silk,
and frame it in an Embroidery Frame. Back Stitch
down. * gold braid, and work w ith Pearsall's silks, the
cornflowers and poppies in their natural shades, and in
Satin Stitch, except the centres of the poppies, which
work in French Knot, and the diamond crossings over
the calyx of the cornflowers. Work the leaves in shades
of olive green, and in Satin Stitch, the steins in Crewel
Stitch, and the barley in Satin Stitch.

Embroidery on ike Stamp, — Also called Kaiscd
Embroidery. The figures in this work were raised in high
relief from their backgrounds by means of pads formed
of wool or hair being placed under the needlework, as
already described in the general introduction to this
article (see p. 172).

Embroidery on Velvet . ■ — There are two descrip-
tions of this work* Tho first, or true Embroidery upon
Velvet, is an imitation of the celebrated Benares work, and
is made as follows : Frame the velvet, and back it with a
thin liolland foundation (see Embroidery Frame), and

then trace the design upon it with white chalk. W6rk
this over with Satin Stitch, French Knots* and other

• 1 ■ \ w w si a! lb

Fig. 323. EMBROIDERY ON SILK.

Embroidery Stitches, using bright coloured floss silk,
and a large quantity of gold and silver thread. Should

EMBROIDERY UPON ROMAN SHEETING.

EMBROIDERY UPON PLUSH.

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

177

the velvet foundation be of light gold colour, work the
pattern with dark and brilliant shades of floss silk only ;
but should it be cream or white, work with gold and silver
thread only; should it be of rich and dark velvet, use both
gold and silver thread and bright floss silks. Use the
primary colours, and carefully avoid all colours obtained
by aniline dyes.

The second description of Embroidery upon velvet is an
Applique. To work : Cut the pattern out upon velvet,
which must be previously framed and backed with Lolland,
and paste it upon a silk foundation. Lay two lines of gold
thread or purse silk round the velvet outlines, secure them
as in Couching, work the stems and tendrils of the design
with gold bullion, ornament the centres of the flowers with
French Knots made with embroidery silk or filoselle,
and mark out the veins of leaves and other parts of
design with long Satin Stitch, in filoselle or floss silk.

Embroidery with Gold and Silver. — When gold
and silver threads are used for Embroidery, they are
generally associated with coloured silks and filoselles, and

when used with these materials for Ecclesiastical purposes
the work is called Church Work. The same kind of
work is, however, notwithstanding its expense, occa-
sionally used for secular purposes, such as table borders,
cushions, and chimney vallances. To work : Stretch the
material in a frame, and draw the design; cut out little
pieces of parchment to fill in any raised parts, such as the
flowers and leaves, shown in Fig. 323, and tack these down
into their position. Make small holes through the
material with a stiletto, run the gold or silver thread into a
large-eyed needle, and bring it up from the back of the
material, cross it over the parchment, and return it to
the back through one of the holes. Fill in the centres of
the flowers, the lower part of the buds, and the points of
the stamens, with spangles crossed with coloured silks, and
ornament the centres of the leaves with laid rows of these
spangles. Make the open net pattern, the small spray-
shaped leaves, the stamens, and the stems, with gold purse
silk. Work the two lines of the border with gold thread,

raised over vellum, or laid flat and CoucnED, and fill in
the border with spangles and long shaped beads crossed
with coloured silks.

Stitches. — The stitches used in Embroideries are
distinguished by name3 selected, as far as possible, to
indicate their appearance when worked. They are as
follows :

Arrow Stitch. — A name sometimes given to Stem
Stitch, because of its slanting direction. See Stem
Stitch.

Au Passe Stitch. — Also known as Point Passe, Passe,
and Long. It is a name given to Satin Stitch when
worked across the material and without any padding. See
Satin Stitch.

Bach Stitch. — A stitch also known as Hem Stitch,
and used in fancy Embroideries, and in plain needlework.
To work : Bring the needle up upon a traced line,

and insert it into the material, a little behind where it
came up, and bring it out a little beyond, both putting it
in and bringing it out upon the straight line. Put the

needle down again in the same hole made when it first
came up, and bring it out again on the line a few threads-
forward. Continue to make email even stitches in this
way along the line. The beauty of the work consists in
every stitch being made of the same size, and kept in an
even line.

Barred Witch Stitch. — See Herringbone Stitch.

Bashet Stitch. — A Raised Couching Stitch chiefly
used in Church W ork, but occasionally in silk Embroideries.
To work : Lay down perpendicular lines of fine whip-
cord upon the material, at even distances apart, and secure
them with tacking threads. Upon this foundation lay
down three or four strands of purse silk or gold cord.
Pass these threads over two lines of whipcord, in a hori-
zontal direction, and secure them with a stitch brought
from the back, pass it over them, and return it to the back,
and repeat this stitch until the four strands of silk or
gold cord are stitched down between every two pieces of
whipcord. For second row — Lay down the four threads

A A

Fm. 323. EMBROIDERY WITH GOLD AND SILVER.

i 7 8

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

of silk or gold over the wliipcord, and close to those first
laid, and secure them with stitches brought from the
back of the material, and returned there. Make the first
securing stitch over one strand of whipcord, so as to
prevent the securing threads forming a line down the
work, then secure the threads over two strands of whip-
cord as before. Repeat these two rows to the end of
the space.

Battlemented Stitch. — An arrangement of Overcast,
Holbein, or Point de Russe, to imitate in Embroidery the
indented line of battlements upon castles, &c. The stitch
is used in Ticking and other ornamental Embroidery, and
is shown in the centre line of Fig. 324. To work in Hol-
bein stitch with both sides alike : Run the thread first
over, then under, and then over the traced line, so that
every alternate stitch fills up a marked space. In the
second running, work over the plain spaces and under the
ones already filled in. To work in Overcast : Trace a
battlemented line on the material. Bring the needle up
from the back, and cover the line with fine and even Over-
cast stitches, working from left to right. To work in

Fia. 324. Battlemented Stitch,

Point de Russe : Trace a battlemented line. Bring the
needle up from the back of the material, at one end of the
short line forming the top of one Battlement, put the
needle back at the end of this line, only take up a few
threads of material, and bring the needle out, at the top of
the short upright line, put it down at the end of the line,
take up a few threads of material, and bring it up ready to
make the next line in the same manner. Work from right
to left, and continue to the end of the traced line. The three
diverging lines at the top and bottom of each battlement
(See Fig. 324) work in Long Stitch, as also the diamond
border above and below the Battlemented; they are inserted
as an ornamental finish to the work, and have no con-
nection with the stitch.

J Blanket Stitch. — This stitch is employed to form an
ornamental finish to cloth, serge, and other thick materials,
when they are used as the foundation for embroidered
counterpanes, tablecloths, &c., whose substance is too
thick to allow of their edges being turned in and hemmed
over. The stitch derives its name from its having ori-
ginally been used as an edging to blankets, but its foun-
dation is Buttonhole worked in various patterns, all of
which can be used upon one edging if desired, the only
essential to Blanket Stitch being that it is formed of
wide-apart Buttonhole, and is worked with coarse crewels
or filoselles. To work : Make a Buttonhole upon the
edge of the material, take up a quarter of an inch of the

material in the length of the stitch, and slant it from right
to left; make another Buttonhole of the same length, but
an upright stitch, and close to the first one, then a third,
slant this from left to right; miss the space of half an
inch, carrying the filoselle along the edge of the work, and
repeat the three stitches.

Another kind : Make an upright Buttonhole one-eighth
of an inch long, miss the space of one-eighth of an inch,
and make a Buttonhole a quarter of an inch long, miss
the same space, and make a Buttonhole half an inch long,
miss the same space, and make a Buttonhole a quarter
of an inch long, miss the same space, and make a Button-
hole one-eighth of an inch long, miss the space of half an
inch, and repeat these five stitches.

Another kind : Make a Buttonhole a quarter of an inch
long, then four half an inch long, and one a quarter of an
inch long, miss one-eighth of an inch between each Button-
hole, and half an inch between every group of six stitches.

Brick Stitch. — A Flat Couching, and used in silk
Embroideries. To work : Lay down two strands of floss
silk or filoselle upon the material, and to secure these
bring a stitch up from the back of the material, pass it
over them, and return it again to the back. Secure the
whole length of the strands with these stitches, at even
distances apart; then lay down two more strands, and
secure them in the same manner, but arrange that the
stitch that secures them shall come exactly between two
in the last row, and not opposite to them. Fill in all the
space with second row.

Broad Couching Stitch. — A Flat Couching, and made
as follows : Lay down three or four strands of filoselle
or floss silk on to the material, and secure them with a
fastening stitch brought up from the back, pass it over
them, and return it to the back. Make these stitches at
set intervals down the laid threads, then lay down more
threads and secure them, also at set intervals, but so that
they come between, not opposite, the ones already made.

Bullion Knot Stitch. — Used in silk Embroideries,
Crewel Work, and Church Work, forming a raised roll

Fia. 325. Bullion Knot.

laid along the surface of the work. To make : Secure the
thread at the back of the work, and bring it through to
the front. Put the needle into the material, and bring it
out so that the point is close to the thread, and take up
from a quarter to half an inch of material on the needle,
according to the length desired for the Knot. Wind the
thread round the point of the needle from ten to twelve
times ( see Fig. 325) ; hold the needle down with the left
thumb, and wind with the right hand. Still holding the

THE DICTIONARY OP NEEDLEWORK .

r 79

needle down, pull it through the material, pull up tlie
thread to where the needle was inserted, and let the Knots
lie evenly along the surface ; then put the thread through
to the hack at this place, and repeat for a second Bullion
Knot, In the illustration two Bullion Knots are arranged
as an oval, hut they can he laid down upon the material
as single Knots, or in any other device.

Burden Stitch . — A Flat Couching, and used in silk
Embroideries. To work : Lay down a line of doss silk
or filoselle, and, to secure it, bring up a thread from the
back of the material, on one side of the filoselle, and
put it hack again on the other. Arrange these securing
stitches at even distances along the line of filoselle.

Buttonhole Stitch * — In Broderie Anglaise and other
ornamental Embroideries this stitch is chiefly used to
form an edging to the work, and is then known as
Feston, or Double Overcast. When used in Point Lacc
work, of which it is the chief stitch, or as a filling to the
various parts of Fancy Embroidery, it is called Close Stitch,
Point do Brussels, or Point None. To work as a Feston
or Double Overcast : Eun a straight or scalloped line at
the edge of the material, and commence to work from left to
right. Bring the needle up from the hack of the material,
put it down into the material over the run line, and bring
it up under that line, and draw up with the needle over the
working thread, so that a loop is formed on the material.
Continue to make these loops along the line, put the needle
down above the run line, and close to the stitch last made,

Pis. 32$, Buttonhole Stitch.

bring it up under the run line, and take up the same
amount of material at each stitch. To work as Point
None, Ac., and without a foundation (sec Fig, 326) : Throw
a thread across the space to he filled, from right to left, and
secure it firmly upon each side. Commence to work from
left to right, put the needle into the piece of lace or
material above the thread thrown across, and then down-
wards behind the foundation thread. Bring it up on the
other side of the foundation thread and over the working
thread, so that it forms a loop. Continue to make these
loops to the end of the row. Then throw another foundation
thread across, and cover this with Buttonhole ; put the
needle into the first line of Buttonhole instead of into
the material. Continue to throw threads across, and cover
them with Buttonholes until the space is filled.

Chain Stitch . — This stitch is also called Point de
Chainette and Tambour Stitch, It is largely used in
all Fancy Embroideries, particularly in Indian and other
Oriental work. Upon fine cambric or muslin Chain or
Tambour Stitch is worked with a Crochet hook thus:

Thread In the front of the work, put the hook through
the material, and bring it out to the front, thread round
the needle, and draw it up as a loop through the piece
of material on the hook hook through the mate-
rial, thread round the hook, and draw through the

Fig. 337, Chain Stitch,

material and loop upon the hook; repeat from # to make
every Chain. To work Chain Stitch with a Needle;
Bring the needle from the back of the material up in the
line to he embroidered, put the needle down close to the
place it came out, but on the right side # ; hold the thread
down with the loft thumb, and bring the needle out upon
the line, one -eighth of an inch below where it was inserted,
and over the thread held down. Draw up, and the stitch
will be formed, Put the needle down on the right side,
close to where it came up, and in the Chain already made
(see Fig. 327), and repeat from # for the whole of the
pattern.

Close Stitch * — Bee Buttonhole Stitch.

Chain Twisted Stitchs — See Twisted Chain Stitch,

Coral Stitch . — A stitch worked either Double oi*
Single. It is much used in Ticking and other fancy
Embroideries, and also to decorate plain linen. To

Fig, 323. CottAL Stitch.

work Single Coral: Bring the needle up in the centre
line, hold the thread down with the left thumb one- eighth
"of an inch beneath where the needle came out. Insert
the needle on left side of the line (see Fig. 328), even to

a a 2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK . .

180

where it came lip, hut a short distance away, and bring it
out in a slanting direction, so that it comes up in the
centre line, and over the held down thread* Draw up, and
repeat this stitch to the right of the line, and work on the
left and right of the line until the space is covered.

Pits, 320. Double Coral Stitch*

To work Double Coral : The beauty of Double Coral
consists in the perfect Tandy ke line it makes down the
material when properly worked. The stitch is the same
as Coral, but is worked twice to the left and twice to
the right, as in Fig, 323, where the needle is inserted
in the second left-hand stitch, and the numbers 1 and 2
indicate the place the needle is put through to make the
stitch on the right hand.

Cord Stitch . — -A stitch used in Embroidery to cover'
straight threads thrown across spaces, and not run into the
material ; also known as Twist Stitch. To work : Throw
a line of thread across a space and fasten it firmly.
Return the thread to where it first started from, by
twisting it over and over the straight and tight line
first made.

Couching Stitch . — The stitches that arc classed under
the head of Couching are more used in Church work than
in other kinds of Embroidery* They rank amongst the
best and most difficult of Embroidery stitches, and
require to be worked in frames* Couch lugs are used to
embroider with materials that are too thick to thread upon
needles and pass backwards and forwards as stitches, or
that arc of a texture that such constant friction would fray
and destroy. They are divided into two kinds, Elat
and Raised, The chief varieties of Flat Couching are
Brick, Broad, Burden, Diagonal, and Diamond ; of Raised,
Basket, Tandy ke, and Wavy. The Flat Couching a
are laid straight down upon the foundation material;
the Raised have paddings of various cords put between
them, and the foundations are laid over these raised sur-
faces. The principle of all Couching stitches is as follows :
Lay down two or more threads of floss silk or gold cord
upon the foundation as horizontal or perpendicular lines,
and close together, and to secure these bring tip a needle
threaded with silk from the back of the material on one
side of the laid threads, pass it over them to the other,
and return it to the back from there. Make a series
of these securing stitches at even distances along tlie laid
threads, and then lay down more threads and secure
them in the same manner* The varieties in Couching are

formed by the designs made by these securing stitches
being arranged in patterns, the Raised as well as the Flat.

Crewel Stitch (also known as Rope and Stem Stitch)*
— This stitch is much used in Crewel Work, being the chief
one in that Embroidery, and is also
used in Brodcric Anglaise, and other
kinds of Embroidery, to form thick
stems to flowers, tendrils, and branch-
ing sprays. To work : Bring the needle
up from the back of the material, and
insert it above where it came out in
a straight line, but slightly slanting
from right to left (see Fig. 330)*
Keep the thread upon the right side
of the needle, and draw up. Insert the
needle in the same way above the last
made stitch in an upright, but slightly
slanting, direction, and so work until
the line is finished. Work in this
manner backwards and forwards for
a thick stem, always turning the ma-
terial at the end of a line* In curved
sprays and tendrils follow their traced outlines and make
the same stitch. See Crewel Stitch for Crewel Work,
Crewel Reversed, see Twisted Chain*

Cross Stitchr — This stitch is also known as Point de
Marque, and is used for fancy Embroideries, and parti-
cularly in work known as Kreuzsfciekeri, and for marking.
Its beauty consists of the two lines of which it is formed
crossing each other, so that their points form a perfect
square. To work : Take the first part of the stitch from

Fig. m
Ckewrl Stitch.

Fig* 331. Cross Stitch,

the left-hand bottom side of the square across to the
right-hand top side, anil the second half of the stitch from
the right-hand bottom side to the left-hand top side,
crossing over the first half, as shown in Fig* 331, To
work both sides alike sec Point de Geoix sans eyebs*
To work a cross inside a square sec Spanish Stitch*

Cushion Stitch . — The name given to Satin Stitch
when that stitch is arranged in a series of geometrical
Tandy kes or half circles across a material as a background.
The stitch is more used in Berlin Work and Church

Work than in fancy Embroidery, but is occasionally
required in the latter* To work : Trace out on the material
two parallel Vandyke or curved lines, an inch apart from
each other. Bring the needle from the hack of the work
up in the lower line, and put it clown in the upper line
exactly above where it came out. Bring it out on the
upper line, with but a thread of the material separating it
from the first stitch, and put it down in the lower line*
Continue to work the stitch with the precision and evenness
of weaving until the lines are filled in. To work Cushion
stitch alike on both sides ; When the needle is put down to

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK \

the back of the work, bring it up again close to where it
was first brought out, instead of close to where it was put
down. This will Jill the back of the flower or leaf with
the same straight stitches that it fills the front part with*

Cru mb St lie h , — Si m ilar to Do l Sti tell .

Dmnask Stitch.— A name given to Satin stitch when
worked upon linen for household purposes. To work :
Bring the needle from the back of the material to the front,
and make a slanting stitch over the part to be embroidered.
Bring out the needle close to where it first came out, but
on the right side, put it down close to where it was put
hack, and continue to make these slanting stitches across
the material until the space is filled in.

Diagonal Stitch . — A Plat Couching. To work : Lay
down two threads of floss silk or gold cord upon a linen
foundation. To secure these into position bring u stitch
from the. back of the material, pass it over the threads,
and return it to the back. Lay dawn repeated lines of silk
and secure them, and arrange the securing stitches so that
they form diagonal lines upon the work.

Pio. 333. DOT STITCH,

Diamond Stitch . — A Flat Couching, To work : Lay
down lines of floss silk over the whole of the foundation
to he covered, and, to secure these, take a single thread of
purse silk and gold cord, lay it in a diagonal direction
over the floss silk, and secure it with a stitch from the
back at set intervals. Continue to lay down diagonal
lines over the silk, at equal distances apart, and all in one
direction, and to secure them until the space is filled.
Then cross these lines with other diagonal ones, so as to
form a diamond- shaped pattern upon the surface of the
floss silk. Secure these last lines at the points of the
diamonds, and ornament the stitch by introducing a pearl
or bead at tbe Junction.

Dot Stitch.— A stitch also called Point de Pois, Point
d’Or, Point de Paste, and Dotted, and used in all kinds
of Embroidery, either to fill in the centres of leaves
and flowers, or to trace out a pattern with a number of
single lines made with a series of small Dots. To work :
Bring the needle up from the back of the work, outline
a tiny round, and work Overcast over it until a small

iSi

raised knob is formed. Fig. 332 is au illustration of a piece
of Embroidery intended for the corner of a handkerchief,
iu which the name is worked in the centre of a leaf. The
name, the outline of the leaf, the fibres, and the stein are
worked in Satin Stitch, the tendrils in Overcast, and the
body of the leaf filled with Dots. These Dots arc too
small to outline with a run thread, and are made of two
Overcast stitches.

Doited Stitch * — See Dot Stitch.

Douhh Cross Stitch , — A fancy stitch used in Ticking
Work and other Embroideries upon materials where the
foundat ion is allowed to show. To work a plain Double

Tig. 333. DOUBLE CROSS &TITCII-Bbta» A.

I’ig, 33 L DOUBLE CROSS STITCH-Detml B.

Cross: Pill the space to be worked with a line of wide
apart Herringbone stitches (see Fig, 338), and make a
return line of Herringbone between the wide apart first
line.

To work an Ornamented Double Cross : Make a line of
wide apart Herringbone, return the thread close to the
stitches just made, so as to make a double line, and cross
this while in progress with ornamental knots. Hold the
fixed and working thread together, and cross them where
a knot is to be made with a Buttonhole to secure them
together. Then make a knot or knob with Overcast.
Work two knots upon every Herringbone, and continue
to make the double line to the end of space. Then
make a single line of Herringbone between the stitches,
as in plain Double Cross, and as shown iu Fig. 334
(Detail B) on p. 181.

Double Cross Stitch (a variety )* — A name sometimes

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

182

given to Point cle Oroix Sans Evers, and described under
that heading.

Bauble Overcast Stitch . — See Buttonhole Stitch,

Double Square Stitch . — See Queen Stitch.

En CtMchure Stitch . — The French name for Couch-
ing (which Bee).

J En Monde Bosse Stitch , — A term occasionally met
with in descriptions of old needlework, and intended to
denote that the Embroidery Stitches are raised from the
foundation, either in low or high relief.

Eyelet-hole .— This is used in Broderie Anglaise, and
in all hinds of Embroidery where the material is cut
away and the edges of those places sewn oven Ey let-
holes are generally round, but they are also formed as
ovale and Vandykes, their shape depending upon the
pattern they are to make. To work : Trace the design
upon cambric or other thin material, and tack this to
Toile Circ. Outline each hole by running a thread of em-
broidery cotton round it, and then, if it is an oval, cut it
with a sharp pair of small scissors down the centre ; or if
a round, push a stiletto through it, turn the material
under until the outline thread is reached, and then work
round the hole in Overcast from left to right. Put the
needle in on the hole side of the running, and bring it out
on the other, so that the Overcast Stitch is worked over
the run line. Work close, and make each stitch of the
same size. Eyelet-holes are sometimes worked with
Buttonhole instead of Overcast* To work ; Trace a
double line round the hole, and fill in between the two lines
with runnings of embroidery cotton. Cut out the centre,
turn under the material until the inner traced line is
reached, and then work a succession of evenly -made
Buttonholes round the Eyelet-hole,

Fia. 335, Fancy Stitch Tig. 336, Fancy Stitch.

Fancy SHtch . — These stitches are used in Embroidery
to fill in and enrich parts of the design. To work Fig. 335 :
First make a line of Dots, formed of two loops at equal
distances apart, and then make a second line of Dote in a
similar manner a quarter of an inch from first line. Loop
through a Dot upon each line with a thread carried three
times through, and when all the Dots have been filled,
work a third line of Dots, and loop these through, taking
the threads through the second line of Dots to form part
of the stitch. When all the space is thus filled in, work
Dots upon each side of the stitches to correspond with the
ones already made.

To work Pig, 336 : Arrange lines in Diamonds across the

space, and catch these down at the points of the Diamonds.
Then make flat loops over them with three coils of thread,
and when all are filled in finish by catching these flat
loops in four places.

Fancy Ilem Stitch . The varieties of Fancy Hem
Stitch are used in Open Work Embroideries of all kinds,
but more particularly in Drawn Work, where they arc
employed either to catch together and secure the threads
left in the material after the others are drawn away, or to
fill up spaces that the drawn away threads have left quite
bare. To work Fancy Hem to secure threads: Having
drawn out the threads necessary, turn the work to the
wrong side, hold the material so that the threads are
horizontal, and w T ork in a straight line down them and
close to the solid material. Take up six or eight threads
on the needle, and hold the working thread down, the
point of the needle over it. Then draw up, making
a Buttonhole Stitch. Pull up tightly the six or
eight threads well together, and then secure them by
taking a short stitch underneath them into the material.
Eepeot, until all the threads are drawn together.

To fill in open spaces : Make a series of loops upon each
side of the space, opposite to each other (see Fig. 337), and
join them together thus ; Fasten the thread to the first
bottom loop, and run it into the middle [ put the needle
into the loop opposite on the top line, and back again

Fig. 337, Fancy Hem Stitch*

into the bottom loop, and make a Buttonhole of this
stitch. Then pass the thread backwards and forwards
between the two loops several times, but do not make any
more Buttonholes. Pass on to the next two loops, and
make the first stitch a Buttonhole, and fill in the rest with
the plain backwards and forwards thread. Work all the
loops together in this maimer*

To work Fig. 338: Commence by making a Bach Stitch
in the upper part of the space, taking up only sufficient

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

183

material to hold the stitch. Cross the thread to the other
side of the space, and make another small Back Stitch
there. Cord up the thread for a short distance, and make
a Back Stitch into the upper part of the space; Cord this
up a short distance, and make a Back Stitch into the lower
part of the space, and continue to the end, being careful
to make every stitch the same distance apart.

Feather Stitch (1). — The Opus Plumarium of the
ancients, and so called from the likeness this stitch has,
when arranged as long stitches, radiating from a centre
or from a straight line, to the feathers of a bird. It is
largely used in Ancient Embroideries and in Crewel
Work, and is either worked in a frame or on the hand.
The stitch consists of a number of Satin Stitches of
irregular length and size, worked in between each other
in rows, some long and some short, but so arranged as
to fit into each other without showing any foundation,
and so that the outline and contour of the design are
followed. To work in a frame : Bring the needle up
from the back of the material, and put it down again in
a slanting direction, make a stitch a quarter of an inch
long, bring it out again close to the first stitch, and put
it down to the back in a slanting direction, making the
stitch one-eighth of an inch long. Make this long and
short stitch alternately for the first row; for the next,
fill in the spaces with the same kind of stitches, work
them long and short where the design will allow, but
arrange so that they follow the line of the outline.
To work on the hand: Make the same irregular Satin
Stitch, but bring the needle up in the commencement
of the second stitch when put down at the end of the
first stitch.

(2). — A stitch also known as Point d’Epine, used
in Ticking w T ork, and to ornament children’s dresses and
underlinen. It is worked either as a Single or Double
Feather. To work Single Feather : Trace a straight line
down the material, bring the needle up in this line, and
hold the thread down under the left thumb on the line, but
a quarter of an inch below where it came out. Put the
needle in in a slanting direction on the right side, and
bring it out in the traced line, over the thread that is held
down, as shown in Fig. 339. Draw up, and commence
another stitch, keeping all the slanting lines on the right
side of traced line.

To work Double Feather (the variety of the stitch most
in use) : Bring the needle up in the traced line as before,
make the slanting stitch described on the right side, and

then make a similar stitch on the left-hand side into the
same spot on the traced line, or hold the thread down
on the traced line for a quarter of an inch, and then make
a slanting stitch to the left. Again hold the thread down,
and make a slanting stitch to the right, hold the thread
down, and make a slanting stitch to the left, and con-
tinue to form stitches on each side of the line to the end
of the work.

Feston Stitch. — See Buttonhole Stitch.

French Knot Stitch. — A stitch much used in Em-
broidery of all kinds for filling in with raised Knots the
centres of Flowers, Stars, or Circles. French Knot
requires to be worked with a thick and not a thin thread,
purse silk, filoselle, or crewel being the materials with
which it is usually made. To work : Bring the needle up
from the back of the material, hold the thread between
the left thumb and forefinger, twist it once round the
needle, turn the needle round, and put it back into the
material a little behind where it came out.

French Plumetis Stitch. — A name given to Raised
Satin Stitch. See Satin Stitch.

Gobelin Stitch. — A short upright stitch, also called
Tapestry. It was largely used in ancient Tapestry work,
from which it derived its modern name, and it is now
employed only for very fine Embroideries executed with
silks, or work upon canvas. It requires to be made in a
frame, as its beauty consists in every stitch being made
of the same length and height. To work: Bring up
the thread from the back of the work, and put it down
again at a short distance from w'liere it came out, and

Fia. 340. Gobelin Stitch,

quite upright. The length of the stitch should be twice
its width. Bring the needle up again close to where it
was first brought out, and put it dow f n again close to
where it was put dowm, and continue to make even row's
of these stitches, one row above the other, until the space
is filled. Begin to work from the left-hand side at the
bottom of the material. Gobelin stitch is sometimes
worked as a raised stitch in Ticking and other ornamental
Embroideries; it is then padded with braid ( see Fig.
340), and the upright stitches taken over every line of
braid, either concealing the padding, or allowing it to
show in places according to the braid used.

Hem Stitch. — The ordinary Hem Stitch is identical
with Back Stitch (w'hich see), but the Hem Stitch used
in Drawn Work, and for other fancy purposes, is made
as shown in Fancy Hem Stitch.

Herringbone Stitch. — A stitch used in plain needle-

184

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

work to join flannel stuffs together, and also as an orna-
mental stitcli in Embroidery. It is sometimes called
Witch Stitch. The beauty of Herringbone depends
entirely upon the execution. Every stitch requires to be
put in at an exact distance from the last made, and the
amount of material taken up upon the needle should

Fio. 311. Herringbone Stitch. %

always be the same; without this uniformity of execution
the work is spoilt. To work : If the worker’s eye is not
straight enough to judge the distances without a guide,
make two parallel lines, a quarter of an inch apart, upon
the material, with a succession of dots, hold the material
in the left hand, with the part to be worked along the
first finger, bring the needle up from the wrong side in
the top line, put it into the bottom line in a slanting
direction, take up only a small quantity of material,
and put the needle in with the point to the left hand
( see Fig. 341). Draw up the cotton, and put the needle
in the top line in a slanting direction, the point of the
needle towards the left. Draw up, and the cotton of the
last stitch will cross over the cotton of the first. Con-
tinue to cross the cotton in this manner until the lines
are filled.

Herringbone ( Fancy ) Stitch . — A Fancy Herringbone
stitch, also known as Barred Witch stitch. To work :
Commence with a line of Herringbone, and work the
Herringbone more upright and less slanting than in
ordinary Herringbone. Then take a new thread, bring it

Fia. 312. Herringbone Fancy Stitch.

from the back, and twist it over the cross of the Herring-
bone, run it down under the slanting line to the next
cross, twist it over that, and continue running the
thread up and down the slanting lines and over the
crosses until a barred appearance is given to each cross.
See Fig. 312.

Holbein Stitch . — This stitch is also called Italian,
and derives its name of Holbein from being the stitch

Fig. 343. Holbein Stitch.

employed in that work. Upon open canvas materials it
can be worked as squares or Vandyke lines, both sides
alike. When this effect is not required, it is either a
Satin Stitch or Back Stitch, worked as an outline stitch.

To work as shown in Fig. 343: Trace the outline of
the design, and then cover every line with a long or
short Satin Stitch, according to the length of the
traced line. If the work is to look the same upon both
sides, for this pattern cover the outline with Back
Stitches.

To make Holbein Squares with Both Sides of the Work
Alike : Bring the thread out on the right side of the
material, pass it over four perpendicular threads of the
canvas, and under four horizontal right-hand threads,
over four perpendicular threads below the horizontal
ones, and under four left horizontal ones, bringing out
the thread on the same line as the first stitch made,
but four threads below it. Continue these stitches if a
long line of squares is required; if only two are wanted,
turn back, and fill in the squares thus: Make a stitch
upwards over the four perpendicular threads, under the
first made stitch, and out where it commenced, over the
four horizontal threads on a line with it, under four
perpendicular threads, over four horizontal threads on the
left, under four perpendicular threads concealed with an
already made stitch, across the horizontal threads, under
four perpendicular threads in an upward direction, and
over the four last threads that require covering. Two
perfect squares on both sides of the material are now
made.

To make a Vandyke Line Both Sides Alike: Take the
thread over four perpendicular threads, under four hori-
zontal threads to the right, over four perpendicular
threads, and under four horizontal threads to the right
for the length; return by running up this line over the
horizontal threads and under the perpendicular. A waved
line is made in the same manner.

Honeycomb Stitch . — This stitch is used to draw
together in an ornamental pattern the gathers upon the
neck and sleeves of smock frocks, and also for all kinds
of decorative gathering. It requires to be executed with
great care and exactness, so as to form the cell-shaped
cavities that give it its name, and should be worked upon
materials that are fine in texture, and yet sufficiently
stiff to form even and straight folds. The best mate-
rials are cambrics, hollands, and stiff muslins. To work :
Take a piece of holland, and draw out horizontal threads
the distance from each other the honeycombs are to be ;
set it in gathers that are perfectly even. Draw these
up, and stroke them down with a knitting needle in
straight lines the length of material to be ornamented.
Thread a needle with black or dark coloured purse silk.
Commence at the right-hand side of the work, bring it up
from the wrong side of the material, and catch the
first two gathers together with a Back Stitch, about
a quarter of an inch from the line of gathers, and on
one of the drawn-out threads (see Fig. 341). Put the
needle down at the back of the material a quarter
of an inch, bring it up at the third gather, and
catch the third and second gathers together with a
Back Stitch. Return the needle to the back, and to
the height of the first made stitch, and catch the
fourth and third gathers together with a Back Stitch;
put it back in a line with the second stitch, and catch

*****

*

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BACK-STITCH EMBROIDERY Copied From a priests si ole of the 17 ^ century

'^ vw

GLASS CLOTH EMBROIDERY

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

185

the fifth and fourth gathers together, and continue work-
ing in this way, first in one line and then in the other,
catching a new gather and an old gather together with a
Back Stitch every time, until all are secured. Work the
third line as the first (commencing at the right-hand side
of work), and the fourth as the second line, catching the
gathers together in these lines in the same order as the
ones already worked, and keeping them straight with
the drawn out threads. The illustration (Fig. 344) shows
Honeycomb Stitch commenced, with the run thread, two
lines of Honeycomb finished, and two lines in progress,

Fia. 344. Honeycomb Stitch.

with the gathers stroked, ready to fasten together.
A variety of Honeycomb is formed by treating each
gather as a laid thread, and forming a pattern over it, as
in Couching, with a thread brought from the back of the
material. The material is gathered very evenly, put into
an Embroidery Frame, and stroked down. Each gather
is then caught down singly with a Back Stitch, and these
securing stitches are arranged in parallel diagonal lines,
or as open diamonds. When forming open diamonds the
number of gathers must be counted, and a tiny pencil
line drawn over the work, so that each diamond is made
of the same size.

Indots Stitch. — This is similar to Dot Stitch. Out-
line a small circle and Overcast it, working the stitches
all one way.

Italian Slitcli. — See Holbein Stitch.

Jacob's Ladder Stitch. — See Ladder Stitch.

Japanese Stitch. — Used in Crewel work and in Em-
broideries upon silk to represent water, and made with long
Satin Stitches. To w r ork : Bring the needle from the back
of the material, carry the thread along in a straight line
the distance of tw T o inches, and then return it to the back.
Bring it up again underneath where it first started, one-
eightli of an inch to the right, and make a long two-inch
stitch, and continue to make these long stitches in parallel
lines one-eighth of an inch shorter on the left hand, and
one-eightli of an inch longer on the right, until the space
is filled in.

Knot Stitch. — This stitch is also called Knotted,
and is used in ornamental Embroideries to form lines
decorated at set distances with Knots, and in Drawn
Work to tie threads together in variously arranged

patterns. Lines ornamented with Knots are made in
several ways ; the simplest is worked
as follows: Work along the line to
be covered, and at even distances, a
succession of raised dots {see Fig. 345).
Make each dot by working two Back
Stitches over each other, and run the
working thread at the back of the
material between each Knot.

To w T ork Fig. 346: Bring the needle
from the back of the material into the
spot where the stitch is to be formed,
put it down to the back, and bring it
out again, only taking up a fcw r threads
Wind the cotton twice round the point
of the needle, and keep the cotton tight. Draw out the
needle, and then put it back into the material at the

Fia. 310. Knot Stitch.

spot where it w f as first inserted, drawing the two threads
wound round the working thread up tight, so that they
stand up upon the work. Bring the needle up where the
next Knot is to be made, and repeat.

Fig. 347 is made as follow's : Carry the thread along
the surface of the work for a short distance, and hold it
down with the left thumb, then twist it once round the
needle, insert the needle into the material, and bring it
up again. Twist the cotton twice round the point of the
needle, and draw up until the thread is quite over the

Fia. 347. Knot Stitch.

first twist, put the needle dowm into the material at this
place, and bring it out again at the other side of the Knot.
Then take a long stitch, commence to twist the thread
round the needle, and make another Knot.

To make a Knot upon the surface of the w r ork, i.e., the
Knot that is called a French Knot : Bring the needle up
from the back of the material, hold the thread between
the left thumb and finger, twist the thread once round the
needle, and put it back into the material a little behind
where it came out. Work this Knot with coarse thread
or silk.

To make a Knot with drawn threads: Hem Stitch a
dozen drawn threads together for the first row. For the
second, take 6 threads from one Hem stitch, and 6 from the
next, and Overcast them together at the distance of an
eighth cf an inch from the first row {see Fig. 348). Fasten

B B

Fia. 345.

Knot Stitch.

of the material.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

1 86

oif or run the thread along the drawn threads and com-
mence another Knot, take 6 threads from one stitch and
6 from the other, and work until all the stitches
are divided and knotted. For the third row, divide the
first stitch, and make a Knot with 6 of its threads. Then

Fio. 318. Knot Stitch with Drawn Thread.

make a Knot with the 6 threads left from the first stitch
and 6 taken from the second stitch, and take 6 stitches
from one stitch, and 6 from the other, and Overcast them
together for all tbe row. Work the fourth row like the
second, and the fifth row like the third.

Knotted Stitch . — See Knot Stitch.

Ladder Stitch . — There are two kinds of this stitch,
the open, called Ladder Point, or Point d’Echelle, in which
the bars forming the stitch are taken across an open
space; and the closed, known as Jacob’s, and Ship Lad-
der, in which the bars are worked on to the material
itself.

To work Fig. 349, an Open Ladder : Trace out upon the
material two parallel lines an inch apart. Take a thread
and run it down the top line for a quarter of an inch, then
carry it across to the bottom line as a bar (see b), loop
it into the material, and run it along the bottom line for
a quarter of an inch, loop it in at c, and carry it across as

Fia. 349. Open Ladder Stitch.

a bar to top line to d, loop it in, carry it across to 1, run it
along to 2, cross it to 3, and run it along to 4. When the
bars are thus made, run a plain line over each parallel
tracing, and work over in Double Overcast, turning the
edges of the stitches to the inside. Cut away the material
between these two Overcast lines, and leave the bars
crossing it.

To work Fig. 350, an Open Ladder: Trace out two
parallel lines, with an inch and a half space between them,
Herringbone from one to the other with a wide apart
line. Then return a line of Herringbone in between the
one first made. Run a line of thread down each parallel
line, and work over in Double Overcast, turning the edges
of the stitches to the inside, and cut away the material
between these lines. Then take a thread down the centre
of the space and Knot the two lines of Herringbone

together with it in the centre, thus: Put the thread
under the two lines where they cross, and bring it
out, make a loop with it, put the needle in under the

Fio. 3>0. Open Ladder Stitch.

two lines, and bring it out over the loop and draw up,
then pass on to where the two next lines cross, and
Knot together in the same way.

Fig. 351 is an Open Ladder stitch, surrounded with
padded lines of Overcast. To work: Trace the outline
and run the bars of the ladder as shown in Fig. 351, then

Fio. 351. Ladder Stitch and Overcast.

pad the outside and inside circle, and work them thickly
over in Overcast. Work the centre star in flat Satin
Stitch.

To work Fig. 352, an Open Ladder : Make a number of
stiletto holes as a curved line across the space. Work

Fio. 352. Open Ladder Stitch.

over the material left between the holes with Overcast.
The stiletto holes will form the open part of the stitch,
the Overcast the bars of the Ladder.

To work Jacob, or Ship Ladder : For this close Ladder,
trace a straight line down the centre of the material, take
a stitch down it, a quarter of an inch in length, put the
needle in, and bring it out on the right-hand side, a little
above where it went in, and a quarter of an inch off. Then

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

make a slant stitcli from left to right, turning the needle
so that the point comes out on the
traced line (see Fig. 353); draw up
thread, and put the needle in where
marked 1 on illustration, bring it out
at 2, put it in at 3, and bring it out
at 1 ; repeat to the end of the traced
line.

Lance Stitch. — Identical with
Point Lancd Stitch (which see).

Lattice Stitch. — A stitch used
in Ticking work and other ornamental
Embroideries for borders, and formed
of straight interlaced lines. To work :

Traee along the edge of the border
two straight lines, half an inch apart,
and in between these lines work the
Lattice Stitch. Carry five straight but slanting lines
of silk across the space and close together. Cross these
in a contrary direction with five other lines, interlacing
these with the first laid by passing each thread over

Fio. 353.

Ship Ladder Stitch.

Fio. 354. Lattice Stitch,

one line and under one line as they cross (see Fig. 354).
Miss the one-eighth of an inch, and commence to throw
the five lines again across the space, and interlace these
as before mentioned.

Leaf Stitch. — An ornamental stitch resembling an
ear of barley when complete. It is a combination of
Chain and Picot Stitch. To work : Work a Chain in the
centre line, a Railway Stitch slanting to the right of
the Chain, and a Picot Stitch to the left, then return
to the centre line, and repeat the three stitches.

Long Stitch. — Also known as Point Passe, Passe,
and Au Passe. It is a name given to Satin Stitch when
worked across the material without any padding. See
Satin Stitch.

Loop Stitch. — See Picot.

Opus Phimarium Stitch. — See Feather Stitch.

Outline Stitch. — This stitch can be made of Back,
Holbein, Overcast, Crewel, or Point Russe. It merely
consists in covering the traced outline of a design with
a line of single and narrow stitches made of one of these
varieties.

Overcast Stitch. — A stitch used in Broderie Anglaise
and in all kinds of Embroidery. It is U6ed to work round
parts of the material that have been cut away to form an
open pattern, as in Eyelet-hole, or to form outlines to
stems, flowers, or leaves worked in Satin and other stitches
when they are to be raised from the surface of the
Embroidery, or to w T ork the entire design in. There are
several varieties of Overcast. The Plain, which is worked
over a run line and called Overcast; Slanting Overcast,
similar to Rope and Stem Stitch; Raised Overcast, better
known as Point de Tigre ; and Double Overcast, which is
a plain Buttonhole Stitch.

187

To work Plain Overcast : Run a foundation line along
the part to be embroidered, from right to left. Bring the
needle out in the work just beyond the end of the line, put
the needle into the material over this line, bring it out
under it, and in an upright position, and keep the working

Fio. 355. Overcast Stitch.

thread away from the stiten (see Fig. 355). Cover the
foundation thread with a series of small close- together
stitches so made, and put the needle in each time at
the same distance from the stitch last made, and quite
straight dow r n.

To work Slanting Overcast : Trace a line on the material,
but do not run a foundation thread. Cover this traced line
with small evenly made slanting stitches. Put the needle
in over the traced line and bring it out under the line,
letting the needle slant from left to right to give a slant-
ing direction to the stitch.

To work Point de Tigre, or Raised Overcast: Over the
traced outline of the design tack a fine cord. Work

Fio. 356. Raised Overcast, or Point de Tigre.'

a series of close Overcast stitches over this cord (see
Fig. 356, which is a design entirely worked in Point de
Tigre, or Raised Overcast).

To work in Overcast for Stems : Trace the design, and
run one or two lines of embroidery cotton over it, accord-
ing to the thickness of the design. Fasten the thread
to the back of the work, bring it out beneath, and put
it down over the lines, so that it takes up the material

B B 2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

1 88

covered by them, and no more, Work stitches close
together, until the whole outline is filled in.

To make Eyelet-hole in Overcast, See Eyelet hole.

To work double Overcast, See Buttonhole,

Passe Stitch . — Sec Satin Stitch.

Persian Cross Stitch . — A stitch used in Ticking and
other fancy Embroideries, and largely employed in Persian
and other Oriental embroideries ; It is also called Vienna
Cross, It consists of a long slanting stitch, crossed with
one half its size, and used irregularly about the work to
fill in spaces, and not formed into rows. It can, however,
he worked in rows, and then forms a line resembling
Herringbone, with one of the vandyked lines longer than
the other.

To work as a separate stitch : Take a slanting stitch
across the material, a quarter of an inch long, and cross
it in the centre with a stitch one- eighth of an inch long.

To work in rows : Take a long stitch across four per-
pendicular threads, and cross it with a stitch taken over
the two last of these threads. Commence the next stitch
thus : Cross over the two last threads of the first stitch
and over two new ones, and cross hack over the last two
threads. Work this last made stitch until the line is
filled in.

Petit Point Stitch . — The French name for Tent

Stitch.

Picot Stitch. — Also known as Loop Stitch, and used
in Ticking work and other fancy Embroideries, and to
ornament plain linen. It is formed of a loop made like a
Chain, and secured with a short stitch holding down the
loop at its broad end. To work : Bring up the thread from
the back of the material, hold it down with the left thumb,
put the needle in to the right, and close to where it came

Fig. 357, Picot Stitch*

up, and bring it out one- eighth of an inch below, in a
straight line over the held down thread (see Fig. 357),
Draw the thread up, and put the needle down through
the material a short distance below the chain. Fig. *357
illustrates a cross formed with four Picot Stitches, The
Chains form the arms of the cross, and the short stitches
the body.

Fig, 358 is an arrangement of Picot Stitch in a pattern.

Fig. 358* Picot Stitch.

The straight centre line of Pieot is worked first, and the
branching Picots on each side afterwards.

Fig, 353 is composed of a centre line of Coral Stitch,

Fig. 350, Picot and Coral Stitches,

broken at set intervals with stars formed with six Picot
Stitches.

Point a la Minute Stitch . — An Embroidery stitch
worked like Bullion Knot, and used to fill in small stars,

Fig. 3t0. Point A la Minute,

leaves, and other devices. To work Fig. 360 ' Trace an
outline of the star, put the needle in at 2, where one of
the arms is commenced, bring it out at 1 (the end of that

Fig. 361. Point A la Minute Stitch.

arm), wind the cotton several times round the point of the
needle, and hold that down with the left thumb ; draw up
the thread, and put the needle down, at 2 again, where it

Fig, 362. Point a la Minute Stitch,

first came out. Cover the other jside of the arm with a
similar stitch, and work all the arms of the cross ill the
same way. Fig, 3G1 gives an arrangement of Point a la

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

Minute as an eight-pointed star, with the centre left
unworked ; and Fig. 362 is a pattern composed of a star
surrounded by triangles, all made in this stitch.

Point Anylaise Stitch . — One of the French terms
for Feather Stitch.

Point Cheviin de Fer Stitch. — See Railway Stitch.

Point Croise Stitch. — A variety of Back Stitch that
forms an interlaced pattern at the back of the material and
two straight rows of Back Stitches at the front. To work :
Trace two straight lines on the right side of the work, and

at even distances from each other. Insert the needle as
if to make an ordinary Back Stitch in the top line, and
put down into the bottom line in a slanting direction ( see
Fig. 363). Turn the needle and make a Back Stitch,
and bring the needle out upon the top line a short distance
from where it first appeared (see Fig. 363). Put it down
again to the bottom line and repeat. The interlaced

Figs. 3Gland365. Point Croise Stitch, back and fbont.

threads at the back of the work are shown in Fig. 364,
while Fig. 365 gives the appearance of the stitch in the
front, when the back threads are seen through muslin,
and Fig. 363 when the material is thick, and only the
lines worked in the front are visible.

Fig. 366 is an illustration of this same stitch, formed with
two threads. The only difference is : Work a row of Back
Stitch from one line to the other, as before, but leave

Fig. 3G6. Point Croise Stitches.

the space that one stitch would take between each stitch.
Then work another row of Back Stitch with a differently
coloured thread to fill in the spaces left in the first row.

• Point d'Armes Stitch. — A stitch also known as Point
de Sable, and used in Embroidery upon muslin or fine
Cambric, to fill the centres of leaves and flowers, and to

189

make a variety with Satin Stitch. It has all the
appearance of Back Stitch, but is worked differently,
and forms a series of interlaced lines at the back, which
show through to the front of the work in transparent
materials. To work : Run round the outline of the design
upon the back of the material, and fasten the thread at
the back. Commence by taking a short slanting stitch
through to the front of the work and out again at the
back, and then cross over the piece of work with a slanting

Fio. 367. Point d’Arme3 Stitch, Showing Right Side.

thread, taking two small stitches through to the front in
each line (see Fig. 367) ; then cross these lines in a
contrary direction with the same kind of stitches, and
interlace the threads in the working. The appearance of

Fio. 368. Point d’Armes Stitch, Showing Wrong Side.

this stitch at the back, and manner of working, are shown
in Fig. 368, while in Fig. 367 it is illustrated as it looks
upon the right side of the material.

Point d y Attache Stitch. — A term given to the stitch
that secures fancy materials, such as braid or cord, to the
main work. Point d’Attaehe can be worked as Back
Stitch, or as plain Running, or as in Couching, thus :
Bring the needle up from the back of the foundation,
pas 3 it over the material to be secured, and put down again
to the back of the foundation stuff.

Point de Biais Stitch. — A fancy Embroidery stitch,
used in Ticking work, and consisting in filling in a square
piece of material with five slanting Satin Stitches of
unequal length. To work : Trace out a square, and to
commence, make a long Satin Stitch from the left-hand
bottom corner of square to the right-hand top corner.
Make a shorter stitch on each side of this, to fill in the
sides of the square, and then two short stitches, one on
each side of the two last made, to cover over the left-hand
top point and the right-hand bottom point of square.

Point de Cable Stitch. — See Rope Stitch.

Point de Carreau. — A name given to Holbein Stitch
when worked both side3 alike, and used to form tendrils,
sprays, or waved lines in flower designs. To work : Take
the silk or crewel up the traced line as a running, make
each stitch and each reverse of the same size. Finish by
running another thread of silk over the first, and with it
fill in the spaces left on the last line on both sides of the
material.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

190

Faint de Chainette 8Utch t - — See Chain Stitch.

Faint cVEchelle Stitch, — The French term for Ladder
Stitch (which see).

Faint de Cote Stitch. — See Hope Stitch .

Point de Croix Stitch. — See Cross Stitch.

Point de Croix Sans Evers.— A stitch made in two
ways : In one, a cross appears on both sides of the ma-
terial ; in the other, a cross is made on one side, and a
square of stitches, enclosing an nn worked space, on the
other.

To work a Cross on both sides : Take a square o£ canvas
with four threads each way. Make a half-stitch over
two horizontal and two perpendicular threads from the
bottom left-hand corner to the middle, bring the needle
back to the left-hand corner, and make a Tent Stitch
from there to the right-hand top corner. Return the
needle to the middle of the stitch, and work a half- stitch
to the top of the left-hand comer, bring it out at the bot-
tom of the right-hand corner, and make a Tent Stitch
crossing the first one.

To work a Cross and a Square: Make a Tent Stitch
from the right bottom to the left top corner of a square
of eight or four threads. Pass the needle at the back of
the material from the left to the right top corner, and
make a Tent Stitch across the first ; pass the thread at
the back of the material into the top left-hand corner.
Make a Tent Stitch into the bottom right-hand comer,
over the one already there, and work the thread at the
back up into the right-hand top corner, ready for another
cross to be made above the one finished.

Point de Diable Stitch , — This is a stitch that is
formed with eight lines meeting in the centre of a square.
To work; Make a St, Andrew’s Cross from corner to
comer of the square, and overlay these lines with a
Greek or even -armed cross, the arms coming from the
centre of each side of the square.

Point de Jours Stitch. — The French name by which
those parts of Embroidery are indicated where the
material is cut away, the sides Buttonhole or Over-
cast* and the centres filled in with. Wheel, Star,
La doer, or Point de Reprise stitch.

Point de Marque Stitch. — See Cross Stitch.

Point d'Epine Stitch , — One of the Frcneh terms for
Feather Stitch.

Point de Plume Stitch, — A variety of Raised Satin
Stitch, in which the veins of leaves and flowers are left
un worked, and the rest of the leaves padded. See Satin
Stitch.

Point de Pois Stitch^ — See Dot Stitch.

Point dc Paste Stitch, — Sec Dot Stitch,

Point de Meprise Stitch, — A stitch resembling the
one bearing the same name used in Guipure d’Art.
It is employed in Embroideries upon linen, to ornament
open spaces in the work from which the threads have been
drawn or cut away. Fig, 360 shows Point de Reprise
arranged as bars ; Fig 370, the same stitch formed into
Pyramids,

To work Fig. 360: Work a row of thick Button-
hole round the open space, and then a second row of
open Buttonhole. Throw a horizontal thread across

the space to be filled, a quarter of an inch from the
top, and secure it into the open Buttonhole line. Cord
this thread back for a short distance, then take the cotton
in an upright direction, secure it into the material, and
bring it back to the horizontal thread with a distance of
an eighth of an inch between the lines* Secure it to the
horizontal thread with a knot, and throw it up again to

Fin, 369, Point de Kepfjse Stitch*

the top of the two lines. Work it down to the horizontal
thread with an interlaced stitch, working in the last
thrown up thread as one line with the knotted one
(see Fig, f369). To Interlace: Put the needle over one
thread and bring it out between the two and draw up, then
put it over the opposite thread, bring it out between the
two, and work in this way until both lines are covered.
Cord the horizontal line for a short distance* and then
commence another bar, made of Point dc Reprise* *

To work Fig. 376 : Loop a thread from side to side of
the open space, and then fasten off. Take a fresh thread,
and commence at the first loop. Work the new thread
in and out of the loop, first from the right thread into
centre, then over the left thread into tlic centre. Allow

Fig. 370. Point de Reprise Si itch,

the interlacing e to widen at each twist, and when the
centre of the open space is reached, pass the thread on
to the loop opposite the one just worked over* and work
over this in the same way, but commence with the widest
stitch, and narrow to a point as a finish. Work over all
the loops in this manner.

Point de Itiz Stitch , — This stitch should be worked
so as to resemble grains of rice loosely scattered over a flat
surface. To work : Bring the thread from the back of the
material, and put the needle down again, so that it makes
a stitch one-eighth of an inch long, in a slant ing direction,
upon the surface of the work. Continue to make these
short slanting stitches until the space is covered, and
arrange them so as to be carelessly thrown over the work*

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

and not in any design. Fig. 371 is a flower with its centre
filled with Point de Riz, surrounded by Point de Cable,

or Stem Stitch. The thick parts of the flower are worked
in Au Passe, and the sprays form part of the Au Passe
design, shown in Fig. 371.

Point de Bose Stitch. — A variety of Feston or
Buttonhole, and used to fill in the petals of flowers,
particularly of roses, hence its name. The difference
between this stitch and ordinary Feston consists in the
stitches being worked over a padded surface, and being
broader. To work for ordinary edgings : Commence by
running a plain curved line to mark the inside of a wide
scallop edging, then run another line, at the distance of an
eighth of an inch from the first. Make this line of a
number of small curves, allowing four or five of these curves
in the space of the one wide scallop. Pad the space
between the two lines with lines of embroidery cotton,
and Buttonhole over them, scalloping the outer edge
of the line of Buttonholes to suit the curves made in the
second line. When using Point de Rose for flower petals,
commence by tracing the outlines of the petals with a
double line, and fill in the spaces between these traced
lines with a pad of embroidery cotton, run or darned in
between them. Then, for the petals that fill in the centre
of the flower, Buttonhole over the pad and work the outer
edge of the line of Buttonhole stitches towards the centre
of the flower, and not towards its edge. Work the outer
petals with the Buttonhole edge to the outside, as in
ordinary Feston.

Point de Bosette. — Made like Point de Smyrne
(which see).

Point de Sahle Stitch. — A name given to. Point
d'Armes Stitch (which see).

Point d y Escalier Stitch. — See Ladder Stitch.

Point de Smyrne. — A name given to Point Lance
when the stitches are arranged as a star, and are alike
upon both sides of the material. To work as shown in
Fig. 372 : Bring the needle up from the back, on the
extreme edge of one of the star rays, put it down in the
centre of the star, and briug it out at the edge of the next
point. Continue the work until all the rays are covered.

191

Point de Tigre Stitch. — A name given to Overcast
Stitch (which see).

Point d'Etoile. — A stitch similar to Point de Smyrne.

Point d'Or Stitch. — The French term for Dot Stitch
(which see).

Point Lance Stitch. — A simple stitch, also known as
Lance, much used in Ticking and other fancy Embroidery
work. It consists of short straight lines, arranged in
various designs upon the surface of a material, and can
be made with purse silk, coloured filoselle, and white or
ingrain cotton. To make : Trace an outline of the pattern
to be worked upon the material, bring the needle, threaded
with silk, up from the back, at one of the points of the
design, and insert it again into the material at the finish
of the line at whose point it came out, then bring it out

Fia. 372. Point de Smtrne.

again at the point of a fresh line, and draw the thread
up. Continue to cover the drawn lines w ith lines of silk
thus made until all are worked over.

Point Mexico Stitch. — A name given to Buttonhole
Stitch w r hen used as an outline stitch in Mexican Em-
broidery. To w T ork : Trace an outline of the design, and
then, with fine black or coloured silk, work over this outline
with an even row of Buttonhole, placed one-eighth of an
inch apart.

Point Minuscule. — A fine stitch, used in Background
or Darned Embroidery. To work : Darn the cotton or
silk as a line into the material, taking up one thread and
leaving one thread alternately. The new American
Tapestry, known as the Wheeler Tapestry, is worked with
this stitch.

Point NattS Stitch. — A Satin Stitch arranged to form
branching lines. To work *. Trace the lines upon cloth

materials, or if for linen ma-
terials, draw out a centre and
two outside threads for guid-
ing lines. Bring the needle
up from the back of the
material on the right-hand
side line, insert it in a down-
ward slanting direction in the
centre line (see Fig. 373), and
bring it out in a straight line
to where it w T as put in, but
upon the left-hand side line.
Return it to the centre line
at the spot marked 1, and
bring it out on the right-
hand outside line at the spot marked 2. Work in this
manner down the centre line, make the stitches one- eighth
of an inch apart, and let their points be always exactly
opposite each other.

TIIE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

192

Fio. 374. Point Russe Stitch.

Point None Stitch. — See Buttonhole Stitch.

Point Nouc Stitch. — See French Knot Stitch.

Point Passe Stitch. — See Satin Stitch.

Point Perle Stitch. — One of the names given to
Satin Stitch.

Point Plumetis Stitch. — A name given to Raised
Satin Stitch. See Satin Stitch.

Point Russe Stitch. — This stitch is much used in
all kinds of fancy Embroideries upon linen, cloth, or
silk materials. It is very quickly worked, and is easy of
execution, consisting of covering a traced outline with lines
of long straight stitches. The patterns intended to be
worked in Point Russe should be arranged with reference
to the manner of working, and should contain no lines
of any great length, but short straight lines, Vandykes,
angles, sprays, diamonds, and crosses, and not rounds and
curves. To work : Trace the design upon the material,
bring the needle up from the back of the work, at the end
of one of the traced lines, and put it through to the back of

the work at the
other, covering
the straight line
with the cotton
or silk. Bring
the needle up
again at the end
of next line, re-
turn it to the
same spot that the first stitch ended at, and put it
through to the back of the material there. Continue to
work lines in this way until all the outline is worked
over, taking care that no part of it is left uncovered.
Should a traced line be too long to look well covered with
only one stitch, divide it into two or three equal parts, and
make that number of stitches upon it. To work Fig. 374 :
Trace the outline of the Vandykes and crosses, and com-
mence in the centre of the cross. Work one bar of the
cross, and put the needle down into the Vandyke at the
spot marked 1, and bring it out at 2. Draw it up, and
put it down into 1, then bring it out again at 2, and
make another stitch in the Vandyke, and then one in the
cross. Continue to the end of the pattern.

Point Tare Stitch. — See Ladder Stitch.

Queen Stitch. — Also known as Double Square. To
work : Trace upon the material two squares, one within
the other; work over the outside square first with four
Satin Stitches. Commence and finish them at the points
of the square; then work the inside square with four
smaller Satin Stitches, arranged in the same way.

Railway Stitch. — Also known as Point Chemin de
Fer, and given these names because of the rapidity with
which Embroidery patterns can be executed when worked
with it. The designs for the Embroidery should always be
of small flowers and leaves, such as forget-me-nots, and
arranged in detached sprays dotted about the surface
of the material, and the stitch executed in coarse white
embroidery cotton, Pyrenean wool, or filoselle. To work :
Trace a small spray of forget-me-not flowers and leaves,
but do not outline the design with a run thread. Com-
mence to work from the centre of the flower, and make

each petal with one stitch. Bring the needle up from the
back, hold the thread down with the left thumb, put the
needle in close to where it came out, and bring it out at the
point of the petal, and over the thread held down by the
left thumb. Draw up, making a kind of long loop, held
down in the centre with the drawn up thread. Put the
needle down again just outside the loop, making a very
small stitch at the end of the petal, run the needle out
again in the middle of the flower, and commence to work
another petal. Finish off the centre of the flower with
French Knots, or Buttonhole it round, or pierce it
with a stiletto, and Overcast round the hole so made.
Each leaf will only require one Railway stitch to fill it.
Overcast the stems of the sprays.

Rice Stitch. — See Point de Riz stitch.

Rope Stitch. — This stitch is similar to Crewel and
Stem Stitch in appearance, and only differs from those
stitches in being worked from the top of the material
downwards, instead of from the
bottom upwards. It is also known
as Point de Cable and Point de
Cote. To work : Trace an outline
of the line to be covered, bring the
needle from the back of material at
the top of the line on the left side,
put it in slightly slanting on the
right-hand side, and bring it out
on the left-hand side a little below
the last stitch made ( see Fig. 375);
slightly slant it to the right, and
continue to cover the traced line
with these slanting stitches. Rope Stitch is worked as a
perfectly even and regular line of slanting stitches, and
closer together than Crewel Stitch.

Satin Stitch. — The needlework executed with Satin
Stitch, in combination with other stitches, ranks amongst
the most beautiful and the most difficult of Embroideries,
and, upon white materials, great proficiency has been at-
tained in its execution in China, Japan, Ireland, Madeira,
and Saxony, while upon dark silk or cloth foundations the
work is almost universal. It is executed upon silk, satin,
fine cambric, and muslin, and is largely used to embroider
handkerchiefs, or to work designs upon satin with fine em-
broidery silks. It should be worked in a frame, and requires
great knowledge of the art, as well as patience. Satin Stitch
is of two kinds, the Flat and the Raised. The Flat Satin
stitch is also called Damask, Long, Au Passe , Point Perle ,
Point Passe, and Passe, and is an easy stitch, worked, with-
out any padding, straight upon the material. To work :
Trace the design upon the material, and arrange so that
none of the petals of flowers or parts of the work are of any
size. Bring the needle up from the back of the material on
one side of the traced petal, and put it down exactly oppo-
site where it came out upon the other side, leaving the
thread lying flat across the intermediate space. Work a
number of stitches in this way perfectly flat and even, until
the traced petal is filled in. The stitches may be slanted
instead of straight, but must always follow each other in
the same direction, and with perfect regularity. Flat Satin
is used by itself, or to fill in parts of Raised Satin designs,

ANGLO SAXON EMBROIDERY.

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CHAIN STITCH EMBROIDERY.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK *

193

and it is sometimes varied in the manner illustrated in
Fig, 37l>, where it fills in with interlaced stitches one side
of the leaf, of which the other
is worked in Back Stitch, the
outline is Overcast, and the
centre vein in a series of Eye-
let-holes. To work: Work a
row of Satin Stitch, and
miss the space one stitch
would fill between every
stitch. For the nest row,
fill in these spaces with a

Satin Stitch, and carry each Figl 370, Fiat Satin, Over cast,
>♦, x 1 1 ji ■, Err let. aki> Back Stitched

stitch beyond the ones made

in the first row. Fill in the spaces left in the second
row with a third row of stitches, carried hey on d as before,
and work in this manner until the leaf is filled in.

Another variety of Satin Stitch is made by working a
long and a short Satin Stitch alternately. This Is used
for working small rose leaves, or any loaves that are
slightly irregular in outline.

Raised Satin Stitch, also known as Point Plumetis and
French Plumetis, is more difficult of execution than flat
Satin Stitch, It is worked over a padded foundation, thus :
Trace the outline of the design, run it round with a thread,
and fill in the parts to he raised with a padding of run
threads. Run these so that they are thick and solid in the
centre of the Embroidery, and graduate down on both
sides; or run them so that they are raised on one side and
graduated down upon the other, according to the design,
and work in these lines in an opposite direction to the

Fig. 377. Raised Satin Stitch,

stitch that is to cover them . Fig, 377 shows a Raised Satin
petal with the padding raised on one side and sloped down
to the other, and with horizontal runnings worked over

Fig. 37S. Raised Satin Stitch*

w T Ith a slanting stitch taken from left to right; while Fig.
378 illustrates a padded petal raised m the centre and
graduated to the sides, the runnings put in horizontally,
and the covering stitches in an upright direction. Raised
Satin Stitch is rarely used to fill in the whole of a
design, but is combined with other Embroidery stitches.

Fig, 379 gives a leaf executed in three stitches : Back,
Overcast, and Raised Satin. To work : Outline the leaf
in Overcast, run a cord as a pad under the veins of the
leaf, and Overcast this cord; then work the right-hand side

of the leaf in rows of large Back Stitches, and pad
the left hand with perpendicular runnings, giving the
greatest height near the centre
veins. Work horizontal lines of
Satin Stitch over this padding.

The handsomest manner of using
Raised Satin Stitch is in Relief
Embroidery executed with it in
combination with other Embroi-
dery Stitches, This consists in
Embroidering detached pieces of
material, and attaching these to
the main part of the work, so that
they stand out and above the flat
Embroidery. Fig. 380 is a design
of a Bluebell so worked, when
finished, and the Details A and
B (Figs, 381, 382) show the manner of execution, which
consists of embroidering the material, and sewing over
that an extra piece of work. To work ; Trace the out-

Fift. 379. Raised Satin,
Back, and Overcast
Stitcher*

Fig. 3^0. Raised Satin Stitch
—Bluebell.

Fig* 331. Raised Satin StitcB
—Bluebell— Detail A*

line of Detail A upon the main work, and Overcast the
petals and their points, as shown in that illustration. Trace
upon a detached piece of material the outline of Detail B,

and Buttonhole all the

outline in very fine stitches;
work the petals and the two
horizontal lines in Raised
Satin, and pad them so that
they are most raised in the
centre* In the detail one
petal is left unfinished, to
show the lines of padding;
the rest arc covered with
Overcast* Fill in the body
of the Bluebell with large
Back Stitches worked in
even rows* Cut out the piece of Embroidery, and stitch
it on to the main part of work where the dotted lines are
shown in Detail A, The piece of detached Embroidery
is larger than the flat part of the flower, and will stand
up from the rest of the work where not attached to the
main body of it.

Fig. 3S2* Raised Satin Stitch—
Bluer ell— Detail B.

C C

194

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

A variety of Raised Satin is known as Point de Plume.
It is used in combination with Satin and other stitches,
and consists of leaving unworked upon the petals of
flowers and leaves the parts intended to indicate the
veins; it is illustrated in Fig.

383. To work: Trace the de-
sign, but leave out the markings
of the veins. Fill in the petals
with run lines, leave the veins
quite clear, and run the padding
in so that the parts nearest the
veins and centre of flower are
the most raised. Work straight
lines of Satin Stitch over
this padding, and vary their
direction to follow the contour
of the petals. Fig. 383 repre-
sents a flower worked in Point
de Plume, with the veins marked with a black line; the
centre of the flower is filled with three Eyelet-holes
for stamens, and the calyx is enclosed with fine Over-
cast, and filled in with Back Stitch.

Ship Ladder Stitch. — See Ladder Stitch.

Spanish Stitch. — This stitch is of two kinds, one
where a Cross Stitch is worked on the face of the
material and a square on the back ; and the other, where
a cross enclosed in a square is at the front, and a square
at the back. They are only worked when both sides of
the material are required to be neat. To work the Cross
Stitch: Make an ordinary Cross Stitch, making the
back stitches the top and bottom lines of a square. Re-
cross the first stitch, and bring the needle out in front,
ready to begin the next stitch ; three lines of the square
at the back are made with each Cross, but they fit into
each other, so as to form squares as the work proceeds.
To work the second kind : Make a square of stitches in
the front of the material, and work a Cross Stitch in
the open space, passing the thread in horizontal lines
from one point to the other at the back of the material.

Split Stitch. — A stitch much used in ancient Church
Embroidery, and in silk Embroideries, to work the faces
and hands of figures. It has the appearance of Chain
Stitch, but lies flatter on the surface, and is more capable
of forming the small half-curves, rounds, or lines that
follow the contour of the figure, and give the appearance
of shading to Embroidery only executed in one colour. It
requires to be worked in a frame, and is made as follows :
Bring the silk up from the back of the frame, and make a
short stitch on the surface, and return the needle to the
back. Then bring it up again to the surface through the
middle of the first stitch, dividing or splitting the strands
of silk of which it is formed by the passage of the needle.
Put the needle down again to the back of the work, a short
distance above where it came out, and bring it out again
to the front in the centre of the second stitch, splitting
the strands as before.

St. Andrew s Stitch. — An Embroidery Stitch made of
four Satin Stitches arranged in the form of a St. Andrew’s
cross. To work : Mark out a square of the material, and
commence the first stitch from the top left-hand corner of

the square, and finish it in the centre of the square ; work
the next stitch from the top right-hand corner of the
square into the centre, and take the two remaining stitches
from the two bottom corners of the square into the centre
in the same manner.

Stem Stitch. — See Crexoel Stitch.

Tambour Stitch. — See Chain Stitch .

Tapestry Stitch. — See Gobelin Stitch.

Tassel Stitch. — A stitch used to make a looped fringe
as an edging to Embroideries. To work: Double the
thread and bring the needle up from the back, hold the
thread down with the left thumb to the length of an inch,
put the needle in on the right-hand side of where it came
out, but on the same line, make a horizontal stitch from
right to left at the back, bring it out under where it first
came up, and draw up, keeping the left thumb on the
thread, so as not to draw it up beyond the inch held down.
Make a Cross Stitch over the top of the loop. When
the edge is covered with a line of loops cut their ends.

Tent Stitch. — Also known as Petit Point, and used
in Berlin Work, and in Embroidery upon solid materials,
such as silk and cloth. It is a succession of small Satin
Stitches worked in even lines, and in a slanting direction,
from left to right. To work : Trace a horizontal line upon
the material, bring the needle up from the back upon this
line, and put it down again to the back, slightly above the
line, and in a slant from left to right. Continue to make
these small slanting stitches close together, and all of the
same height, until the line is filled; then draw a line
underneath the first one, a short distance from it, and
fill this line in the same way; work the top of the new
line of stitches on the bottom of the first line, and in
between those first made.

Tete de Bceuf Stitch. — The name of this stitch is
derived from its shape, the two upper stitches having the
appearance of horns, and the lower ones of an animal’s
head. It is a useful stitch in Ticking and other Orna-
mental work. To make : Draw a line
that can be rubbed out down the
centre of the space. Commence by
making two slanting stitches apart at
the top and meeting in the line at the
bottom. Bring the thread out in the
line a little above the bottom of tbe
slanting stitches, insert the needle
close to it, and bring it out a quarter
of an inch below and upon the line,
making a Loop or Buttonhole.
Draw the thread up, and put the
needle through the material to tbe
back on the line, and a little below
tbe loop. Fig. 384 shows tbe working
of Tete de Boeuf. In this illustration
tbe two slanting stitcbes are already
formed, and tbe loop is in progress. When drawn up,
after tbe loop is made, tbe needle is inserted into tbe
bole marked 1 for the last stitch, while 2, 3, 4, and 5
mark the places where the needle is inserted and brought
out for the two slanting stitches that commence the next
Tete de Bceuf.

Fig. 383 . Point de Plume
Stitch.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

195

Thorn Stitch. — A line of interlaced loops resembling
Single Coral Stitch, and made in the same way, except
that the loops are closer together, not so large, and the
needle is put in on a parallel line to where it came out.
To work : Bring the needle to the front of the material,
hold the thread under the left-hand thumb, make a loop
with it, put the needle down on the right side of where
it came up, and exactly on a line, and bring it out lower
down over the loop of thread, and quite in its centre.
Repeat the stitch, putting the needle in on the left-hand
instead of the right, and continue workiDg these two
stitches to the end.

Twisted Chain Stitch. — Bring the thread out on the
right side of the material, and hold it down with the left-
hand thumb; put the needle in to cross this held down
thread from left to right, draw up the thread, letting the
held down piece go in the final pull.

Twist Stitch. — Identical with Cord Stitch.

Vandyke Stitch. — A raised Couching. To work : Lay
down whipcord upon a linen foundation, in the shape of
Vandykes, and tack this firmly down. Over this lay down
lines of floss silk or gold cord, and to secure, bring a stitch
from the back of the material, pass it over the threads,
and return it to the back, and with a number of these
stitches mark out the vandykcd outline of the cords upon
each side.

Vandyke Stitch.— Used in Ticking work and em-
broidery upon thick materials. It forms a vandyked line,
with its points at even distances apart. To work : Make
a slanting Chain Stitch from left to right of the material,
then a slanting Chain from right to left, bringing this
one back under the commencement of the first stitch;
continue these two stitches for the length, taking care
that they are all of the same size, and that their points
come under each other.

Vienna Cross Stitch— See Persian Cross Stitch.

Warp Stitch. — An Embroidery Stitch used when
threads are drawn away from the material to form the
pattern. Warp stitch consists of drawing away the
threads that form the weft, or cross the material, and
leaving the warp, or lengthways threads. These arc
secured together with ornamental Hem Stitch.

Wavy Stitch. — A raised Couching. To work : Lay
down upon a linen foundation lines of whipcord arranged
in curves, and tack these into
position. Over these lay down
floss or purse silk, or gold cord,
and to fasten them down, bring
a stitch from the back of the
material, pass it over two strands
of silk, return it to the back,
and outline the curved and raised
lines on both sides with these
securing stitches.

Wheatear Stitch. — This stitch
is a combination of Point Natte
and Chain Stitch. It is used in
Ticking and other fancy Em- Fl6 * 385 * Wheats Stitch.

broideries, and also instead of Coral and Feather stitch,
for ornamenting children’s dresses and underlinen. It

can be worked in two ways : — First way : Make a series
of Point Natte down the space to be covered, and then
work over their centres a line of Chain Stitches, taking
care that the loop of each Chain Stitch begins at the spot
where the Point Natte met in the centre of the work.
The second way is to complete the stitch in one line (see
Fig. 385), thus : Make a Chain Stitch down the centre, and
then a slanting stitch to the right and a slanting stitch
to the left, both finishing in the Chain Stitch.

Wheel Stitch. — A stitch resembling a spider’s web,
and worked into the material, and not over an open space,
like English wheel and other lace Wheels. To work :
Trace out a perfect circle upon the material, and divide it
into four quarters. Make three long stitches in each
quarter, at equal distances apart, and all ending in the
centre of the circle. Bring a thread up from the back of
the material in the centre of the circles, and interlace
it; work it under and over each thread in succession
(see Fig. 386). Run this thread in circles nearly to the

Fig. 3S6. Wheel Stitch.

top of the long stitches, but not quite, and then fasten
it off. Fig. 386 is a pattern formed with Wheels and
diamonds ; the centres of the diamonds are crossed with
diagonal lines, forming a Lattice Stitch.

Whipcord Couching. — See Couching Stitch.

Witch Stitch. — The name given to Herringbone when
used in Fancy Embroidery. See Herringbone Stitch.

Embroidery Frame. — All the best kinds of Em-
broidery, such as Church Embroidery, Crewel Work,
Embroidery with silk, Tambour Work, and Berlin Work,
require that their foundations shall be stretched in frames,
as the stitches are apt to draw the material together
when the work is embroidered in the hand, whereas the
frame keeps the foundation evenly and tightly stretched
in every part, and renders it almost impossible to pucker
it, unless the Embroiderer is very unskilful. Frames are
of two makes : the best are those upon stands, as their use
prevents habits of stooping being acquired by the worker,
leaves her hands free, and gives unimpeded access to the
back part of the work, without the artificial aid of slant-
ing the frame from the comer of some piece of furniture
to her hands, or the holding that is necessary with the
other kind. But as these stand Frames are cumber-
some and expensive, the second kind is most used;
these are Frames made of four equal sized pieces of wood
(see Fig. 387), or with the two horizontal pieces longer
than the two upright, held together with nuts or pegs.
They vary in size from 4 inches to 3 yards in length.
The oblong Frames are used for long and narrow pieces,
and the square for large pieces of work; and the same
Frame is used indifferently for Church, Satin, and Crewel
Embroideries, and for Berlin Work. The frame for
Tambour Work differs from the others ; it is made of
two circular wooden hoops, one smaller than the other.

c c 2

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK .

ig6

Both the Logics arc covered with velvet cut on the cross,
and exactly fit one into the other* The material to he
embroidered is fastened to the smaller hoop, and kept
tight by the large hoop being passed over it. The
ordinary frames arc made of four pieces of wood* The
two upright pieces are called Bars; on these are nailed
stout pieces of narrow webbing, to which the material

is attached. The two horizontal pieces are called
Stretchers; these are bored through with holes placed
at equal distances, through which metal or wooden pegs
are run to fasten the pieces of wood together. In the
stand Frames these holes and pegs are not used, the
wooden supports being lengthened or shortened hy the
aid of screws*

The fastening of the material into the frame is called
** dressing a frame,” and requires to be done with great
nicety, as, if it is rucked, or unevenly pulled in any part,
the advantage of the stretching is entirely destroyed*
Slight variations in the manner of framing are necessary
according to the materials worked upon; they are as
follows :

For Canvas and Cloth and Serge Materials.— -Select a
frame long enough to take in the work in one direction,
turn down the canvas or cloth about half an inch all round,
and sew it down. If the length of the material will not
allow of all of it being placed in the frame at once, roll it
round one of the bars of tlie frame, with silver paper put
between each roll io prevent it from getting lined. Sew
the sides of the canvas to the webbing with strong linen
thread, and put the frame together, stretching the material
to its fullest, and fastening the pieces of wood together
through the holes with the pegs* Then take a piece of
twine, thread it through a packing needle, and brace the
material with it to Die stretchers* At each stitch pass it
over the stretcher and into the material, and make the

stitches close together. Brace both sides of the material,
and then draw the twine up upon each side evenly and
quite tight. Commence the Embroidery from tlie bottom
of the material for canvas, and count the stitches and regu-
late the position of the pattern by them ; and for cloth,
see that the design is laid evenly upon it before tracing*
To Stretch Camas and Cloth Together , — This is re-
quired when a Berlin pattern is to be worked with cloth,
for the ground. If the cloth foundation does not require
to be bigger than the frame, cut it half an inch smaller
every way than the canvas, as it stretches more. Turn
the clotli down, and tack it to the canvas, right side upper-
most, then tack them both together, and hem them where
the raw edges of canvas arc* If the cloth has to be rolled
over the frame, put soft paper in between the rolls of
cloth, and as the edges of the cloth arc turned under, and
are therefore thicker than the centre parts, lay more silver
paper in the centre of tlie rolls than at the outside, or a
line will appear upon the cloth on each side of the frame*
Having sewn the two pieces of material together, attach
them to the frame in tlie ordinary manner, and put them
in, with the canvas uppermost. When tlie pattern is em-
broidered, cut the canvas from tlie cloth, and draw the
threads away before the cloth is taken out of the frame*

To Stretch Velvet . — When tlie size of the velvet to be
embroidered does not exceed that of the frame, and the
work is not for Church Embroidery, hem it round, and sew
it to the webbing of the bars by its selvedge* When it
is larger than the frame, stretch Holland, as in canvas
framing, and tack to this Holland with tacking threads
just the parts of velvet that are to he embroidered.
Work tlie Embroidery through the hoi Land, and when
finished, cut the refuse Holland away from the back of the
material, only leaving that part that is covered by the
stitches. Tel vet that is used as a background in Church
Embroidery requires to be entirely backed with Holland,
in order to sustain the weight of the Embroidery laid upon
it. Frame the Holland (it should be of a tine description)
as in canvas framing, and then paste it all over its surface
with Embroidery Paste; over this, by the aid of three
p&rsons, lay the velvet. Take the velvet up, fully stretched
out, and held by two people, and lay it down without a
wrinkle upon the Holland ; keep it fully stretched out, and
hold it firmly. Then let the third person, with hands
underneath the frame, press the Holland up to the velvet,
so that the two materials may adhere together without the
velvet pile being injured.

To Stretch Satin or Silk . — Stretch a piece of fine
Holland in the frame, and paste the silk down to it with
Embroidery Baste, but only tack the satin to it*

To Stretch Leather or Kid . — Stretch a piece of un-
bleached cotton in the frame, and paste the leather to i t
with Embroidery Baste, or tack the leather firmly down
at the parts it is to be worked ; cut the calico from
underneath when tlie Embroidery is finished. Do not
stretch tlie leather or kid in the frame ; merely see that
it lies flat, and without wrinkles*

To Stretch Crepe . — Sew it to Book muslin, and frame
that in the usual way.

THE DICTIONARY OF NEEDLEWORK.

Embroidery Efeedles. — There are two or three descrip-
tions of Needles for Embroidery, For canvas work they
are short, thick, and blunt, and the eyes wide and long,
For Chenille embroidery they are wider still in the eye,
and sharp at the point. For use on cambric and muslin,
as in the Irish close and cut-work, and that called
“ Madeira ” embroidery, a “ between ” is employed. For
Art work on close materials, stick as cloth, the needle has
a long eye and sharp point, and resembles a darning
needle, but is neither as tong nor as thin. For Tambour
and Crochet work they are thick, and have a hook at the
end instead o! an eye.

Embroidery Paste. — Embroidery paste is used for
two purposes in needlework; first, to effect the adhesion
of two materials; secondly, to strengthen and stiffen
Embroidery at the back.

For Pasting Materials Together : Take loz. of the best
gum, loz. of sugar candy, and a small piece of alum;
reduce this to fine powder, lay in a shallow vessel,
just cover it with cold water, and leave it to dissolve for
four hours. Then take loz. of flour, and mis: it smoothly
in water. Put the mixed flour into an earthen vessel,
add the mixture above-mentioned, place the vessel
in a saucepan, and surround it with water. - Put
the saucepan on the fire, and let the mixture simmer
(not boil); stir it, to prevent its getting lumpy, keeping
the saucepan on the fire until the mixture is as thick
as cream ; then take it off the fire, but continue to stir
until it is cold. Put the paste in a bottle, as it will
keep for some time. Should it thicken after keeping,
add a little cold water. Another recipe : Take three
tablespoonfuls of flour, and as much powdered resin as
will lie on a shilling ; place these ingredients in half a
pint of water, and boil for five minutes ; stir until it
boils, and afterwards, and use when cold. To this a tea-
spoonful of essence of cloves enn be added as a preserva-
tive, while the paste is boiling; but this is not necessary.

For Strengthening Embroidery ; Use size instead of the
gum or resin of the above recipes.

Emery. — This is a variety of Corundum , and, with the
exception of the diamond, is the hardest substance known.
It is produced in the island of Naxos, in the Grec ian Archi-
pelago, It is imported in lumps, and has to be reduced
to powder for use by means of stamping mills ; it is
then sifted into different degrees of fineness, and ren-
dered available for grinding down surfaces by moisten-
ing with oil or water. It is also made to adhere, by
the use of size, as a coating on paper or thin calico,
and thus rendered available for polishing steel. For the
purpose of needlework, the powder is placed in very small,
closely- compressed cushions, into which ncedtes arc
rapidly inserted and pulled out several times, for the
removal of damp and rust. For children learning plain
sewing these emery cushions are very essential, especially
if the material be thick and stiff.

Eu bias. — The French term for fl On the — that

is to say, folded or cut diagonally across the web of any
textile iii a slanting manner,

Eu. Ch&le.— A French term to denote trimmings laid

*97

upon dresses, and formed with a comer point at the