Artistic embroidery

This beautiful work has been practised from the earliest times; and the ancient Egyptians particularly excelled in it. Much of this was done on linen—to which we shall refer afterward. The very sails of their galleys were embroidered; and their “divers colors of needlework on both sides” seems to mean that it was done so that the work was the same on the wrong side as on the right—a method of working that requires an immense amount of skill and patience, and which is now found only among those eminently painstaking races, the Chinese, Japanese, and Hindoos.

Silk embroidery is done on almost any material except cotton and coarse linen; but silk and velvet seem the most suitable fabrics for groundwork. If well done, it is handsome on anything; and as it is an expensive kind of needlework, great care should be taken in doing it. As a general thing it requires framing, and especially when floss-silk is used. Frames are of various kinds; the best for large pieces of work being the standing frame (see Figure 14), which has adjustable screws, and can be lowered or heightened at pleasure.

The hand or lap frame (Figure 15) is more convenient in embroidering smaller articles.

In putting work into the frame, a strip of strong tape or linen should be stitched along the woof ends of the material—which must then be firmly sewed with strong double thread to the webbing on the frame. It should be made as tight and firm as possible; the strain being increased gradually and cautiously until the tension appears to be sufficient. The woof ends should be braced to the side pieces with fine twine. A packing-needle threaded with twine must be drawn through the upper right-hand corner of the tape or linen, and the end securely tied. The twine must be sewn over the lath till the lower corner is reached, knotted securely, and cut off; the other side must then be done in the same manner.

When the material is larger than the frame, it may be sewed on to the bars and rolled round one of them, with tissue paper and wadding between to prevent the stuff from creasing; and when the part in the frame is finished, it is rolled round the opposite bar, and so on, until the whole is completed. The centre ring, marked 1, is a hand frame used for small pieces of embroidery.

In working with a frame it is desirable to use both hands—one to put the needle through from the outside, and the other to bring it up again from beneath. This will be slow work at first; but practice and patience will enable one to do it quite dextrously, and the great convenience of working in this way will fully repay the trouble of learning it. Two thimbles will be necessary, one for each hand.

THE STITCH FOR SILK EMBROIDERY

is the same as for crewel-work, except that it is shorter. Other stitches are often introduced, which will be noticed in their place; but the proper stitch for shaded embroidery, the most attractive of this fascinating work, is to draw the needle upward from the right and finish by putting it down to the left. The right hand should always be above the frame, and the left beneath—making the stitches as long as the work will admit of their being, as the brilliancy of the silk is destroyed by crowded and short stitches.

Silk embroidery is both dainty and effective; and as the materials are expensive, great care should be used in doing the work, that it may not only give satisfaction at first, but prove sufficiently durable to repay the outlay of time and money. It is best to avoid touching the silk by drawing it through the fingers while working.

Anything like a regular embroidery stitch is to be avoided, except in those portions of the work where it is necessary; as the most charming effects are usually produced where there seems to have been the greatest indifference to mechanical regularity.

When the work has been properly arranged in the frame, the first step in artistic embroidery is to observe the position of the flowers and leaves—taking it for granted that the outlines have been properly traced—and if the model is of natural blossoms, so much the better. It is particularly advisable, before beginning the embroidery, to study the lights and shades; the edges and rounder parts, both of the leaves and petals of flowers, as they embrace more surface, naturally receive the light first and are worked with the palest tints.

In a group of flowers (see Figure 16) it is recommended to begin with the smaller parts, such as the stems, buds, and leaves; and great care should be taken to have every portion clearly outlined—although a visible outline should be avoided in filled-in work. Again, the careful blending of shades mentioned in crewel-work must be enforced—the stitches being so nicely placed to produce the right effect, that their beginning and ending are quite lost.

GROUP OF FLOWERS FOR SILK EMBROIDERY.

The stems of slender flowers should always be done in stalk-stitch, as they can be made more neatly and with less trouble than in satin-stitch. The centres are worked in French knot stitch. This is a pretty pattern for a variety of small articles: glove-box, letter-box, pincushion, case, etc. Or it may be enlarged for a footstool, sofa-cushion, or chair-seat.

In working leaves, one half should be done first; and great care taken to follow the direction of the fibres. Figure 17 shows the direction the lines would take if we were shading the leaf in drawing. In working a pansy the stitches should take the direction of the lines in Figure 18; and not cross the petals, as in Figure 19. Figure 20 shows the proper filling up of a thick stalk.

For narrow leaves, where one stitch will reach from the middle to the edge, it is best to pass the thread from the edge underneath to the middle—as this makes each stitch begin in the middle, and the under side is nearly the same as the upper. A broad leaf or petal requires more than one stitch between the middle and the edge; and for these, the needle may be brought up again wherever the next stitch seems to be wanted. But two together should not begin nor end on the same line—except on the outside edge to preserve the outline, or in showing the middle rib.

Unless the embroidery is very large and bold, the line formed by the meeting of the stitches down the middle of a leaf, as in Figure 21, will sufficiently mark the mid-rib. If in the real leaf it is very deep and plainly defined, a very narrow space between the two lines, tapering till the threads meet again near the point, will generally be sufficient. See Figure 22. Lateral veins need not usually be indicated at all; but if they are very marked, and of a different color from the leaf itself, they may be laid on by a cord or a piece of thick silk twist—fastening it down with small stitches in silk of the same color. This must only be done in large and rather coarse work.

Another important point is the distinct bringing out of the different characters of the stalks. The three examples given (Figures 23, 24 and 25) will show how the different joinings vary, and that care must be taken to make these distinctions, as well as to finish them off properly. It has been well said that the difference between mechanical and artistic embroidery consists in showing judgment and finish in all these small matters.

Other stitches used in silk embroidery, besides the one known distinctively as embroidery-stitch, are satin-stitch, French-knot-stitch, stalk-stitch, point-russe, herring-bone or feather-stitch, ladder-stitch, chain-stitch, etc.

Satin-stitch is used a great deal in white embroidery, and many persons are familiar with it who have never attempted to work in colors. It is also called

FRENCH, OR FLAT EMBROIDERY.

The stitches lie smoothly in a diagonal direction close to each other—little or no attention to light or shade being necessary. It may be done very effectively in one color, and is then often enriched by gold or silver cord around the edges.

It looks best worked with Mitorse silk—which is also the most durable, as it does not fray in the wear nor so quickly lose its glossy appearance as when done with floss or Dacca silk. This work is suitable for articles of furniture and dress, as well as for small ornamental work. Figure 26 is a good illustration of flat embroidery in a pretty border pattern, which may be edged with gold thread or with silk of another color.

BORDER IN FLAT EMBROIDERY.

THE FRENCH KNOT.

This is very useful for the centres of such flowers as the daisy and sunflower, and for filling up leaves in a showy manner. It is made by bringing the thread through to the front of the work, and holding it in the left hand, four or five inches from the work—the needle being in the right hand; the thread is twisted two or three times around the needle as close to the work as possible; then the point is turned down into the material nearly, but not exactly, where the thread came up; the needle is pulled through to the other side, and the thread drawn carefully till the knot is firm. The thread must be drawn round the needle close up to the work before the needle is pulled quite through, lest the knot should hang loose and spoil the effect.

STALK-STITCH

Is very easily and quickly done. In veining leaves and working small stems, it is more manageable than any other stitch; and it is formed by making a straight stitch rather more than a sixteenth of an inch in length—then for the next stitch, putting the needle about half-way back into the first one and working it the same length. This is so quickly done, that there is danger of doing it carelessly; but if properly worked, it resembles a finely-twisted cord, and gives a very neat finish to the embroidery.

POINT-RUSSE.

This is a stitch frequently mentioned in new embroidery; but the modus operandi does not seem to be so well known as that of many others. Possibly because of its very simplicity—for Point-Russe is merely a succession of back-stitches neatly and regularly done. It is used for many small articles; and is a useful adjunct in more artistic work.

The illustration in Figure 27 shows the effect, and the uses to which it can be put. Every line of the design must be carefully followed in working it; and very pretty borderings and ornamental figures in long stitches are often made with it. Medallions are very pretty in Point-Russe; and we give one in Figure 28 that is worked entirely in this stitch, and made very effective in scarlet and gold. This is intended for a purse, and is worked on light brown leather or kid.

Figure 30 is also very pretty, and may be worked in one or more colors.

Figure 31 is a border pattern that is very effective. The diamonds are outlined in black and white, and the leaflets within are of green silk. The stars are outlined in black and blue, the crossings are red, and the dots yellow. The figure between the stars is black and yellow.

HERRING-BONE, OR FEATHER STITCH.

This is an old-fashioned embroidery stitch revived, which is always effective.

In ancient times, fine pieces of linen were embroidered all over with flower designs in outline, with here and there a portion filled in, and the stems worked in a close herring-bone stitch to give them strength and substance. Sometimes the whole design would be worked in this stitch, done so closely as to have the appearance of braid.

Some of this filled-in work was done in a peculiar manner from side to side. An oval leaf to be filled would be begun at the base with a few satin stitches, then when a point was reached where it was wide enough, instead of passing the thread all the way underneath to the opposite side, about one-third of the width of the leaf is taken up in the needle, and the next stitch is done in the same way on the opposite side of the leaf—working from side to side until the leaf becomes too narrow again, when it is finished with a few satin stitches.

This stitch throws all the silk to the top; and the crossing of the threads in the middle of the leaf has a very rich and soft effect—giving also the appearance of a vein.

Feather-stitch seems too well known to need description; and there is a great variety of it, from the simplest “herring-bone,” to the prettiest feather-like vine; and it has the advantage of being very easily and quickly done.

It is merely button-hole stitch, in alternate loops and long stitches, sewed backwards. A design may be drawn first, if needed, to make the work regular; but with one straight pencil line as a guide, if the eye is not very correct, almost any one who can use a needle will be able to do feather-stitch.

This stitch is very much used in appliqué work; and it makes pretty dividing lines in ornamenting large articles.

We lately saw a table-cover worked entirely in feather-stitch, that had quite an Oriental appearance. The ground was black cloth; and all colors of worsted braid, of different widths, were sewed on with this stitch—being placed around an oblong piece in the centre, and in strips across to the edge for the border.

CHAIN-STITCH.

Another well-known and simple embroidery-stitch; and more beautiful effects may be produced with it than are known to the philosophy of the ordinary worker.

Chain-stitch is sometimes used for filled-in embroidery; the lines of the chain being laid very close together, and following the form of the leaf or flower until the space is filled. It should always be commenced on the outside, and worked to the centre.

Some very rich kinds of Algerian and Eastern work, often embroidered entirely with gold thread, and generally with a mixture of this with silk, are done altogether in chain-stitch. It is often found, too, in ancient crewel-work; and is made by holding the thread firmly over the point of the needle, while it is drawn out, so as to form a loop. The needle is put back again into the centre of this loop; and the thread again passed over the point to form a second one—and so on, the succession of loops forming the chain.

The objection to this stitch is that it has a mechanical effect, and can be exactly imitated with the sewing-machine. The long embroidery-stitch is much more elastic and natural-looking, and able to accommodate itself better to varying forms. Chain-stitch is useful, however, for outline-work, and wherever a stronger line is required than that made by the long stitch.

Curtains, table-covers, portières, etc., are handsomely embroidered in chain-stitch; and Figure 31 gives a very rich bordering pattern for this purpose. Turkish embroidery is nearly always done in chain-stitch; and covers for small tables, with a light blue or scarlet ground, worked all over in chain-stitch arabesques with bright silks, make a pretty “bit of color” for a shaded corner.

Another effective way of working a table-cover in chain-stitch is to get black, red, and white cloth or flannel; the black for the centre, the red next to the black, and the white for the border—and joining them by lapping the edge of one a very little way over the other, proceed to chain-stitch the whole with various colored silks.

The effect is very handsome; and the bordering may differ from the other part by being done in loose overcast stitch over straight pieces of zephyr, and finished with little tassels of the bright silks.

Figure 32 is a very pretty Oriental-looking pattern suitable for a bordering, or it can be used in other ways. The figures placed together are worked in chain-stitch with silk of two contrasting colors—two shades being used in each figure. The outer row of the first is dark-red, and the inner one bright-red. The second figure 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 of the ovals is violet. The dots outside the ovals are worked in satin-stitch, and are alternately red, yellow, violet, and blue. The stems are of black silk in point-russe stitches. The four ovals are worked in chain-stitch with silk of two shades of brown.

LADDER-STITCH.

This is sometimes quite effective in ornamental embroidery. Figures 33 and 34 give two different patterns. The material is partly cut away in these illustrations, and in some kinds of work this is a great improvement. Ladder-stitch makes very pretty border lines—the outer edges being done in overcast, and the cross-stitches in point-russe.

Exquisite pieces of work have been wrought in silk embroidery from time immemorial; and there is scarcely a material to which it may not be applied. A fragment of old embroidery, worked more than a century ago, is represented as a good subject for study in the way of coloring.

This fragment is about eight inches deep, intended for bordering, and is worked on white satin. The material is ravelled out in a fringe at the bottom; then comes a line about an eighth of an inch wide in dark red floss—then a row of disks shaded in a dark and a light green; above these and touching one another are two broader lines of red, one the same color as the first, the other paler; then there is a representation of moss worked in chenille of three shades of green—and from this mossy ground spring roses, carnations, forget-me-nots, and leafy sprays. This part is treated quite decoratively; and no attempt is made to preserve the natural proportions of the flowers in relation to each other, or to their stems and leaves.

In the sprays, one or two leaves are of peach-blossom color. Above this row of flowers are branches in festoons; of which the stems are olive-brown, the leaves shaded, or rather, party-colored, with peach-blossom inclining to pink, olive-brown, and two or three shades of green. It will be seen that nature is no more strictly adhered to in color than in form.

Over these branches is a pattern in two shades of peach-blossom, mingled with a very little blue. Except the moss, the embroidery is all done in floss silk split very fine. Seen by artificial light, this beautiful piece of work has the brilliancy of cut and polished gems; while the general effect of color is extremely rich and sweet, and would harmonize with almost any surroundings.

A beautiful way of treating the ground color, particularly if it be one that seems to attract too much attention to itself, is by working a small diaper pattern all over it in a darker shade of the same color—this gives depth and richness to the whole. A network of dead gold may be imitated in silk of the right shade.

Dark, brownish greens, deep, dull blues, and rich maroons, make good grounds; but black is best for a brilliant effect. The ground must be decidedly dark, or decidedly light—no half-way shades being allowable, as it is far more important for the colors of the work to contrast strongly with the ground than with each other.

CHINESE EMBROIDERY.

The French and Chinese excel in silk embroidery; and the painstaking double work done in China is well known. The great care with which the Chinese embroider preserves their materials bright and shining. These materials are floss and twisted silks—also the bark of a tree spun into a fine thread. Flat lines of gold also glitter among the silks, and are used as stems and connecting links.

The drawing of these embroideries is sometimes as uncouth as that of their paintings; but in some of their flowers (probably copied from nature) they are often even botanically correct. The iris, for instance, which frequently appears in their designs, is very true to nature; and so is the time-honored stork. The iris, Figure 35, is a good flower for embroidery; and may be made as effective in borders as the sunflower.

The modern art of embroidery in China is thus graphically described by a traveller:

“For 22 cash, or tseen, I purchased an elegant book filled with choice subjects of the graphic art as patterns for the use of the young needlewoman. She is assumed to be poor, and hence the little manual is printed at about one penny of our money. It has a cover of a fair yellow, studded with spangles of gold; and contains between two and three hundred figures culled from the various stores of nature and art.

“In fact, the objects are so well-selected and so numerous, that they might serve as illustrations to a small encyclopædia. One acquainted with Chinese literature and natural history might deliver several lectures with this book before him. The meadow, the grove, the brook, the antiquary’s museum, and the pages of mythology, with the adornments of the house and garden, are all laid under contribution.

“The book is said to be for the use of the person who belongs to the green window—which is an epithet for the dwelling of a poor woman; while the red gallery denotes the residence of a rich female. The industrious poor plies her task near the green lattice, which is made of earthenware and lets in both the light and the breath of heaven; while the rich dame leans upon the vermeil-tinted balusters of the gaudy veranda, and gazes carelessly at the sunbeams as they sparkle among the flowers, or waves the soft breeze which agitates the green roof of the Indian fig-tree.

“The title-page presents us with a venerable man in the weeds of office, holding in his hand a scroll with this motto: ‘Heaven’s Magistrate confers wealth.’ Over his head are bats disporting among the clouds; the emblems, I suppose, of wakefulness—for these animals are on the alert while men sleep.

“I once saw two girls at this work in the village of Mongha. They were seated upon a low stool, and extended their legs across another of twice the height of their seat. In this way, a support was provided for the frame on which the piece to be embroidered was spread forth. Their faces wore a sickly hue; which was owing, perhaps, to close confinement and the unnatural position in which they were obliged to sit.

“The finest specimens of embroidery are, so far as my observation goes, done by men, who stand while at work—a practice which these damsels could not imitate, as their feet were small. They were poor, but too genteel, in their parents’ idea, to do the drudgery of the humble housewife; and so their feet were bandaged and kept from growing beyond the limits of gentility. Their looks were not likely soon to attract a lover; and hence they were compelled to tease the sampler from the glistening dawn till dewy eve.”

Chinese embroidery is particularly rich and effective for screens, with its clear outlines, its gorgeous flowers, and showy birds and butterflies. It bears the closest scrutiny—each stitch, even the hair lines, seems to be placed just in the right spot; and appliqué is often brought in so successfully, that it looks as if woven in the material. The vivid clusters of crêpe flowers are beautiful; and the judicious introduction of gold thread here and there gives a marvellous richness to the whole work.

Very fine floss-silk is the most common material used, and the embroidery is done in long irregular stitches. Silk and satin are generally used for the foundation; but whether the color is vivid blue, bright scarlet, or pale gold, the effect seems to be equally good.

The apparent carelessness of this work is one of its great attractions; the bold, free outlines seem easy of imitation; and a study of the cheap Chinese and Japanese fans will be found very suggestive in the way of design and coloring. A simple design on one of these fans has an intensely blue sky at the upper edge—a white moon in its first quarter at the upper right-hand corner—while at the left-hand lower one, a small bunch of intensely pink flowers send a warm glow over the whole. The effect is extremely pretty.

Japanese embroidery, although similar in style and design, seems finer and more dainty than the Chinese; and yet it is said that their best specimens of work are kept for home decoration. The finest of these are the cloths used as covers for the presents given by persons paying visits of ceremony; these cloths are not given with the presents they cover, but are family heirlooms. Really good Japanese work is said to be rarely seen elsewhere.

The pieces of embroidery which are done purposely for a foreign market are often very handsome; but they do not compare with those which are executed for their own critical eyes. White birds, usually storks, on a black satin ground, from which they stand out so clearly that they seem in the very act of flying, are the most common subject. Some rare pieces are occasionally seen in which the work is exquisite; in one, the ground will be a deep, soft blue satin, like the sky of a summer night; while the leading colors of the embroidery are gold, pale blue, and white.

In another piece, the ground is of scarlet moreen, of a sufficiently bright yellow scarlet to harmonize with the gold that forms the principal color in the embroidery. The subject is a long flight of storks; not less than eighty of them are flying upwards in a zigzag line—the angles of which are very carefully studied from the bottom to the top of the picture.

Most of these storks are embroidered in white silk, the direction of the stitches giving much of their form; they are pricked out with black, and there is a little pale pink or pale yellow-green in their beaks and legs. About a quarter of them are worked all in gold—representing the birds in shadow, or seen against the light; and these have little or no detail. Each bird is distinct, separately drawn, and having his own expression, mode of flight, and position in the line.

The rest of the space is filled by horizontal bars of gold of varying widths, and groups of fan-stitches also in gold; these seem to indicate the flat sunset clouds and the tops of the distant trees passed over by the storks in their flight.

Both in Japanese and Chinese work, the subjects are sometimes partly painted and partly embroidered; and the two are so happily blended, that it is difficult, at a little distance, to see where one kind of work stops and the other begins.

In imitating this kind of embroidery for small articles, unmeaning kinds of lines in the way of reeds and grasses, as in Figure 36, have a particularly characteristic look. Small fans may also be introduced to advantage; and Figure 37 would admit of a small bird and bough at the top on a gold-colored ground, with brown lines for sticks; while Figure 38 might have a top of pink floss or embroidery silk with black lines at the bottom. These fans may be very much varied, and can be made extremely ornamental. Figure 39 is a still different shape.

A full-sized fan with small ones embroidered over it would be a pretty conceit; or to introduce them in connection with flowers, butterflies, and other emblems of summer.

It must be borne in mind that this kind of work is never over-loaded—a few grasses, a butterfly, and a flower, often sufficing for a good-sized object.