Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving Part 3

Chain st.i.tches can be worked singly; they are used in this way as a powdering over a background. Sometimes they may be seen conventionally suggesting the small feathers on the shoulder of a bird's wing by being dotted over it at regular intervals. Fig. 29 shows how they might be used to carry out a tiny flower, five separate st.i.tches represent the petals, and two more the leaves at the base; this is a simpler and more satisfactory method than to attempt very minute forms with satin st.i.tches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 29.]

The common chain makes a particularly neat border st.i.tch taken in zigzag fas.h.i.+on. To work this (fig. 30)--Trace two parallel lines on the material and work the chain across from side to side at an angle of 45 to the traced lines. For further security it is well to catch down the end of the st.i.tch just completed with the needle as it commences the following one. The line can be further decorated by placing a French knot, perhaps in a contrasting colour, in each little triangular s.p.a.ce left by working the st.i.tch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 30.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 31.]

There is an ingenious method of working ordinary chain st.i.tch in a chequering of two colours (fig. 31). It is quite simple to work. Thread a needle with two different coloured threads, commence the chain st.i.tch in the usual way until the thread has to be placed under the point of the needle for forming the loop. Place only one of the two threads underneath, leaving the other on one side out of the way, then draw the needle and thread through over the one held down. A chain st.i.tch will have been formed with the thread that was looped under the needle. For the next st.i.tch, the alternate thread is placed under, and so on, taking each thread in turn. The thread not in use each time usually requires a little adjustment to make it entirely disappear from the surface.

Twisted chain is worked very similarly to the ordinary chain st.i.tch. It has not such a decidedly looped appearance, which is sometimes an advantage. To work it (fig. 32)--Bring the thread through at the top of the line, hold it down under the thumb to the left, and insert the needle to the left of the traced line, slightly below the point where the thread has come through. Bring it out again on the traced line, about one-eighth of an inch lower down, and draw it through over the held down thread.

An entirely different effect can be obtained by working this st.i.tch much closer together, but in exactly the same way. It will then resemble a satin st.i.tch slightly raised on one side. This is known as rope st.i.tch and is at times very useful.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 32.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 33.]

Open chain st.i.tch makes a good broad line; it looks best when worked with a stout thread. To carry out the st.i.tch (fig. 33)--Trace two parallel lines upon the material, about one-eighth of an inch apart, and bring the thread through at the top of the left-hand one. Hold the thread down with the thumb and insert the needle exactly opposite on the other line, bring it up one-eighth of an inch lower down and draw the thread through over the held down part, leaving a rather slack loop upon the material. Then insert the needle on the first line again, inside the slack loop, and bring it out one-eighth of an inch below. Repeat this on each side alternately. Fig. 34 is a drawing from a piece of white linen work in which the open chain st.i.tch is used in combination with other st.i.tches. This figure, with its open-work centre, is repeated diagonally over a white linen cloth exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 34.]

Braid st.i.tch rather resembles a fancy braid laid upon the material. It looks best when carried out with a stoutly twisted thread. To work it (fig. 35)--Trace two parallel lines upon the material about one-eighth of an inch apart, and bring the thread through at the right-hand end of the lower line. Throw the thread across to the left and hold it slackly under the thumb. Place the needle pointing towards the worker under this held thread, then twist it round towards the left and over the held thread until it points in the opposite direction. It will now have the thread twisted loosely over it. Next, insert the needle on the upper line one-eighth of an inch from the starting-point, and bring it through on the lower line exactly underneath. Place the thumb over the st.i.tch in process of making and draw the thread through as the diagram shows. It can be worked openly or more closely as preferred.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 35.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 36.]

Cable chain is descriptively named, for, when worked with a stoutly twisted thread, it has very much the appearance of a chain laid upon the material, rather too much so perhaps to be a pretty embroidery st.i.tch. To work it (fig. 36)--Bring the needle through at the top of the traced line, throw the thread round to the left and hold it down with the thumb near where it has come through the material. Pa.s.s the needle under the held down thread from left to right and draw it through until there is only a small loop left. Insert the needle in the centre of this loop, on the traced line about one-sixteenth of an inch below the starting-point. Bring it out a quarter of an inch below and outside the loop. Take the thread in the right hand and tighten the loop that has now been formed, and then pa.s.s the thread under the point of the needle towards the left (see diagram). Place the left thumb over the st.i.tch in process of making and draw the thread through; this will complete the first two links of the chain; to continue, repeat from the beginning.

Knotted chain is a pretty st.i.tch; to look well it must be worked with a stout thread. To carry it out (fig. 37)--Trace two parallel lines upon the material, about one-eighth of an inch apart. Bring the thread through at the right hand end in the centre between the two lines, then insert the needle on the upper line one-sixteenth of an inch further along, and bring it through on the lower line immediately below. Draw the thread through and there will be a short slanting line left upon the material. Throw the thread round to the left and hold it under the thumb, then pa.s.s the needle and thread through the slanting line from above downwards, leaving the thread a little slack. Place the thread again under the thumb, then in the same way as before, from above downwards, pa.s.s the needle and thread through this slack loop. This makes the first two links of the chain; the last one will not be properly fixed in place until the next st.i.tch is taken. The dotted vertical line on the diagram shows the piece of material taken up by the needle upon commencing the next st.i.tch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 37.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 38.]

Split st.i.tch is a most useful one for many purposes. It is difficult to distinguish from a fine chain when done, but in the working it much more resembles stem st.i.tch. It can be carried out in the hand or in a frame.

This st.i.tch, frequently seen upon ancient work, was much used for both draperies and features; the lines of the st.i.tching usually, by their direction, expressing moulding of form or folds of drapery. To work it (fig. 38)--Bring the thread through at the lower end of the traced line, then insert the needle about one-eighth of an inch further along, and bring it through on the line two or three threads nearer the starting-point; whilst bringing it through take it also through the centre of the working thread, which thus splits each st.i.tch.

FOOTNOTE:

[1] No. 184, 1898.

CHAPTER V

St.i.tCHES--(_continued_)

Satin St.i.tch--Long and Short St.i.tch--Stem St.i.tch--Overcast St.i.tch--Back St.i.tch--b.u.t.tonhole St.i.tch--Tailor's b.u.t.tonhole--Fancy b.u.t.tonhole Edgings--Flower in Open b.u.t.tonhole St.i.tch--Leaf in Close b.u.t.tonhole St.i.tches--Petal in Solid b.u.t.tonholing.

SATIN AND SIMILAR St.i.tCHES

Satin st.i.tch is perhaps the most commonly used of all st.i.tches. It is more quickly worked by hand, but for complicated work the help of a frame is required. Floss silk thread is seen to greatest advantage in a st.i.tch of this kind, for it shows off the glossiness of silk particularly well. It is straightforward in the working and needs no further description than is given by the diagram (fig. 39). The st.i.tches may vary in length, they must neither be impracticably long nor, on the other hand, too much cut up, lest the silky effect be partly lost. These st.i.tches lie close together and in parallel lines; the chief difference between satin and several other closely allied st.i.tches being that these others may radiate or vary in direction according to the s.p.a.ce to be filled. The st.i.tch is usually worked in oblique lines; stems, leaves, and petals would be treated in this way; sometimes it is worked regularly having regard to the warp and woof of the material; it would be treated thus when used in conjunction with cross or stroke st.i.tch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 39.]

It will be seen that there is as much silk at the back as on the front of the work. There is a method of carrying out the st.i.tch by which this waste of material at the back is avoided; the thread is returned to the front close to where it went through instead of crossing over and coming up on the other side. The effect on the right side, however, is not so good, so this method cannot be recommended.

One of the technical difficulties with satin st.i.tch is to get a neat firm line at the edges of the filled s.p.a.ce; this is excellently attained by the Chinese and j.a.panese, who use this satin st.i.tch a great deal.

They frequently work each petal of a complicated flower separately, leaving as a division, between each one and the next, a fine line of material firmly and clearly drawn.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 40.]

The st.i.tch is much used for raised work, and also lends itself well to gradation of colour. Fig. 40 is an example of shading in satin st.i.tch.

In this case each new row of st.i.tches fits in just between those of the last row; this is a bold but very effective method of expressing gradation. A variation upon this is shown in fig. 42; the bands of different colour are here necessarily worked in a chevron pattern which makes the shading rather more gradual. An example of the same thing can be seen in fig. 44 in the leaf upon which the squirrel sits. Apart from gradation of colour, the surface to be covered by satin st.i.tch has often to be part.i.tioned up in some way in order to make the satin st.i.tches of a practical length.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 41.]

Long and short st.i.tch is a very slight variation, if any, from satin st.i.tch. The name describes the method of working, for it is carried out by working alternately a long and a short st.i.tch, the st.i.tches being picked up just as in satin st.i.tch. It is useful for close fillings and shaded work, and also as a solid outline for any kind of open filling.

The working of the st.i.tch can be seen in fig. 41, where the band of lightest colour on the upper part of the leaf is worked in long and short st.i.tch. The advantage of this way of working can be seen at once, it makes a firm outline on the one edge and a nicely broken-up one on the other, just ready for another shade to be worked in. In order to carry out the rest of the shading on the leaf in the same way the st.i.tches can be all of the same length; this will always ensure a broken line at the edge, which is a necessity for this method of gradation.

Long and short st.i.tch used as an outline for a leaf with an open filling can be seen on page 209. The _opus plumarium_ or feather st.i.tch that we read of in the descriptions of the old embroideries was a similar st.i.tch to this, and so called, some say, because it resembled the plumage of a bird.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 42.]

Stem st.i.tch, well known and frequently in use for various purposes, such as for lines, outlines, gradated and flat fillings, and so on, is usually done in the hand, and is quite simple; fig. 43 explains the working. If a broad line is required the needle is put in more obliquely, and a raised effect can be obtained by working over a laid thread. The thread must be kept to the same side of the needle, either to the left or to the right as better suits the purpose in hand; the effect is more line-like when it is kept to the right. Occasionally, when just a double line is to be worked, it is deliberately done in the two ways, and then the line resembles a narrow plait. A solid filling in stem st.i.tch should be worked in lines as ill.u.s.trated in the squirrel in fig. 44. This little beast is taken from the curtain shown in Plate VII., and is a good example of the life and interest that the introduction of such things adds to embroideries.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 43.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 44.]

The st.i.tches just described were largely used in crewel work. This is a rather vague name that denotes a decorative kind of needlework carried out with coloured wools upon a plain white linen ground. The design is usually composed of conventionally treated leaves and flowers, often growing from boldly curved stems. These were partly shaded in solid st.i.tches, partly worked with geometrical open fillings; ornamental birds and beasts of all kinds were introduced, and the effect of the whole was very beautiful. The work is characteristically English, and a great deal of it was executed in the XVIIth century. Plates VII. and VIII. are ill.u.s.trative of the type of work, and fig. 45 represents a detail. The various st.i.tches which occur in this drawing are stem, herring-bone, long and short, knot, basket, b.u.t.tonhole, single chain and satin st.i.tches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 45.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 46.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 47.]

Overcast st.i.tch in embroidery is practically a very short raised satin st.i.tch. It requires neat workmans.h.i.+p, and then makes a bold clear line or outline. To work it (fig. 46)--Run or couch down a thread on the traced line, then with fine thread cover this over with close upright st.i.tches, picking up as little material as possible each time in order to make the line clear and round. The st.i.tch is worked most perfectly in a frame.

Back st.i.tch sometimes makes a good line or outline. To work it (fig.

47)--Bring the needle through one-sixteenth of an inch from the end of the traced line, insert it at the commencement and bring it through again one-sixteenth of an inch beyond where it first came out. Each st.i.tch, it will be seen, commences at the point where the last one finished.

b.u.t.tONHOLE St.i.tCH AND ITS APPLICATION