It is necessary in the first place to purchase a complete set of stamp-
ing tools to secure accuracy of outline in patterns, stars, circles or
diamonds, but the patterns are procurable in all varieties already
stamped out of velvet cloth, satin or silk. When you have selected
your pattern baste it carefully down upon the material for your back-
ground, always having either fabric or color in contrast. Velvet on
cloth, silk on velvet, cloth on silk — any combination most effective to
the worker's eye — can be used. When carefully basted down, work
the edge carefully in satin stitch, or run on a cord or braid, carefully
covering the edge of the applique on both sides. Satin, coral knots
and chain-stitches are much used. To make a butterfly, cut it out of
yellow flannel or velvet, and baste it on whatever you intend to make ;
buttonhole the edge down with black silk; shade the wings with
black, in satin stitch. For the dots on wings cut a piece of dark blue
velvet, and buttonhole around with black silk ; shade the body same as
the wings. Flowers, leaves, and a great many other things can be
made in the same way.
Fruit, designs in all its varieties, is very much employed for applique
work in the decoration of chair backs, fireplace curtains, brackets, pan-
CREWEL STITCH. 51
els, etc. For example, in the center scallop of a small black satin bracket
droops a cluster of pears, whilst on the smaller side ones appears a pome-
granate. A handsome black curtain band exhibits diagonal divisions,
separated by groups of four lines in gold filoselle, inclosing a never end-
ing scroll wrought in greenish-yellow. The large spaces are filled in by
pine-apples, and from their embroidered stalks hang bunches of purple
grapes. Both kinds of fruit are inlaid in silk or cloth, gummed on and
worked over with filoselle, which indicates the facetted surface of the
pine-apple and the bloom of the grapes, at the same time faintly out-
lining them. On a cushion, also in black satin, is delineated a vine,
with branches, leaves and ripe fruit overhanging a stream, simulated
by a few stitches in white and blue; a wild duck embroidered in bright
tints animates the scene. The same purple grapes alternate on a pale
blue valance, with bunches of shaded cherries. Another peculiar val-
ance, reproduced on gray cloth, has Egyptian heads in clay-brown color,
Oranges, apples, and peaches in their various stages of ripeness, com-
pose bouquets for the centers of ottomans, piano stools, antimacassars,
etc. In this case the corners are generally rounded by a fan of ruby
network in the whole twelve strands of the filoselle, caught down with
cross stitches of gold silk. Between each fan spreads a smaller curve.
A very nice way for a table bordering in applique is to take a piece
of fine black cloth the length required ; cut circles on paper the size of
a silver dollar ; with a piece the size of a silver ten-cent piece cut out
the center ; cut circles in colored llama cloth large enough to cover the
paper ones ; these are to be tacked down to the cloth with a piece of
military braid, threaded through the circles ; they are then sewn on
each edge to the cloth in buttonhole stitch with gold-colored embroi-
dery silk ; gold beads are then sewn on the edge of circles and braid.
Page 45
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
It is necessary in the first place to purchase a complete set of stamping tools to secure accuracy of outline in patterns, stars, circles or diamonds, but the patterns are procurable in all varieties already stamped out of velvet cloth, satin or silk. When you have selected your pattern baste it carefully down upon the material for your background, always having either fabric or color in contrast. Velvet on cloth, silk on velvet, cloth on silk — any combination most effective to the worker's eye — can be used. When carefully basted down, work the edge carefully in satin stitch, or run on a cord or braid, carefully covering the edge of the applique on both sides. Satin, coral knots and chain-stitches are much used. To make a butterfly, cut it out of yellow flannel or velvet, and baste it on whatever you intend to make ; buttonhole the edge down with black silk; shade the wings with black, in satin stitch. For the dots on wings cut a piece of dark blue velvet, and buttonhole around with black silk ; shade the body same as the wings. Flowers, leaves, and a great many other things can be made in the same way.
Fruit, designs in all its varieties, is very much employed for applique work in the decoration of chair backs, fireplace curtains, brackets, pan-
CREWEL STITCH. 51
els, etc. For example, in the center scallop of a small black satin bracket droops a cluster of pears, whilst on the smaller side ones appears a pomegranate. A handsome black curtain band exhibits diagonal divisions, separated by groups of four lines in gold filoselle, inclosing a never ending scroll wrought in greenish-yellow. The large spaces are filled in by pine-apples, and from their embroidered stalks hang bunches of purple grapes. Both kinds of fruit are inlaid in silk or cloth, gummed on and worked over with filoselle, which indicates the facetted surface of the pine-apple and the bloom of the grapes, at the same time faintly outlining them. On a cushion, also in black satin, is delineated a vine, with branches, leaves and ripe fruit overhanging a stream, simulated by a few stitches in white and blue; a wild duck embroidered in bright tints animates the scene. The same purple grapes alternate on a pale blue valance, with bunches of shaded cherries. Another peculiar valance, reproduced on gray cloth, has Egyptian heads in clay-brown color, Oranges, apples, and peaches in their various stages of ripeness, compose bouquets for the centers of ottomans, piano stools, antimacassars, etc. In this case the corners are generally rounded by a fan of ruby network in the whole twelve strands of the filoselle, caught down with cross stitches of gold silk. Between each fan spreads a smaller curve. A very nice way for a table bordering in applique is to take a piece of fine black cloth the length required ; cut circles on paper the size of a silver dollar ; with a piece the size of a silver ten-cent piece cut out the center ; cut circles in colored llama cloth large enough to cover the paper ones ; these are to be tacked down to the cloth with a piece of military braid, threaded through the circles ; they are then sewn on each edge to the cloth in buttonhole stitch with gold-colored embroidery silk ; gold beads are then sewn on the edge of circles and braid.