this the points may be fastened, so that the patch will be kept in position and perfectly straight. It is important to see that the material is just sufficiently stretched from one side to the other, and neither drawn tight nor puckered. It should be slightly damped and pressed with an iron at this stage. As far as possi- ble it should be planned finally to join the edges of the patch under the embroidery work. For this reason it is easier to conceal a mend in an elaborate embroidery than in one which is sparsely decor- ated. An inner thread should be run around the tear at the farthest point to which the patch will extend. Then in the front of the embroidery all the damaged portion can be cut away, taking the scissors close to the tacking line, and right through the centre of the embroidery stitches, otherwise when the new ones are worked over they will be too thickly padded. It is a good plan to tack with black thread, since then there will be no possibility of making a mistake. The patch must now be sewn finally in position. This should be done on the wrong side with the loo cotton, and in the finest buttonhole stitch. The needle should be caught each time just on to the reverse side of the pattern. In such places where the patch cannot be joined under cover of the embroidery a thread mu^st be run in and out in a tiny darn, so as to join the edges and keep them from fraying. A tracing should be made from the embroidery pattern, and inserted in exactly the right position on the patch, so that it may join properly to the other part of the design. With the aid of a piece of carbon paper the pattern can be trans- ferred. Then it must be worked out so that in thread and stitch it will exactly copy the original pattern. (See Fig. 3.) Much depends on skill and careful atten- tion at this point, and before commencing a study should be made of the exact kind of embroidery, of the various stitches used, and of whether any of the principal points of the design require padding beforehand. The raw edges of the patch which are left beyond the buttonhole stitching must also be"^ cut away before the embroidering is done, and the stitches should be taken right 767 NEEDLEWORK through on to the wrong side so that they may cover the joining entirely. As soon as all is ccmplcted, the remaining piece of the patch below the points should be cut out and the embroidery pressed. When the piece has been washed and ironed it will be difficult for the keenest eyes to discern what has been done, and the work will give lasting satisfaction to the mender. (See Fig. 4.) Should the fabric of the embroidery be very rotten, with perhaps no definite rend, but only thin places and small holes to be repaired, the following may be adapted. Of course, it will not give the excellent results of the more elaborate work, but it will answer very well if the article is too old to take a patch, especially if the embroidery is of an openwork de- sign. A piece of material should be tacked under the weak spot, and holes cut out to the correspond- ing openings in the embroidery. They should be neatly sown on the wrong side, the stitches being hidden in the edge of the embroidery unless the buttonhole-stitch requires remaking. The thin places can be carefully darned with fine thread .to the under patch. Mending of this kind will answer quite well for the bottom of a dress where a patch is not very obvious. Fig. 3. Trace the pattern of the embroidery, by means of carbon paper, on the new material, ready for embroidering in silk or cotton, as may be required. «•«««' -•••% V«i*' v»i^ii' v^ %i?^i$^^-'i* Fig. 4. It is impossible to detect the repair when the embroidery is completed, and the result is well worth the time *nd troubk involved
