rly
expressed when worked in this way.

CHAPTER IV

STITCHES

Introduction--Chain Stitch--Zigzag Chain--Chequered Chain--Twisted
Chain--Open Chain--Braid Stitch--Cable Chain--Knotted Chain--Split
Stitch.

It is necessary for every worker to have a certain amount of knowledge
of stitches, for they are, so to speak, the language of the art, and
though not of first importance, still there is a great deal in
stitchery. The needlewoman should be absolute master of her needle, for
there is a great charm in beautifully carried out stitching; also a good
design can be made mechanical and uninteresting by a wrong method of
execution. The simplest and most common stitches are the best, and are
all that are necessary for the doing of good work. Work carried out
entirely in one stitch has a certain unity and character that is very
pleasing. There are a great number of stitches in existence, that is, if
each slight variation has a different name assigned to it. The names
are sometimes misleading, for often the same stitch is known by several
different ones; descriptive names have where possible been chosen for
those discussed in the following pages.

A worker may find it useful to keep by her a sampler with the most
characteristic stitches placed upon it; a glance at this will be
suggestive when she is in doubt as to which to use, for it is often
difficult to recollect just the right and most suitable one at a
moment's notice. It is necessary to learn only the main varieties, for
each individual worker can adapt, combine, and invent variations to suit
a special purpose.

The direction of the stitch is important; tone, if not colour, can be
very much altered by change in direction; also growth and form can be
suggested by it; for instance, lines going across a stem are not usually
so satisfactory as those running the length of it; these suggesting
growth better. Folds of drapery are often explained by direction of the
lines of stitching quite as much as by gradation of colour.

With reference to the stitches described in the following chapters, the
worker is advised to try to work them by simply examining the diagrams,
and, if in any difficulty, then to refer to the printed description, for
such directions are apt to be tedious. The simplest way to master these
is to let some one read them out step by step, and to work from
dictation. It should be remembered that the use of a particular thread
often makes or m