Backstitch

“ In this way stitches are also sometimes worked upon stitches, as shown on the sampler, Illustration 32. You will see, on referring to the back of it (33) , that only the white silk is worked into the stuff: the dark is surface work only. There is no end to such possible INTERLACINGS. Those on the sampler do not need much explanation; but it may be as well to say that A starts with crewel-stitching; B and C with back-stitching; D with chain-stitching; E with darning or running; F, G, and H with varieties of herring-bone-stitch; J with Oriental-stitch; and K with feather-stitch. ”

“ The stitches are taken alternately from side to side, and the threads cross each other naturally, without any intervention of the needle or thumb of the worker. It is a stitch well known to the neat-fingered housewife for keeping flat the cut edges of a seam where a hem is considered too clumsy. As a decoration it is seldom used in its simplest form; but I have seen many beautiful pieces of embroidery executed entirely in other forms of the same stitch, such as Swiss or Close herring-bone or Fish-bone. ”

“ There is a third and much simpler type of open-work occasionally found on seventeenth-century samplers, which is carried out by piercing the linen with a stiletto and overcasting the resulting holes so as to produce a series of bird’s-eye or eyelet stitches. All three varieties of open-stitch are frequently seen in combination with that short, flat satin-stitch, which, when worked in a diaper pattern with white thread or silk on a white ground, is sometimes called damask-stitch. ”

“ The broad band of needle-weaving is edged by rows of variegated chain stitch in brown and cream (for the working of which, see Fig. 1, p. 46) , and followed by rows of button-hole in orange (Fig. 11) .
The wide braid-like line in oriental stitch, along the top, is worked very closely; along the sides the same stitch is seen with wider spacing. This stitch is of the herring-bone type—the needle is inserted vertically, instead of horizontally, as in the case of the commoner and better-known stitch. It is effective and economical, as the bulk of the thread is on the surface. ”

“ It is its oblique direction only which distinguishes stem-stitch from other short stitches of the kind. Running, again, amounts to no more than proportioning stitches to the mesh of the stuff, and taking several of them at one passing of the needle; and darning is but rows of running side by side. The term split-stitch describes no new stitch, but a particular treatment to which a crewel or a satin stitch is submitted. ”

“ Fig. 58. Double hem-stitch.
Antique hem-stitch (figs. 59, 60, 61 and 62) . In the old, elaborate, linen needlework, we often meet two kinds of hem-stitching seldom found in modern books on needle-work. Figs. 59 to 62 are magnified representations of the same. At the necessary depth for forming a narrow hem, a thread is drawn, in the case of very fine textures where the edge is rolled, not laid; then fasten in the working thread at the left, and work the stitches from left to right. ”

“ Fig. 354. Knot stitch.
Cable or chain stitch.—Chain stitches are used for strengthening and equalizing the edges of articles that are made in stripes. They can be made in two ways; either, you knit off all the stitches on one needle, turn the work, put the needle into the first stitch, as if you were going to knit it from the back, and take it off the left needle without knitting it, the thread to lie behind the needle; or, you knit off all the stitches on one needle, turn the work, and knit off the first stitch. ”

“ To make the second sort of Stitch for the Hare-Lip, a small streight Needle is pass'd into the sides of the Wound, and the Thread is twisted round the Needle, by crossing it above at every Stitch.
To form the Dry Stitch in very superficial Wounds, a piece of new Linnen-Cloth is to be taken, wherein are made Digitations, or many Corners; the Selvedge or Hem ought to be on the side of these Corners or Digitations; and a small Thread-Lace is ty'd to every one of 'em. ”

“ Care must be taken to have the stitches all the same length and to throw the thread in one direction either away from or towards the worker. The pretty effect will be spoiled if there is a variation. Away from the worker makes a neat effect. Begin with knot. Draw needle to right side on the line. Throw [122] thread away from worker; take a small back stitch on the line, needle pointing towards the worker. This will make a long thread on the surface and the short stitch beneath. The effect is much prettier when the stitches are taken close together.
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS ”

“ The threads or stitches should not be drawn close until the whole are inserted, when, on being drawn moderately tight one after another, the cut edge of the intestine should be turned inward by a blunt probe, so that the peritoneal surfaces shall be in contact under the stitches and in the best situation for union, the mucous coat forming a ridge within, the outside being perfectly smooth, the stitches not being too tight, while the end may be secured by a knot made by a turn of the thread over the needle. ”

“ Back-stitching is very useful for making fine lines, for following outside of an outline which may seem too hard, or for breaking up a background, as in the central petal of the fleur-de-lys in the sampler, where it answers the same purpose as dots or ‘sympathetic lines’ in a drawing, by filling a flat surface quietly and unobtrusively. It is well to work it in rather coarser thread than the satin-stitch it accompanies. ”

“ Then, keeping it under the thumb to the left, put your needle, eye first, downwards, through the slanting stitch just made; draw the thread not too tight, and, keeping it as before under the thumb, put your needle, eye first, this time through the upper half only of the slanting stitch, making a kind of buttonhole-stitch round the last, and draw out your thread.
These knotted rope stitches, call them what you will, are rather ragged and fussy—not much more than fancy stitches—of no great importance. Knots used separately are of much more artistic account. ”

“ In working in the hand, you take a rather shorter stitch back than in crewel-stitch, piercing with the needle the thread which is to form the next stitch. In working on a frame, you bring your needle always up through the last-made satin-stitch in order to start the next. Whichever way it is done, split-stitch is often difficult to distinguish without minute examination from chain-stitch. ”

“ For the approximation of the skin edges, stitches of horse-hair, fishing-gut, or fine silk are the most appropriate. These _stitches of coaptation_ may be interrupted or continuous. In small superficial wounds on exposed parts, stitch marks may be avoided by approximating the edges with strips of gauze fixed in position by collodion, or by subcutaneous sutures of fine catgut. ”

“ Everyone knows how to make the running stitch. Darning is fine running. Begin without a knot and a little beyond the tear for strength. Fill in the missing thread with rows of stitches close together. The stitches should extend far enough each side of the tear to take in the worn part also. In turning at the end of each row, leave a tiny loop. ”

“ If it is a border of any considerable length a number of skeins may be all begun together; then, pinning them all down with a long fine pin, the stitches are set in at regular intervals to make the pattern. The floss-silk in this case requires no needle, but, when once begun, is ‘paid off’ the reel or card by degrees as required.
Laid-work makes a beautiful background; the over-stitching may be either of split-stitch, couching, or back-stitch, and may be done either in a pattern or by simple lines, diagonal, vandyked, or at right angles with the silk laid down. ”

“ A. Simple Darning Stitch.—The simple darning stitch is a short stitch on the back and a long one on the face "running" on a straight line, the second row alternating with the first in the positions of the long and short stitches, and lying parallel to it. Care and practice are necessary to make these rows of equal tension. They should keep their straight direction and terminate where they meet the outline. There are ways of accommodating them to the outline when they are used within the design. ”

“ If a Plaister be apply'd to the Wound after the Stitching, a small Bolster is to be laid over the Knots, to prevent their sticking to the Plaister. In case any Inflammation happens in the Wound, the Knots may be loosen'd and ty'd again when the Symptoms cease: But if the Inflammation continue, the Threads are to be cut by passing a Probe underneath: When the Wound is clos'd, the Threads are cut in like manner with a Probe; and in drawing 'em out, a Finger must be laid near the Knot, lest the Wound should open again. ”

“ The tacking done, the pretty work begins. Thread your crewel needle with the “Sylko.” At one corner count 24 threads in from each side. The hole just where these threads cross is your starting point. Now leave 3 holes below, and in the 4th bring your needle up from underneath for a satin stitch. You will see how to do this stitch in making the doll’s bedspread (page 67) , only as you are using a different kind of canvas here, you leave 3 holes instead of one. Make 4 of these stitches. Leave 3 holes, and into the 4th start another little block of satin stitches. ”

“ Cast on 80 stitches and knit 10 ribs even; keep front edge straight and decrease at other side one stitch every 6th rib 6 times, then decrease at same side every 10th rib 6 times. Work even until front is as long as back at underarm seam (68 stitches on row, which should measure 131⁄2 inches) . Bind off 10 stitches at sloped side for armhole, then decrease at same side one stitch every rib in each of the following 10 ribs. From now on keep edge straight at armhole and decrease one stitch at neck in each of the following 20 ribs. ”

“ In this dislocation the limb is shortened, moved with difficulty, drawn inwards over the other, and its great toe touches some part of the back of the other foot. The hip itself is altered, the great trochanter being nearer to the crista ilii, and more prominent than on the uninjured side, and the head is often plainly felt in its new position. Resistance to extension of the limb, limited movement of the hip, with rotation inwards, are the distinguishing points between this dislocation and fracture at the neck of the femur. ”

“ Of course when each stitch is taken naturally with the needle pointing toward you, the work reels off wonderfully fast, but the stitch loses in effect, for instead of the pretty double twist, you now have the needle cross the thread but once, making a single twist not nearly so pretty when examined closely. ”

“ Fig. 51. Fine drawing.
Use as fine a needle as possible and thread it with hair, instead of silk, or any other kind of fibre. Red and white hair is the strongest, and stronger than the ravellings of the stuff. Of course the hair has first to be carefully cleansed from grease. Pare the edges of the rent, on the right sides, quite clean and even, with a razor, so that both rent and stitches may be lost in the hairy surface of the cloth. Scissors do not cut so closely, and are liable moreover, to disturb the nap, and render the darn more visible. ”

“ Finally, when worked with the same quantity of thread on the under and upper surfaces of the material, it attains a new dignity, and becomes satin stitch—the stitch beloved of the young modern needlewoman, who is generally inspired and stimulated by the wonderful skill and precision of the Eastern needleworkers. ”

“ But in changing from a short stitch to a long one, inasmuch as the right pair of stitch cams pass over the needle butts before the new course is made, if they were allowed, preparatory to drawing a longer stitch in the next course, to drop down to a point below where the previous stitch was drawn, they would ride on the butts of the needles and cause undue strain on the stitches of that course and would be very liable to break them, thereby making holes in the fabric. ”

“ Sprains of the knee are comparatively common as a result of sudden twisting or wrenching of the joint. In addition to the stretching or tearing of ligaments, there is usually a considerable effusion of fluid into the synovial cavity, and examination with the X-rays occasionally reveals that a portion of bone has been torn away with the ligament—sprain-fracture. The swelling fills up the hollows on either side of the patella, and extends for some distance in the synovial pouch underneath the quadriceps. ”