| Insertions | 20, 40, 80 | 40, 80, 100 | |--------------------------------|-----------------|--------
-------|

Ladies at a distance from town or on the Continent will be glad to have some guide as to the quantity of cotton required to complete their work.  The quantity of tatting or crochet cotton used by an average worker is found to be two yards to the square inch with a single shuttle; three yards to the square inch with two shuttles.

* * * * *

EMBROIDERY

INSTRUCTIONS.

The art of embroidering with cotton on linen, muslin, cambric, pique, &c., is very easy to learn by strictly attending to the following instructions.

The size of the thread and needle must correspond to that of the material on which you embroider; the needle must not be too long, and the cotton must be soft.  Messrs. Walter Evans and Co.’s embroidery cotton is the best.  Skilful embroiderers never work over anything, because when you tack the material on paper or cloth each stitch shows, and if the material is very fine, leaves small holes; but for those that are learning we should advise them to tack the material to be embroidered upon a piece of toile ciree.  If you work without this, place the material straight over the forefinger of the left hand; the material must never be held slantways.  The three other fingers of the left hand hold the work; the thumb remains free to give the right position to each stitch.  The work must always, if possible, lie so that the outline of the pattern is turned towards the person who works.  For the sake of greater clearness one part of the following illustrations is given in larger size than nature.  Preparing the patterns is one of the most important things in embroidery, for the shape of the patterns is often spoiled merely because they have not been prepared with sufficient care.

[Illustration:  66.—­Scallop.]

ILLUSTRATION 66 shows how to prepare a scallop.  Take thicker cotton than that with which you work; never commence with a knot, and do not take a thread longer than sixteen or eighteen inches.  The outlines of the scallops are first traced with short straight stitches.  In the corners particularly the stitches must be short.  The space between the outlines is filled with chain stitches, as can be seen from illustration; they must not be too long, otherwise the embroidery will look coarse.  It is in this way that every pattern to be worked in button-hole or satin stitch is to be prepared.

[Illustration:  67.—­Double Overcast Stitch.]

ILLUSTRATION 67 shows the double overcast stitch or button-hole stitch in a straight line.  After having traced the outline begin to work from left to right; fasten the cotton with a few stitches, hold it with the thumb of the left hand under the outline, insert the needle downwards above the outline, draw it out under the same above the cotton which you hold in the left hand, and draw it up.  Repeat for all the stitches in the same manner; they must be regular and lie close to one another.  Great care should be taken that the material on which you embroider is not puckered.