the
surface of the work, and then place upon it a flat weight that presses
equally on every part of the embroidery. Leave it undisturbed for a
night, and the puckering will probably be cured. Work, if not puckered,
may be improved by going through this process, which practically amounts
to a mild ironing, but without any injurious effects.

[Illustration: Fig. 167.]

There are various points about the thread that should be known. To
commence a new thread run a few stitches in the material upon the right
side upon a part that will afterwards be covered by the working. This is
a better way than a fastening on the wrong side, for it is both neater
and more secure. A knot made at the beginning is fairly safe, but it is
undesirable for several reasons. The needleful should not be lengthy
lest it gets worn before it is all worked in. With some threads it is
important to thread only the proper end into the eye of the needle,
since one way they will work in roughly and the other way smoothly. An
end of a coarse thread can be taken through to the back of the material
by the help of a fine one; the fine thread is brought through from the
back by the needle, it then encircles the coarse one, and returns to the
back by the same hole, pulling the coarse thread with it, as in process
in fig. 167. Taking it through by the aid of a thick needle would make
too large a hole. Thread can be knotted into the eye of the needle if
for any reason it is required to be quite safe from accidental
unthreading. The neatest way of doing this is to pass the needle
through the centre of the thread and draw it tight; this is a useful
trick for any unskilled worker with needles and thread, for re-threading
also may be a difficulty. When work has to be unpicked it is better to
cut the threads rather than do any drawing out, for they are in any case
unfit for further use, and this method wears the material less; a
beginner must not shirk unpicking if first-rate results are to be
obtained.

FRAME WORK

Certain stitches and methods of work cannot be carried out except with
the help of a frame, others are hand stitches, and some few can be
worked either way. Work done in a frame takes longer than that done by
hand, and is rather more fatiguing. Each method has its advantages; in
the frame it is perhaps easier to get good technique, for difficulties
such as puckering the material, irregular stitching, and so on, are more
easily avoided, also it is mor