than herself, the familiar back-stitch, lock-stitch, overcasting, hem, fell,
gather and button-hole — necessary knowledge for even an unambitious
seamstress. With this important foundation one comes to the higher
use of the needle, and is surprised to find with the advance into the
beauty and intricacy of decorative work, the varied and artistic use to
which the homely stitches maybe applied. A dainty scallop in button-
hole work relieves the Puritanic simplicity of a kerchief; the collar and
cuffs of a flannel neglige, or dressing-sacque, may take the sameydeli-
cate finish by using embroidery silk or crewel, and experience shows
that a button-hole scallop is the most enduring edge that can be put
upon the frill or plain hem of a white skirt.
The hem-stitch comes next in order to the button-hole. Simple as
this is, we have found among many young women no knowledge of
how to make it. Take a piece of linen in which the threads draw
easily. Coarse crash, or any loosely-woven fabric, like batiste, is good.
Fold and baste a hem across the end. Draw above the edge of the
fold from four to six threads, according to the quality of the material-
With a suitable needle and a finer number of cotton than would be
used for sewing the same stuff, take four threads over the needle, in-
serting it from beneath ; draw these lightly with the cotton so as to
separate them, pass the needle around them again and catch it into the
edge of the fold ; proceed to the next four threads, secure them to the
fold, and proceed in the same manner, making clusters of four until
the whole is finished. The number of threads in» a cluster must be
determined by the quality of the material ; the finer this is, the greater
number of threads can be taken, and the reverse with the coarser.
This stitch may be used without making a hem, by simply catching the
thread into the body of the cloth, and often where the mesh is very
loose and open, a large needle is used without drawing threads ; the
effect will be a hem-stitch just the same. The hems of pillow-cases,
sheets, children's bibs, silk handkerchiefs, white merino mufflers are
nicer made with a hem-stitch. It is also useful to secure the fringe of
lunch napkins, doyleys and towels, and gives a more finished look than
the simple overcasting. It is much used in drawn work. Several wide
rows hem-stitched on both sides, with a fringe on each end and con-
trasting shades of ribbon passed through the drawn spaces, convert a
piece of crash into a pretty and serviceable chair-back, table or bureau
scarf. To be laundried it is only necessary to remove the ribbon.
The herring-bone, or, as some call it, the cat-stitch, is used, primarily,
to open the seams of flannel garments ; with a silk thread, to ornament
the upper edge of a plain hem. Elaborated into the brier-stitch, which
has two or three button-hole catches of medium length on alternate
sides of a long diagonal connecting stitch, it makes a nice little vine
work with which to flatten a tuck, or to ornament the bias strips that
678
FANCY WORK.
Page 549
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
than herself, the familiar back-stitch, lock-stitch, overcasting, hem, fell, gather and button-hole — necessary knowledge for even an unambitious seamstress. With this important foundation one comes to the higher use of the needle, and is surprised to find with the advance into the beauty and intricacy of decorative work, the varied and artistic use to which the homely stitches maybe applied. A dainty scallop in buttonhole work relieves the Puritanic simplicity of a kerchief; the collar and cuffs of a flannel neglige, or dressing-sacque, may take the same delicate finish by using embroidery silk or crewel, and experience shows that a button-hole scallop is the most enduring edge that can be put upon the frill or plain hem of a white skirt.
The hem-stitch comes next in order to the button-hole. Simple as this is, we have found among many young women no knowledge of how to make it. Take a piece of linen in which the threads draw easily. Coarse crash, or any loosely-woven fabric, like batiste, is good. Fold and baste a hem across the end. Draw above the edge of the fold from four to six threads, according to the quality of the material- With a suitable needle and a finer number of cotton than would be used for sewing the same stuff, take four threads over the needle, inserting it from beneath ; draw these lightly with the cotton so as to separate them, pass the needle around them again and catch it into the edge of the fold ; proceed to the next four threads, secure them to the fold, and proceed in the same manner, making clusters of four until the whole is finished. The number of threads in» a cluster must be determined by the quality of the material ; the finer this is, the greater number of threads can be taken, and the reverse with the coarser. This stitch may be used without making a hem, by simply catching the thread into the body of the cloth, and often where the mesh is very loose and open, a large needle is used without drawing threads ; the effect will be a hem-stitch just the same. The hems of pillow-cases, sheets, children's bibs, silk handkerchiefs, white merino mufflers are nicer made with a hem-stitch. It is also useful to secure the fringe of lunch napkins, doyleys and towels, and gives a more finished look than the simple overcasting. It is much used in drawn work. Several wide rows hem-stitched on both sides, with a fringe on each end and contrasting shades of ribbon passed through the drawn spaces, convert a piece of crash into a pretty and serviceable chair-back, table or bureau scarf. To be laundried it is only necessary to remove the ribbon.
The herring-bone, or, as some call it, the cat-stitch, is used, primarily, to open the seams of flannel garments ; with a silk thread, to ornament the upper edge of a plain hem. Elaborated into the brier-stitch, which has two or three button-hole catches of medium length on alternate sides of a long diagonal connecting stitch, it makes a nice little vine work with which to flatten a tuck, or to ornament the bias strips that