PATTERN AND DESIGN
TRANSFER
SECTION
Needle-Work for the Home
Hand-Woven and Hand-Embroidered
Articles Now Decorate the Home
'ASHION'S latest decree is for handwork in the home, and
every needleworker or amateur weaver is busily weaving
draperies or working designs upon those already woven.
The fad crew out of the knowledge that ROthin? was as
beautiful and durable as the hand-made fabric and hs hand-worked
decoration. The fancy spread until now all who cart afford them
possess hand-woven carpets and hand-spun draperies and linen. Those
who cannot afford to purchase the more expensive floor coverings
save their old sheets and hosiery, and tear and cut these into long
narrow strips. They see the ends together, dye the sheet strips into
red or blue or yellow, and send all the strips to some weavet of rag
carpets. The cost of weaving is only thirty cents for quite a large
rug, and three pounds of strips is sufficient for such a floor covering.
A rag carpet of this sort is very pretty, exceedingly durable, and es
pecially sanitary, because it may be washed easily.
One might think that hand-woven portieres were hard to make,
but they are not. The open, loose mesh is very fashionable, and for
decoration nothing could be more beautiful than the pattern of the
sofa cushion illustrated repeated upon the border of the portieres.
The pattern could be traced upon the draperies and outlined with
coarse outline stitch. A bold line done with rope silk or yarn of the
same thickness would be handsome, and then the rest of the design
might be stencilled in with any color desired for the decoration.
Stencilling is immensely popular, and very easily and quickly accom
plished. Another pretty way to work the design on portieres and side
draperies for windows is to outline it with outline stitch a neat, long
backstitch which everybody knows how to do, and then darn back and
forth in the foliage with the same thread. Often handsome results
are obtained by shading the leaves and flower petals; using several
shades of a color in the working threads. Brown and gold and red,
as well as green or purple tones, lend themselves admirably to shading
and are all fashionable at present
If handsome fabrics are employed for the draperies, it is better
to embroider the pattern in raised over-and-over embroidery, or satin-stitch.
The bolder the work, the handsomer will it appear, and
one may fill in the design at pleasure. First run a thick outline
thread all over the tracery of the decoration, making long running
stitches. Then pad each petal with a number of fillings, making each
filling stitch extend from end to end of the leaves, and terminate just
on the inner edge of the outline thread. Run several thicknesses of
thread along the stems and spirals, which make this pattern so light
and graceful in appearance, and also render it very easy to complete
rapidly. Work, with embroidery floss, crosswise over the filling
threads, laying the stitches evenly, and drawing them firmly but not
tightly in place. If you pull your thread tightly the design will look
uneven and the fabric will be more or less puckered. . The stems and
spirals may be worked either in this manner or in stem stitch, which
is much more rapidly accomplished, and, in a measure,' resembles out
line stitch. One who understands the latter will find it easy to do
stem stitch, although they are not the same, and do not look alike.
Where leaves are wide they are effective when the outer work' is
done from the outer edge to the center of the leaf, leaving a depressed
line in the center which resembles the vein in a natural leaf.
Where this pattern is embroidered upon table covers, scarfs,
and lambrequins, as well as sofa pillows, the work may be done in
any of the styles described, or in Kensington stitch. This flat stitch
is very attractive upon smaller objects, but, except when the decora-
r! Vtive' oattern isfcicr and bold as in ft lotus desiCTit is not effective
""Jeeraperie. , . : . W'"
,v . 'Everybody collects sot a pwows ana cusnions, ior. every variety
lof purpose. : We want them to pileOn window seats, and make cosy
corners deserving - of the name. Every college boy wants his" den
stacked up with such .evidences of his popularity among his ' girl
friends and relatives, and every college girl loves to heap pretty cush
ions in her den. Nobody lives who is proof against ah attractive
cushion.
" Just flow it is fashionable to make serviceable pillows of crash,
which comes in charming loose meshes, and a choice of colors for
such purposes. Upon this material the fashion of the day is to darn
the decorations. The pattern illustrated, for instance, would be traced
upon the crash, outlined with coarse silk, and then darned back and
' forth, with large stitches, worked in rope silk. .
Denim, and heavy fabrics of a smoother surface, Would have the
pattern worked in either Kensington or satinstitch. Rich pillow fab-,
rics, such as satin, silk tapestry, and the like, would appear1 perfectly
exquisite if the work were done in. raised embroidery working in
satinstitch over a well-padded filling. Stem stitch and Kensington
would also look well upon such fabrics.. '.rt-
A nice stuffing for pillows is silk floss--which is not the kind
used to embroider with at all, but a sort of silk waste which is fluffy
and light, and much like feathers. It is said to be more hygienic than
feathers. Pillow moss and pillow hair are" also good to put in pillows.
Cotton is used for this purpose, too, but cotton becomes packed and
hard, as well as lumpy, after a time. When feathers are employed
to stuff the cushions the bag must be of very thick, closely woven
material, orvthe feathers will work through and spoil a "handsome
cover. Down, too, has a way of working through its coverings, and
one should always put an extra and thick bag Over feather and down
pillows purchased in stores.
Cushions depend upon the way in which they are finished off for
some of their beauty. The design given in this sheet is so decorative,
although so simple, that it does not require much of a finish, and would
look well without any trimming upon the pillow edge. A thick cord,
repeating one of the colors used in the embroidery, would .make a
handsome finish around the e'dge of a cushion. Another fancy is to
sew a narrow border of old-gold or old-silver gimpe around the edge.
This is usually decorated with a tracery of ribbon run in a spiral ,
pattern through the open meshes of the gimpe. Often a narrow braid
gimpe is employed, and a pretty fashion is to sew up . the cushion
without any border, and to pull in the cornersj making a dent in
each which gives & sort of round appearance to the cushion. Some
times tassels finish these indented corners,and tassels often finish
cushion corners, anyway, when a girl feels that something belongs to
the undecorated points of the pillow.
In making a cushion for a friend, first learn what room it is
likely to be used in, and what colors are harmonious in that room.
It is no pleasure to receive a pillow that does not look well with its
surroundings. . Purchase colors that Will either contrast prettily with
or merge into those in use upon the sofa or window seat Where it :
is not possible to find out the color scheme of 'i the cushion's pros-
pective resting place, choose dull tints of gold, or soft tans, greens or
old rose. Such jsues are apt to blend well with others. Work with
contrasting, but dull hues, and the result is likely to beiiot only lovely,
but entirely harmonious anywhere.
Cushions to be used in boudoirs "and bedrooms demand other
things to match, such as a scarf or table cover; a piece of drapery or
a dressing table scarf. One does not need to supply all these dainty,
articles with a pillow, but it is graceful to give them if one likes and,
when the cushion is being worked for home use, it "is very easy to
rdo all the other things as well.
This design is particularly effective as a border for runners and
table covers. These might be made of .-delicately tinted Dnen crash'
and darned, or of other kinds of linen, when the work could be-done
in satinstitch, Kensington embroidery or stemstitch. If the work is
white, on white material, the' embroidery should be filled In and
raised, but if contrasting colors are used, flat embroidery is just as
' r . i . - ' f fl v . M t
enecuve, anq more quiociy ana easuy accompusueo. -
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