Page:Embroidery and Fancy Work.djvu/46

42 Reference has been made to appliqué work. As its name implies, the decoration is produced by cutting the design or its main features out in one material, and then fastening it on to a ground work. The edges are then concealed by chain, button-hole, couching, or some other fancy stitch. Sometimes it is advisable to back the appliqué design before fastening on the ground-work, in order to insure its being perfectly flat and unwrinkled. In this case the material used for the ground should be tightly and evenly strained, and the design having been traced on the backing material (which should be of unbleached linen evenly stretched), the cut-out pieces to be used in the work are pasted on this linen ground, care being taken that the stuff goes in the same direction in both the pieces for the design and in the backing. The following paste is used for appliqué work, and also for pasting the backs of some pieces of embroidery designed for screens, etc.

"Three and a half spoonfuls of flour, and as much powdered resin as will lie on a half penny. Mix thoroughly with half a pint of water. Pat in one teaspoon essence of cloves, stirring till it boils. Boil for five minutes."—Lady Marian Alford's Manual of Embroidery.

A new way of making up a sofa pillow is shown in Fig. 14c, the covering of which is of plush, lined with satin, cut about fourteen inches longer than the pillow, and confined at either end by a cord and tassel. The decoration consists of sprays, worked on linen in filled-in embroidery, and applied to the plush. These sprays can be bought ready worked.

When appliqué designs are cut from plain colored material, such as felt or satin, they may be much