Page:Embroidery and Fancy Work.djvu/24

20 lying for some time, and rubbed to a dull surface after it has been treated to a coat of varnish; or it can be painted black and decorated with a few dashes of gold paint in a vague Japanese style. For the screen itself, use unbleached muslin. Having measured it to fit the screen, put on a dado of dark blue cambric, proportioning it duly to the height. On the upper part, sketch a Japanese group, such as you can find on many of the advertising cards and fans. Or, if this seems beyond you, powder the blue muslin sparingly with outline plum blossoms (you will find a suggestion in Fig. 3), and run a branch up beyond the dado in the manner of the illustration alluded to.

Fig. 4 is a screen in which the work is of rather a novel character, being a combination of painting and embroidery, and is much more quickly worked than one would think. Sketch the design, enlarged to suit your screen, on the material, which in the original is olive satin, making the outline delicate. Have your work stretched firmly in an embroidery frame, which may be made on the same principle as an old-fashioned quilting frame. Figs 4a and 4b give enlarged details which will enable the worker to clearly understand the directions. Gold, silver, copper, and black paints are used, mixing them when they need diluting with gum water. Paint the