Stitch

“ 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. ”

“ The word “stitches” does not, however, in this chapter represent merely the plural of one particular process of needle insertion, but the produce and effect of each different kind of stitch by grouping and repetition, according to its most ancient nomenclature. That which is astonishing is the endless variety of surface, of design, of hints and suggestions, of startling effects, and of lovely combinations, resulting from the direction of the needle and manipulation of the materials, and differing from each other according to the power or the caprice of the worker. ”

“ Stitching (fig. 6) .—The production of a row of back-stitches, that exactly meet one another, constitutes what is called stitching. Only one stitch can be made at a time, and the needle must be put in, exactly at the point where it was drawn out to form the preceding back-stitch, and brought out as many threads further on as were covered by the last back-stitch. The beauty of stitching depends on the uniform length of the stitches, and the straightness of the line formed, to ensure which it is necessary to count the threads for each stitch, and to draw a thread to mark the line. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Take up an eighth of an inch and skip three-eighths. When only loose basting is required, as when holding the lining and outside together, a long stitch and two short ones may be used.
Blind Stitch.—The blind stitch and slip stitch are used to fasten a hem lightly where it is desired to conceal the stitches. To blind stitch a hem, turn back the edge of the hem to the basting and, holding the cloth along the edge of the finger, catch first cloth and then hem with a single stitch that does not show on either side. A slip stitch is a long stitch on the wrong side and a blind stitch on the hem. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Here, then, is a philosophy of fancy-work that will carry us a very long way. The stitches are always a matter of life and of death, however innocent or trivial they may seem. Whether I do a row of stitches, or drive a row of nails, or write a row of words, I am a little older when I fasten the last stitch, or drive the last nail, or write the last word, than I was when I began. ”

“ Continue these stitches long and short. This is the way to work round the circumference of a circle. Curved tendrils are very effective embroidered in the overlap stitch. See Fig. I c.
Fig. I d. Tapestry Stitch.
D. Tapestry Stitch.—A stitch similar to feather stitch except that its lines are all in one direction. The stitches do not slant to accommodate themselves to a form but are all straight and in all cases parallel and terminate abruptly as they come against the outline of the form whether they are within it or are used to fill the background. ”

“ All the stitches must incline to the right, or the work will appear imperfect and unsightly.
Double Cross Stitch.—This is a stitch very easy of execution. Bring your needle up No. 41, over four threads, down 5, up 1 down 45, up 43 down 25, up 3 down 25, up 3 down 21, up 43 down 21, one stitch. Four, six, or eight threads may be taken in depth, and two in width, according as taste may suggest. This is an admirable stitch for large pieces of work. Gold thread introduced between each row is a desirable addition to its attractive beauty. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A pretty and—in sampler embroidery—uncommon stitch is that in which the crowned lions in the samplers of Mary and Lydia Johnson (Figs. 35 and 36) are worked. This stitch is formed of two cross-stitches superimposed diagonally, and since its revival in the Berlin wool era has been known by the names of star-stitch and leviathan-stitch. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Darning and running need little explanation. The former stitch is familiar to us in the well-known Cretan and Turkish cloths: the stitch here is used mechanically in parallel lines, and simulates weaving, so that these handsome borders in a deep rich red might as well have come from the loom as from the needle. Another method of darning is looser and coarser, and suitable only for cloths and hangings not subject to much wear and rubbing; the stitches follow the curves of the design, which the needle paints, as it were, shading and blending the colours. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Plaited stitch (fig. 382) .—This kind of stitch is worked in stripes, which, for scarves, counterpanes, etc., are generally joined together with stripes of plain knitting. For counterpanes, the lower numbers of D.M.C cottons are most suitable, for smaller articles the higher numbers. Plaited stitch is formed by crossing the stitches, that is, by knitting the second stitch on the left needle to begin with, and then the first stitch. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Tambour stitch and not satin stitch. Mind you don't forget that it is to be tambour stitch! Something else I had almost forgotten! For God's sake tell her also that the leaves on the pelerine are to be raised and that the tendrils and thorns are to be in appliqué; and, then, the collar is to be edged with lace, or a deep frill. Please tell her, Makar Alexyevitch. ”

“ Every young girl should be taught to do the following kinds of stitch, with propriety. Over-stitch, hemming, running, felling, stitching, back-stitch and run, buttonhole-stitch, chain-stitch, whipping, darning, gathering, and cross-stitch.
In doing over-stitch, the edges should always be first fitted, either with pins or basting, to prevent puckering. In turning wide hems, a paper measure should be used, to make them even. Tucks, also, should be regulated by a paper measure. A fell should be turned, before the edges are put together, and the seam should be over-sewed, before felling. ”

“ In the blanket stitch, feather stitch, herringbone, chain and buttonhole stitch the new thread must come out through the last stitch. Thoughtful attention should be given to the fastening of threads, as careful, painstaking work may soon be rendered useless by the loosening of the thread from the end. ”

“ THE FAGOT-STITCH is a style of hand-made trimming that is always popular and attractive. (Ill. 264.) The simple beading stitch or any of the more elaborate stitches shown in the illustrations, which are very effective for trimming dainty lingerie, may also be used as a beading through which to run narrow ribbon. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The mesh or net stitch is good for a filling stitch. A blunt pointed needle is the best for working lace as you are not so apt to stick yourself. Make a row of open buttonholing, not however through the background. The second row is worked slightly below the first row. Each stitch is taken into a loop of the upper row. ”

“ A dividing, or seam stitch,—called also a raised stitch, is made by putting the needle through both meshes of the chain, and working two stitches in the same hole. These stitches must always be made exactly over each other. In crocheting circles they form a kind of star pattern, and serve the purpose of increasing stitches. They should not be employed when working with chenille.
To increase a stitch,—to make two stitches in the same loop.
To decrease,—to take two stitches together, or to miss one stitch. Decreasing is always done in the same ratio as increasing. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Increasing or making a stitch is done by throwing the thread once round the needle and in the next row knitting it as an ordinary stitch.
293.--To Decrease.
This is done in two ways: firstly, taking up two stitches and knitting them together as one; secondly, by taking up a stitch without knitting it, called slipping, then by knitting the following stitch in the usual way, and then slipping the 1st (unknitted) over the 2nd (knitted) (see No. 293) . ”

“ The running and back stitch is made by taking a few running stitches, drawing out the needle and making a back stitch over the last running stitch to strengthen the seam. Care must be taken not to hold the side next the worker too full and not to miss the under material, but to take the stitches even on both sides. ”

“ 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. ”