Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-30
Decorative NeedIe-Work.
From the New York Times.

Decorative Needle-WOrk.
 From the New York TimesI
 Lustra painting in combination with em broidery is an adoption of the principles oi l etching embroidery which is now being re ! vived. Etching embroidery is remarkably effective, and not at all difficult of execution To work: Stretch on an embroidery frame I some good white or cream colored silk, and pencil upon this the chief outlines of 8 land ! scape engraving with prominent objects or figures. Take a sable brush and form the l sky by washing in sepia for the darker parts, leaving the surface of the silk untouched for the white clouds, and then color the rest of the picture with washes of sepia in shades corresponding with those of the engraving. Thread the needle with fine black silk and commence to cover the painting. Leave un worked all light parts, such as the sky work the medium tints with rich hues of black silk short distance apart, and work the darkest shades in flat satin stitch very close together. Graduate between the medi- um and deepest tints which separate satin stitches commence them close together and end them more apart.
 Arasene embroidery is 8 novel method of raised work in variation of chenille embroi- dery. The materials required are arasene, either of wool or silk, large-eyed needles, canvas, velvet, silk and serge, and it is suita- ble for curtain borders, mantle borders, par asol covers, and other objects where the pile of the arasene is not liable to be injured by friction. In working with arasene it is nec essary to stretch the material on frame, and the arasene is applied as in canvas work in tent stitch. The large pointed needle is re- quired to draw the arasene backward and forward through the material without twist ing 1t. The chief part of the design should be done with wool arasene, the silk being used for the brighter lights. Some workers fo kf1o ohanil1o or1d lay it along the surface, catching it down as Fin oonching, bszee-tss1e few shades that it is possible to employ in this manner detraot from the beauty of the work. Arasene can be worked upon canvas or serge without 8 frame; the material must be held in the hand, large eyed needle used, and the work executed in crewel or stem stitch. Great care is needed in passing the arasene through the material, so that it shall be with the pile upward, and not show the woven center line from which the soft edges proceed. Broad and velvety effects are obtainable in arasene embroidery, and it is very useful in art work, as so much individual expression can be giy- en to the work.
 Au Passe is a fiat satin stitch worked across the material with no raised founda- tion. This stitch is also called point passe, long stitch, and even satin stitch. It is used in all kinds of embroidery upon linen, silk, satin and velvet, and is specially adapted to church work. Anything that can be thread ed through needle will embroider in ''au passe."
 Combed-out work is of two kinds. The first consisting of inserting loops of wool an inch and half in length into alternate rows of plain knitting, during the process of mak- ing, and after a sufficient length has been knitted, cutting these loops and combing then with a small one until the wool assumes the texture of hair, and entirely conceals the knitted foundation. It is chiefly used for mats. The other is used to form detached
 flowers of combed-out wool and bits of vel vet. Pansies and similar simple flowers can be very effectively made in this way. The materials necessary for this combed out work are different shades of single Berlin wool, pieces of good velvet, fine green wire and mucilage. For example, in forming a pansy each petal is made separately, thus |: Wind single wool of light color six times round two fingers of the left hand, and then take the wool of the fingers without disturb ing it and run piece of fine wire through the loops at one end, after which fasten the wire firmly by twisting it 50 that it secures all the wool at that end. Cut the loops at the end where they are not secured by the wire and proceed to comb out the wool. Use a coarse comb to begin with and change to 8 smaller size one until the wool is as fine as floss silk, then snip the edges of the wool to the shape of a pansy petal. A little pure mucilage iudiciously dropped on and about the wool forming the petal will keep the combipg from getting out of place, and 1t is also used to fix on to the petal, the light flores of different colored wools that form the markings. Comb these out before laying them on petal and fix them to their places with the points of fine scissors and not with the hands. Make the eye of the pansy and the dark outside lines of the petals of pieces of velvet, cut to shape and caught down with tiny stitches of colored silk, but mucilage the edges of the velvet into position. AS each petal is made crook the end of the wire sup porting 1t and hang it up by this crook to dry, and as soon as all are finished combine the separate wire and cover them with green wool, pushing of the back of the flower quite neatly.
 Plaited ribbon work is a very pretty work lately come into favor, made by plating rib bons together so as to form geometrical or open designs. It is extremely decorative, but requires lining, much of the effect de pends upon the open spaces between the plaits being filled with silk or satin of con- trasting color to that of the ribbon. The material required are wooden or mill braid frames, fitting the work, a quantity of mar row silk ribbon rather less than half an in oh wide, gold cord, gold celored floselle ana some pins. A very pretty design IS worKeo as follows Procure or make thin frame
 
 lengths of ribbon an inch longer than the width of the frame; pin two of these to the back of the frame close together and fasten them to the opposite side, leaving space, and pin on two more lengths, and so on until one side of the frame is filled. Commence to fill tbe other side of the frame in the same man. ner. but interlace these second ribbons in and out of the first ones wherever they cross them; push the plait by interlacing with these straight ribbons some ribbons carried diagonally across the frame. These cross ribbons should be of various lengths and must be cut as required; the shortest line will be across the corner of the frame and the longest across the center. Pin them to the back of the frame and interiace them astride the square formed by the meeting of the straight ribbons so that they surround It with diamond Weave them over and un- der the straight ribbons; run gold cord down the middle of each plait, under the two straight ribbons and over the ribbons forming the diamond tuck the ends of these cords to the ribbon ends, and secure these latter together with 8 few stitches < then take the work out of the frame and edge it with straight line of ribbon, on which a de- sign in feather stitch may be worked make the work up on colored satin background cut larger than required, and pull it up through the openings left in the plaits.
 The only pain we can safely make light of is the window-pane, but the pain that racks our frame and tears our lungs is a matter of aarious conse0uenea To alleviate the latter