EMBROIDERING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21414, 11 February 1933, Page 6 (Supplement)

EMBROIDERING

THE CHAIN STITCH FOR SIMPLE FLOWERS Chain stitch was used a great deal in eighteenth century embroidery—both on linen and on cotton —as an outline and a filling for flowers. All sorts of variations of this stitch are employed in modern embroideries, so the needlework novice should make herself familiar with them. Ordinary chain stitch is familiar to most people, and below you see a diagram of it. Very few people, however, seem to be familiar with whipped chain, which is a very simple and remarkably effective variation. A contrast in colour should be used for the whipping thread. Start from right to left and pass the needle under the top thread of each stitch and a line of chain. Pale yellow whipped with rose is very effective, or pink with red. This is a good stitch for

decorating children's frocks or underwear, as well as an outline for flowers in more fanciful embroideries. Broad chain is done like ordinary chain, except that instead of the needle being returned to the same point for each stitch it is put in to the right and the needle sloped downwards to the left as seen in the diagram. Tailed chain makes most attractive little flowers. A single chain stitch is made for each petal and the thread carried down to the centre, and then returned again near the outer edge for another stitch.

A Simple Design A particularly attractive colour-scheme is formed by using magenta pink and rose, dark purple and petunia, and pale lemon yellow with two shades of jade for the leaves and a brown stem. This design shown is worked on old bleach linen, and can be drawn on the linen with a sharply-pointed pencil, using a round object one and a-half inches in diameter for the circles of the flowers. In the top flower, which is outlined with single chain stitches, the places for the stitches can be marked with a dot.