239 NECDLKWORK EMBROIDERED BLOUSES Decorated Buttons — ^'Shadow*' Embroidery — A Linen Blouse with a Scroll Pattern LOUSES are greatly improved in appearance if trimmed with a little hand-made embroidery. The illustrations show different styles of trimming. BLOUSE I This is a shirt blouse made of shangtung silk, trimmed with " shadow" embroidery on white net worked with dull green flourishing thread (id. a ball), and also flourishing thread two shades deeper in colour than the shangtung ; also a little fine gold tinsel thread (id. a ball). Method of Work. — Cut a strip of net 2 inches long and 3^ inches broad for the front of blouse and arrange that the strip starts from t he top of the neck. Cut two shorter pieces 6 inches in length and 3^ inches wide for each side of collar, and^ two pieces gl inches long, and the same width, for round the bottom of the sleeves (these measure- ments allow for turnings) . Fine white muslin can be used for " shadow " embroidery instead of net if preferred. Lay the net flat down on a table, and with a tape measure mark the spaces required for the " shadow " work, say, oval spaces I J inches long and ^ inch broad, and allow I inch between each oval space. Two or three rows of " shadow " work is sufficient for a trimming 3 inches wide. A design in small ivy leaves is often used for this kind of work. " SHADOW " WORK To do " shadow " work, make the long stitches on the wrong side and leave only a small stitch on the edge of the pattern on the right side, thus prcdiicing an outlined effect. To WORK THE TRIMMING hold it WrOUg side up and work across the pattern from side to side, making long cross-stitches or herringbone stitches very close together. Work from left to right and begin on the lower line. * Take the needle upwaids and to the right, and there make a tiny siitch, working through two holes of the net. Take the cotton to the lower line again and towards the right, and there make another tiny stitch by working through two holes of the net ; and continue from * until the design is covered. Between the patterns Blouse I work on the right side of embroidery small rounds with fine gold tinsel or else filo-floss, and backstitch round with the dark tussore coloured thread ; also put four or five stitches on each end of the oval patterns to give a nice finish. Along the edge of the embroidery work a sprigged design, sewing over and over from two, three, and four holes of the net. This work is very quickly done, and is very effective when finished. BLOUSE 2 This is a useful coloured linen blouse worked with a scroll pattern. Use a transfer paper pattern, or draw the design and work with white linen, or flourishing thread, in satin or crewel stitch. (These stitches were de- scribed in '* Embroid"! ered Col- lars," page 87, Part I.) Make the French knots by holding the working thread firmly and twisting it two or three times round the needle, then turn the needle upright and put it through to the wrong side of the material close to where it came out. BLOUSE 3 Shows a black silk blouse with an original design embroidered in black silk, with a small piece of light-coloured spangled net in front to give relief. The Blouse 3 Blouse 3 (sleeve) sleeve shows one of the latest patterns and the method of introducing a little fancy hand embroidery. Buttons. — To decorate blouses with em- broidered buttons, buy wooden blocks (sold for the purpose) and cover them with small rounds of silk like the blouse, and work them with crewel silk or filo-floss.
