MB RO I D E RY IT

M BRO I DERY

TITCHESM . E . W ILK INSON

NEW YORK

'REDE R ICK A . STOKE S COMPAN Y

PUB L ISHE RS

PR E'ACE

N this collection of Em b roidery Stitches , I have eu

deavoured to place before those artists who are interestedin needlecraft an exposit ion of the most useful and artisticstitches that have formed a part of my own work during

several years’ study and practice of Art Embro idery . Some ofthese will be fami liar to Needle—artists ' others wi l l serve toexemplify how

,in process of working , fresh stitches may be

evolved from old ones or how,when originality gains ground

entirely new stitches become apparent and workable .

A point somewhat overlooked in Art Embroidery is the factthat each separate sti tch is a design in itself . I f this principlebe fully recognised

,the necessity for careful and systematic

study of the forms and functions of Embroidery Stitches willimmediately become obvious to the student and worker .Embroidery Stitches is planned with a 'i ew to facili tating

reference,and to affording immediate conception of the inti

mate connection between illustration and explanation . Toattain this end

,the i llust rations are placed in uniform spaces

throughout the volume,two on each page and in each case

the description appears opposite its corresponding design .

In this the arrangement differs from that of other Needleworkmanuals

,in affording that clearness

,sequence

,and finality

,so

agreeable to the worker,which becomes impossible where

il lustrat ions are interspersed at irregular intervals in a continuous letterpress .

Every endeavour has been made to ensure simplicity andpoint in the directions and where possible in a book of thi ssize , suggestions have been given for the application of stitchesto useful purposes .

The alphabetical system of arrangement has been adopted,

as being most suitable for a book of reference .

In the comparatively few cases in which one stitch is knownby two names

,the design has been repeated under the different

headings,to maintain clearness and alphabetical sequence .

M. E . WILKINSON .

Kendal .Oct . 1912 .

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I . ANCHOR STITCH .

-This st itch is similar to

Horn stitch ,but with a longer middle portion . To

work,make two side stitches 'oined at the bottom '

make a Chain stitch covering the 'oining , fasten thisChain stitch down by means of a long overcast stit ch ,

taking the needle to the back of the work .

2 . ALGERIAN STITCH .

—A kind o f Cross st itch

somewhat akin to Cretan st itch,but worked on canvas

.

The stitch may either be worked very closely or openly .

Bring the needle to the right side of the work . Count

about five threads down,take up three threads . Cross

over to the top line,and continue in the same way .

(See Doub le Algerian stitch .)

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3 . ALL- O'ER STITCH .

—A stroke st itch used to

work groundings where no particular pattern is desired .

The stitch is made in any direct ion and of any size .

4 . ALPHABET STITCH .

~ —A species of Couching

used for working monograms,etc . Lay strands of

cotton or wool along the main lines of the letter,forming

a padding . Work over these as in ordinary Couching .

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5 . APPLIQUE STITCH .

—~A sti tch used in applique

work to attach one material to another— in reality a

kind of buttonholing,but beginning from the left hand

side , and worked towards the worker , whereas correct

buttonholing is worked away from the worker . The

latter stitch makes a knot,which Applique stitch

avoids . The stitch is necessari ly worked very closely

over the raw edge of the applique’ material,to avoid

fraying .

6 . BACK STITCH .—A neat stitch used to orna

ment linen or fine canvas . Bring the needle to the

surface of the material,insert i t two threads behind the

working thread,take up four threads forward

,bringing

the needle up two threads in front of the working thread .

Continue taking two threads behind and two before

the working thread,putting the needle each time into

the same hole as the last sti tch . The beauty of the

st itch depends upon its perfect regulari ty . I t is best

to draw a thread for a guide .

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7 . BALL STITCH .

—A stitch used in making orna

mental balls for children . B ind some loose rags

tightly together into a ball . Wind string across as

in the i llustration,forming sections . Thread a needle

with bright- coloured wool,and work round and round ,

passing the needle each time under a strand of string .

I f di fferent co lours be used the effect is very pleasing .

8 . BAR STITCH .

—A stitch used in lace and other

open work,to connect edges by crossing over a space .

Pass threads across from one edge to the other and work

over these . The bars may be plain or twisted,as in

(a) , or buttonholed (b) , or overcast closely as in (c) ,and may be single or in groups of threes , fours , etc .

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9 . BASKET STITCfI .

—This is a dist inct ive stitchfrom that used in Basket Couching (see Couching) ,and is a kind of Cross stitch . To work ,

draw two parallel

lines any distance apart and mark dots at even distances

on both lines . Bring the needle from the under to the

upper side of the material on the first dot on the lower

line . Cross over and insert in the third dot on the top

line,bringing it out on the corresponding dot on the

lower line . Put the needle into the second dot on the

top line,bring out on the second dot on the lower line ,

and cross over to four . Continue the pattern in

this way .

I O . BATTLEMENT STITCH .

-Formed of a series

of long and short stitches,making a species of fret

pattern . I t may be worked in any size,and either

single,double , or treble lines .

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BRICK STITCH .

—An all- over or grounding

stitch . I t may be used as a Couching , or in simple

series of sm gle lines as in the i llustrat ion .

I 6 . BUCKLE STITCH .

-Thic m ay b e Worked

straight lines as in or w ith tiny satin sti tches

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21 . BUTTONHOLE STITCH .

—There are severalkinds of buttonholing , all variat ions of the plainstitch . An ordinary buttonhole may have both endsround

,both square

,or one each round and square .

Buttonholes should be worked accurately by a thread .

The corners contain seven st itches geometricallyarranged (see (a ) and To work a buttonhole

,

hold the work under the thumb with the edges awayfrom the worker . Begin by slipping the needle betweenthe edges

,bringing it out on the surface about four

or five threads in . Put the needle over the edge ofthe buttonhole to the under side

,insert i t again about

two threads from where it came out before . While sti l lin this posit ion

,throw the thread over the point of

the needle from left to right,forming a loop . Pull the

needle through,and draw up closely into a firm knot

at the edge of the buttonhole . Repeat,making all

st itches uniform .

22 . BUTTONHOLE STITCHES —Buttonhole stitch

may be arranged in many ways t o give variety in

ornamental edges . The il lustrations shew (a ) Dog

tooth buttonhole (b) Serrated buttonhole (c)Scal loped buttonhole '(d) Fringed buttonhole .

In the last example the w orking thread is passed over

a mesh after each stitch,giving uni form length to the

loops . A netting mesh,lead penc il

,ruler

,etc .

,will

serve the purpose .

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23 . BUTTONHOLE WITH CHAIN STITCH .

The buttonholing is worked first in small or large waves,

and the Chain stitch is added afterwards . The size

of the waves may be increased if desired , to adapt the

pattern to varying spaces (see a) .

24 . CABLE STITCH .

—A variety of Chain stitch,

but more intricate in the working . Bring the needle to

the surface,hold the thread down under the left thumb

pass the needle from left to right under the portion of

thread held down , as at Turn the needle round

perpendicularly with the loop of thread on it,as at

still holding down the thread . Reverse the needle,

as at insert i t in the last Chain stitch 'ust belowwhere the thread last came out

,and bring it out below

in position for the next st itch . Pull the loop tightly

round the head of the needle release the thumb,and

draw the needle through , keeping the thread as the

loop for a Chain stitch . This makes a series o f Chain

stitches connected by a small t ight loop .

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C

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29 . CASTLE STITCH .

—Draw parallel lines to

gauge correct distances , and work with straight strokes .

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41 . CRETAN STITCH .

—A stitch which , when

worked closely , gives the appearance of close plaiting .

To work , draw two parallel lines , bring the needle from

the under t o the upper surface of the material,on the

left- hand corner of the lowest line but one . The needle

in working is always at right angles t o these lines .

Insert the needle in the top line slightly further to the

right of where it came out on the bottom line,and take

a small stitch downwards then insert i t in the bottom

line and similarly take a small sti tch upwards . In

taking the stitch the thread must be kept to the left

of the needle as in the illustration , or the plaiting will

not take place . The illustration is drawn more openly

than worked,in order to dist inguish the threads .

42 . CRE'ICE STITCH .

—~A stitch worked in slant

ing lines for borders . Lines should always be drawn

as a guide to correct spacing .

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49 . COUCHED HERRING BONE .

- This makes ex

trem ely pretty borders , especially when used outside

a row of ornamental darning with a fringed edge .

The Couching sti tch should always be a different colour

from the Herringbone sti tch .

50 . COUCHINGS .

—A term used to denote theattachment of loose strands of material t o a foundationby means of other working threads . Couching is distinctfrom Applique, which is a term usually applied to theattachment of solid pieces of material t o a foundation .

The chief kinds of Couching are — P lain,Basket

,

Battlement,Brick

,D iagonal

,D iamond

,Floral

, 'eometrical

,Tartan

,and Check Couchings .

(a) Pla in—Strands of material are laid in rows andfastened by single sti tches .

(b) B asket.

—'ives the effect of interlaced strands .

Lay a foundation of cord or thick cotton to form apadding . At right angles arrange a covering of strandsof si lk

,wool , etc . Fasten in uniform groups by means

of upright sti tches falling alternately betw een the linesof padding material .(c) B attlem ent. —Couching in the form of battlement

out lines .

(d) B ricks—Strands are placed in the form of brickwork .

S I

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53 . COUCHINGS (continued) —Couchings may be

worked in the form of tartans or checks . Strands of

coloured si lks or narrow ribbons may thus be couched

according to the kind of pattern desired . The i llust ra

t ion represents rows of narrow ribbons so couched with

dark silk .

STITCH—This sti tch,

called from i ts appearance,consists of one long upright

line,with two branching strokes , be tween which is

worked a c ircle in solid Chain sti tch . I t is suitable

for borderings .

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69 . EASEL STITCH .

—A stitch suitable for working

ornamental perpendicular lines embroidery .

EYELET STITCH .

—This stitch used

smal l eyelet - holes in embroidery . The working is

usually very close overcasting , but sometimes a firm

buttonhole is used instead where the material i s inclined

to fray . To work,

first run one or two threads round

the eyelet-hole to keep the threads together,and then

work over these threads . This gives a raised effect

to the work . Eyelet -holes are generally round,but

not necessarily . The working is sometimes done first

and the centre cut away afterw ards .

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FIN ISHING STITCH —The last securing stitch

in any kind of needlework . In some cases the thread

is run along a short distance , in others an extra stitch

is taken over the tOp of the previ ous one in knitting

and crochet the finishing sti tch is made by drawing the

end of thread through the last sti tch made . (See

Fastening-off.)

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79 . FIRE STITCH .

—This consists of long sti tches

in any direction ,'oined at thetop but not at the bottom .

So called from its resemblance to'ame when worked .

FISH BONE STITCH . stitch which when

worked in series , resembles the backbone of a fish .

Sim ilar'

to Feather sti tch , but differentiated by the

needle always coming up centrally between the two

side l ines,and being worked rather more closely .

Sometimes a back stitch is used as the central con

meeting stitch .

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85 . FLORENTINE STITCH .

—This is similar to

Cashmere st itch,with difference that the sti tches

are alternatively over two threads , slanting

in the same direction

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87 . FRENCH KNOTS .

—Used for fi lling in centres

of 'owers,dot-markings on leaves

,etc . Bring up the

thread to the right, side of the material , and hold i t

down under the thumb . Twist the thread three or

four times (according to the S ize of knot required)round the needle between the thumb and linen , sti l l

holding down the'

thread . Put the needle back to the

wrong side about two threads behind the place w here

it came out a'

first,and bring i t out at the exact place

where the next knot is required . Always hold down

the thread as long as possible in order that the knot

may be quite t ight .

88 FRILLING or WHIPPING STITCH . A

species of loose overcasting which can be drawn up into

a fri ll . I t is usually worked on soft pli able material

such as mull—muslin or lawn . Begin from the right ,and use the left thumb to form a roll of the edge of the

material as the work proceeds . Work about half a

dozen stitches and then draw up the thread . The

sti tch is suitable for fril ls for embroidered muslin

cushion covers , small co llars , etc .

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97 . HEMSTITCH .

- An ornamental stitch used in

drawn- thread work to secure the edges of a hem . The

stitch is in two parts . First take four or five threads

on the needle,then put the needle back

through folded material .

HERRING BONE STITCH—An ornamental

stitch used for borders and for hemming the edges of

'annel or material too thick to fold as an ordinary hem .

I t may be used as a Plain stitch or ornamented wi th a

Couching stitch . (See Couching. )

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The same as above .

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1 10 . LEAF STITCH .

—This similar Loop

stitch . I t may be used for small leaves,as a grounding

,

or for ornamental motifs , as in the i llust ration .

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1 13 . LONG AND SHORT CHAIN STITCH.

—Thisis a pleasing change from the ordinary Chain stitch .

may be arranged in a variety of forms according

the number and position of the short sti tches .

1 14 . LOOP STITCH .

—This stitch is used in making

very small leaves , and also as a powdering . To work ,

bring the needle t o the surface of the,

material , hold the

thread down under the left thumb,put the needle back

into the hole whence it came,and bring it out slightly

further on (according to the size of loop required) , sti l l

keeping the thread held down close to the material,

so that i t does not pass over the working thread which

is being drawn through . Put in the needle again

almost close to where i t came out last,but over the loop

thread . This makes a tiny sti tch which holds the loop

down .

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133 . POINT DE REPRISE .

— A stitch much used

to form bars 1n lace or embroidery,and often termed

under—and- over st itch . Two or more strands of

thread are passed across an open space and a thread

is darned intoI

these ,first over one and then under

another till'

the bar is completed . Any number of

strands may be used .

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137 . RAILWAY STITCH—The same as Loop

stitch,but with longer loops and sometimes an extra

line along the centre of the st itch . I t is suitable

small leaves 'owers as the daisy .

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153 . SATIN STITCH .

-A stitch like very wide

overcasting . A favourite stitch in embroidery to

cover surfaces with quickly worked sti tches . The

needle is simply passed across,in at one edge of the

design and out at the other . Leaves may be fi l l ed in

solidly with this sti tch .

154 . SEAMING STITCH .

—The stitch used to 'ointwo pieces of material together . The edges must first

be turned in to avoid fraying .

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157 . SLANTING ARROW STITCH .

—This is Arrow

stitch placed in a slanting di rection,and may be worked

in single or double lines .

158 . SMOCKING STITCH .

—Sometimes termed

Honeycomb stitch . The st itch itself i s a small back

stitch , but when applied to material arranged to fall

in gathers or diamond- shaped folds i t bears the above

name .

159

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165 SQUARE GREEK STITCH—Used in old

'reek work . The stitch is a series of squares on the

right side , and two parallel lines connected by slanting

st itches on the wrong . To work , draw two parallel

lines , putting dots at even distances . Bring’

out the

needle at dot 2 , put into 1 and bring out at 3 , back into

1 and out at 4 , back into 2 and out at 4 , into 3 and out

at 5 , back to three and out at 6 ,back into 4 and out at 6,

into 5 and out at 7, into 5 again and out at 8 , and so on .

166. STAR—AND ARROW STITCH .

—This

bination is extremely pretty,either for borders or all

over patterns . The stars and arrows should be two

different colours .

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177 . TENT STITCH .

-A stitch m uch used in

tapestries , sometimes referred to as Peti t stitch .

i s a Half -cross stitch , worked one thread

178 . THORN STITCHfi- One the methods

making P icots . (See Picots .)

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181 . TREBLE DOT STITCH .

-This is Dot sti tch

arranged for a grounding or powdering . 'roupsfour

,five

,dots similarly used .

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185 . TRILBY STITCH—Insert the needle as for

French knots . Wind the thread six t imes round the

point of the needle , then six times round the head,then once round the point again . Hold the stitches

firm ly with the thumb , and draw the needle through .

The result is two opposite clusters knots with

plaited thread between .

186. TRINITY STITCH .

—Three stitches for

complete st itch . Useful for pow derings

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189 . UPRIGHT DIAMOND STITCH .

—This is use

ful for work on open canvas where threads may

readily counted .

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194 . CHAIN STITCH—The

the line affords pleasing change from the ordinary

straight line of Chain stitch . The waves may be of

any width .

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198 . WHIP STITCH . Frilling st itch .

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