XIII Roman Cut-Work, Fancy Buttonholing for Borders, Work Bags, Bermuda Fagotting
Roman cut-work or Colbert embroidery is one of the prettiest forms of buttonholing. The right way to work it is to make the stitches so that each one is distinct from the other. Some people insist on crowding the stitches as in regular fine buttonholing, which is quite a mistake, as its distinctness lies in dissimilarity to the ordinary buttonholing (Figure 122).
The work is used for centre pieces, corners of lunch napkins, coat sets, as well as on heavy linen dresses. In Scotland the little girls make the entire yokes of their night gowns in cut-work as well as the top of their night gown case. These cases are placed on top of the bed pillows during the day and are marvels of fine handwork. This custom is not restricted to Scotland, but Italian, French, and German women are also proud of their night dress cases.
The design for Roman cut-work should be bold and not too close together. It should be stamped directly on the material. The American way of working it is to run a line of fine stitches on the outline and then work a row of buttonholing. The stitches are a little less than an eighth of an inch deep. The background spaces between the design are then cut away close to the buttonhole edge. Do not neglect to wet and press the linen before cutting the buttonholing. Keep the twill of the buttonholing on the outer edge of the design so that the background will be bordered with the twilled edges (Figure 123).
The European method of Roman cut-work is to run the thread first and then cut the material so that there is an eighth of an inch extending beyond the running stitches. This is turned under till the running thread forms the edge and then the buttonholing is worked through both thicknesses of the material. This way prevents the linen from fraying. The design is basted over a piece of coloured paper, letting the basting stitches follow closely the buttonholing. The wide spaces are then filled in with a simple lace stitch such as the twisted bar, woven bar, or spiders. Sometimes the spider is used in conjunction with one of the former stitches, and it is an excellent stitch for filling in the corners. Marking cotton No. 20 or No. 25 should be used for Roman cut-work, as well as the lace stitches.
To make the twisted bar, plan the open spaces so that they will be well filled and yet not too crowded. Span from one side of the space to the other with the thread, then return and whip the thread or stitch three or four times. The stitches may be connected and have the appearance of a series of points (Figure 124).
The woven bars are made by working two threads across the space about one eighth of an inch apart. Start from one end and weave. Take up one thread on the upward and the other thread on the downward pass. Continue in this manner till the whole bar is woven. The bars are placed at equal distances apart (Figure 125).
The spider is a little more complicated. It is made on an uneven number of threads, usually seven. They may be double or single. To make the whipped or double-thread spider, span the space with the thread and then whip back to the centre and connect the thread to the buttonholing again at some little distance from the first stitch. Whip back to the centre again and take a stitch directly opposite. Continue in this manner till there are five, seven, or nine threads around the centre, then proceed to weave under one and over the next thread until a good-sized spider is made. Do not make too large a spider, as it detracts from the work. An illustration for the single spider is given in the chapter on lace stitches.
The blanket stitch is a favourite for working the edge of flannel skirts or quilted covers. Worsted or coarse silk can be used for it. It is made on the raw or folded edge of the material. Two stitches are long and two are short. Sometimes they are worked like a pyramid. Beginning at the base we increase each stitch till we reach the point and then decrease each stitch in length as we work back to the base on the other side (Figure 126).
The triangular buttonhole is a pretty stitch for a conventional design that has long narrow sections. It may also be used for working a very large simple scallop (Figure 127). The way we were taught in school was to mark the section to be worked in deep points. The twill of the buttonholing must come on the lines. The stitches are not very close to each other. The stitches are taken on the line across to the next line. Begin at the longest opening and make every stitch shorter. When the line is covered, turn the work so that the twill of the buttonholing touches the top of the stitches just made. If this stitch is used on the outer scallop it will be necessary to hem the material, letting the triangular buttonholing form the edge.
Then there are fancy forms of buttonholing that are used especially in Mount Mellick work. The double buttonhole stitch is effective to fill in the large leaves. The stitches are taken in groups of two, then a little space and two more stitches. Continue in straight rows. Sometimes one will see a leaf worked one half in double buttonholing and the other half in a close stitch.
The honeycomb or mesh is a fancy name for another form of buttonholing. Work a row of buttonholing about a quarter of an inch apart. The distance may be changed to suit the design you are working on. In the second and all other rows, the needle is over the buttonhole loop directly above and a short stitch taken a quarter of an inch, or the distance you have decided on, below the loop. In starting each row bring the needle up a quarter of an inch, or more or less as you desire, below the previous row. The distance must be kept even to achieve satisfactory results. It is not necessary to start from one side always. The first row is worked from left to right, the second from right to left and so on, back and forth, till the space is filled (Figure 128).
Bermuda fagotting is the name of a stitch that gives the effect of drawn work, when no threads have been drawn. It is used on scroll designs as well as to outline a simple floral pattern. Lawn, dimity, China silk, handkerchief linen, or nainsook are the prettiest materials for this stitch, as it demands a fine, transparent background to give the right effect.
Sewing cotton No. 100 or 150 and a special needle are the only requirements for this work. The needles can be bought from any art needlework shop for five cents each. It is like a large-sized carpet needle with a small eye. A carpet needle can be substituted if it is not possible to obtain the regular needle in your locality. Tie one end of the thread to the eye of the needle. While practising this stitch it will be necessary to make guide lines. On each side of the design line make a row of dots an eighth of an inch apart. The dots above the line must be directly over the lower dots. Note the diagram (Figure 129) of this stitch. I have numbered the first six dots.
Take a stitch from one to three and tie the end of the thread under this point. Make the stitch a second time from these points, pulling the material between them closely. Pass the needle underneath and connect one and two with two stitches. Then pass to point four and connect two. Three and four are connected in the same manner. It is only necessary to tie the thread when commencing the work or a new thread. The needle is so large that it makes quite a hole in the material and the thread is so fine that the manner of working is not clear to the average eye unless a detailed explanation is given (Figure 130).
When working on a curved line or a corner it will be necessary to make an extra stitch on the outer or longer side only.
The scroll lines or stems of a conventional shirtwaist design are more dainty when made in Bermuda fagotting. The corners of handkerchiefs or a design on underwear or yokes and collars lend themselves to this style of adornment.