Chapter 32

PATTERN FOR PIQUÉ EMBROIDERY (fig. 876).—The stuff, called piqué, such as it is now manufactured, is simply an imitation of an old kind of needlework, almost unknown in these days, but very popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Italy, for making coverlets and more especially curtains and blinds; the latter being highly esteemed, because without intercepting the light altogether, they tempered it agreeably.

A similar kind of work was common in Bohemia until a recent date for the making of caps. It is done on two layers of stuff, of different kinds, the upper one fine and transparent, the lower, more substantial.

The pattern is drawn upon the fine stuff, because on that side the different kinds of stitches are made.

You then tack the two stuffs together and work all the outlines of the pattern in Old German knotted stitch with écru Fil à pointer D.M.C No. 20; that done, thread a tapestry needle with white Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C No. 1 or 2, slip it in between the two layers of stuff and secure the end by two or three stitches; then push the twist quite close to the knotted stitch and fasten it in between the two layers of stuff, with small and very regular running stitches, in a fine pliable material, such as Fil d’Alsace D.M.C on reels.

Fill up in this manner all the ground of the pattern, leaving the arabesques and the ornaments plain, or embellishing them with some kind of lace or embroidery stitch.

When these stripes are intended for blinds, you can produce pretty transparent effects in them by cutting away the underneath stuff, in places.

ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE (braid) (figs. 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882).—This alphabet, which is one of the best of its kind, was taken from a work published in Venice in 1662, by Giovan’ Antonio Tagliente, secretary and calligraphist to the Republic.

The letters lend themselves, better than any we know, to being executed in Soutache D.M.C.

The sewing on of the braid is done with very small running stitches and the interlacing with a tapestry needle, into which the braid is threaded; both operations are shown in figs. 877 and 880. The embroidery of the connecting bars, and the small leaves and tendrils that complete the letter are explained in fig. 881, whilst fig. 882 represents the letter A in its finished state.

For sewing on the braid, a fine soft material is the best, such as Soie de coton D.M.C[A] and for embroidering the small accessories, Coton à broder D.M.C No. 50[A].

For the ears of corn in fig. 883, use either Soutache écru, or Jaune-d’Ocre 677 No. 2; for the marguerites, white Soutache No. 2½ and for the corn flowers, Soutache Bleu-Indigo 322 No. 2. Nothing could be simpler than the mode of working these flowers.

FLOWERS EXECUTED IN SOUTACHE AND EMBROIDERY (fig. 883). Flowers and sprays, such as here represented, make a charming trimming for summer dresses, sunshades, aprons etc. and can be executed with admirable effect in the D.M.C Soutache, now to be had in all the colours of the D.M.C colour card. A very pretty running pattern can be formed out of the spray, fig. 883, by turning the flowers first to the right and then to the left and making the stalks come out underneath the ears of corn. In order to reverse the position of the flowers thus, you will have to make two tracings of the spray, one negative and one positive.

Thread a tapestry needle with the Soutache and draw it into the stuff, and then pass it through from the right side to the wrong at the bottom of one of the petals of the flowers, secure it on the wrong side by two or three stitches and then bring the working thread, which should be of the same colour as the Soutache, out again at the point of the petal, then carry the Soutache back to the bottom of the petal and fasten it down, like the gold threads in fig. 242, by a stitch rather wider than the Soutache, fold the Soutache over again to the starting point, and secure it by a stitch, and so on. In order to give a different character to the flowers, use Soutache of different widths, fold it over more or less closely and lay it down in shorter or longer lengths, as required. The natural irregularity of the petals of a flower can be very faithfully imitated in this manner. Fig. 883 shows the way in which, for the ears of corn, the braid is folded back upon itself and fastened down, whilst in the white flowers the two layers of the braid that form each petal are separated at the bottom.

The stamens of the marguerites are worked in knot stitch with yellow cotton and those of the cornflowers with dark blue.

The other little details are executed in flat and stem stitch in the colours indicated at the foot of the engraving. With the pattern to go by, the distribution of the colours for the different parts can present no possible difficulty.

We need only point out that Rouge-Cardinal 348 is intended for the little knot that connects the stalks of the flowers.

CHINESE SUBJECT (fig. 884).—This quaint and graceful composition, copied from an interesting piece of Chinese embroidery, gives our readers the opportunity of turning the different damask stitches, already described in these pages, to quite a new use.

The kind of gauze which forms the foundation of the original work can be replaced either by Spanish or Rhodes linen No. 2, by any stuff, in fact, the threads of which can be counted.

The drawing has to be transferred to the stuff, and the different parts are filled in with the stitches, clearly indicated in the illustration.

By the introduction of several colours, this pattern is capable of being infinitely varied.

Thus, in the model before us, the neck and bulb of the flask, the leaves it stands upon and those attached to the flowers in it, are worked in Vert-Pistache 367, the handles, the ornament on the bottle, and the triangular figure in the centre are in white; the little flower on the left, the second on the right, the straight staff, the upper wings of the butterfly, as well as the three leaves underneath the triangle are in Bleu-Indigo 334; the first flower on the right of the flask, the knot above the triangle, the lower wings of the butterfly and the middle part of the bottom subject on the right of the engraving are in Gris-Amadou 383; and Violet-lie-de-vin and Brun-Caroubier 357 alternate in the pointed leaves that support the flask; the former colour recurs in the ornaments of the staff, and Rouge-Cardinal 347, black and Gris-Tilleul alternate in the other details of the drawing.

For the setting it will be best to take Or fin D.M.C pour la broderie or else Chiné d’or D.M.C, used either double or single, according to whichever the drawing seems to require.

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.

Practical directions.

Hitherto we have been chiefly occupied with descriptions and explanations of the different kinds of needlework; to render these complete, it remains for us to give a few practical directions with regard to the copying, adjustment and transposition of the patterns, as well as to the different processes, often so essential to the ultimate success of a piece of needlework. For this success will soon be found not to depend on the stitches only but very largely on the proper adaptation of the design to the space it is intended to fill.

Then, in the case of new lace, it is necessary to know the amount of dressing it will require to give it the right stiffness and when this dressing has worn off how to renew it; whilst in the case of appliqué work more especially, it is indispensable to know exactly what the ingredients are, of which the paste should be composed and how to make and lay it on in the proper manner.

TRACING PATTERNS AGAINST A WINDOW PANE.—In order to copy a pattern in this way, the first step is to tack or pin the piece of stuff or paper on which the copy is to be made upon the pattern. In the case of a small pattern, the tacking or pinning may be dispensed with and the two sheets held firmly pressed against the window pane with the left hand, whilst the right hand does the tracing, but even then it is safer to pin or gum the four corners of the two sheets together, in case of interruption, as it is difficult to fit them together again exactly.

The tracing may be done with a pencil, or better still, with a brush dipped in Indian ink or water-colour paint.

The process of tracing is easy enough, so long as the hand does not get tired but as this generally comes to pass very soon it is best, if the pattern be a large and complicated one, to stick the sheets to the pane with strong gum or suspend them on a string, fastened across the pane by pins stuck into the window frame on either side.

TO TAKE OFF A PATTERN BY RUBBING.—If you want to take a pattern of a piece of embroidery direct from the work itself, lay it, the right side up, flat upon a board or table and cover it with letter or tissue paper.

The paper should be of a good medium thickness, if it be too thick it will not take a clear impression of the pattern, and if very thin it is apt to tear.

Fasten the paper down upon the embroidery with drawing-pins and rub off the pattern with drawing-wax. In default of the right kind of wax, the bowl or handle of a spoon, or a large silver coin will serve the purpose equally well, as will also some powdered graphite or charcoal. The outlines will not of course, in any case, be very clearly defined upon the paper and will have to be gone over and carefully supplemented afterwards with a pencil.

Taking off the pattern with charcoal or graphite is less injurious to the embroidery than rubbing it off with wax or metal, as the pressure required in the latter case flattens the needle-work very considerably. As soon as you have fixed the lines of the pattern by drawing them over with ink, it is ready for use.

TO TRANSFER A PATTERN DIRECT ON TO THE STUFF.—Patterns cannot be copied by either of the above methods direct on to the stuff and can only be used when the stuff on which the embroidery is to be executed is transparent; in the case of thick close fabrics the drawing must be made on the stuff itself. The following is the simplest way of transferring a pattern on to a transparent stuff; begin by going over all the lines of the drawing with Indian ink so as to make them quite thick and distinct, and tacking the paper with large stitches on to the back of the stuff. Then, mix some very dark powdered indigo diluted with water, in a glass with a small pinch of sugar and powdered gum arabic, and using this as ink and a fine pen very slightly split, trace the pattern that shines through on the stuff.

The tracing must be very slight, for if the embroidery be not done till some time afterwards the lines get so firmly fixed in the stuff that one washing will not obliterate them; the tracing ink moreover makes the work unpleasantly sticky.

TO COPY WITH OILED PAPER.—Another rather expeditious mode of transferring patterns on to thin and more especially smooth glossy stuffs, is by means of a special kind of tinted paper, called autographic paper, which is impregnated with a coloured oily substance and is to be had at any stationer’s shop. This you place between the pattern and the stuff, having previously fastened the stuff, perfectly straight by the line of the thread, to a board, with drawing-pins. When you have fitted the two papers likewise exactly together, you go over all the lines of the pattern with a blunt pencil, or with, what is better still, the point of a bone crochet needle or the edge of a folder. You must be careful not to press so heavily upon the pattern paper as to tear it; by the pressure exercised on the two sheets of paper, the oily substance of the blue paper discharges itself on to the stuff, so that when it is removed all the lines you have traced are imprinted upon the stuff.

This blue tracing paper is however only available for the reproduction of patterns on washing stuffs, as satin and all other silky textures are discoloured by it.

TO POUNCE PATTERNS UPON STUFFS.—The modes of copying, hitherto described, cannot be indiscriminately used for all kinds of stuff; for cloth, velvet and plush, for instance, they are not available and pouncing is the only way that answers.

The patterns, after having been transferred to straw or parchment paper, have to be pricked through. To do this you lay the paper upon cloth or felt and prick out all the lines of the drawing, making the holes, which should be clear and round, all exactly the same distance apart.

The closer and more complicated the pattern is, the finer and closer the holes should be. Every line of the outline must be carefully pricked out.

If the paper be sufficiently thin, several pouncings can be pricked at the same time, and a symmetrical design can be folded together into four and all pricked at once.

The pricked pattern has next to be tacked upon the material, the side from which the pricking was done next to the stuff and the little funnel-shaped holes uppermost. Paper and stuff must be firmly fastened down and kept in position by drawing pins, so that neither of them may move during the process, otherwise you will have double lines on the stuff which you will find very confusing afterwards.

For the pouncing, use either powdered chalk or charcoal, according to whether the stuff be dark or light in colour. Dip the pouncing implement, a thing like a small drum-stick, stuffed and covered with cloth, into the powder and rub it lightly over the whole surface of the pricked pattern, so that the powder penetrates through the pin-holes to the stuff. In default of a proper pouncing implement take a small stripe of cloth, roll it up round a stick and wind a string round, and dip this into the powder.

When the powder has penetrated to the stuff, remove the paper and if the pattern is to be repeated, lay it on again further on, taking care to make the lines meet exactly so that the join may not be seen.

When you have finished the pouncing and taken off the paper, you proceed to draw or rather paint in the pattern with water-colour paints: Ackermann’s are the best for the purpose; no others, as far as our experience has proved, adhere so well to even the roughest fabrics or so little affect the brilliancy of the embroidery thread. Four paints, blue, black, yellow and white are sufficient for all purposes, whatever the colour of the stuff may be.

On a smooth surface the tracing may be done with a pen but a small sable-hair brush is preferable under all circumstances.

The rougher and more hairy the surface, the finer the brush ought to be, in order that the colour may sink well in between the fibres.

Before beginning to paint in the pattern, gently blow away all the superfluous powder from the surface. This process may be objected to as being an old one which has been superseded by new inventions; a resinous powder for instance, by the use of which patterns can be fixed, as soon as they have been pounced, by passing a hot iron over the stuff, a sheet of paper having first been laid upon it to protect it; or else a mixture of gum and powder which can be dissolved on the stuff itself by the steam of spirits-of-wine, and various other processes needless to mention here, as some are only useful in tracing patterns on a large scale, whilst others require a variety of appliances, not as a rule, within the reach of those to whom needle-work is a simple recreation.

THE PREPARATION OF THE STUFFS AND THE SUBDIVISION OF THE PATTERNS.—Long years of experience and practice have brought us in contact with a good many designers, many of them artists in their way, so long as it was only a question of putting their own compositions on paper but who yet found themselves confronted by real difficulties the moment they were called upon to transfer them to stuff.

We shall, as far as possible, point out to our readers the precautions to be taken in tracing patterns and must for that purpose go back to one of the first operations, namely that of pricking.

To begin with, the paper on which the pattern is should always be large enough for there to be a clear margin of from 4 to 5 c/m. all round the pattern, so that the pouncing instrument may never come in contact with the stuff beneath.

In transferring patterns to stuff, no lines of division should ever be made directly upon it either with lead, chalk or charcoal, as it is hardly ever possible entirely to obliterate them and they often become very confusing afterwards.

Before beginning the tracing, divide your stuff into four, then decide what the width of the border outside the pattern is to be; it is quite an exceptional thing to carry a pattern right up to the edge. Stuffs that will take a bend, such as all linen and cotton textures, can be folded in four, like the paper, the folds ought then to be pinched and pressed down so that the lines may remain clear and distinct until the tracing be finished.

After dividing it into four, mark out the diagonal lines; these are absolutely necessary in order to get the corner figures rightly placed.

Though most of our readers know how to make these lines on paper with a pencil and ruler, few, easy as it is, know how to make them upon stuff. You have only to fold over the corner of your piece of stuff so that the outside thread of the warp or cut edge run parallel with the woof edge which marks the angle of the fold-over.

This double folding over divides the ground into 8 parts. To arrange for the outside border or margin, is easy enough if the stuff and the kind of work you are going to do upon it admit of the drawing out of threads, as then a thread drawn out each way serves as a guide for tracing the pattern, straight to the line of the stuff. It is often better however, not to draw out the threads for an open-work border till the pattern be traced. If you do not wish or are not able to draw out threads to mark the pattern and you are working on a stuff of which the threads can be counted, follow the directions given on page 128, and explained in fig. 252.

You cannot mark cloth, silk stuffs or plush by folding them in the above way, cloth and some kinds of silken textures will not take a bend and others that will would be spoiled by it.

All such stuffs should be mounted in a frame, before the pattern be traced and the ground be then divided out in the following way: take a strong thread, make a knot at one end, stick a pin into it and tighten the knot round it; with a pair of compasses, divide one of the sides into two equal parts, stick the pin with the knot round it in at the middle and the same on the opposite side, putting in a second pin by means of which you stretch the thread; carry other threads across in a similar way, in the width of the stuff and from corner to corner and you will have your ground correctly marked out, in such a manner as to leave no marks when, after pouncing in the pattern, you remove the threads. Before finishing the pouncing of a pattern, see that it is the right size for the purpose it is intended for.

Supposing that you are tracing a border with a corner, you should measure the length it will occupy and then by a very light pouncing, you can mark the points from which the pattern will have to be repeated. It may be that a gap will be left in the middle, which, if not too large, can be got rid of without altering the pattern by pushing the whole thing a little further in and so shortening the distance between the two corners.

Should the gap however be too large for this, you will have to make a supplementary design to fill up the place. The same thing would be necessary in the case of your having to shorten a pattern.

TO TRANSPOSE AND REPEAT PATTERNS BY MEANS OF LOOKING-GLASSES (fig. 885).—We have referred to the necessity that often occurs of adapting patterns to certain given proportions; this can in most cases be done easily enough without the help of a draughtsman, especially in the case of cross stitch embroideries, by means of two unframed looking-glasses (Penelope mirrors, as they are called) used in the following manner.

If you want to utilize a piece only of a straight border, or after repeating it several times, to form a corner with it, you place the mirror in the first instance across it at right angles, at the place from which the pattern is to be repeated, and then exactly diagonally inwards.

To make a square out of a straight pattern, you take two mirrors and so place them that they touch at the point where the diagonal lines meet, as represented in fig. 885, and you have your square at once.

This is all easy enough, but before beginning any large piece of work it is necessary to consider carefully which parts of the drawing will best fill the centre and which are best suited to form the corners, as it is not every part of a straight pattern that is adapted for repetition.

A few preliminary trials with the help of the mirrors will better show the importance of these explanations than anything further we can say on the subject.

TO ALTER THE PROPORTIONS OF A PATTERN BY DIVIDING THE GROUND INTO SQUARES (figs. 886 and 887).—Cases will occur where it will be found necessary to subject the pattern to greater modifications still than those we have hitherto been dealing with.

You want, for example, to embroider a rather large running ground pattern on a piece of stuff, that is relatively too small for the subject; or a small and rather minute pattern on a large surface on which it is likely to look, either too insignificant, or too crowded and confused and the chances are, if you do not know how to draw, you will either think it necessary to get a draughtsman to help you or you will give up the piece of work altogether, deterred by the difficulties that confront you. You need not do either if you will follow the directions here given.

Take a sheet of large-sized quadrille paper which if necessary you can prepare for yourself; trace your pattern upon it, or rule the squares direct upon the drawing, as shown in fig. 886.