Honeycombing.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 867, 12 October 1888, Page 4

Honeycombing.

(‘ Queen.’) The craze for honeycombing has appar> ently reached its height; the little hollowed cells with their bright knots are seen every, where. They decorate children’s frocks, hoods, and pockets, as well as ladies’ gowns, skirt panels, opera bags, Garibaldis, &c.; however, tbergreat feature of the season has been the introduction of parasols, either in silk, honeycombed all over, or in Indian muslin sparingly enhanced with a sprinkling of the dotted stitch, whioh brightens up the top, like sparkling dewdrops. It is arranged in diamonds and Vandykes, from whence the gathers, left .loose, hang in informal pleats over a silk foundation and drop all round the edge as a pinked out flounce. When describing straight bands or yokes the honeycombing is worked in the ordinary way from left to right, in horizontal lines with what is called the * down stitoh,’ because two rows being worked at the same time, the first and second are connected together by a lengthy stitch invisibly carried at the back, and this movement up and

down is continued to the tad. This method is the one, we believe, that is found in all the old patterns, and for a long time it was thought that the elasticity of the stitch would be greatly impaired by the alteration of the down stitch. Lately, however, an across stitoh has been used, to satisfy the requirements of fashion, and give still further elasticity to special parts of the decoration, where more spring was wanted, such as for the favourite hip gauging, mouth of stylish bags, necks of children's frocks &c. In this case the work on the wrong side does not look so neat, indeed, its appearance is quite against one of the chief ruleß of oldfashioned honeycombing, the beauty of which much depended on having no stitch whatever visible at the fluted back to spoil the evenness of the gathers. This across stitch is worked from right to left in a single line, and the ornamental thread shows at the back in long horizontal strokes, clasping two folds at a time, not too tightly though ; it appears and disappears between the hollow or vacant spaoes of the pipes. To make it, proceed thus : Prepare the gathers in the nsual way ; make a knot to the cotton or silk, and, starting at the right side, bring the needle on the top from underneath with the point upwards, beyond the first fold, and a little on the left side of this round crease, carry the thread from left tc right over this single pleat, and, turning the needle horizontally with the point toward the left hand, ■pierce through the first and second gathers. Commencing by the right or outside of the first pleat, bring the thread back over these tu{o folds from left to right. Put the needle point downward, starting on the outside of the 6rst pleat, to return it to the back, where it is pulled out with the right hand and then inserted point upward to return to the front in the crease next to the first clasped knot above, after the thread has taken astride two pleats on the wrong side and repeat. This one pleat is first overcast alone, and once more it, is crossed- by the thread, to be connected in a single dot or knot to its fellow onp, so that in every couple the right-side gather has alwaysj one overcasting more than the next one, whilst at the back the pleats are caught together by two in a row, without interruption, by the thread laid astride. Another qnicker way might be called the ‘ mixed Btitoh,’ as it combines the across or astride stitch with a slanting one a streaky and invisible one. Work according to the above directions with this difference. At the back- leave alternately one ploat free 'arid one encircled by the thread, and, to obtain this, instead of passing the needle, point downward, at the back, pierce it slantwise through one of the pleats, to come out in the middle of a furrow without any outside mark. Then carry the thread over a single pleat, bring baok the needle, point upward to the surface, and proceed to overcast, as explained in the former method.

Two different plans are followed for tapering honeycombing so as to describe Vandykes, lozenges, &o. The first way is to gradually drop one cell at the beginning and end of each row, whenever the stripe of the design requires any narrowing. The other one is done from right to left lengthwise, instead of across, and left to right, as for seaming. To execute it, gather very carefully the required fulness according to the length and width of the design ; then turn the work and hold it with the pleatß running horizontally. In some detached patterns the first half may be wrought from the longest to the shortest row, then the work is reversed, and the second half is done in the same decreasing way.— Ist row. Begin at the right side with the fold the longest or furthest away from you ; at once catch hold of the first and second gather by piercing them through with the needle point toward you, draw the thread gently, as it has no knot, and secure it with a few stitches of overcasting ; slide the needle point toward the loft hand under the first pleat, bring it out in the crevioe, on the side of the first fold, draw it, and with the thread drooping behind it, which has the point slightly inclined towards the fight side, pick up the second pleat ; overcast. Repeat to the end of the row, fasten and break thread.—2nd row. Retain to the right side edge, begin a little lower, just in the centre of the first perforated lozenge of the first row to make the dots alternate prettily ; pick up the second and third folds, pull the thread and overcast, carry the needle with thread falling to the right, across, invisibly from right to left, to pierce through the third pleat, take it back, on the second fold midway of the opposite cell, and carry it again through the third fold with head up and point looking toward the right, and cotton to the left ; repeat. Fasten and break thread. By this method, the work is done entirely on the top of the material, and each line of knots being independent from the next one can be made as long or short as wished. . This fancy gathering is really very pretty, and easily made ; the indispensable regularity in the folds and the spacing of the dots is soon attained after a short practice, provided the eye be good. The chart cards and transfer dot sheets may prove a help to beginners, but either prooess is rather tedious, and is, we should think, rarely used by any experienced hands. Is sometimes happens, too, that delicate fabrics are spoiled by the mere touch of the crayon or of the transfer paper. A reliable guide is the tacking of a fine ingrain thread rof a, contrasting colour, forming a kind of speckling over the ground,

land indicating where the knots have to appear ; provided the thread is not split by the ornamental one, it is easily drawn out when the work is finished. In any case the greatest care must be paid to the evenness of the fundamental gauging, so that it can be made to contract the fulness of the stuff in such a way as not to interfere with the shape of the garment nor with the fancy design. The overcasting thread mast contrast or harmonise strictly with the material, and must be bought at some well-known shop, so as to have it of the best quality and of fast dyes. Filoselle, floss, and Pearsall's silica are often selected, although some workers find crewel silk usually better ingrained, and setting out the work to better advantage. It is safer for amateurs to buy a skein of silk at first to make sure that it does not at least run on the fingers whilst working, and when satisfied that such is not the case, it is advisable, whenever possible, to buy at once the exact quantity likely to be wanted, to be certain to meet with no difficulty in matching the proper tint. Embroidery cotton of the best quality is mostly used for prints, oambrics, and zephyr lawns. The linen flax thread, with its gloss, can scarcely be recommended for washing fabrics, its various dyes not being sufficiently fast ; the blue shade, if we remember rightly, is the best of its kind. The suitable materials for honeycombing are in woollen materials, cashmere, foulri and nun’s cloth, French and Chuddah beige, French stockingette, poplin, fine serge, Victoria cloth. In silks, Roman sheeting, pongee silk, tussore, satin, gauze, and in fact any kind of plain or fancy silk. In washing stuffs the choice is as great; it includes every variety of muslin, zephyr lawns, Attaleas, Arabian and gauze cottons, cambrics, Dutch linen (unbleached), Turkey twill, &c.

Honey-combed lingerie does not appear to have met as yet with great suocess. There is a good show of white underlinen thus decorated at the Irish Exhibition, at the stand of Messrs Forrest and Son, Dublin, and almost opposite, the stall of Mrs Macbeath, from Berners-street, where are displayed children’s smocked frocks and fronts for ladies’ woar, &o. Before concluding these few remarks, it may be as well to remind the workers that some honeycombing requires to be lightly pressed at the back over a piece of muslin, with an irrn not too warm to spoil the material, and yet sufficiently heated to throw out the gathers with the knots well resting on a padded surface. A piece of lining, too, is occasionally added at the back of' the embroidery to give better support and prevent any undue stretching. The stitoh proper represents, on the wrong side, a close series of stiff perpendioular reeds or ridges, cunningly held in place ; whilst the front is covered with an open latticework, produced with those very formal ridges smartly knotted in pairs at angles, so as to expand in the centre into small cells. The True Education for Women.

*lt is much more diffioult to find a good domestic servant than a good governess,’ Mrs Bay le said pleasantly. ‘At the best of times the demand for good governesses is very ' limited, and judging by advertisements in six papers that we have carefully gone over, the supply is greatly iu excess of the demand. Highly educated and accomplished women remain out of situations ;for months and months, and then acoept lower salaries than the cook or ladies’ maid, have to work harder, and have far less comfort and independence. There must bo governesses, cf course, and it Is most desirable that they should be highly trained and effioient. Colleges in this age of culture are no doubt a necessity, but for my own part, I think the higher, or rather the highest education of women consists in a thorough practical knowledge of all domestic duties—a knowledge that makes a woman entirely independent of circumstances, or rather mistress of them. A woman who cannot oook a dinner as well as eat it, make a dress as well as wear it, a woman who oannot turn her hand to anything when oooasion requires, who is not able to train her servants practically, and teach them the value of eoonomy of time as well as money, is uofc, in my opinion educated at all, though she may be very much cultivated, and even have been to college and taken a degree. Look at Hester in her dairy now—would she look any fresher, healthier, happier, in a cap and gown, or be more usefully employed in pouring over conic sections or reading questionable Greek plays ? Take my word for it, Miss Norman, girls would be all the better, and homes all the happier, if more time and attention were given to domestic affairs, and if every woman knew how to be her own oook, honaekeeper, and dressmaker ; snoh things are far more easily learned than dead languages or mathematics, and are of infinitely more nse to a woman in going through life.’ —Cassell’s Magazine.