Chapter 26

The principal lines of the pattern, which are in darning stitch, are worked in a very coarse thread with a strong twist, Fil à pointer D.M.C, whilst the loop stitches are in Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C.

Our model was worked in écru thread but there is nothing to prevent several colours being introduced, for instance écru, black or Gris-Ficelle 462 for the netted foundation; Rouge-Cardinal 346, for the darning stitches, and Chiné d’or D.M.C green and gold or blue and gold, for the loop stitches and the threads that are carried across inside.

EMBROIDERED SQUARE OF NETTING WITH TWO KINDS OF LACE SUITABLE FOR THE BORDER (figs. 684, 685, 686).—Large pieces of embroidered netting are generally made up of squares and stripes, joined together with ribbon and fine linen insertions. It is easier and less cumbrous to make the netting in separate pieces. Squares of different patterns can also be combined with crochet and pillow lace, in this case of course the squares have to be arranged with some system.

Fig. 685 represents a lace edging intended for the square fig. 684, which shows how even in such a simple pattern as this, several colours may be successfully introduced.

Fig. 686 is a handsomer and more elaborate pattern for the same kind of purpose. The loop stitches and the linen stitches should be worked in a very light shade; instead of the colour indicated at the foot of the engraving, Rouge-Géranium 353, Violet-Mauve 377 or Jaune-Rouille 365 may be used; for the netting and the loop stitches you may combine, with the first shade, two shades of Brun-Caroubier 303 and 357, with the second, two shades of Jaune-vieil Or 678 and 680 and with the third, two shades of Rouge-Cardinal 346 and 348.

PATTERN FOR GROUND (fig. 687).—The peculiar charm of this most unpretending pattern is chiefly due to the variety of material and colour introduced into it. The netted ground is made of dark brown Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C No. 25, worked over, in the first instance, with loop stitches in a pale grey, which are afterwards connected by darning stitches in Coton à repriser Gris-Tilleul 392.

The same material in Rouge-Géranium, is used for the little centre squares and the pink crosses, and isolated darned squares are framed with loose cord stitches in Coton à repriser colour Jaune-vieil-Or 680.

We can also recommend, for the same pattern, the following combination of colours, all to be found on the D.M.C colour card; namely, Bleu pâle 668 for the netting; Chiné d’or, gold with dark blue for the loop stitches; Ganse turque D.M.C No. 12 (Turkish gold cord) for the darning stitches, between the loop stitches; Coton à broder or Cordonnet 6 fils in Rouge-Cornouille 450, for the detached darned squares and Coton à repriser, in Jaune-d’Or 667 for the setting of all the different parts of the pattern.

EMBROIDERY ON NETTING WITH DIFFERENT-SIZED LOOPS (fig. 688).—The netting, described and represented in fig. 620, with plain, oblong and double loops, here forms the ground for the embroidery.

In order to make the isolated loop stitches, the thread which forms the cross in the middle must be carried to the middle of the bar, the loops that form the stitches must be finished and the thread carried back to the knot whence it started. It must then be taken three times backwards and forwards over the foundation thread and the two bars of the netting, when the stitches, into and over 3 squares of the netting, should be made. The last row in the engraving shows the pattern in the successive stages of its development.

SQUARE AND EDGING IN CUT NETTING (figs. 689 and 690).—Few patterns admit of such a successful application of all the stitches hitherto described, as the square and edging presented to our readers in the two subjoined figures. On a netted ground of rather fine thread, we have in the first place, linen stitch, in the border, worked in rather a coarser thread than the ground; then raised wheels, button-holed bars with picots in the centre, plain wheels very close together, and long ribbed bars worked in darning stitch.

The edging, to match the square, is worked in the original in pale shades, in contrast to the square which is executed entirely in écru thread. The squares in the netted footing of the lace are loosely overcast with pale Violet-Mauve 316, the same colour is also used for the wheels in the outside edge, each of which fills a square, and for the loop stitches round them; whilst the middle one of the three upper ribbed wheels and the star are worked in dark Violet-Mauve 315. The crosses in linen stitch, the three lower ribbed wheels and the long ribbed bars in darning stitch, are in Gris-Tilleul 392.

NETTED INSERTION (fig. 691).—This is a copy of a beautiful piece of embroidered netting, to all appearance, several centuries old, and in a state that rendered, even the most delicate handling almost impossible.

After several experiments, the best result has been arrived at, and the Turkish cord in which the original is made, has now been manufactured for netting purposes, as well as for other kinds of decorative work, already alluded to, and referred to again later on.

The first foundation, that is, the actual netting, for a thing of this kind, should be made in white or écru thread, with very small meshes; the pattern itself is embroidered on the netting with Ganse turque D.M.C No. 12; this material, écru and gold mixed, gives the work a glittering and peculiarly elegant appearance, unobtainable in any other.

The execution is extremely easy, it being worked entirely in darning stitch; but the drawing should be copied with great accuracy and the wide braid very carefully sewn on with close stitches round the squares, which are filled in with darning stitches made in Ganse turque No. 12.

Any netting pattern can be copied in this braid, and the simplest piece of work of the kind is worth mounting on a rich foundation of silk, brocade, velvet or plush. To give a single example, the insertion here described and illustrated, was mounted on slate-blue plush and has been universally admired.

FOOTNOTES:

[A] See at the end of the concluding chapter, the table of numbers and sizes and the list of colours of the D.M.C threads and cottons.

IRISH LACE.

Irish lace, also known under the name of Renaissance lace, from its having been first made in the sixteenth century, is an imitation of the earliest pillow laces; it ought, properly speaking, to be called French lace, having been invented in France and thence introduced into England and Ireland.

It is composed of braid or tape, formed into figures, joined together by needle-made, corded or button-hole bars and fillings of different kinds, or by bars alone.

The lace stitches and bars are almost the same as those used in fine Venetian point, but they are executed in a coarser material so that this section of our work may be considered as a preparation for the different kinds of lace, to be described in the next chapter.

MATERIALS (fig. 692).—The braids used for making Irish lace are an English speciality and manufactured exclusively in England; they are very various in shade, width and thickness, and are to be had white, unbleached, grey and pale yellow, narrow and wide, coarse and fine in texture, with and without holes, open edge and picots, with large medallions and small.

Fig. 692 represents the kinds most commonly used, in their original size, together with a specimen picot, or purl, as they are called in England, for the outside edge, also to be had ready made, for those who do not care for the trouble of making them themselves.

For the stitches and bars by which the braids are joined together, the best material is Fil à dentelle D.M.C,[A] (lace thread) a smooth even thread, now made in every colour to match the braids.

TRANSFERRING DESIGNS FOR IRISH LACE.—The best way is to trace them on oiled tracing linen with a watery ink, free from greasy matter. This tracing linen, which is of English make, is white, glazed on one side only; the unglazed surface should be turned uppermost, as it takes the ink better.

As this tracing linen is quite transparent, the pattern can be transferred to it at once without recourse to any other process.

It will be found less trying for the eyes to lay a piece of transparent coloured paper, or stuff, under the pattern whilst you are copying it. The Irish lace designs are almost all drawn with double lines, between which the braid is tacked on with small back stitches. We may mention at once that it is advisable to make the stitches longer on the right side than on the other, or at any rate to make them of the same length.

TACKING DOWN AND GATHERING IN THE BRAIDS (fig. 693).—Where the lines of the pattern describe a curve or a circle, the outside edge of the braid, as shown in fig. 693, must be sewn down firmly, so as to form little folds or gathers on the inside edge, which are first tacked down and then gathered in with small overcasting stitches in fine thread, so as to fit exactly to the pattern.

The stitches, made for the bars and the fillings, must never be drawn so tightly as to drag out the edges of the braids and thus spoil the outlines of the pattern. Nor should the stitches be caught into the tracing cloth, but only rest upon it.

When the embroidery is finished, turn the work the wrong side up, cut every second or third tacking stitch and pull the threads carefully out, from the wrong side, when the lace will separate itself from the backing without difficulty; it has then to be damped and ironed also on the wrong side. (See the concluding chapter on the different processes for finishing off needlework).

It is of no consequence which are made first, the bars or the fillings; we however incline to the former, more especially in the case of button-hole bars, as they are easier to do than the fillings and once done, there is less risk of puckering or drawing the edges together, in making the fillings.

THE STITCHES.—We shall now proceed to describe a series of bars and stitches, which, if carefully studied, will serve as a preparation for making all the finer kinds of laces described in the ensuing chapter.

Without pretending to have exhausted the infinite variety of lace stitches that exists, we hope to have brought before our readers’ notice a sufficiently numerous selection to satisfy all tastes and capacities.

With regard to the names, the same stitches are known by so many different ones, that excepting in the case of those universally accepted, we have disregarded them altogether and merely numbered the stitches in their order.

PLAIN TWISTED BAR (fig. 694).—Secure the thread to the braid and throw it across from one braid edge to the other, put the needle in downwards from above, and overcast the first thread, so as to form the two into a cord. If you do not make enough overcasting stitches to tighten the two threads, the bars will be loose and untidy and spoil the general appearance of the work.

DOUBLE TWISTED BAR (fig. 695).—Throw three foundation threads across the space to be filled and overcast them loosely, so that they remain visible between the stitches.

PLAIN BUTTON-HOLE BAR (fig. 696).—Throw three threads across and cover them with button-hole stitches, made from right to left.

In making this and the subsequent bars, we recommend turning the needle round and holding it as it were the reverse way, so that the eye not the point passes first under the threads; strange as it may seem, it is easier in this manner to avoid splitting the threads. The working thread should always issue from the edge of the braid, one or two threads before the foundation threads of the bar, to prevent the bars being of unequal width, or getting twisted at the beginning.

BUTTON-HOLE BARS WITH PINNED PICOTS (figs. 697 and 698). After covering half, or a third of the bar with button-hole stitches, pass the thread without making a loop, under the foundation threads, and fasten the loop with a pin, fig. 697, then slip the needle, horizontally from right to left, under the 3 threads and tighten the knot close to the last button-hole stitch.

Fig. 698 shows a picot made in the same manner, but with several button-hole stitches inserted between the loop and the button-holed bar.

BAR WITH LACE PICOT (fig. 699).—Here the picot is made by bringing the thread out through the loop and beginning the button-hole stitches, 4 or 5 in number, according to the size of the thread, quite close to the pin, so that they entirely cover the loop. The pin must be stuck in the width of 4 stitches, distant from the bar, and the foundation threads should be completely hidden under the bar.

BAR WITH PICOT MADE IN BULLION STITCH (fig. 700).—Put the needle halfway into the last button-hole stitch, twist the thread ten or twelve times round it from left to right, draw it through and tighten the thread, so that the spiral on the thread form a semicircle, then continue the bar (see also for the bullion stitch figs. 179 and 661).

BAR WITH BUTTON-HOLE PICOT (fig. 701).—Cover rather more than half the bar with button-hole stitches, carry the thread three times to the 6th stitch and back, then button-hole these threads that are attached to the bar in the same way as the bar itself and finish the bar in the usual way.

These button-hole picots are generally used for edging lace; they may in their turn be adorned with small pinned picots to produce a richer effect.

BAR WITH TWO ROWS OF KNOTS (fig. 702).—Over two foundation threads, make double knots, far enough apart to leave room for the knots of the next row between.

These double knots consist, in the first place, of one plain button-hole stitch and then one reversed, that is, made by bringing the needle out in front of the thread and passing it under the loop; the result being that the thread will lie behind the thread and not before it, as in an ordinary button-hole stitch.

BRANCHED BARS (fig. 703).—Where you have a larger surface to cover with bars, you are generally obliged to make them with branches. For this purpose you prepare the threads as for an ordinary bar and cover them halfway with button-hole stitches; then you carry on the foundation thread to the next bar, button-hole it also halfway, lay the next foundation thread, and finally button-hole all the half-covered bars till you reach the dotted line, from whence you lay the last foundation threads.

The last bar is worked over 2 or 4 threads, so that the working thread can be taken back to the edge of the braid by means of the last button-hole stitches.

PLAIN RUSSIAN STITCH (fig. 704).—Stitches of all kinds can be used, as well as bars, for joining braids together that run parallel to each other, and for filling up the spaces between. These stitches, which serve as an insertion, are some of them very elementary, whilst others require great skill and patience to execute.

The simplest of all is the Russian stitch, which bears a great resemblance to the crossed stitch, shown in fig. 39, and the crossed back-stitch, fig. 176.

You pass the needle from left to right, under the edge of the braid, then again from right to left under the opposite edge, taking care always to leave the thread in front of the needle.

TWISTED RUSSIAN STITCH (fig. 705).—Instead of passing the needle behind the thread, pass it before it and round it, so that the needle always comes out again beneath the thread, which will then be twice twisted.

COLUMN STITCH (fig. 706).—At the bottom, the stitch is made like the plain Russian stitch, and at the top, like the one in fig. 705, with the difference that the second thread is passed three times round the first.

INSERTION OF SINGLE BUTTON-HOLE STITCHES (figs. 707 and 708).—Make very loose button-hole stitches along both edges of the braid, all the same size and the same distance apart, and vertically, opposite to each other.

When these two rows are finished, pick up each loop with Russian stitch, either single, fig. 704, or twisted, fig. 705. Fig. 708 shows the double Russian stitch made in each loop; it may be trebled or quadrupled, according to whether you wish your insertion to be very transparent or not.

INSERTION WITH BEAD STITCHES (fig. 709).—Join the opposite rows of loops together by four stitches. The threads of these stitches must lie quite flat, side by side, and not one on the top of the other. After the fourth stitch, you wind the thread round the bottom loop and then carry it on to the next, whence you repeat the four stitches as above.

CLUSTER INSERTION (fig. 710).—Over the middle of two finished plain bars and one half-finished one, a short distance apart, you make five button-hole stitches and overcast the remainder of the third bar. The first bar of the next cluster must be set quite close to the last.

INSERTION WITH BRANCHES (figs. 711 and 712).—Throw the thread across the middle of the space between two edges of braid, and lengthways, from one end to the other, pass the needle horizontally under four or five threads of the braid, across the insertion; then carry it in a similar manner, first to the left and then to the right, take up the same number of threads of the braid and connect the three loops together by a knot, as is clearly shown in fig. 711.

Fig. 712 represents a similar beginning, and a similar interlacing of the threads, but ornamented this time with a wheel, added after the knot has been made over the loops.

INSERTION WITH LEAVES IN DARNING STITCH (fig. 713).—Fasten on the thread where, according to the illustration, the first leaf in the insertion ought to come, carry it across to the opposite side, draw it through the edge of the braid and bring it back to the point whence it started, lay threads across to both sides, like in figs. 711 and 712, unite them by a knot, such as described in fig. 711, lay the thread once more round the middle leaf, and finish the leaf in darning stitch, working downwards from the top, as described in the preceding chapter in figs. 646 and 647. As may be seen from the second middle leaf, your darning stitches have to be made over five threads, subdivided into two and three.

INSERTION WITH SMALL WHEELS (fig. 714).—Here, you have to make two rows of Russian stitches opposite each other and carry the thread to the point of intersection, then, you make a wheel over five threads and pass the needle under the completed wheel to reach the next point of intersection. Half wheels may also be added at the edge of the braid, as in figs. 658 and 659.

INSERTION WITH BIG WHEELS (fig. 715).—Carry the thread horizontally across the middle of the space intended for the insertion, to the opposite side, and then conduct it by means of overcasting stitches into the corner; thence make a loose loop over to the opposite corner, pass the needle under six or eight threads of the braid edge, slip it under the horizontal thread first laid and behind the loop, and finish the stitch on the other side in the edge of the braid.

Throw the thread again across the empty space and over the first thread, bring your needle back to the middle, make a big wheel over four threads, passing each time under the same threads, then overcast the single thread, come back to the edge of the braid and make the second loop, bringing out the thread at the same place where the other stitches came out.

INSERTION WITH CONES (figs. 716 and 717).—Over plain but very distended Russian stitch, make darning stitches backwards and forwards, beginning at the point and reaching to the middle, so as to form small cone-shaped figures.

To reach the point of the next cone you overcast the thread of the Russian stitch several times.

You may also, as in fig. 717, double the Russian stitch and make the darning stitches in such a manner that the points of the cones touch each other and their bases meet the edge of the braid. The same thing, worked the reverse way, that is, with the points turned outwards to the edge, produces a not less pretty effect.

INSERTION WITH EMBROIDERED SQUARES (fig. 718).—After making rows of loose button-hole stitches along the braid edges, as in figs. 707, 708, 709, run a thread through the button-hole stitches; this thread serves as the foundation to the Russian stitches by which the two edges are joined together. The empty square space left between the Russian stitches is then filled up with button-hole stitches, like those in fig. 651, in the foregoing chapter.