The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-05
NEEDLE AND STITCHES
ESSENTIAL TO EMBROIDERY
This Ancient Art overps Some Points the Closely Related Crafts
Lace Making and Tapestry Weaving-Mt Mellck Work.

broidery we get numerous beautiful ex-
amples Of heraldic devices. In the earli-
est times certain tribes took animals.
plants, ETC., and adopted them as distin-
guished marks or signs of the family to
which they belonged. These signs were
painted on the outsides Of the gates of
their houses, and carried on embroidered
shields and banners.
crewei Stitches.
For work in the hand, perhaps crewel
stitch on the whole is one Of the easiest
and most useful of stitches. Whence 1t
comes that people sometimes call all work
Of embroidery vaguely crewel work.
CreWel stitch proper is known In its line
work. It is worked as follows: Having
made start in the usual way, keep your
thread downward and under your left
thumb and below your needle-that is, to
the right; then take up with the needle,
one-eighth Of an inch Of stuff and bring
1t out thru a hole made by the stitch, TAX
Ing care not to piece the thread. This
gives the first half stitch. If you proceed
in the same way, this gives the stitch
full length. The test of good work is that
the back should look like back stitch.
Outline stitch differs from crewel stitch
only that the thread is always kept up
ward above the needle, that is. to the left.
In so doing the thread is apt to untwist
itself and needs constantly retwisting. The
stitch is useful for single lines and for
outlining solid work. The muddled effect
of much crewel work is due to the con-
fusion Of this stitch with creWel stitch
proper.
Thick Crewel Stitch-This Is only a lit
tie wider than ordinary crewel stitch, but
gives heavier line in higher relief. In
effect it resembles rope stitch, but after
the first half stitch you take up half an
inch Of the material in advance Of the
last stitch, and bring out the needle where
the first half stitch began. You proceed,
always putting your needle half an inch
in front Of and half an inch behind the
last stitch, SO to always have half an inch
Of the stuff on your needle Thick out
line stitch is done in the same way, with
the exception that. as in ordinary OUT
line stitch, you keep your thread always
above the needle to the left.
In Back Stitch, instead of bringing the
needle out at the point Of where the en-
broidery is to begin, you bring 1t out half
an inch in advance Of it. Then putting
your needle back you take up the one
eighth inch together with one eighth inch
| In advonce. For the next stitch you put
your needle into the hole made by the
last stitch and SO on, taking care not to
| split the last stitch in SO doing. To work
the spots on piece, having made a back
stitch, bring your needle out the same hole
as before and make another back stitch
above it.
COUGHING Stitch.-Couching is the sew
ing down Of threads one by another Gloss
together, until a firm background is made
all on the surface. COUGHING is best done
in a frame, but it may be done In the
hand by means Of button hole stitch.
After this ground has been formed by the
heavy threads Of silk, two tiny threads are
taken from strand threaded in needle
and carried from edge to edge Of the de-
sign in the opposite direction from those
first laid. These little lines are at equal
distance apart, as the first row Of long
threads of opposite direction were, thus
forming little squares.
Clara L. Kellogg.