Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 153

Sometimes, to save the trouble of grounding, a design is worked on cloth, over which canvas is laid. Whenever this is the case, the cloth must be carefully damped, to remove the gloss, before it is put into the frame. Then, as cloth will always stretch much more than canvas, it must be cut a little smaller both ways. The raw edges of the cloth should be turned in, and tacked to the canvas before they are framed.

Some people withdraw the threads of canvas after the work is done; but it has a much richer effect if the threads of canvas are cut close to the outer st.i.tches; and if there are any small s.p.a.ces in the pattern, where the ground should be seen, they may be worked in wool of the colour of the ground.

1910. Stretching Work.

Should a piece of work be a little drawn when taken out of the frame, damp the back well with a clean sponge, and stretch it again in the frame in the opposite direction. Whenever Berlin-work is done on any solid thick material, as cloth, velvet, &c., a needle should be used with an eye sufficiently large to form a pa.s.sage for this wool. This prevents the latter from being crushed and impoverished as it pa.s.ses through.

1911. St.i.tches in Canvas Work.

There are five kinds of st.i.tch used in canvas work--_Cross St.i.tch, Tent St.i.tch, Tapestry St.i.tch, German St.i.tch, and Irish St.i.tch_.

1912. Cross St.i.tch.

Cross st.i.tch is generally known. The needle is brought up in one pole of the canvas and down on another, two threads higher and more to the right. The slanting thread is then crossed in the opposite direction.

A cross-st.i.tch covers two threads in each direction.

1913. Tent St.i.tch.

Tent st.i.tch occupies one-fourth the s.p.a.ce of cross-st.i.tch. It is taken from one hole to the next above, and on the right hand side of a previous st.i.tch.

[EVERY ONE BASTETH THE FAT HOG, WHILE THE LEAN ONE BURNETH.]

1914. Tapestry St.i.tch.

Tapestry st.i.tch crosses two threads of the canvas in the length, and one in the width. It is sometimes called Gobelin st.i.tch, because it resembles somewhat the Gobelin tapestry. It is not suited for coa.r.s.e canvas, and, in working from a Berlin pattern, _two_ straight st.i.tches must be counted as one square cross st.i.tch.

1915. German St.i.tch.

German st.i.tch is worked diagonally, and consists of the first part of a cross st.i.tch, and a tent st.i.tch alternately worked.

1916. Irish St.i.tch.

Irish st.i.tch is worked parallel with the selvedges of the canvas. None of the st.i.tches cross the threads in the _width_. In the first row, take the thread alternately over four and two threads; in all future rows take the st.i.tches over four threads,--which, as they rise--first from the long and then from the short st.i.tch, will produce the same appearance in others.

1917. Handling Wool.

With regard to wools, they should never be wound, as the least handling crushes the pile and spoils them. Chenille needs still more careful handling.

1918. Stiffening Work.

To stiffen large pieces of work, wet the wrong side thoroughly with gum water or gum tragacanth, and dry it before a fire (the wet side nearest the fire), before removing it from the frame.

1919. Beads in Canvas Work.

Beads in canvas work have the treble merit of being at once brilliant, durable, and attractive.

1920. Tapestry Painting.

Tapestry painting is an imitation of the famed Gobelin tapestry, which is hand-woven over fine cord. The imitation is painted on a machine-woven rep canvas: the term rep is a corruption of the Saxon term _wrepp_, or _rape_, a cord, Dutch _roop_, from which we get the word rope. In the Gobelins the shading of the different tints of wool that form a picture, or other designs, are put in by hand work, or shuttles moved by the hand, and on the wrong side of the picture, and the threads of wool, the weft run longitudinally, not horizontally, so that when the design is finished the picture is turned horizontally, and is complete. In Tapestry Painting the _rep_ of the canvas is from right to left (horizontal), and this is then painted over and forms a picture in imitation of the Gobelin tapestry. The latter is so named after its French inventor, Giles Gobelin, about 1520. He was a famous dyer who discovered the celebrated Gobelin's scarlet dye. The house in which he lived was purchased by Louis XIV for a manufactory of tapestry for adorning palaces, the designs for which were drawn by Le Brun, a celebrated French painter, about 1666. Her Majesty Queen Victoria has recently caused to be established at Windsor, an establishment where the art of making "Gobelin Tapestry" is successfully taught.

1921. Tapestry of Auxerre.

This town, in the northern part of the province of Burgundy, was once famous for its tapestry of a peculiar make. The design was handwoven in small patches of colour, and then was sewed together at the back to form the picture. Tapestry painting in blocks or ma.s.ses of a single colour successfully imitate this tapestry, only that where the joining is of the real Auxerre tapestry is in tapestry painting marked by a black outline.

1922. Terra Cotta Painting.

Terra Cotta is an Italian term for "burnt-earth." Bricks are a coa.r.s.e kind of terra cotta. The new building erected at Kensington for the reception of valuable remains and subjects of natural history, is built entirely of terra cotta slabs. Terra Cotta vases of the early and late Etruscan period, such as those in the British Museum, are priceless. These are painted in various designs, and burnt in. The Doulton Ware is a close, if not exact, representation of these matchless specimens. Terra Cotta painting is simply vases and plates of red terra cotta, painted in Greek designs with ordinary black paint, and then varnished, or plates painted with a similar medium, in flowers of various colours. These last, of course, are no imitations of the antique.

[TIME AND TIDE TARRY FOR NO MAN.]

1923. l.u.s.tra Painting.

l.u.s.tra painting is a recent invention that so much resembles silk embroidery as to be mistaken for it. The outline of a design is sketched either on Roman satin or any smooth fabric, and then bronze powders of different colours are rubbed in with a preparation which is a trade secret. The leaves and stems are outlined in silk, this rendering the imitations more complete.

1924. Hints upon Etiquette. [1]

[Footnote 1: See "Etiquette and Social Ethics." 1s. London: Houlston and Sons]

1925. Introduction to Society.

Avoid all extravagance and mannerism, and be not over-timid at the outset. Be discreet and sparing of your words. Awkwardness is a great misfortune, but it is not an unpardonable fault. To deserve the reputation of moving in good society, something more is requisite than the avoidance of blunt rudeness. Strictly keep to your engagements.

Punctuality is the essence of politeness.

1926. The Toilet.

Too much attention cannot be paid to the arrangements of the toilet. A man is often judged by his appearance, and seldom incorrectly. A neat exterior, equally free from extravagance and poverty, almost always proclaims a right-minded man. To dress appropriately, and with good taste, is to respect yourself and others. A gentleman walking, should always wear gloves, this being one of the characteristics of good breeding. Fine linen, and a good hat, gloves, and boots, are evidences of the highest taste in dress.

1927. Visiting Dress.

A black coat and trousers are indispensable for a dinner, or a ball.