EMBROIDERY.
In selecting materials for embroidery it is well to remember that, as this kind of work is very durable, the best are always the cheapest.
The foundations usually employed are linens of various makes, including crash, Bolton sheeting (an English fabric whose place can be supplied here by an unbleached cotton knit called Wamsutta twill), Momie cloth, both in wool and cotton, canton flannel, serge, felt, satin, velvet and plush.
The materials with which the work is done are as varied. Marking cotton, crewels, the many varieties of embroidery silk, arrasene (a kind of chenille), gold and silver thread, and bullion, are all used.
In planning a piece of work there are several things to be taken into consideration. The use for which the article is designed must govern largely the choice of the material. It would be absurd to use silk or velvet for a bureau cover, or crash for a banner screen. For this reason the tidies, which have been so fashionable of late, formed of squares of painted satin, set together with lace always strike me as in bad taste. Darned net, drawn work, fine linen sketched with indelible ink or worked in outline, would make equally dainty tidies, while the fact that they can be easily laundried makes their name seem no longer a misnomer. Again, the material with which we work must be adapted to the foundation. Crewel would be out of place on handsome silks and satins, but is very suitable for all the varieties of
