Encyclopedia of Needlework Part 65

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 832. KNOTTED CORD. SECOND POSITION OF THE HANDS.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 833. KNOTTED CORD. THIRD POSITION OF THE HANDS.]

In fig. 834, representing the fourth position of the hands, you are shown how the forefinger of the right hand lifts up the thread and pa.s.ses through the loop on the left hand; the end will consequently also pa.s.s immediately into the right hand and the left hand will tighten the knot.

It is by thus drawing up first a loop on the right and then one on the left that this pretty cord is produced.

Skilful hands will soon learn to make a cord of the same kind with four threads, as follows: knot the four ends of thread together, make a few knots, using two threads as one, then dropping the loop on your forefinger, put the next one upon it and draw up the knot, pa.s.sing however the threads over those that you dropped. Then drop the loop you have on your finger again and take up the first loops.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 834. KNOTTED CORD. FOURTH POSITION OF THE HANDS.]

For the cord made with double threads, represented in fig. 835 on a magnified scale, use Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C or one of the other materials mentioned at the foot of the ill.u.s.tration. Soutache D.M.C will always be found to be very suitable for this purpose.

b.a.l.l.s FOR Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gS (figs. 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841).--Amongst the crochet patterns are two that are finished off with b.a.l.l.s; to make these, begin by cutting a number of rounds of cardboard, two for every ball, with holes in the middle, fig. 836.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 835. KNOTTED CORD.

MATERIALS: Fil a pointer D.M.C Nos. 10 to 30, Coton a tricoter D.M.C Nos. 6 to 12, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 3 to 25 or Soutache D.M.C Nos.

1 to 3.[A]]

If you have a great many b.a.l.l.s to make it is well worth your while providing yourself with a metal die of the proper size, to cut the rounds with.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 836. b.a.l.l.s FOR Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gS. CIRCLE OF CARDBOARD.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 837. b.a.l.l.s FOR Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gS. OVERCASTING THE CIRCLE OF CARDBOARD.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 838. b.a.l.l.s FOR Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gS. CUTTING THE St.i.tCHES ROUND THE EDGE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 839. b.a.l.l.s FOR Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gS. PUTTING IN THE LOOP.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 840. b.a.l.l.s FOR Tr.i.m.m.i.n.gS. CUTTING OUT THE CARDBOARD.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 841. BALL COMPLETED WITH LOOP ATTACHED.]

Lay two of these rounds together and cover them closely with st.i.tches, fig. 837, using for this purpose Coton a tricoter D.M.C (knitting cotton) or Coton a repriser D.M.C (darning cotton).[A]

When the round is entirely covered, put the scissors in between the two circles of cardboard and cut open the st.i.tches all round the outer edge, fig. 838; then draw a piece of thread between the two circles and knot it firmly round the st.i.tches that meet in the centre hole, fig. 839; leave sufficiently long ends of thread hanging to form a loop by which the ball can afterwards be fastened to the heading of the fringe; when the st.i.tches are knotted together you cut and pull out the cardboard, fig. 840, and snip the thread with your scissors until it becomes quite fluffy and the ball is perfectly round, as shown in fig. 841.

TAMBOUR WORK (figs. 842, 843, 844, 845).--Since the introduction of the sewing machine, by means of which this charming kind of embroidery can be so quickly and easily executed, it has somewhat gone out of favour. As however, the fine patterns with a good deal of shading in them, can be far more accurately worked by hand than by machine, tambouring, which is in point of fact merely a form of crochet, has lately been revived. The piece of stuff on which the tambour work is to be done must be mounted on a frame.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 842. THIMBLE FOR TAMBOURING.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 843. TAMBOUR NEEDLE.]

The loops which are made with a small hook, called a tambour needle, form a fine chain st.i.tch and must be regular and even; to facilitate this a sort of thimble, fig. 842, is worn on the forefinger of the right hand, formed of a small plate of sheet bra.s.s, rolled up but not joined, so as to fit any finger; it is open at the top like a tailor's thimble and has a little notch on the side which is placed above the nail, and in which you lay the tambour needle whilst you work. From the thimble being cut slightly slanting at the top, it follows that the inside where the two ends meet is a little shorter than the outside.

The thread is drawn through in a loop to the front of the work by means of the hook, whilst it is held at the back in the left hand, and when the needle is put downwards through the stuff, laid round it. The needle in its downward and upward pa.s.sage, should be kept in the notch in the thimble and the stuff pressed down with the thimble, as the needle is drawn up to the surface of the work, fig. 844.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 844. POSITION OF THE HANDS IN TAMBOURING.]

A little practice is necessary to acquire the right action of the hands, there being always a tendency, the same as in tatting and macrame, to confuse the movements of the two. As soon as you realize that the upward drawing of the needle and the downward pressure of the stuff with the thimble must be simultaneous, you will find that you can work with great rapidity and with admirable results. Thread with a very strong twist, which the hook will not split, is the only suitable kind for tambouring. Of the D.M.C materials, Fil d'Alsace[A] and Fil a dentelle[A] are the most to be recommended.

Numbers of patterns, originally intended for other kinds of embroidery can be executed in tambour work; amongst those contained in this Encyclopedia, figs. 192, 210, 216, 219, and 227 are the ones that are best adapted to the purpose.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 845. DRAWING OUT THE THREAD WITH THE NEEDLE.]

SMYRNA St.i.tCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET-NEEDLE (figs. 846, 847, 848, 849).--In the chapter on tapestry, p. 137 we remarked that Oriental carpets and mats could be worked in different other ways, to be subsequently alluded to at greater length.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 846. SMYRNA St.i.tCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.

FIRST DETAIL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 847. SMYRNA St.i.tCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.

SECOND DETAIL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 848. SMYRNA St.i.tCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.

APPEARANCE OF THE KNOTS UNDERNEATH.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 849. SMYRNA St.i.tCH WORKED WITH A CROCHET NEEDLE.

APPEARANCE OF THE WORK WHEN FINISHED.]

Smyrna st.i.tch requires only a crochet needle and is worked on very coa.r.s.e canvas or Java linen. You take a coa.r.s.e mesh of cotton, such as Nos. 6, 8 or 10 of Colon a tricoter D.M.C (knitting cotton), cut it into lengths of 8 c/m., fold two lengths together in half, stick in the crochet needle from above, under two threads of the canvas, take hold of the loop with the hook, fig. 846, and draw it in; then push out the hook to seize the ends of the cotton and draw them through the loop which is on the needle, as indicated by the little arrow in fig. 847.

The st.i.tches or ta.s.sels should be two or three double threads of the canvas apart. As you finish each row, comb the ends of the ta.s.sels out carefully with a fine metal comb. When the whole piece of work is finished shear the entire surface, quite even, with a pair of sharp scissors. Fig. 849 shows a square of the work completed, presenting that warm velvety appearance which distinguishes the Smyrna carpets.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 850. MALTA St.i.tCH. FIRST DETAIL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 851. MALTA St.i.tCH. SECOND DETAIL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 852. MALTA St.i.tCH. THIRD DETAIL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 853. MALTA St.i.tCH. FOURTH DETAIL.]

MALTA St.i.tCH (figs. 850, 851, 852, 853, 854).--This st.i.tch is much used by the Maltese; it is the same as the point tricot excepting that in the latter, the loops formed by the return of the thread are open and the st.i.tches packed very closely together, whereas in the Maltese work there is always one close loop and two open ta.s.sels.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 854. MALTA EMBROIDERY. MATERIALS: Coton a repriser D.M.C No. 25.[A] COLOURS: Jaune-vieil-Or 680, Vert-Mousse 469, Bleu-Indigo 311 and Rouge-Cornouille 449.[A]]

It is worked as follows: take a thick bunch of lengths of Coton a repriser D.M.C, pa.s.s it under two vertical threads of the stuff, from right to left, fig. 850, leaving an end, 1 or 2 c/m. long, lying on the surface of the work; put the needle in again under the two threads that are in front of the first st.i.tch and leave the ta.s.sel, formed by the first st.i.tch, above the one by which you bring the needle back between the two st.i.tches.

The needle must now follow the same course it took for the first st.i.tch and the thread must be drawn out far enough to form a loop as long as the ta.s.sel; you then repeat the second st.i.tch, carrying back the working thread however this time above the loop, after which you cut the two open ends the same length as the loop. In the Maltese work, three times as many threads have to be left between the ta.s.sels as are covered by the st.i.tch.

Thus if your st.i.tch cover 4 threads of the foundation, you should leave 12 threads between the ta.s.sels, and if it cover 6, you should leave an interval of 18 threads, that the stuff may always be visible between the little ta.s.sels or b.a.l.l.s.

Fig. 854 represents a portion of a curtain, embroidered on Flemish linen in the colours indicated at the foot of the engraving; these may be arranged according to the taste of the worker.

Malta embroidery is mostly done on coa.r.s.e coloured linen fabrics or on single thread canvas.

TRIANGULAR TURKISH St.i.tCH (figs. 855, 856, 857, 858, 859). Amongst the many pretty st.i.tches for which Turkish embroideries are distinguished, there is one in particular, which though apparently very difficult, is in reality quite the reverse; it resembles line st.i.tch upon straight threads, only that in the East it is generally worked in diagonal lines, each row requiring two journeys to and fro.

In the first, fig. 855, the needle must always be carried, first over, then under two threads in a diagonal line and so on to the end of the row.