Part 27

Finish off the scallops with a row of plain netting, made with a coarser thread than the foundation.

[Illustration: FIG. 633. NETTED FRINGE.

MATERIALS—For the netting: Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 10 to 30 or Fil à pointer D.M.C No. 30.[A]

For the fringes: Soutache D.M.C No. 3 or Lacets superfins D.M.C No. 4.[A]]

These netted edgings are generally made in unbleached cotton, because the patterns afterwards embroidered upon them in coarse, white knitting or darning cotton, show best upon it. The thread for this purpose should be used double, and the pattern worked in darning stitches, made over 8 squares of the netting; the 8th knot is then encircled by a loop and the thread carried down over 8 squares and a loop again made round the 8th knot. After making 4 rows of stitches on the netting, cut 3 bars between the rows of white stitches.

The row of openwork produced in this way has a very good effect and greatly improves the look of the lace.

NETTED FRINGE (fig. 633).—Plain netting, pretty as it is, looks rather poor, unless ornamented with embroidery of some kind. The double netting, illustrated in fig. 633, will prove a welcome novelty. The footing is worked in crochet, with braid, secured on both sides by chain stitches.

Into every fourth of these chain stitches, net one loop, missing the 3 between. At the end of the row, turn the work and make the knot in the middle of the 3 chain stitches, so that the 2 loops of netting cross each other.

In the second, or rather the third row, the knots are again made first into the front loops, into those of the first row that is; in the fourth row, into those of the second row.

When the stripe is sufficiently wide, finish it off with tassels, made of Soutache D.M.C No. 3. Instead of tying up the lengths of braid with a thread, twisted round them and fastened off with a stitch, make 2 looped knots round them with an end of the braid, where the neck of the tassel should come.

[Illustration: FIG. 634. WIRE FRAME FOR EMBROIDERED NETTING.]

EMBROIDERED NETTING.—Embroidered netting, also known as Filet Guipure, Cluny Guipure, and Richelieu Guipure, is a netted ground, with patterns of one kind or another, worked upon it in a variety of stitches.

IMPLEMENTS REQUIRED FOR EMBROIDERED NETTING.—Besides scissors, needles and thread, a light steel frame is the only thing required, and this renders embroidered netting very popular.

The needles should be long, and blunt; those called saddlers needles are the best.

WIRE FRAME FOR EMBROIDERED NETTING (fig. 634).—The frame on which the net is stretched should be made of strong iron wire, that will not bend in the using. In shape, it may be square or oblong, according to whether squares or edgings are to be made upon it, but the sides must be straight, so that the net can be evenly stretched.

[Illustration: FIG. 635. MOUNTING THE NETTING ON THE FRAME.]

This wire frame must be covered, first with wadding or tow, as shown in fig. 634, and then with silk ribbon, which must be wound tightly round it, and more particularly at the corners, very closely, so that it may be quite firm and not twist about when the netting is sewn in. The ends of the ribbon should be secured by two or three stitches.

[Illustration: FIG. 636. MOUNTING THE NETTING ON THE FRAME WITH AN AUXILIARY TAPE.]

MOUNTING THE NETTING ON THE FRAME (fig. 635).—When the netting is exactly the size of the inside of the frame, it need only be secured to it with overcasting stitches, set very closely at the corners.

MOUNTING THE NETTING ON THE FRAME WITH AN AUXILIARY TAPE (fig. 636).—When the netting, is smaller, the space between it and the frame, must be filled up with strong very evenly woven, linen tape, sewn on all round the netting.

The tape must be very tightly held in the sewing, so that it even forms little gathers all round; this will help you to stretch the netting in mounting it without injuring it, and is especially necessary when the netting is not quite evenly made. Fig. 636 shows how the tape is sewn on, the fold that has to be made at the corners, and the way to fix the netting into the frame.

Long stripes or large pieces of work, can be mounted on waxcloth, but we cannot recommend shortening the preparatory work in this manner, as the squares of netting are never so regular as when they are made in a frame.

MATERIALS FOR EMBROIDERED NETTING.—Thick threads with a strong twist are the best for darned, or embroidered netting, such as Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C[A] (crochet cotton), or Fil à dentelle D.M.C[A] (lace thread).

There are however certain old kinds of embroidered netting made in soft loose silk, for imitating which it is best to use, Coton à repriser D.M.C[A] that being quite the best substitute for the original material.

THE STITCHES USED FOR EMBROIDERED NETTING.—These are so multifarious and admit of so many different combinations, that not a few of them seeing that be quite new to our readers, willsome we have never yet come across in any book on the subject that has come under our notice.

ORDINARY DARNING STITCH (fig. 637).—The simplest stitch of all for covering a netted ground is the ordinary darning stitch; drawing the thread, that is to say, in and out of the number of squares, prescribed by the pattern, and backwards and forwards as many times as is necessary to fill them up.

[Illustration: FIG. 637. ORDINARY DARNING STITCH.]

[Illustration: FIG. 638. LINEN STITCH. FIRST STITCHES.]

The number of stitches depends, to a certain extent, on the material employed; with Coton à broder D.M.C for example, you will have to make more stitches than with one of the coarser numbers of Coton à repriser D.M.C.

This is the stitch generally used for reproducing a cross stitch pattern on a netted ground and is especially to be recommended for covering large surfaces, curtains, counterpanes and so forth, as it is quickly done and shows up the pattern well.

[Illustration: FIG. 639. LINEN STITCH. SECOND STITCHES.]

[Illustration: FIG. 640. LINEN STITCH. FORMATION OF THE CORNERS.]

LINEN STITCH (figs. 638 and 639).—This is the stitch most often met with in the old embroideries, it being the one the solid parts of the leaves and flowers, and the borders are generally worked in.

Fasten on the thread to a knot of the netting and carry it twice to and fro, over and under the threads of the netting, so that at the end of the row, every second thread passes under and over the thread of the netting, as it is carried upwards again.

This constitutes the first layer of threads, the second completes the linen stitch and is made in the same way, only across the first, alternately taking up and missing a thread as is done, in darning. The thread may also be carried both ways over the threads of the squares. In this case you must draw an uneven number of threads through the squares, otherwise the crossing of the threads will be irregular in the last square.

LINEN STITCH. FORMATION OF THE CORNERS (fig. 640).—When linen stitch is used for the border of a pattern, and a corner has to be formed, you begin by carrying the threads over a given number of squares. This first layer, especially in the case of long stripes, must be kept very slack, and to ensure the threads being all of the same length, lay a fine mesh or a thick knitting needle at one end and stretch the threads over it. After carrying the second layer across a few squares, take away the mesh or needle. The threads of the first layer become gradually shorter, from the passage of the cross threads in and out between them, and end by being just long enough to prevent the last embroidered squares from being too tightly stretched.

On reaching the corner, you cross the threads of the next row, as shown in fig. 640. The first threads of the second side form the foundation of the corner square; from the second corner square you pass to the third; from the third to the fourth, carrying your thread alternately over and under the threads that were stretched for the first corner.

LOOP STITCH (POINT D’ESPRIT) (figs. 641 and 642).—This is a light open stitch, chiefly used for making a less transparent foundation than plain netting. Fasten the thread to the middle of one bar of the netting, then make a loose loop to the middle of the top bar of the same square, fig. 641, by carrying the thread, from left to right, over one vertical and one horizontal bar of the net and inserting the needle downwards from above under the bar and in front of the working thread. For the second row back, also represented in fig. 641, you draw the needle through, underneath the bar above the loop stitch and make the loop upwards from below; in doing this the working thread must lie to the left, in front of the needle. Fig. 642 shows how to join the rows and pass the needle through the stitches of the preceding row.

[Illustration: FIG. 641. LOOP STITCH. 1ST AND 2ND COURSE OF THE THREAD.]

[Illustration: FIG. 642. LOOP STITCH. SEVERAL ROWS COMPLETED.]

[Illustration: FIG. 643. STAR FORMED OF LOOSE THREADS LAYING THE UNDERNEATH THREADS.]

[Illustration: FIG. 644. STAR FORMED OF LOOSE THREADS. LAYING THE UPPER THREADS.]

STAR COMPOSED OF LOOSE THREADS (figs. 643, 644, 645).—This star covers 16 squares of netting. Fasten the thread to the middle knot of the 16 squares, then carry it diagonally over 4 squares, three times from left to right under a knot of the foundation and three times from right to left. In this way, the bottom rays of the star are formed. For the stitches that complete the figure, you start from the middle and following the direction of the little arrow in the illustration, you cover the netting with 3 horizontal and 3 vertical threads, carried over 4 squares. When you have laid the vertical threads, slip the needle 4 or 5 times round in a circle, under the diagonal and over the straight threads, but always over the bars of the netting. This completes the star, as it is represented in fig. 645. Care must be taken to make the stitches lie quite flat side by side, and not one on the top of the other.

[Illustration: FIG. 645. STAR FORMED OF LOOSE THREADS. FINISHED.]

DARNING STITCH (POINT DE REPRISE) (figs. 646 and 647).—Little flowers and leaves are generally executed in this stitch; the first course of the thread is shown in fig. 646. Leaves can be made with one, two or three veins. Carry the needle, invariably from the middle, first to the right and then to the left, under the threads of the foundation and push the stitches close together, as they are made, with the point of your needle. This you will be able to do most easily by holding the work so as to make the stitches towards you.

[Illustration: FIG. 646. LEAVES WORKED IN DARNING STITCH. BEGUN.]

[Illustration: FIG. 647. LEAVES WORKED IN DARNING STITCH. COMPLETED.]

For a leaf with only one division or vein, like the left leaf in fig. 646, merely run the needle through the middle of the threads, whereas for a leaf with two or three veins, you must run it, over and under, either one, or two threads (see the right leaf in fig. 646).

In working leaves of this kind in darning stitch, you must draw your stitches at the top and bottom of the leaf rather tighter than in the middle, so as to give them the proper shape. If you wish to make them very slender at the bottom, you can finish them off with a few overcasting stitches.

Fig. 647 represents two leaves completed, one with one vein and the other, with two.

POINTED SCALLOPS IN DARNING STITCH (fig. 648).—The simplest way to work these scallops is to carry a thread, as shown in the illustration, to and fro over the square, from the knot in one corner to the middle of the bar above and downwards to the opposite knot, round which the thread is carried and passed upwards again to the middle. As the scallop must always be begun from the top, you will have, two foundation threads on one side and three on the other. Here likewise, you must push the threads as closely together as possible with the needle.

[Illustration: FIG. 648. POINTED SCALLOPS IN DARNING STITCH.]

[Illustration: FIG. 649. POINTED SCALLOPS IN BUTTON-HOLE STITCH.]

POINTED SCALLOPS IN BUTTON-HOLE STITCH (fig. 649).—Another quite as pretty and easy way of working pointed scallops on a netted foundation is by making two button-hole stitches before crossing to the opposite side. As shown in the foregoing illustration, you begin by stretching single or double foundation threads across; then beginning at the point, you make, alternately right and left, 2 button-hole stitches over the foundation threads, so that the working thread is only carried across to the opposite side after every second stitch.

VEINED POINTED SCALLOPS (fig. 650).—A third way of making pointed scallops is by first stretching a thread to and fro across the middle of the square, after which you slip the needle from left to right under the middle thread, and underneath the left bar from above. Then you carry the needle, from right to left, over the foundation thread and under the right bar and so on. The one thread must be drawn tightly round the other, in order that the stitches may form close and evenly shaped veins, like small cords, on the wrong side of the scallop. There must be enough stitches to completely cover the foundation thread that crosses the middle of the square.

[Illustration: FIG. 650. VEINED POINTED SCALLOPS.]

[Illustration: FIG. 651. POINTED SCALLOPS IN VENETIAN STITCH.]

POINTED SCALLOPS IN VENETIAN STITCH (fig. 651).—The prettiest scallops of all are those worked in Venetian stitch. You begin, by making from 8 to 10 button-hole stitches over one bar of the netting, then you work on with the same stitch backwards and forwards, making one stitch less in each row, until you come to the one which forms the point of the scallop and is fastened to the bar above; you carry the working thread back on the wrong side to the lower bar, and then under the button-hole stitches to the next square of the netting. Scallops worked in this manner, can be overcast round the edges in the way described further on, in fig. 660.

WHEELS EMBROIDERED ON NETTING (figs. 652 and 653).—To make wheels or spiders, as they are also called, you have first to fasten the thread to the middle knot of four squares, thence you carry it diagonally right and left, fig. 652, right detail, across the empty squares of netting and the knot, and return to the middle, overcasting your first thread by the way, so as to form a closely twisted cord. This is called cording a thread.

Having reached the centre, carry the working thread round and round, under and over the corded threads and under the bars of the netting till the wheel covers half the bars.

[Illustration: FIG. 652. LAYING THE THREADS FOR A WHEEL AND BEGINNING OF THE WHEEL.]

[Illustration: FIG. 653. WHEELS WORKED IN TWO WAYS.]

Fig. 653 shows, on the right, a finished wheel, and on the left, another way in which it can be made, and indicates the course of the thread over and under the lines, as in a darn. These details show also how, when the foundation thread of the wheel starts from a corner, it is left single in the first square until the wheel is finished; then the needle is slipped back along the little spoke, opposite to the single thread, and through the wheel, and the single thread is corded like the others.

[Illustration: FIG. 654. RIBBED WHEELS.]

[Illustration: FIG. 655. RIBBED SQUARES OR LOZENGES.]

RIBBED WHEELS (fig. 654).—Make the foundation of the wheels as before, over 8 threads. To form the ribs at the back of the wheels, see fig. 654; make a back stitch, on the right side, over a bar of the netting, and carry on the needle under one bar, so that the thread that lies outside always crosses 2 bars of the netting.

In this case you must make circles of thread enough, to cover the bars completely, not half, as before.

The same stitches, as fig. 654 shows, can be made on either side of the embroidery, and so as to form, either a square or a lozenge (see fig. 655).

[Illustration: FIG. 656. WHEELS SET WITH BUTTON-HOLING.]

WHEELS SET WITH BUTTON-HOLING (fig. 656).—A very pretty lace-like effect is produced by encircling the wheels in large squares of netting with a double setting of stitches. The left detail of fig. 656 shows how the thread, having been passed under the wheel and twisted once round the single thread, is carried all round the square and forms 8 loops.

The arrow shows the way in which the loops are taken up, and the first ring of stitches round the wheel is finished.

The second detail of the same figure explains the course the thread, that forms the second ring, has to take through the loops and between the bars; whilst the white line shows the passage of the thread over the second ring. The third detail represents a wheel, completed.

[Illustration: FIG. 657. STAR WITH ONE-SIDED BUTTON-HOLE STITCHES.]

STAR WITH ONE-SIDED BUTTON-HOLE STITCHES (fig. 657).—The pattern represented in fig. 657, is the quickest to work that we know of. Two button-hole stitches made upon the outside bar of a square and a simple crossing of the thread at the bottom, produce elongated triangles which should always be begun from the knot. Two triangles stand exactly opposite to each other in one square, and the square that comes in the middle of the four thus filled, is ornamented with a small wheel.

[Illustration: FIG. 658. ROUNDED CORNERS ON NETTING.]

[Illustration: FIG. 659. LINEN STITCH SET WITH DARNING STITCH.]

[Illustration: FIG. 660. LINEN STITCH SET WITH CORD STITCH.]

ROUNDED CORNERS OF NETTING (fig. 658).—Darning stitches, made over a thread carried diagonally across one square and the adjacent corners of that and two other squares, produce the figure illustrated in fig. 658. The accompanying detail shows the mode of working.

The number of stitches depends on the material you use; there should be no more than can lie quite flat, side by side, on the diagonal thread.

LINEN STITCH, SET WITH DARNING STITCH (fig. 659).—There are some patterns it would hardly be possible to work on netting unless you could soften the outlines by darning stitches, as shown in the foregoing figure.

When employed as a setting to linen stitch, there should be fewer than in fig. 658; you may also, instead of interrupting them at every corner, carry them all round a square, (see the right detail of the figure).

LINEN STITCH SET WITH CORD STITCH (fig. 660).—Many figures are also either corded or edged with twisted thread; both ways are represented in the illustration. In the latter case you can use the same thread as for the linen stitch, or if you wish the setting to be very pronounced, a thicker one. For instance, if the netting be made of Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C No. 25[A] we recommend Fil à pointer D.M.C No. 15 or 20[A] for the setting. This difference of material is especially noticeable in the old Cluny Guipure, where the figures worked in linen stitch are edged with a thread like a cord. But if the linen stitch be bound with cord stitch, the same thread must be used for it, as for the foundation. A soft material, like Coton à repriser, makes the best padding for the overcasting stitches.

[Illustration: FIG. 661. FLOWER IN DOT STITCH ON A FOUNDATION OF LINEN STITCH.]

FLOWER IN DOT STITCH ON A FOUNDATION OF LINEN STITCH (fig. 661).—With the help of this stitch, which is described in the chapter on white embroidery and represented in fig. 179, a great variety of little supplementary ornaments can be made, on every description of netted ground.

[Illustration: FIG. 662. BORDERING IN BUTTON-HOLE STITCH.]

BORDERING IN BUTTON-HOLE STITCH (fig. 662).—Scalloped edges in netting should be button-holed; 2 or 3 padding threads should be run in first, following the bars of the netting, over which the button-holing is done; the bars of the netting must not be cut away until the edge be finished.

CUT WORK IN EMBROIDERED NETTING (fig. 663).—Cut work here means half covering the bars of the netting with button-hole stitches and half cutting them away with scissors. The inner bars are frequently ornamented with a double button-hole edging and knotted picots, see figs. 698 and 699 in the next chapter. You slightly separate the stitches of the first row of button-holing so as to be able to introduce the thread of the second row between them.

[Illustration: FIG. 663. CUT WORK IN EMBROIDERED NETTING.]

[Illustration: FIG. 664. STRAIGHT LOOP STITCH.]

STRAIGHT LOOP STITCH (fig. 664).—In the first row you carry the thread over one bar and slip it through behind a knot; in the second you do the same thing, only that above, your needle will pass under 3 threads, two of them the threads of the loop of the first row and the third a bar of the net. In every square 4 threads cross each other.

[Illustration: FIG. 665. WAVED STITCH.]

WAVED STITCH (fig. 665).—This stitch, which forms a close waved ground, is produced by passing the thread in each row of the netting over a square and behind a knot. When the pattern admits of it, as it mostly does, a considerably thicker thread is used for this stitch and for the stitches represented in figs. 667, 668, 669 and 670, than that in which the netting is made. When the netted ground is of Fil à dentelle D.M.C No. 50,[A] the embroidery upon it may very well be done in Cordonnet 6 fils. D.M.C No. 10[A], or Fil à pointer D.M.C No. 30.[A]

INTERSECTED LOOP STITCH (fig. 666).—Begin by covering the whole surface to be embroidered with plain loop stitches, then stretch threads diagonally across the squares of the netting and the loop stitches; one set of threads running over the stitches and under the knots of the netting, the other under the first and second threads of the loop stitches and over the first crossed threads and the knots.

The laying and stretching of these threads must, it is hardly necessary to say, be systematically and regularly done.

[Illustration: FIG. 666. INTERSECTED LOOP STITCH.]

GROUND WORKED IN HORIZONTAL LINES (fig. 667).—Make half cross stitches over 4 squares of netting, by passing the thread alternately over and under 3 knots, and under 3 squares of the netting. In the second row, cross the threads over those of the first row, as is shown in our engraving.