finish the join of a yoke to the body of a garment, as in the Mother Hubbard wrappers and dresses for children. It is much used by French needle-women, who, with the white working cotton, put it along the front hems of night-dresses ; also as a heading for the embroidery on collars or cuffs, or around the neck, sleeve and front hem of corset covers. On white dresses the brier-stitch looks well done with colored working cotton, while with the pink, blue, bluff and red gingham the white cotton makes quite a show. One word in passing about the French working cottons. They maybe procured in almost every shade from Turkey-red to the most delicate strawberry, inclusive of blue, old- gold, etc. The reds and blues are the safer ; though all are sold as fast ^V ^V ^ ^^ ff f/^ Crow's-foot and Brier-stitch. colors, it must be admitted that it is only the red that persistently holds its strength after repeated visits to the laundry. In the white working cotton, No. 24 is very fine ; the cotton is coarser as the numbers decrease. With the colored cotton it is the same. A nice little stitch akin to the brier is the crow's-foot. From a point make a. long, straight stitch, bring the needle back beneath, and insert upward at the same point, and take a shorter separate stitch to the right, then one to the left. This cluster of three may be extended to five, and again duplicated in the opposite direction, with a stitch across the centre as a join. The endless variety of stitches used in the well-named crazy work, so popular just now, are mostly elaborated from the brier- stitch and crow's-foot. In crewel or silk, they are useful to fasten and ornament strips of velvet, plush, ribbon, or any applique designs. Small books containing a bewildering variety of crazy-stitches can be bought at a shop where fancy work is prepared, for a trifling sum. NEEDLE-WORK. 679 THREAD STITCHES. There are few women, we fancy, who have not faced with dismay more than once the sight of dainty and carefully made underwear, hardly six months old, in which, as a sorely tried young friend pathetically ex- presses it, " the link between soul and body is surely and slowly part- ing " with the wear of the lace insertion, or delicate beading that unites the muslin or cambric embroidery. The last threads are severed by the ruthless iron, and the garment comes from the laundry a wreck. In lieu of the Smyrna, Valenciennes, and other lace insertings in underwear intended for constant use, we commend the thread-stitches, any of which will outlast two sets of lace work. Herring-bone— Fodder-stitch — Two-tie. Put a very narrow hem on each side of the embroidered insertion or strips of tucking to be joined. On a length of paper doubled— ordinary brown wrapping-paper is good, as not too stiff, provided it is fresh and smooth — baste the pieces of embroidery wrong side uppermost about a quarter of an inch apart, with short stitches and quite close to the edge, so that the strips shall be firm on the paper. Use needle suitable to the fabric and a double thread ; No. 50 will do for general work. Insert the needle at the left end of the lower strip. Hold the work tightly over the fore-finger, and catch the needle from side to side with a short button-hole-stitch. This gives a twist to the thread and makes a strong herring-bone. 680 FANCY WORK.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

finish the join of a yoke to the body of a garment, as in the Mother Hubbard wrappers and dresses for children. It is much used by French needle-women, who, with the white working cotton, put it along the front hems of night-dresses ; also as a heading for the embroidery on collars or cuffs, or around the neck, sleeve and front hem of corset covers. On white dresses the brier-stitch looks well done with colored working cotton, while with the pink, blue, bluff and red gingham the white cotton makes quite a show. One word in passing about the French working cottons. They maybe procured in almost every shade from Turkey-red to the most delicate strawberry, inclusive of blue, oldgold, etc. The reds and blues are the safer ; though all are sold as fast ^V ^V ^ ^^ ff f/^ Crow's-foot and Brier-stitch. colors, it must be admitted that it is only the red that persistently holds its strength after repeated visits to the laundry. In the white working cotton, No. 24 is very fine ; the cotton is coarser as the numbers decrease. With the colored cotton it is the same. A nice little stitch akin to the brier is the crow's-foot. From a point make a. long, straight stitch, bring the needle back beneath, and insert upward at the same point, and take a shorter separate stitch to the right, then one to the left. This cluster of three may be extended to five, and again duplicated in the opposite direction, with a stitch across the centre as a join. The endless variety of stitches used in the well-named crazy work, so popular just now, are mostly elaborated from the brierstitch and crow's-foot. In crewel or silk, they are useful to fasten and ornament strips of velvet, plush, ribbon, or any applique designs. Small books containing a bewildering variety of crazy-stitches can be bought at a shop where fancy work is prepared, for a trifling sum. NEEDLE-WORK. THREAD STITCHES. There are few women, we fancy, who have not faced with dismay more than once the sight of dainty and carefully made underwear, hardly six months old, in which, as a sorely tried young friend pathetically expresses it, " the link between soul and body is surely and slowly parting " with the wear of the lace insertion, or delicate beading that unites the muslin or cambric embroidery. The last threads are severed by the ruthless iron, and the garment comes from the laundry a wreck. In lieu of the Smyrna, Valenciennes, and other lace insertings in underwear intended for constant use, we commend the thread-stitches, any of which will outlast two sets of lace work. Herring-bone— Fodder-stitch — Two-tie. Put a very narrow hem on each side of the embroidered insertion or strips of tucking to be joined. On a length of paper doubled— ordinary brown wrapping-paper is good, as not too stiff, provided it is fresh and smooth — baste the pieces of embroidery wrong side uppermost about a quarter of an inch apart, with short stitches and quite close to the edge, so that the strips shall be firm on the paper. Use needle suitable to the fabric and a double thread ; No. 50 will do for general work. Insert the needle at the left end of the lower strip. Hold the work tightly over the fore-finger, and catch the needle from side to side with a short button-hole-stitch. This gives a twist to the thread and makes a strong herring-bone.

The household (of the Detroit free press)