Beeton's Book of Needlework

165.–Insertion

Materials: Linen; Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s embroidery cotton No. 16.

This strong and simple insertion is useful for petticoat trimmings. It is worked in button-hole stitch; the stems in overcast stitch; the circles can be filled up with lace stitches or with wheels, or the pattern may be worked upon Brussels net and the linen cut away.

166.–Embroidery Pattern for Ornamenting Needlebooks, Workbaskets, &c.

Materials: Coloured purse silk; silk or cashmere; glacé silk; gold beads.

This pattern is worked in French embroidery and point Russe, with coloured purse silk on silk or cashmere. The thimble, cotton, and ribbon are worked in appliqué with glacé silk. The colours are chosen according to personal taste. The thimble is ornamented with small gold beads. A bead is placed in the centre of each pair of scissors to imitate the screw.

167.–Embroidery Pattern for Ornamenting Needlebooks, &c.

Materials: Coloured purse silk; silk or cashmere; beads.

The shuttlecocks are worked in raised satin stitch; the feathers in point Russe; the battledores in very thickly raised double overcast; the interior is filled with a netting worked in chain stitch or dotted stitch; the flowers are worked in satin stitch and beads; the ribbon is embroidered in appliqué, with a contrasting shade of silk ribbon.

168 and 169.–Travelling Bag

Materials: 20 inches of Java canvas; single Berlin wool of 2 shades of a pretty green; 2 shades of bronze colour and white; floss silk–white, brown, and 2 shades of yellow; purse silk–black, yellow, cerise, blue, and grey; steel beads; brown silk fancy braid.

This pattern is of the ordinary shape of travelling-bags, but it is very prettily worked. Besides the engraving showing the bag when completed, the bouquet in the centre in full size is given. This bouquet is also worked upon the Java canvas. For each petal the white wool is passed several times from one stitch of the canvas to another till the required thickness is obtained, then 1 stitch is worked at the point with white silk. The centres are filled up in point d'or with 2 shades of yellow silk. The buds are made like the petals, but with 3 stitches of white silk at the point instead of 1. The leaves are worked in 2 shades of green wool with 1 stitch of brown silk in the centre; the stems are embroidered in overcast with light brown wool. The scroll-pattern border round the bouquet is made with brown fancy braid put on with steel beads.

The remaining space outside this border is worked in coloured purse silk. The 1st outline of the squares is worked in black silk, by inserting the needle in and out of the stitches of the canvas. When you have worked all the square thus, 12 stitches one from the other, work on either side, at one stitch's distance, the outlines of yellow silk, which are worked in back stitch, two strips of the Java canvas being covered by each stitch. Next to the inner yellow outline comes a border worked over two strips of the canvas, in slanting stitches; this border is alternately blue in one square and grey in the other. A star is embroidered in point Russe in the centre of each square; it is grey in the blue squares and blue in the grey; a steel bead is placed in the middle of each star. The small crosses between the squares are worked in cerise. The outer border of the work is composed of a piece of black soutache, edged with a tiny trefoil pattern in cerise silk. The front and back pieces of the bag are worked in the same manner. The side pieces are made of plain Java canvas. The embroidered part measures 14 inches in its widest part, and is 11 inches deep. The bag is lined with light brown silk, and made up with a steel clasp.

170.–Embroidery Trimming for Muslin Bodices.

Materials: Fine muslin; fine black silk; Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s embroidery cotton No. 24.

This pattern is very easily worked, and looks very nice for a trimming. It is worked on fine white muslin; the border is worked in button-hole stitch with white cotton; these scallops are covered with loose button-hole stitch in black silk. The feather-like branches are worked likewise in black silk in herringbone stitch. The white spots are worked in raised embroidery. The large oval openings through which a narrow ribbon velvet is drawn are worked round with button-hole stitches:

171, 172, and 173–Toilet Cushion Cover in White Embroidery.

This handsome embroidery pattern is to be worked on fine muslin; if lined with coloured silk or satin it is very effective. The patterns, which are covered white dots on illustration, are worked in point d'or; the outlines of these patterns are worked in fine double overcast. The flower-leaves and wings of birds, which appear raised on illustration on account of the dark shadows, are worked separately and sewn on at the corresponding places. No. 172 shows the wing of a bird, No. 173 a rose-leaf somewhat increased in size; the former is worked entirely in button-hole stitch, or trimmed with a ruche of coloured ribbon. This pattern may also be worked on glacé silk with purse silk.

174 and 175.–Glove Box.

Materials: 15 inches of French blue cashmere; silks of various colours. A shape in bamboo cane, painted brown and varnished.

The ornamentation of this box is both novel and tasteful. It is embroidered in coloured silks, upon light blue cashmere. Part of the embroidery pattern is given in full size. All the outlines are worked in overcast, the stitches being made rather long and slanting, and the small leaves are each composed of one stitch, as in point Russe. The leaves are alternately red and yellow upon a green stem; the scalloped outline which has no leaves is red. The pine patterns are worked in satin stitch–the centre one is green, edged with red; the side ones are pink, edged with red; the small wing-like figures are black, edged with maize; the diamond, maize, edged with black, with an outer rim of maize. In the round pattern the centre is pink; the edge red, with red and yellow leaves; the 3 outer circles are successively white, green, and red; at the top the centre branch is yellow, the leaves red and yellow, the side ones are green, with the leaves pink and green.

The strip of embroidered cashmere is lined with blue silk, slipped through the bamboo-canes of the mounting, and joined together at the side by a seam. The cover is lined with plain blue cashmere, upon which initials might be embroidered at discretion. The four corners are ornamented with pretty silk tassels, of colours to match with the embroidery. To fasten the box, sew on a blue ribbon to the cover, and one to the box.

176 and 177.–Hanging Letter Case.

Materials: Crimson velvet; white satin beads; gold soutache; and fine gold bouillon.

No. 176 shows the letter case when completed in a reduced size, No. 177 the principal part of the embroidered pattern in full size.

The letter case is composed of two parts. The larger part is 11 inches long, 8 inches wide; it is ornamented on the upper part with a pattern in gold soutache, and the word LETTERS or LETTRES embroidered in gold bouillon; underneath there is a pattern embroidered in oval white satin beads, edged round with fine white chenille; the scroll pattern is embroidered in gold bouillon.

The second part is placed over the lower part of the first, and forms the pocket which contains the letters. The centre flower is composed of 11 oval beads, edged round with white chenille; another white bead is placed in the centre, and edged with gold bouillon. The other flowers are also composed of white satin beads, edged with gold bouillon.

178.–Embroidered Edging.

Materials: Muslin; Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s embroidery cotton No. 24

This edging is worked in broderie Anglaise or overcast stitch; the edge in scallop button-hole stitch; the ovals and dots in raised satin stitch. The stems are worked in slanting overcast stitch (No. 122, Embroidery Instructions).

179.–Border in Oriental Embroidery.

Materials: Purse silk of the following shades:–dark red, bright red, 2 shades of green, 2 of blue, 2 of yellow violet.

The four ovals placed together are worked of four contrasting colours. These ovals are composed of two rows of chain stitch. The outer row of the first oval is dark red, and the inner one bright red. Following the same arrangement, the second oval is of two shades of green; the third of two shades of blue; and the fourth of two shades of yellow. The knotted stitch in the centre is violet. The dots outside the ovals are worked in satin stitch, and are alternately red, yellow, violet, and blue. The stems are long stitches of black silk. The arabesque patterns between those formed of four ovals are worked in chain stitch with silk of two shades of brown. The colours of the ovals may be varied as much as you please, but the brown shades of the arabesque patterns should remain the same for the whole of the border.

180 and 181.–Embroidery Stars.

Materials: Fine linen; Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s embroidery cotton No. 40.

These stars are designed for medallions, to be worked on linen collars and cuffs. No. 180 is worked in successive rows of back-stitching, round an open wheel; ladder stitch (see No. 81 (#x4_x_4_i27), Embroidery Instructions) is worked round this, and a raised scallop in button-hole stitch forms the edge.

No. 181 is worked in raised satin stitch; the interior of the star is filled with lace wheels.

182 and 183.–Key Bag.

Materials: Grey kid; grey silk; steel-coloured glacé silk; purse silk of 5 shades of blue-green, 4 shades of brown, and silver-grey, scarlet, and white; grey silk cord; grey glacé silk ribbon.

This bag is made of grey kid, and lined with grey silk. The embroidery imitates on one side a key formed of poppies, leaves, and stems, in the upper part of which sits an owl, "the bird of night." The poppies are worked with blue-green purse silk in 5 shades; the plumage of the owl is worked with brown silk of 4 shades in satin stitch, the colours blending one into the other, as can be clearly seen in illustration No. 182. The eyes of the owl are embroidered in scarlet and white silk. Illustration No. 183 shows the other side of the bag, which is ornamented with steel-coloured silk appliqué figures, in the form of a Gothic lock. They are edged with fine grey silk cord. The screws of the lock are imitated in satin stitch embroidery with silver-grey silk. After having lined each part, join the two halves of the bag with a border of grey glacé silk ribbon, which must, of course, continue round the revers. The bag is fastened by means of a loop and steel button.

184 and 185– Embroidery Patterns for Trimming Cravats, Bodices, Morning Caps, &c.

Materials: Muslin or cambric; Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s No. 24 for lingerie, No. 12 for couvrettes.

These patterns, worked on muslin or cambric, are suitable for trimming various articles of lingerie; joined on to other squares they make pretty covers. They can also be embroidered with coloured silk, wool, or thread, on cloth, rep, or cashmere, for trimming couvrettes and toilet pincushions. The patterns should be embroidered in satin stitch and edged with chain stitch; they can also be worked in button-hole stitch. When the pattern is worked on woollen material this material must be cut away inside the leaves and spots.

186 and 187.–Pen-Wiper in Cloth Appliqué.

Materials: 4 circles of black cloth; 1 large white, 4 small white, and 4 red circles of cloth; 4 white and 4 red stars of cloth; small black beads; gold and black purse silk; small ivory handle or figure.

This pretty little pen-wiper is covered with small circles of cloth. No. 187 is one of these circles seen in full size. There are 4 white and 4 red ones, and they are pinked out round the edge. In the centre of each red circle place a white, and in the centre of each white circle a red star, and work a cross over it with small round black beads. The border, in herring-bone stitch, is worked with gold-coloured purse silk on the red, and with black on the white cloth. The centre of the pen-wiper is covered with a circle of white cloth larger than the side ones, worked in point Russe and point Mexico in black silk. When all the circles are prepared, sew them neatly on to a round piece of red cloth, placing alternately 1 white and 1 red, so as to overlap one another, and between each a circle of black cloth, also pinked out round the edge. The work is then fastened upon a round of cardboard lined with black glazed calico, and a small handle of carved ivory, or an ivory figure, is fixed in the centre. The circles of black cloth are used to wipe the pens.

188.–Insertion.

Materials: Fine muslin; Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.'s embroidery cotton No. 30.

The flowers of this insertion are embroidered in raised satin stitch round an open eyelet hole, worked in overcast stitch the stars are worked in point Russe stitch; the four eyelet holes which surround each flower, in overcast stitch; and the edge is finished with a row of hem-stitching on each side.

189.–Insertion.