photo of square pincushion with butterfly in the center, checkerboard trim and loops at the cornersThe Cord gives the Pincushion a pretty finish.
The Cord gives the Pincushion a pretty finish.
Make your first row of crosses 8threads in from the edge of the square, going over three threads of canvas for each cross and leaving three threads between each. Then put the second row of crosses above the open spaces of the first row. A cross is then added at each corner three threads in from the border.
To get the butterfly right in the centre of the square, count the crosses on the design and place the centre cross of the butterfly even with the centre cross of the border each way. Now sew your two squares of canvas together along three of the edges on the wrong side, taking a seam of four threads of canvas. Turn on to the right side, pull the case over the stuffed cushion, and oversew the edges of the fourth side together.
Little girl sewing for and dressing her dollies
Finish the cushion with blue cord, making a loop at each corner; the cord should be hemmed on along the seam all round. The oversewn seam can be opened a little way and the ends of the cord tucked in and sewn securely to make a neat finish. Three-quarters of a yard of cord will be sufficient to go round the cushion.
This little butterfly would also look very pretty on a cushion for Dolly’s chair or couch, and you could make the cushion in exactly the same way as the pincushion, only you would not need to stuff it so full, but leave it loose and soft for Dolly’s head.
Or, if you can knit, you could knit her a woollen bedspread, using J. & J. Baldwin’s 4-ply Beehive Fingering. Knit it in plain garter stitch, the length and width you require. Then work a cross-stitch border all round, and the butterfly in the centre. It is easy to work cross-stitch on plain knitting.
Isn’t this a pretty curtain? It has quite a farmyard of animals on it. First, there is the stately cock; then two rabbits, one running along and one sitting down; and then quite a group of ducks and ducklings. Perhaps if you were to ask mother, she would let you make some like it for your own bedroom.
Cream Congress canvas was used to make the curtain, and it was lined with sateen of the same shade. The animals and border are worked in green “Star Sylko” thread, No. 5, Shade 754. The curtain in the picture is about 18 inches wide and 21 inches deep, but you would, of course, make it the right size for your own window.
First cut your canvas to the size required, allowing about 6 threads of canvas extra all round for turnings. Turn in a single turning of 6 threads all round and tack securely.
photoThe curtain looks like this when it hangs at the window.
The curtain looks like this when it hangs at the window.
Working the Border.
Now look carefully at the border and see how this is done. You have an illustration showing how to make the various stitches used. You first work slanting up-and-down stitches all along the sideedges and across the bottom of the curtain, going over 4 threads of canvas.
Commencing from the top of the right side edge of the curtain, count 4 threads from the top edge, and put your needle up through the hole right on the edge; go over 4 threads to the right and 4 threads up, put your needle in and pick up 8 threads; make a slanting stitch back again down to the edge of the canvas, and put your needle into the hole you first brought it out of, pick up 8 threads along the edge, and repeat this up and down all the way round three sides of the curtain.
I think the little picture will best show you how this is done; you will see that two slanting stitches meet at the corner. In picking up the lower threads only take up the single canvas, so that no stitches will be shown at the edge on the other side.
photoA CORNER SHOWING THE BORDER.
A CORNER SHOWING THE BORDER.
Now to complete the edge, buttonhole stitches are worked around.Directions for making buttonhole stitch are given onpage 6. One stitch is placed at each point of the slanting stitches, putting your needle down through the fold of the edge of the curtain. How this should look can be seen in the second specimen in the illustration of the stitches. You will notice that three stitches are made into the one hole at the corner.
photo long strip of stitchesSHOWING SOME OF THE STITCHES USED ON THE CURTAIN.
SHOWING SOME OF THE STITCHES USED ON THE CURTAIN.
You have now to work the rows of stars around to finish the border. These are worked as shown in the third specimen in your illustration of stitches. All the stitches of the star start from the centre hole, the four long stitches being worked over four threads of the canvas, and the four short stitches over 2; one thread of canvas is left between each star. There should also be four threads left between the points of the first row of stars and the stitches round the edge of the curtain. One row of stars is worked all round, a second row and a row of half stars being added across the bottom.
The Animals.
The animals are worked in cross-stitch, going over 2 threads of canvas for each cross. If you are not quite sure how to work cross-stitch, you can find out by looking atpage 26. You will be able to count the crosses from the diagrams given. Of course, if your curtain is to be much larger than this one, you will have to leave more space between each animal.
Also, you might like to make your curtain of some other materialinstead of the canvas, and if you are using a plain material, without even threads to count, you can first tack Penelope canvas where you want your animals, and work over this, pulling the threads of canvas away after, as you see explained onpage 27. For instance, the curtain would look quite nice made of unbleached calico in this way. You have a set of pictures onpage 111, showing the animals worked over Penelope canvas, and these will help you, if you are using calico, or casement cloth for your curtain.
flapping duckling patternduck and duckling pattern
rooster patternback of bunny patternFrom these diagrams you can easily count the crosses for the animals.
From these diagrams you can easily count the crosses for the animals.
flapping ducklingphoto of swimming duck stitchedYou can see that this is the Swimming Duck. On the left is the Cock.
You can see that this is the Swimming Duck. On the left is the Cock.
photo of rooster stitched
The pictures on this page show the animals worked over Penelope Canvas. You would do them this way if you make your curtain of sateen or unbleached calico.
back of bunny stitchedphoto of running bunny stitchedThis is the Running Rabbit. The one on the left prefers to sit still.
This is the Running Rabbit. The one on the left prefers to sit still.
photo mother duck and duckling walkingHere are the Duck and Duckling. On the left is the Duckling flapping his wings.
Here are the Duck and Duckling. On the left is the Duckling flapping his wings.
Lining the Curtain.
You now cut out a piece of sateen exactly the same size as you cut the canvas, turn in a narrow single turning, and tack the sateen to the wrong side of the curtain. The stitch used for sewing the lining to the curtain is shown at the bottom of your illustration of stitches. In working this, you hold a strand of your embroidery thread along just in from the edge of your work, and sew over this, with small slanting stitches, putting your needle in just above the line of thread, and bringing it out just underneath. The coloured thread is used for this; a white thread is used in the specimen, just to show you how the stitches should look.
running bunny pattern
When you are doing this part of the work, be careful that you do not take your stitches through to the right side of the curtain, but only pick up the turned-in edge of the canvas with the sateen.
Sew 7 bone curtain rings to the top of curtain at even distances apart, and the curtain is complete.
swimming duck pattern
You will need two curtains, or even three, if your window is a very wide one. But each curtain is made in exactly the same way. And when they are finished, you will be very proud of your needle-work I am sure. And all your friends will be able to see it, without any showing, every time they come into your room.
PAGEAlphabet, A Cross-stitch52,53Amiable Pussy Cats, The47Apron, A Handy Work3Backstitching88Bag, The Orchid Flower Stocking50Bag, A Knitting102Bag, The Lambkin11Bag, Making a Macramè43Band, Putting Gathers into a4Bead Work97Bed, For Dolly’s55Bedspread for Victoria, A71Berlin Wool Work100Binding Seams58Blanket Stitch58Butterfly Pincushion, A105Buttonhole, Making a6Button, How to Sew on a88Carpets and Hearthrugs76Cats on a Chair Back29Cats, The Amiable Pussy47Cloth, A Peacock95Chain Stitch75Chair Back, Cats on a29Cosy Cover, Making a47Cottage Window, For Dolly’s74Covering Squares for Patchwork64Cross-stitch Alphabet, A52,53Cross-stitch over Penelope Canvas, How to Work26Cross-stitch on Hardanger Canvas, How to Work95Cross-stitch, A Feeder in25Cross-stitch Designs12,16,27,32,48,51,95,105,110Curtain, The Farmyard107Cutting Out your Doll’s Clothes83Doll’s Clothes, Cutting Out your83Dolly, A Frock and Coat for90Dolly’s Underwear, Making85Double Featherstitching23Draw-strings in a Bag, Threading13Dressmaking46Easy-to-Make Pinafore, An17Farmyard Curtain, The107Featherstitching5Featherstitching, Double23Feeder in Cross-stitch, A25For Dolly’s Bed55For Dolly’s Cottage Window74For the New Perambulator67For Ribbons and Bows8French Knots91French Seam, A88Frock and Coat for Dolly, A90Gathering4Gathers into a Band, Putting4Handkerchief Sachet, A Hardanger34Handy Work Apron, A3Hardanger Handkerchief Sachet, A34Hardanger Corners41Hairpin Work44Hearthrugs, Carpets and76Hemming18Hemstitching30Herring-boning88Housewife, A Red Satin22Invalid, The14Just Think66Kettle Holder, A100Knitting Bag, A102Ladder Hemstitching30Lambkin Bag, The11Macramè Bag, Making a43Mattress, Making a Doll’s55Mat for a Hot-water Jug, A103Mitre a Corner, How to65Mitring a Corner for Hemstitching31Night-dress Pocket, The Swallow15Night-dress Case, Making a Doll’s61Orchid Flower Bag, The50Ostrich and the Silkworm, The81Outline Stitch, An58Oversewing28Pale Blue and Heliotrope43Patchwork Quilt, A63Peacock Cloth, A95Perambulator, For the New67Pillow, Making a Doll’s59Pinafore, An Easy-to-make17Pincushion, A Butterfly105Pink Sunbonnet, The20Pleats, Making18Poems10,14,46,49,73,81,104Preparing for Visitors104Pretty Things in Woolwork100Putting Gathers into a Band5Putting Pleats into a Band18Quilt, A Patchwork63Red Satin Housewife, A22Ribbons and Bows, For8Run and Fell Seam, A88Running88Rug-making76Satin Stitch71Serpentine Hemstitching30Staple Work44Stocking Bag, A50Stroking4Such an Advantage10Sunbonnet, The Pink20Swallow Nightdress Pocket, The15Things in Woolwork100Threading Draw-strings in a Bag13Tucks18Two Dollies, The73Underwear, Making Dolly’s85What a Contrast49Whipping58Woolwork, Pretty Things in100Work Apron, A Handy3
Printed for the Proprietors of “The Girl’s Own Paper & Woman’s Magazine,”byCurtis & Beamish, Ltd., Coventry, England.
Transcriber’s Notes:Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Text uses both “Brighteye” and “Bright-eye.” This and other varied hyphenation was retained.Page 21, “her’s” changed to “hers” (like hers, only just)Page 92, “embrodiery” changed to “embroidery” (with embroidery thread)Page 98, “Iridiscent” changed to “Iridescent” (Venetian Iridescent, Cut Tosca, or)Page 109, “O” changed to “Of” (Of course, if your curtain)Page 113, “Macramé” changed to “Macramè” to match usage in text (Bag, Making a Macramè)Page 114, “Macramé” changed to “Macramè” to match usage in text (Macramè Bag, Making a)
Transcriber’s Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Text uses both “Brighteye” and “Bright-eye.” This and other varied hyphenation was retained.
Page 21, “her’s” changed to “hers” (like hers, only just)
Page 92, “embrodiery” changed to “embroidery” (with embroidery thread)
Page 98, “Iridiscent” changed to “Iridescent” (Venetian Iridescent, Cut Tosca, or)
Page 109, “O” changed to “Of” (Of course, if your curtain)
Page 113, “Macramé” changed to “Macramè” to match usage in text (Bag, Making a Macramè)
Page 114, “Macramé” changed to “Macramè” to match usage in text (Macramè Bag, Making a)