4. decorative

The decoration applied to school needlework must necessarily be of an elementary kind, since both time and ability are required for the pro­duction of elaborate embroideries; which, more over, would be out of place on the somewhat simple articles made in school. To teach chil­dren the elements of good decoration, however, is to put them on the right lines for independent work in the future. As far as possible, the decoration of very plain articles should not be something added to the already finished work, but should form part of the construction, and should add to the strength as well as to the beauty of the thing made.

COLOR

Decoration which produces an effect by means of color may be very simple both in form and stitchery, while white embroidery, or that in which the needlework is of the same tone as the background, depends for its interest on the arrangement of the pattern and the variety and beauty of the stitches used. The very elementary sewing produced by beginners may therefore be quite beautiful and effective if the colors are well chosen and the work regularly done.

As far as possible, children should be allowed to select the colors which appeal to them, but if a free selection produces very bad results, they might select from pairs or groups of colors already arranged by the teacher. (Two colors to be used together would be quite sufficient to begin with.) As their taste improves, their choice should be widened and the number of colors used together increased, so that they may be led to discover that the success of any mixture of colors depends less on the actual colors used than on the quantity of each color, and its nearness to some other color. The rainbow is the example of perfect color blending, and although we cannot produce rainbows on cloth with a needle and thread, even if this were desirable, still a study of the rainbow helps to explain some of the possibilities of the use of color.

Tacking, the first stitch learned, lends itself admirably to experiments in color effects. For example, the pupil will discover the difference in effectiveness between two colors placed widely apart, and the same two colors sewn so closely that they blend together; and also the varying values of any one color according to the shades with which it is surrounded. It is usually best to lay the foundation line of tacking in a strong, dark, or quiet color, such as green, brown, or dark blue, building up the pattern with- the lighter or more vivid colors—say violet, yellow, orange, or pink. If a color is very brilliant, very small quantities of it will suffice, while a pale color may be used in large quantity lest it become lost in the background. The eye should be guided along the pattern by the strong colors.

It is more difficult to arrange color on a colored background than on a neutral one, so unbleached cotton, which is the chief, though not the sole, material used by children at first, is an excellent medium for first attempts at color blending. The advanced worker, on seeing a certain background to be worked upon, sees also in imagination the colors which will be effective on it. Grey suggests pink, green suggests yellow or purple, and so on. Even the precise shades necessary can be imagined. The inexperienced child, or anyone with an undeveloped color sense, needs to see the actual colors spread on the background. It is a good plan to spread out not only the colors likely to suit, but a mass of miscellaneous colors, on the cloth to be sewn, and then proceed to lift away those that are not pleasing. Unexpected harmonies of color will often be discovered among those that remain, and a delightful departure made from the ordi­narily accepted associations and blends of color.

It is to be expected that the choice of children will fall upon those colors which are bright and gay, while a worker of longer experience is more likely to choose from the softer and quieter tints, which can be enlivened with spots of brilliance. Some children, however, will always prefer the quieter colors. To guide the worker in the choice of color, reference should be made to the color schemes of good pieces of work or of pictures, but especially to nature's color schemes, the various greens and yellows of the daffodil, crocus, and primrose; the green, pink, and blue, with a touch of yellow, of the forget-me-not; the dark green and purple of the clematis, &c.

The colors of birds and animals should also be studied, and may be suggested, though they cannot be reproduced, in needlework.

QUALITY OF MATERIALS

The effectiveness of a piece of work may be greatly enhanced or lowered according to the thread selected for use on the material chosen. In this, as in other matters, there must be a true sense of proportion. For a rich material, a rich thread is desirable, else the work looks poor. On the other hand, a rich thread is out of place on a coarse material, and has the effect merely of cheapening the material itself.

The plainest materials will serve very well for school work, and pupils may never really need to use any but cotton threads; but, that they may learn the values of materials and threads, it is well that they should have some variety. The threads they have to choose among are silk, flax, cotton, wool, and artificial silk (i.e. wood-pulp). Silk threads should be used only on silk or materials of very superior make.

Cotton materials of every kind are best sewn with cotton threads, of which there are many varieties, heavy and light, bright and dull. It is possible, therefore, to get any desired effect with­out the use of any other make of thread.

On linen, flax thread is appropriate, but other threads may also be used effectively, the choice depending on the weight and quality of the linen and the use to which the finished article is to be put.

If the work will have to undergo frequent washing, cotton or flax thread would be the best choice. Silk would only be used on superior qualities of linen, while on coarser linens (where a brilliant effect is desirable) artificial silk may be used instead of silk. Wool is sometimes em­ployed on linens of a rather open, coarse make.

Woolen materials may be sewn with a variety of threads, cotton for the thinner and poorer qualities, silk, for the better makes, while silk, wool, and artificial silk are all used on dress materials, according to their quality.

Much depends on the use to be made of the finished work. A fine thread means close work and many stitches, and is therefore appropriate to work that will be viewed at close range and made of fine materials, for example, handkerchiefs, doyleys, tray cloths. Other pieces of work, such as cushions, curtains, &c, should be sewn with heavy thread, so that the work may prove effective at some distance. In dress, under­clothing lends itself well to fine and dainty work, while much heavier work is appropriate to upper garments, unless they are made of muslin or such thin stuff. The tendency of the present day is to decorate clothes with patterns that will be quickly worked and effective at a rapid glance. Clothes are not made to last for a very long time; it is therefore not worth while to spend a great many hours on their adornment. Elaborate embroideries are appropriate for things that are likely to endure.

DECORATIVE VALUE OF SIMPLE STITCHES

Most of the stitches used in plain needlework can be very well used in embroidery, so that the stitches learnt for construction are quite sufficient also for decoration, until the pupils have a good grasp of elementary sewing and require new stitches to increase the interest and variety of their work. Then new stitches may be frequently introduced. Nothing rouses so much interest in girls who are struggling with the monotony of large pieces of work as the learning of a new stitch for decoration.

Little children, to whom decoration is far more important than neatness or thoroughness, have almost boundless possibilities of decoration offered them in the tacking or running stitch. When the teacher has shown a few typical patterns, children will be eager to sew these and to attempt others of their own designing. With a pencil and paper many patterns may be

planned out, and the best chosen for working. Pattern-making by tacking stitches has this advantage for children, that no preliminary drawing or marking on the cloth is necessary, but the pattern appears as a direct result of the sewing. The colored thread used in sewing adds greatly to the beauty of these very simple patterns. Even a double row of tacking in a harmonizing or contrasting color may be quite decorative, while by adding to the number of rows, and by varying the length and relative position of the stitches, many patterns may be produced (fig. 1).

By the addition of upright and sloping stitches to the horizontal stitches, an endless number of patterns can be obtained (figs. 2 and 3, and Plate II). Strictly speaking, however, many of these patterns are not produced merely by tacking stitches, but need new and sometimes awkward positions of the hand in working. Such designs are quite acceptable if they spring (with a little trouble) in the same form on both sides of the cloth, if a horizontal position of the needle at every stitch is not insisted on.

The next pattern (fig. 5) requires a sloping stitch to be made, but it has practically the same

from the inventive faculty of the pupil, but the teacher would suggest to the beginner only such variations as are typical and capable of being executed in a straightforward manner. For example, the four designs in fig. 4 can all be sewn by mere tacking stitches, although they contain upright and sloping lines.

It is true that (a) and (c) may be produced slope as a hemming stitch, and it is therefore useful for accustoming the pupil's hand to this new and difficult stitch before it is to be worked upon a hem. The same pattern with the slope reversed is no doubt equally pretty, but the slope of the needle required in order to make the stitch is more awkward and much less necessary in sewing. The patterns (a), (b), and (d) in fig. 4 may also be worked so as to give practice in the hemming position, but the slope of the needle is more variable in (b) and (d).

It may also be necessary to take into account the appearance of the work on both sides. Long threads dragging from point to point on the wrong side are unsightly and insecure, and such stitches are probably too long for a child's small hand to work well. In advanced work, when very long stitches are necessary, they can often be slipped between the folds. Many patterns, how­ever, can be worked out in different ways, and the me­thod which gives the most seemly appearance to the under side is the one to be preferred, especially in any piece of work where both sides may be visible.

Small tacking stitches become running, with which finer and closer patterns of the same kind can be made. Running is very useful as a stitch for outlining a pattern, say, of flowers, animals, birds, &c, or even a geo­metrical pat­tern.

Darning is another variety of the tacking stitch, suited to the filling in of
comparatively large spaces. It may be worked over a back- Fig, i ground in order to make the main portion of the pattern stand out in relief (fig. 6), or it may be used in the pattern itself to spread a thin layer of colour over certain portions (fig. 7). The sort of plain darning used for repairing is used in this way. Twill and other elaborate forms of darning form so much pattern in themselves that they are used to decorate a space rather than to act as the background to a more important pattern.

The double darning used in mending a hole may also be used  decoratively, but in a different way, as it is much heavier. It may be used to fill in any simple geometrical form (see circle in fig.. 7), and since the weaving of the darn in different directions may be worked in different colours, the closeness with which the colours are blended produces a shot effect. In Plate VIII, this sort of darning appears as bars for the cord to pass through.

Satin stitch is really a form of tacking, and is very familiar as a means of covering a space solidly and smoothly. It is best worked over rather narrow spaces; when a wide space has to be covered, the satin stitch is worked in sections, e.g. in the sew­ing of a leaf or petal the two halves are worked separately, the break in the satin stitch indicating a vein or fold (fig. 8).

To obtain a firm and massive effect with satin stitch, the space to be worked over should first be padded with running or loosely-worked chain simplicity. It is best to reserve it for occasions where it is quite necessary, and to substitute lighter and speedier stitches whenever possible.

stitches. Satin stitch requires to be worked with great care in order to produce the really smooth effect which its name indicates: it is therefore rather slowly worked in spite of its extreme For outlining, many stitches are available (fig. 9). Running is the lightest possible stitch, indicating a line rather than making it obvious. Stitching is useful where a thin but complete line is desirable. Stem or crewel stitching forms a slightly heavier outline, but still a smooth one. Chain stitching gives a very solid outline, and should not be used in large quantity unless a

massive effect is desired. Twisted-chain stitch forms an equally heavy line, but is relieved from stiffness by the twist. Snail-trail, although similar in formation to twisted-chain, is much lighter, and forms a broken line. It is quickly worked and very useful where all appearance of solidity is to be avoided. Feather stitching shows an even more broken line than snail-trail. All the varieties of chain and feather stitching are of the utmost value in embroidery.

A very long chain It looks slipshod, and its threads are apt to be caught and pulled out of position.

Blanket stitch is usually employed for edging a piece of work, and may be heavy or light in appearance according to the spacing of the stitches (Plates II and XIX). Where a close stitch is necessary for firmness, a heavy appearance may be avoided by varying the length of the stitch (fig. 16), so forming a broken or wavy line, either at the inner or at the outer edge. This is the reason for the popularity of scalloping.

Besides being used as an outline stitch, chain stitch may be sewn in single stitches or in groups (Plate II, p. 20). Single chain stitches may be sewn at regular intervals to form a powdering over a definite space (fig. 13), or to give variety to patterns formed with other stitches (fig. 23). A similar stitch, in which the needle is not in­serted exactly where it came out last, but at a little distance away (horizontally), making a Y stitch, is also much used (fig. 22).

Groups of chain stitches may be placed along borders formed with other stitches (fig. 11) or may be made to represent leaves or flowers of small di­mensions (figs. 10 and 12). stitch is not desirable.

If the edge of the material is waved instead of being scalloped, the stitches may be of the same

length throughout. This forms a pleasant change from the somewhat overworked scallop pattern,  but is not quite so easy to sew well. Blanket stitch, closely worked, is the best stitch for sewing down appliqué patches.

Besides being worked over an edge of ma­terial, blanket stitch is used in other positions, but generally with the aim of giving a smooth, firm border to some piece of pattern (figs. 13, 15, 21, 24). Examples are shown on Plates II and XIX of variations in blanket stitch, and of the stitch used in combination with other stitches. Blanket stitch may be so worked as to direct attention, not to its looped edge, but to its separate stitches (figs. 9 i, 14). Worked with its twist in­wards, it may be used to give the effect of a prickly leaf like holly, or a flower with rays. Two rows worked with their looped edges next each other will suggest a thorny stem.

More than one color may be used by spacing out the first line of blanket stitch and then

working into the spaces with thread of a different color.

Buttonhole stitch may be used in the same way as blanket stitch, and its firmer knot will give a richer effect to the work, especially when worked over an edge. Blanket stitch, however, has a smoother and lighter appearance.

A seam may be made quite decorative by the use of top-sewing, blanket stitch, or buttonhole stitch. If the seam need not be flattened out, as may happen at the edges of a bag, top-sewing may be used, provided the edges are already neatened by hems. The top-sewing should be allowed to bite rather deeply into the cloth. For variety, the sewing may consist of long and short stitches alternately (fig. 170). Extra strength as well as extra color may be added by working a second row of top-sewing in another color and in the opposite direction from the first (fig. 17*). If the edges are not already neatened, but left raw so as to avoid thickness, blanket stitch or buttonhole stitch should be worked closely instead of top-sewing. When the seam requires to be smoothly flattened out, the blanket stitching must take a very small hold of the material and be loosely worked, or each separate edge may be blanket stitched and then connected by another row of blanket stitching or of top-sewing worked into the twist. Top-sewing, closely worked, is the only stitch required in eyelet-hole embroidery.

Herring-boning is very valuable as a decorative stitch. Besides being beautiful in its ordinary form, it admits of a good deal of vari­ation and com­bination with other stitches. It may be used as a filling for narrow spaces, such as leaves, being worked as closely as possible (fig. 18). It is lighter and more economical, both of time and of thread, than satin stitch. If used to fill wide spaces, it is best to work it rather more widely apart, and catch it down at the crossing points by running stitches in another color (fig. 19).

This adds a little to the prevents pattern, and straggling appearance. Herring-boning may also be worked widely spaced, and a second

Many good effects may be produced by mere interlacing stitches, i.e. threads passed over and

row worked over it into the spaces with another colour of thread. The second set of stitches may be interlaced with the first (fig. 20).

Herring-boning may be combined with blanket and other stitches to form borders. Two rows of blanket stitch may have herring-bone stitches interlaced with them (fig. 21), or two rows of herring-bone stitches may be connected by some other stitch or stitches (fig. 22). In shadow embroidery, it is herring-bone stitch closely worked on the wrong side of a very transparent muslin that throws up the pattern, the outline appearing on the right side being merely the re­verse side of the stitches lifted in herring-boning.

under the stitches only, not through the material. These may be used with almost any variety of stitch, and serve to introduce more color, pattern, or weight into the sewing. The simplest arrangement is shown in twisted run ning stitch (figs. 4 and 5, p. 14), and other stitches than running may have a similar interlacing. More elaborate effects can be obtained by con­necting two rows of stitches by interlacing (figs. 21, 23), especially if a stitch like herring-boning is used to interlace with. Fig. 14 shows three rows of threads interlacing each other.

Fig. 24

Variations of herring-boning and chain stitch­ ing are useful for filing in spaces, especially leaf forms or oval spaces. In fish­bone stitch (fig. 24), the herring­bone stitches are placed one below the other. The cross stitch re­peated closely down the middle gives the effect of a vein or mid-rib. Oriental stitch (fig. 25) resembles open chain or feather stitches placed closely one below the other, and again the vein of a leaf is formed by the crossing of the stitch. The slope of the stitch may be varied. Instead of the converg­ing lines shown in fig. 25, the stitch may form a practically straight line from side to side, the needle being in­serted horizontally every time. Oriental Fig. 25 stitch may be varied in pattern by varying the length of the stitch lifted on the needle.

Fig. 26 shows a very small stitch lifted at each side, making a very wide crossing stitch. This forms a very close filling' for a space, but it is a less
heavy and more econo­mical filling than satin stitch, since only short stitches appear on the  wrong side.

French knots (figs. 27 and 29) are useful for working tiny spots of color, especially if a raised appearance is desirable. Children can usually pro­duce a spot better by mak­ing two very small tacking stitches close beside each other. This spot will be fiat, not raised like a French knot Blanket-stitched loops, worked into a finished edge, make pretty and most durable edgings, but are somewhat slowly worked. One of such edgings is made by fixing the thread into the edge of the material, then catching the edge farther along as with a blanket stitch, and making three or four blanket stitches into the loop formed in this way (fig. 28 a).
A more elaborate edging may be made by working complete loops side by side, exactly like loops for buttons, but not quite so round. Double or triple rows of loops may be worked in this way. Work a complete loop, and more quickly by crocheting into the edge of the material, but the sewn edging has a finer appearance.

Blanket-stitched loops are also worked upon the surface of the material. There they should be of the shape of loops for hooks, which always have a slight curve when completed. These

proceed with the second until half the blanket stitching is done. Then begin forming strands from that loop to the middle of the previously made one, blanket stitch this new loop, and then complete the partly worked one. Proceed with the next loop (fig. 286). A very similar edging can be produced much

loops are sometimes used to run the cords or ribbons of bags through. Small loops of this kind are more easily, though less quickly, constructed than bullion stitches, and have very much the same effect. They may be used in floral designs where a raised appearance in some portion of a flower is desired (fig. 29). The arrowhead and the craws foot are useful little decorations for finishing awkward corners or strengthening and neatening weak points. Used in this way, they are commonly seen on dresses and coats, but they are quite pretty enough to appear merely as decoration. Both patterns consist of arrangements of tacking stitches worked upon a triangle.

In making an arrowhead, the needle is angle is quite filled up. Fig. 30 makes the process clear. In a crows foot, the needle is brought out at any corner of the triangle, and stitches are made at the apex of each of the angles in rotation.

brought out at the apex of the triangle, then a stitch is made across the base (fig. 30 a), after which parallel stitches are taken alternately near the apex and along the base until the tri

These stitches are continued (always a little farther from the apex) until the work is com­pleted, the end being reached at the middle of the triangle. Fig. 31 shows the process of working.

DRAWING A PATTERN

For border patterns in tacking or other stitch-ery little or no drawing is required. The edge of a hem, for example, is a sufficient guide for the first line of stitches, and further work is based upon the first line. The stitches to be used must first be tried experimentally on an odd piece of material, and then applied directly to the article in hand.

For simple patterns to be worked upon a curved line, it may be sufficient to place two parallel lines of tacking, and mark points at regular distances to indicate where the curves would reach their limit (fig. i).

For a very simple repeating pattern, such as flowers made of daisy loops, i.e. radiating chain-stitches, merely mark points to represent the centres. For other patterns, a very slight outline is necessary, but a rectangle, a circle, or an oval may be sufficient to indicate a portion of a design which will be filled in with various stitches and colors. A line may represent a stem which the worker will clothe with leaves in separate chain stitches.

The less drawing there is on the cloth the better, especially in white work. The work looks fresher when finished, the worker is in less danger of eye-strain and has more free­dom of invention, and there is less danger of over-elaboration in the design. A pattern which looks attractive when drawn on paper often looks confused and featureless when sewn, if the worker has not allowed for the difference between the thin pencil line and the substantial embroidery-thread.

When any drawing or planning is required, it should be done on paper first, and afterwards transferred to material. The drawing must be as exact as possible. Straight lines must be perfectly straight and angles must be true. A pattern is always liable to a slight loss of accu­racy in being transferred to cloth.

Straight-line designs are probably safest for be­ginners to work from, in order that their work may show refinement and restraint. There is little

If a design is based on curved lines, it willbe of advantage to plan out the curves geo­metrically in order to make a beginning (figs. 2,

danger of such designs appearing too stiff when the work is completed, for the expansive nature of the thread used, and the variety of possible stitches, will take away the rigidity of the ruled line. 3, 4, and 5). A child may have a coin to tracea small circle, and compasses to produce a large one. A wavy line should be produced by joining up half-circles or smaller sections of circles.

Vague and indefinite curves are only likely to be well drawn by advanced workers whose eyes are trained to judge the quality of the curves and their relation to each other. Scallops, like wavy lines, may be planned out by means of coins, a larger coin being used for the inner than for the outer curve. The prettiest scallop, and the one most easily sewn, is obtained by making the outer curve an arc less than a semi­circle.

Geometrical patterns are those most likely to picture, say of an apple or of a dog, may be cut out and traced round to form a pattern on the material.

By and by the pupil discovers that, in order to be able to sew the picture satisfactorily, it is necessary to omit all detail that is not essential to the recognition of the object, and all attempt to give a raised appearance. Pictures should show perspective, but pattern is flat. When the difference between a picture and a pattern is apprehended, it is easy to show how pattern

spring from a desire to make use of certain stitches in the work, but to young workers, with little knowledge of stitches, the first considera­tion is to sew a representation of some real thing. Of course, designing from natural ob­jects always has some geometrical foundation, but in children's first efforts there is little attempt at design. A picture rather than a pattern is what is made. The subjects may be animals, birds, flowers, leaves, fruit, or even the human figure. Some of these may be copied from real objects, some from pictures. Sometimes a grows by the simple means of repetition, and how the pattern may be improved by repeating the selected motif in different positions, or by introducing other connected motifs and repeat­ing them in any orderly fashion.

In conveying these ideas to pupils, it is prob­ably easier to work with natural objects rather than with geometrical lines or figures. For example, a bird may be repeated until the pattern shows a flight of birds in one direction (fig. 6); or a rabbit may be repeated, but the pattern is more attractive if rabbits in different positions are repeated (fig. 7). A leaf repeated in one direction forms a passable decoration for corresponding flowers or fruit, are repeated and connected with each other in a natural manner

a simple article; an improvement is made by arranging the leaves in pairs, or at least in ning stitch (figs. 4 and 5, p. 14), and other stitches than running may have a similar interlacing. More elaborate effects can be obtained by con­necting two rows of stitches by interlacing (figs. 21, 23), especially if a stitch like herring-boning is used to interlace with. Fig. 14 shows three rows of threads interlacing each other.

For practice in arranging a design, it would be very useful to have a number of patterns of the desired subject cut out in paper, so that the pupils could place them in various positions on the piece of work to be decorated, until the best arrangement was found. This sort of instruction would possibly be given in the drawing - class, but the needlework - class affords the most convenient opportunity for the practical application of the pupil's knowledge of design.

Only simple designs have been suggested for both geometrical pattern and that based on natural objects, since school work is the subject under discussion, but in both styles the worker can, with practice, achieve very elaborate and intricate designs. In elaborating a natural design, it is most important not to depart from accuracy of representation.  

Conventionalized designs (of flowers, for example) may take liberties with the subject, in certain respects, but specimens of natural objects, if possible; if not, then to good pictures. Memory is deceptive.

they must be correct as to such essentials as the number of petals, the manner of growth, the

sort of leaf which corresponds to the flower. Reference should always be made to actual

There are, of course, patterns which are merely suggestive of flowers and leaves, and are not a representation of any particular flower. Such are the patterns which appear in English em­broidery, or circles which, by the stitches used in sewing them, give the impression of flower faces.
Floral designs are the most generally useful and attractive. They suggest lightness and cheerfulness, and are appropriate to almost every kind of article. It is also possible, as in English embroidery, to achieve a floral effect without a too realistic representation of particular flowers. This is of advantage, for while a floral pattern is appropriate, one does not wish to lean against a cushion at the apparent risk of crushing real roses or violets. Small fruits such as berries or acorns also form light and useful decoration, while bunches of grapes, apples, &c, are only suitable for some kinds of work. They are obviously most appropriately used on articles connected with the table.

Butterflies are always very popular in decora­tion, being very light in effect, and in these, too, an uncomfortably realistic appearance can be avoided. Birds may also be used very decoratively, but most animal forms are apt to make pictures rather than patterns, so that their use in decorative work is limited. They are suitable for furnishings rather than for clothes, and are usually confined to things for the use of children, who can more readily enjoy a picture than a piece of good designing.

Although it is easy to buy a pattern ready to be traced, it is far more educative to practise making a pattern as well as sewing it. The patterns made by pupils will probably be much simpler than those sold at needlework shops, but they will probably show more originality. By practice of this kind the pupils may be taught in a simple manner the elements of good pattern making, and so will become more capable of judging later in life which patterns are worth copying. Patterns produced by the worker are likely to be not only simpler, but also more intelligently worked out, since the same line of thought that produced the pattern suggested also the manner of working. The finished ap­pearance should always be present to the mind while the design is being drawn, else the worker may draw a pattern which she finds she cannot sew with good effect. Precisely the same dia­gram might represent a floral pattern to be worked in chain stitches, English embroidery, or solid work, but the method would be decided largely by the dimensions of the pattern. For example, the pattern in fig. 10 on p. 175 must be small, if chain stitch is to be used, else the work will be poor and untidy. A small or medium-sized pattern might be worked in English em­broidery, whereas if the leaves and flower petals are very large, satin stitch, herring-boning, or outlining would be used.

To be effective, decoration must be propor­tionate. A fine piece of work of small dimen­sions is suitable for a small article likely to be looked at closely, e.g. a handkerchief or fine collar, while for cushions, curtains, &c, a bold design is much more appropriate. For such designs, applique work is very useful, saving many laborious stitches wherever a large mass of one colour has to be represented. The animals and birds already suggested as subjects may very appropriately be cut out in material and sewn on to the background. Leaves and flowers, if large and simple, lend themselves to the same treatment. The outlines of appliqué patches must be quite simple, and small details, such as eyes of animals, veins of leaves, and thin stems must be filled in by sewing in con­trasting color.

POSITION AND ARRANGEMENT OF PATTERN

This is another point on which pupils require instruction. The deciding factors in the placing of pattern are the shape of the article, its use< and especially the sense of satisfaction which a proper apportionment of parts gives to the eye.

So far as decoration and construction are one, the position of the decorative work is decided by necessity, and is likely to be natural and effective. If the construction lines are good, it is well that they should be emphasized and made effective by the addition of decoration. Hems, for example, form part of the construction of most articles, and a border of pattern along the hem will often be quite sufficient decoration for a small article. The hem may be a perfectly straight one, but the decoration may show curves or lines breaking away from the main line, and so avoiding an appearance of severity. Whether the pattern should be close to the edge of the article or some distance from it must be decided by taste. A small article may have its border close to the edge, but in a larger article the pattern is usually rendered more effective by contrast with a plain border of some depth.

A dress, for example, should have a hem of two or three inches round the bottom, the pat­tern occurring at the upper edge of the hem. A square article, such as a table-cover, should have hems of the same width all the way round; but an oblong one may have narrow hems along its length, and much wider ones at the ends, especially if those ends are likely to droop, as in a sideboard-cloth or chair back. The decoration of the narrow hems should be very slight, while that of the deep hems should be much heavier. The arrangement of hems is, of course, part of the construction, but good construction is a real part of the decoration of any article.

Apart from decoration based directly on con­struction, embroidery aims at enrichment of the material, and at lending some interest to ex­tensive empty spaces. The position of such decoration depends largely on the use of the article. A fire-screen, for example, is suitably decorated all over, since its main object is to be decorative, a sort of needlework picture. A table-cover or tea-cloth may be effectively deco­rated at the corners, and as these will droop when the cloth is in use, any pattern showing growth must spring from the corners, not towards them. A table-centre is of the same shape as a tea-cloth, but of smaller dimensions. It may be decorated in the same fashion, but this time it is admissible to have the growth of the pat­tern springing from the corners or from the centre. The immediate centre, however, should be left plain, as something is usually placed upon it.

A cushion, on the other hand, may be deco­rated at the edges, or in the centre, or may have a pattern entirely covering it, while a pincushion should have a fair amount of plain space allowed for the pins, so that they need not be stuck into the embroidery.

Bags should usually be decorated at the lower edge. The suggestion of weight and strength lent by the addition of pattern then occurs where strength is most desirable, and there is no danger of the effectiveness of the pattern being spoiled by the gathering of the bag. In the same way, curtains and hangings usually have the pattern placed near the lower edge (unless an all-over pattern is worked); and horizontal rather than vertical lines of pattern should be planned for them, vertical lines being more likely to get lost in the drapery.

The decoration of clothes consists chiefly in the beautifying of hems and edges, and the breaking up of extensive plain spaces by pattern, while avoiding the neighbourhood of gathers.

Exactly as in the case of other articles the lines of the pattern should be consistent with the shape of the garment. A piece of embroidery that might equally well have been placed on a camisole, a table-cloth, or a cushion is not very valuable, while one that appears to have been specially planned for the place where it occurs adds greatly to the interest and beauty of the finished work.

A camisole or bodice or night-dress is suitably decorated round the neck and on the plain portion covering the chest. The decoration of the back below the neck line need not be so elaborate, but should not be omitted. The pattern should be well spaced, not crowded up to the neck edge so as to leave the remainder of the garment looking very blank. If such a crowded effect has been produced by mistake, it may often be remedied somewhat by sprinkling the sur­rounding space with small patterns, even if they only consist of groups of French knots or small daisy stitches.

The armholes of a camisole and the wrist portions of sleeves are decorated to match the neck, but with less fullness of detail, while the skirt edge of a petticoat or the knees of knickers will stand a larger or heavier pattern than neck and sleeves. If a garment is made with a yoke, the yoke really decides the direction and extent of the decoration. Garments which have no actual yoke may be easily and suitably deco­rated by repeating patterns over a space enclosed by stitchery, so as to simulate a yoke. The yoke in this case may be curved or pointed, although an actual yoke cut in this style might be too difficult for the worker to join to the garment.

The decoration of dresses follows the same general rules as that of underclothing, but the greater variety of styles possible in the con­struction makes a much greater variety of decoration possible. Neck and wrists and skirt hems may always be decorated; so also may pockets, belts, and vests. Good effects are achieved in dresses by force of contrast. For example, if a dress is largely decorated or made of patterned material, the belt and vest and other additions would be left quite plain; while, if the dress is plain, the accessories would be decorated. A belt with hanging ends is usually plain except at the ends, where the decoration gives an appropriate appearance of weight.

Children's dresses, being small, should never be overloaded with decoration. A woman's dress, owing to its extent, will bear larger pattern, but excess is always to be avoided. It should be noted that in decorating a dress, it is not sufficient to make a pretty garment without reference to the wearer. The same arrangement of pattern does not agree with two very different figures. Broad bands of pattern placed horizontally will reduce the apparent height of the figure, while vertical lines will increase it.

TRANSFERRING A DESIGN TO MATERIAL

The transference of the design from the paper on which it has been planned to the material on which it is to be worked must be carefully done, lest the whole effect be spoiled by in­accuracy. Yet, for children's work, the method must be very simple, and, if possible, speedy.

For simple patterns, tacking would be a simple and cleanly method of working. The design, traced on very thin paper, would be pinned on to the material and the pattern followed by small tacking stitches, the paper being afterwards torn away. For an intricate design, this method is not very suitable, since it would be very laborious, and there would be danger of inaccuracy due to slight movements of the paper. or simple patterns to be frequently repeated, it is a good plan to make on stiff paper one exact copy of the repeat. If this pattern is carefully cut out, the paper may be used as a stencil, or, if large enough, the cut-out pattern may itself be used for tracing, being moved from point to point as required. A sharp-pointed pencil should be used to trace the pattern, a colored pencil being preferable to a black lead one, which is apt to leave a dingy trace on the embroidery-thread, especially in white work. Scallops may be traced on cloth in this way, by first planning a few scallops on firm paper, cutting out the outer edge, and then tracing round this edge on the material. The paper would be moved along the required line until the complete series is traced out. When the outer edge has been completed in this way, the paper may be cut by the inner scalloped edge, and the process repeated to finish the scallops.

More elaborate designs may be traced over carbon paper, which can be had in various colours, so that it may be accommodated to light or dark materials. The design must first be very accurately drawn on paper, and then pinned into position on the material. A piece of carbon paper, of color contrasting with the background, is slipped under the design but not pinned. A sharp-pointed pencil or a blunt knitting-needle are quite good instruments to use for tracing over the lines of the pattern. The line produced should be thin, but clear, and the instrument used should not be sharp enough to tear the paper, which will often have to be used a second time if two similar portions are required, as in a sleeve design. The worker must not lean upon the carbon paper, lest the color be transferred in a mass to the cloth. If the work is extensive, a portion only should be transferred at a time, as this kind of tracing is not perfectly durable.

There are other more elaborate and more lasting ways of tracing designs on to material, but they demand much more time for execution, and are not necessary for simple work. Those described will be found sufficient for such work as can be produced by ordinary pupils.

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