ne-stitch,
to which a special chapter is devoted.

[Illustration: 10. PLAIT AND OPEN CANVAS STITCHES.]

Darning is also employed as a canvas stitch. There is beautiful 16th
century Italian work (in coloured silks on dark net of the very open
square mesh of the period), which is most effective, and in which there
is no pretence of disguising the stepped outline; and in the very early
days of Christian art in Egypt and Byzantium, linen was darned in little
square tufts of wool upstanding on its surface, which look so much like
the tesserae of mosaic that it seems as if they must have been worked in
deliberate imitation of it.

Again, in the 15th century satin-stitch was worked on fine linen with
strict regard to the lines of its web; and the Persians, ancient and
modern, embroider white silk upon linen, also in satin-stitch,
preserving piously the rectangular and diagonal lines given by the
material. They have their reward in producing most characteristic
needlework. The diapered ground in Illustration 9 (page 20) is
satin-stitch upon coarse linen.

The filling-in patterns used to such delicate and dainty purpose in the
marvellous work on fine cambric (Illustration 73) which competes in
effect with lace, though it is strictly embroidery, all follow in their
design the lines of the fabric, and are worked thread by thread
according to its woof: they afford again instances of perfect adaptation
of stitch to material and of design to stitch.

Satin and other stitches were worked by the old Italians (Illustration
3) on square-meshed canvas, frankly on the square lines given by it, for
the filling in of ornamental details, though the outline might be much
less formal. That is to say, the surface of freely-drawn leaves, &c.,
instead of being worked solid, was diapered over with more or less open
pattern work constructed on the lines of the weaving.

A cunning use of the square mesh of canvas has sometimes been made to
guide the worker upon other fabrics, such as velvet. This was first
faced with net: the design was then worked, over that, on to and into
the velvet, and the threads of the canvas were then drawn out. That is a
device which may serve on occasion. The design may even be traced upon
the net.

CREWEL-STITCH.

For work in the hand, CREWEL-STITCH is perhaps, on the whole, the
easiest and most useful of stitches; whence it comes that people
sometimes vaguely call all embroidery crewel work; though, as a