Chapter 1

EMBROYERY

For centuries a pretty woman at her embroidery has been a favorite subject for artists. There is something graceful, charming and infinitely feminine about the flashing thrust of the needle, the play of light on colored floss, the toy-like scissors . . . the gradual blossoming of petal or leaf.

Every country, every civilization has made its contribu­tion to the development of embroidery. We have gathered together a group of attractive, varied embroidery designs from many sources . . . designs that lend themselves to modern taste and usage.

You will find that embroidery works a special magic, transforms the commonplace into the unusual . . . You will discover that in the techniques of embroidery you have a new magic wand for surround­ing yourself with lovely things.

EMBROIDERY THREADS . . . Your choice of threads will depend upon the type of em­broidery on which you intend to work. Mer­cerized threads may be used on most light­weight fabrics. Heavier cotton thread produces a rich and unusual effect in certain designs. Wool is suitable for use on heavier fabrics.

All embroidery threads should be boilfast. To work with inferior materials and threads is a foolish waste of time. When the working thread begins to acquire a fuzz or becomes untwisted, take a new one.

EMBROIDERY NEEDLES ... The needle with which you embroider opens the weave of the material to enable the embroidery thread to slide through easily. Therefore, when you choose an embroidery needle, the eye should be slightly larger than the thickness of the embroidery thread. Almost all embroidery needles have a much longer eye than sewing needles. The needle ordinarily used is called a crewel needle. The length of the average embroidery needle is about 11/4 inches. A longer needle hinders the worker in gaining speed.

SCISSORS . . • Embroidery scissors should be about 4 to 5 inches long and should have very sharp points.

BEGINNINGS AND FINISHINGS ... The wrong side of the work should look equally as well as the right side. To begin a piece of embroidery do not use a knot, but make a close running stitch toward the starting point, then make a small back stitch and begin to em­broider in the direction specified.

To end your thread, weave the needle in and out of the material under the piece which has just been completed, but do not allow your needle to pick up any of the embroidery stitches. When you feel that the end of the thread is perfectly secure, cut the thread close to the embroidery. Do not carry your thread from one design to the other, as this produces very untidy work.

PRESSING ... All embroidery should be pressed on a thickly padded surface. The raised face of the embroidery sinks into the softness of the padding and is not flattened by the iron. Place the embroidery piece wrong side up. Cover with a damp cloth. With a moderately hot iron press heavily. Remove the damp cloth and iron until dry. Turn work and, on right side, iron only the hems.

HOW TO TRANSFER DESIGNS . . . Trace the outline of the full-sized design onto white tracing paper. Determine the position of your design on the fabric. Place a sheet of carbon paper face down on it. Use orange or white carbon paper to transfer designs onto dark fabric. Place the tracing paper over the carbon paper and go over the entire design very care­fully with a sharp pencil. To avoid smudging fabric, do not let the weight of your hand rest on the paper.

FRAMES . . . There are several types of em­broidery frames. The hand frames are most commonly used. They can be bought at a very low cost and are made in two shapes, round and oval. When frames are adjusted over a small area of the work, the material is held taut and the work cannot pucker. Larger frames for larger pieces are also available and may be adjusted for almost any size or type of embroidery.

ALL DESIGNS ARE ACTUAL SIZE

No. P. E. 4910 . LinenBeach Coat . . .

Materials: Six Steand Floss, 4 skeins each of Light Cardinal and Orange; 3 skeins each of China Blue and Fern Green . . . Cream linen beach coat . . Crewel Needle No. 5.

Use 6 Strands Throughout

Trace complete design onto right front of coat, 31/2 inches from shoulder seam, and trace in reverse for other front. Trace large section of design only on right pocket and trace in reverse for left pocket.

Follow diagram and number key for placing of colors and stitches. The stitches used are as follows: Stem stitch (page 16), Satin stitch (page 15), Herringbone stitch (page 15), Running stitch (page 18). With Light Cardi­nal, work a row of running stitch 1/2 inch from edge around front edges, pockets and cuffs.

Stitch and Color Key
Stem Stitch
1. Fern Green
2. Orange
Satin Stitch
3. Light Cardinal
Herringbone Stitch
4. China Blue
5. Light Cardinal
6. Orange

No. P. E. 4911 Felt Belt

Materials: Six Strand Floss, 2 skeins each of Yellow and Dark Lavender; 1 skein each of Purple, Dark Orange, Steel Blue, Fern Green, Deep Rose, Sea Green, Blue, Beauty Pink . . . 1 strip of black felt, 5 1/2 x 331/2 inches . . . 1 strip of yellow felt, 6 x 34 inches . . . Crewel Needle No. 6.

Use 3 Strands Throughout

Cut a strip of black felt 2 x 33 inches. Shape one end of belt as shown in diagram A and the other as shown in diagram B, marking the dots for snap fasteners. Place this black strip onto the yellow strip and trace slightly larger, so that the yellow felt makes a piping around the black. Cut yellow felt. Trace and cut two flaps and two pocket shapes on the black felt and two larger yellow pockets to make a simi­lar piping.

Follow diagram and key for placing of colors and stitches. The stitches used are as follows: Chain stitch (page 16), Satin stitch (page 15), Fly stitch (page 17), French knots (page 15), Seeding (page 16), Couching (page 16), Running stitch (page 18).

Make up belt, placing pockets at sides of front and working a row of running stitch with Yellow along both edges of belt and around pockets and two rows along center of belt.

Stitch and Color Key

Chain Stitch  Satin Stitch (cont')Fly Stitch

1. Yellow  8. Fern Green 17. Yellow
2. Fern Green 9. Dark Orange
3. Deep Rose  10. Beauty Pink  French Knots
4. Dark Lavender  11. Dark Lavender 18. Yellow
5. Purple 12. Deep Rose Seeding
6.  13. Dark Lavender
7. 19. Dark Lavender
8. Satin Stitch 14. Purple
9. Yellow 15. Blue Couching
10. Sea Green  16. Steel Blue 20. Dark Orange

No. P. E. 4912 Felt Skull Cap

Materials: Six Stband Floss, 2 skeins each of Beige, Dark Hunter's Green, Black; 1 skein each of Blue, Mid Rose . . . Piece of grey-blue felt 6 x 12 inches . . . Piece of light purple felt 6 x 12 inches . . . Piece of bright yellow felt 3x10 inches ... 1 yard of 1/2 inch wide velvet ribbon, a shade darker than light purple felt ... Crewel Needle No. 6.

Trace section of cap twice onto blue felt and twice onto light purple, then trace small sec­tion four times onto yellow felt. Follow dia­gram and key for placing colors and stitches.

The diagram shown is for the light purple felt sections. For the blue felt sections, substitute 4 for 2 and 6 for 7.

The stitches used are as follows: Chain stitch (page 16), Blanket stitch (page 17). Cut out the four small sections and apply them onto corresponding places on the larger sec­tions. Slip stitch in place with matching thread.

Cut out the four larger sections and work blanket stitch around edges. Press embroidery on wrong side. Using Black, overcast the sections together, working over the loops of blanket stitch.

Bind bottom of cap with velvet ribbon. Make ribbon loops and attach to top of cap.

No. P. E. 4913 Monogrammed Handkerchiefs

Materials: Six Strand Floss, I skein each of Mid Rose, Deep Rose, Nile Green, Hunter's Green, Yellow, China Blue, Light Cardinal, Sea Green . . . Hemstitched handkerchiefs . . . Crewel Needle No. 7.

Trace desired initials onto handkerchiefs and follow diagram and key for placing of colors and stitches. Four color schemes are given and are worked on different colored handker­chiefs. (1) is worked on light rose background, (2) on red, (3) on blue and (4) on yellow. All other initials can be worked in the same manner.

The stitches used are as follows: Back stitch (page 16), Fly stitch (page 17), Satin stitch (page 15), Stem stitch (page 16), French knots (page 15), Chain stitch (page 16), Couching (page 16).

Stitch and Color Key	(2) Stem Stitch	(3) Back Stitch	(4) Stem Stitch
(1) Back Stitch	1. Nile Green	1. Yellow	1. Light Cardinal
Mid Rose	French Knots	Chain Stitch	Couching
Deep Rose	2. Nile Green	2. China Blue	2. Sea Green
			CHAIN STITCH
Fly Stitch	Chain Stitch	Satin Stitch	3. Light Cardinal
3. Mid Rose	3. Hunter's Green	3. Yellow
4. China Blue
Satin Stitch	Satin Stitch	4. Sea Green	Satin Stitch
4.	Deep Rose	4. Hunter's Green	5.Light Cardinal

No. P. E. 4914 

Apron Materials: Six Strand Floss, 6 skeins of White ... 3/4 yard blue material with white checks, 36 inches wide . . . Crewel Needle No. 6.

Cut skirt 22 x 30 inches, waistband 3 x 18 inches, and two straps 3 x 18 inches.

Fold skirt lengthwise and mark center. Trace section C of design on center fold, 4 1/4 inches up from edge. * Now trace another motif C on center fold, 1 inch up from last motif. Repeat from * until 6 motifs in all have been traced.

LEFT SIDE . . . Measure 1/2 inch out on left side of these motifs. Mark with pin. Starting 41/4inches from lower edge, draw a vertical line, 12 inches long, in line with pin (this is line D on diagram A). Now trace A, then re­peat from X to Y in reverse in position indi­cated alongside line D.

Trace right side to correspond. Trace section B of design 5 times along center of waistband. Follow diagram for placing of stitches. The stitches used are as follows: Satin stitch (page 15), Chain stitch (page 16), Buttonhole stitch (page 16), Zigzag Chain stitch (page 18), Single Satin stitch (page 15), Double Knot stitch (page 17), Lazy Daisy stitch (page 15).

Turn back 2-inch hem at bottom and slip stitch to back of double knot stitch. Stitch 1/4-inch hem at both sides. Gather apron skirt to fit waistband, keeping fullness to sides. Make 1/4-inch hem all around straps and sew in place at each side of waistband.

Stitch and Color Key

Satin Stitch1 Lazy Daisy Stitch 4
Chain Stitch2 Buttonhole Stitch.. 5
Zigzag Single Satin Stitch. 6
Chain Stitch 3 Double Knot Stitch 7

 (Double Knot Stitch—figure A shows first stitch taken through material; figure B shows second stitch taken through loop made by first stitch with thread below needle as in button­hole stitch; figure C shows third stitch taken into same loop in same manner).

No. P. E. 4919. . Blue Organdie same color and stitch. The stitches used are as

Tea Cloth and Napkins follows: Back stitch (page 16), Detached Materials: Six Strand Floss, 3 skeins each of Chain Stitch (page 18),Fern stitch (page 15), Violet and Dark Lavender; 1 skein each of Herringbone stitch (page 15) All borders are Yellow, Nile Green, Hunter s Green and Black worked in herringbone stitch with a back. . . 2 yards of blue organdie, 45 inches wide stitch outline (page 15).. . . Crewel Needle No. 8.

Stitch and Color Key

Use 1 Strand Throughout

Back Stitch

Cut the cloth 40 inches square and the four napkins 131/2 inches square. Trace the large motif on the four corners of the cloth, 31/2 inches in from edge of material. Trace the small motifs on opposite corners of napkins, 2 inches from edge. Make 11/4-inch hems on cloth and 1/2-inch hems on napkins.

Follow diagram and number key for the placing of colors and stitches. All parts shown similar to numbered parts are worked in the

Detached

Dark Lavender 7. Yellow 12. Nile Green
Chain Stitch 8. Black
2. Dark Lavender 9. Violet
3 Violet 10 Dark Lavender
4 Yellow Fern Stitch
5 Black 11. Hunter's Green
6. Nile Green Herringbone Stitch

IVo. P. E. 492O Circular Tablecloth and Napkins

Materials: Six Strand Floss, 10 skeins of Nile Green; 7 skeins of Dark Hunter's Green; 4 skeins each of Light Rose, Beauty Rose, Deep Rose, Angel Blue, Light Steel Blue, White, Beauty Pink, Orange, Blue . . . Crewel Needle No. 6 ... PA yards of cream linen, 45 inches wide.

Use 3 Strands Throughout

Cut a circular cloth, 45 inches in diameter, and four napkins, each 101/2 inches square.

CLOTH . . . Trace diagram A in the center of the cloth. Now measure 41/2 inches out from center point and draw a circle with this radius. Trace diagrams B and C alternately around this circle, 1 1/2 inches apart, placing the motifs half inside and half outside the circle. Now draw a circle 71/2 inches from the center point and trace motifs D and C alternately around this circle, 21/4 inches apart, placing as before.

Draw a third circle, 11 inches from center point, and trace motifs E and C alternately, 4 1/4inches apart, placing as before. Now draw a fourth circle, 14 1/2 inches from center point, and trace motifs F and C alternately around the circle 6 1/4 inches apart, placing as before.

NAPKINS . . . Trace motif C in three corners of each napkin. Then trace motifs B, D, E and F respectively in the fourth corner of the four napkins.

Follow diagrams and key for placing of stitches and colors. The stitches used are as follows: Bullion stitch (page 18), Long and Short stitch (page 16), Lazy Daisy stitch (page 15), Back stitch (page 16), French Knots (page 15), Stem stitch (page 16), Satin stitch (page 15), Romanian stitch (page 17), Blanket stitch (page 17). Turn under V4-inch hem all around cloth and napkins. With Nile Green, work Blanket stitch all around hems, but making two stitches in the one place (page 36).

Stitch and Color Key

Bullion Stitch	13. Dark Hunter's Green
1. Light Rose	French Knots
2. Beauty Rose	Orange Orange
3. Deep Rose	Stem Stitch
Long and Short Stitch	15. Nile Green
4. Angel Blue	16. Dark Hunter's Green
5. Light Steel Blue	Satin Stitch
Lazy Daisy Stitch	17. Orange
6. White	18. Nile Green
Back Stitch	19. Dark Hunter's Green
7. Beauty Pink	Romanian Stitch
8. Light Steel Blue	20. Dark Hunter's Green
9.Orange	14. Nile Green
10. Angel Blue
11. Blue
12. Nile Green

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