Embroidery and Fancy Work/Macramé
MACRAMÉ.
This work used to be quite extensively used, at one time, in England, under the name of knot work, which designation is most appropriate, as it exactly describes the manner of making this kind of lace. In Italy it was used for trimming priests' vestments in the fifteenth century, and the name for it there, punto a groppo, or groppino, was also taken from the method of working it. Macramé is from an Arabian word which signifies a large cloth with a fringed border.
Most Macramé lace or fringe, now-a-days, is worked with a species of twine or cord, although it can be made of coarse thread or silk. The different knots are used also in knotting the borders for towels, or as finishing edges to drawn work.
Macramé is very rich and effective, and possesses the rare advantage of exerting no strain on the eyes. It is easy and quick of execution, and also affords the worker the pleasure of forming new combinations in different parts of the work. It is well to begin working with quite coarse material. The real Macramé cord, manufactured by Messrs. Barbour and Co. is made of flax and is rather softer to work with than other cord, not being hard twisted. The natural color of this cord is also very pleasant. Seine twine is much used also, and some prefer its écru color. It is also much cheaper. It is bought by the skein, varying in weight according to the size.
Before beginning work, a cushion or desk must be provided. Very convenient patent desks can be bought for two or three dollars. A home-made cushion or desk, however, will do equally well. If a cushion is used, it should be very firmly stuffed, as it is impossible to do work nicely on anything but a hard cushion. It should be about fifteen inches long, four inches high, and five inches wide. Some put a piece of lead or some sand at the bottom of the cushion, but I have never found any difficulty in working with a cushion made in the ordinary way. The cushion can either be covered with some bright color as turkey red, or with ticking, the stripes of which should run lengthwise of the cushion. A second piece of stuff can be sewed to the bottom of the cushion on three sides, thus forming a pocket in which the extra strands of cord can be kept.
Fig. 83.
Some prefer working on a desk or board. Such a board should be of the same size as the top of the cushion just described. Cover it with several layers of wadding and over this stretch tightly a cover of stout muslin. A ticking or colored outside cover may then be put on.
Besides the cushion you will need a number of large pins. They should be about two inches long.
Fig. 83 shows the stitches or knots with which the different patterns are formed. At the extreme left the manner of putting on the working threads is shown The cords or leaders on which the knots are worked must be doubled and have a knot tied at the doubled end. A pin thrust through the loop thus formed fastens it to the pillow. Each leader must be, after it is doubled, a little longer than the finished work is to be, and each working thread after doubling, must be, as a rule, about three times as long as the depth of the finished work.
After the working threads are set up they are knotted to a second leader, as seen in the same illustration. To work it, pass the thread (one length at a time) under the leader, wind it once over the leader, bringing the thread out at the bottom at the left. Now pass it round the leader to the right, and bring the thread out through the loop, thus forming a knot that will not slip. This knot is used in forming the leaves and rosettes to be found in most patterns. It is also worked perpendicularly.
SINGLE CHAIN.
Take two threads, hold one straight in the left hand, knot the other thread on to it once with the right; hold this thread straight in the right hand and knot the other on to it with the left. Repeat. The second figure in No. 83 shows this knot.
DOUBLE CHAIN.
This is made like single chain, but with four threads, using two each time instead of one.
OPEN CHAIN.
Take four threads, commence with the two at the left side, hold the first of these in the right hand as the leader, knot the second twice on to it with the left hand, pass the same leader to the left hand, knot the same thread as before twice on to it; take the next two threads, hold the first thread in the right hand as leader, knot the second twice on to it, pass the leader to the left hand, knot the same thread as before twice on to it, hold the leader still in the left hand and knot the first leader twice on to it with the right hand, knot the remaining thread at the left side twice on to it, leaving a loop before drawing it up tight.* Pass the same leader back to the right hand, and knot the same thread twice on to it with the left hand. Then take up the two threads at the right side, hold the under one in the right hand, as leader, knot the other thread twice on to it leaving a loop as before. Pass the same leader to the left hand, and knot the same thread twice on to it. Hold the leader still in the left hand, and knot the leader at the left side twice on to it. Knot the remaining thread at the left side on it, leaving a loop as before. Then pass the leader back to the right hand and knot the same thread twice on to it. Repeat from.* A modification of this chain is seen in the fourth figure of the cut.
TO MAKE LEAVES OR ROSETTES.
Fig. 84.
SOLOMON'S KNOT.
This is the second of the two knots used in Macramé and can easily be worked from the illustration. Take four threads, hold the two centre ones straight; it is more convenient to tie the two centre strands in a slip knot and fasten it to one of your dress buttons or pin it in place, so as to hold it firm; pass the thread at the left side loosely over these. Take the thread at the right side, pass it over the first thread and under the centre ones, and up through the loop at the left side; draw this knot up tight. Then take the right hand thread, pass it over the two centre ones loosely; take the left thread, pass it over this, under the centre ones, and up through the loop at the right side; draw it up tight to meet the first part of the knot. This forms one completed knot. To make a raised picot, which is generally used between two leaves, work six Solomon's knots with two threads from either leaf, using the centre ones as leaders, and the outside strands as working threads. Pass the two centre threads back through the opening between the two leaves; take one of these threads and knot it once to the thread at the left side, take up the other and knot it once to the remaining thread at the right side.
PICOT HEADING.
Place two double strands round a large pin and make two Solomon's knots; then put on a leader. This can be varied by working a double chain instead of the knots for a heading.
To work a spiral cord, work one half of a Solomon's knot continuously over the centre strands.
WAVED BAR.
This bar is formed of four strands; knot the left hand thread five times over the centre strands; then the right hand five times over the left hand, and repeat.
A very simple pattern to begin with is worked as follows:
Fasten on 24 double threads, making 48 working ones. Knot on to a leader (the length you wish to make the fringe). Cut your threads a little more than a yard long. Work one row of Solomon's knots. Put on another leader. Take four strands. Take the right hand thread in your left hand in a slanting direction, and knot the other three threads on. Take four more strands, use the left hand thread for a leader, slanting it to the right, knot the remaining three threads on it.
You have now eight working threads in use. Take the two centre threads, and work a Solomon's knot with the two threads lying respectively on the right and left of the centre threads. Take the extreme left hand thread, which was the first leader, and holding it in your right hand, knot three threads on to it with the left hand. Take the second leader, hold it in the left hand; slanting it to meet the one just worked, and knot seven threads on; this will finish one diamond and begin another.
Now divide the eight threads with which you are working; take the four at the right side, hold the first left hand one in the right hand and knot the other three to it; make a Solomon's knot as in the first diamond, and work the lower half of the diamond as directed above, only remembering to knot only three threads on to the lower right hand leader instead of seven. Pat on another leader, and knot the eight threads on. Repeat till you have a row six diamonds wide.
Having knotted all the threads on to the leader, make two rows of diamonds with a Solomon's knot in the centre of each. For the next row take the top leader of the second diamond, which will be the fifth thread, counting from the left. Use this for new leader, holding it in your left hand, and knot the four right hand threads of the first diamond on to it; then take the top thread on at the left side, hold it in the right hand and knot the three threads from the left side of the second diamond on to it. Finish this diamond as you did those in the last row. Repeat until you have five diamonds; make four under these in the same way; three under the four, and so on till you have but one oval. Cut the fringe even.
If fringe is not wanted, the scollop can be finished off with a thick edge in the following manner: Bend each working thread to the right and knot the succeeding threads over them; cut two ends off after every second buttonhole stitch so as gradually to absorb the whole.
When working insertion, it is necessary that the lower edge should resemble the upper. This is managed in the following way:
Keep the last leader pinned on at both ends; take two threads, draw the second up under the line in a loop, pass the end of both threads through this loop, draw them up tight, to form a knot, the same as the one at the top line. The threads will now be in front, between the two last lines. Pass these threads to the back, one at each side of the knot, tie them firmly together at the back, sew the ends neatly to the work, on the wrong side with a needle and thread.
The beauty of Macramé lace, depends chiefly on taking care, first to keep the leaders perfectly straight; secondly, to work each knot of the same tightness, and thirdly, to draw each knot close up to the last. Almost all the patterns given may be worked from the illustrations; one or two, however, call for a few words of explanation.
As has been said, the Macramé cord can now be obtained in different colors. In some of the patterns, dark and light lines suggest the combination of different colors, but they can be as easily worked in one shade. In Fig. 81, tufts of crewel are introduced. The manner of fastening them is clearly shown in the illustration.
The way in which the strands of Solomon's knots
Fig. 85.
are crossed is shown in Fig. 85, while the manner of fastening in the tufts of crewel is illustrated in Fig. 86, and the making of the picot in Fig. 87.
Fig. 88, is worked in purse twist of two colors. The manner of working the "groppo knots," or rib balls and picots is shown in Figs. 88a, b, c, and d.
The square used on the bag in Fig. 89, is worked from the main part of this design, a narrow gimp 
Fig. 86.
Fig. 87.
Fig. 88.
the Macramé. In the fringe, the working threads of every alternate figure are tied tightly and sewed neatly down at the back.
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Fig. 90, shows how to work a corner in Macramé. The illustration is one end of a military collar worked in coarse linen thread. Fig. 91 shows how to arrange the leading threads. The threads from the side and corner picots are gradually worked in and cut off after being knotted on to the inside perpendicular leader, as also the left hand working thread of the lower diamond shaped figure.
Fig. 92, is a guard for a pair of scissors. It is ornamented with pompons of worsted. Bands to hold
Fig. 89.
Fig. 90.
back curtains can be worked in the same way.
Fig. 91.
Fig. 92.
Fig. 93.
ting the ends of buffet scarfs, etc.