point of braid, work a stitch of single crochet and 2 chain stitches between into each point; then on the other side of the braid with same cotton, No. 16. Evans's boar's head. Attach to first point the thread on shuttle and on reel; place the thread on reel as before described, work 5 double, leave the very smallest loop or distance, work 5 double, 1 double loop, 4 double; then draw the thread on the shuttle through the small loop left between the division of the 55 double loop stitches, draw it firmly up, make 5 double loop, miss one point of the braid, and draw the thread through the next; repeat from beginning to end of braid. Take another length of braid, and work the single crochet and chain stitches as before; then attach to first point both the threads, work 5 double, attach it to the oval on other piece of braid by drawing the cotton on the shuttle through the loop, and passing the shuttle through, attaching it closely to it; work 5 double, miss one point of braid, and draw the cotton on shuttle through next; work 11 double, draw the thread on shuttle through at the point between ovals on the other side; work 11 more double, and bring it over to the other side where the 5 double are attached; repeat from beginning.

Take a length of best vandyked braid, the width shown in engraving; on one side of it, work with Evans's boar's head cotton, No. 14, a stitch of single crochet and 3 chain stitches between into each point on the other side with the shuttle filled, and reel of cotton attached to first point of braid;

work 4 double, 1 double loop, and 3 double; repeat this, drawing the thread attached to the shuttle into next point, and passing the shuttle through. This one row only, makes a strong and suitable edging, as shown in engraving, for many purposes.

2nd Row.-Draw the thread attached to shuttle and that from the reel through first loop stitch in last row; work 4 double, draw the thread on shuttle through next loop, and pass thread through; work 4 double, leave the very smallest loop; work 1 double, 7 double loop, draw the thread on shuttle through the very small loop, and draw the thread firmly up; work 4 double, draw the thread on shuttle through the same loop as last 4 double; repeat from beginning, working 4 double and passing the thread through the next loop in last row.

To correspond with Insertion for Trimming Children's Dresses. Take a length of the best vandyked braid and Evans's boar's head cotton, No. 20: work on one side, 3 double stitches between and a stitch of single crochet into each point; on the other side attach both the cotton on the shuttle and on the reel to first point; work 11 stitches of single tatting, leave the very smallest loop; work 5 double, 1 double loop, 4 double; draw the thread on the shuttle through the small loop, and draw the oval firmly up; work 3 stitches of single tatting; then take a good-sized pin (always use only a common pin, or, if preferred, use the pin and ring) work 21 pearl stitches and 1 of single; then pass the thread on the shuttle under the foundation thread between the first pearl stitch and last single stitch, draw the oval firmly up, work 3 single stitches, leave a very small loop, work 5 double, 1 double loop, 4 double; draw the thread on shuttle through very small loop, and draw up the oval, and then draw it through the loop opposite. On other side, work 11 single, miss two loops of braid, and draw the thread on shuttle through the fourth; repeat and unite the ovals of 5 double, and loop in centre in repeating in next pattern.

FRENCH EMBROIDERY.

The French are so skilful at this kind of work that it has taken its name from them. Our Ayrshire women have of late years nearly equalled them,

but there is a stiffness in the fibre of the French embroidery cotton which still bears the palm. The best sold has a cross on each packet as the trade label. The patterns are traced in blue lines on muslin or linen, either printed from blocks, like chintzes, by the regular tradesmen, or ladies may draw them to fancy with Prussian blue paint and a quill pen. Common inks would blot and blur the muslin.

The patterns are generally stars or sprigs, the flowers being connected by their stalks, sewed over and over with imperceptibly fine stitches. The principal difficulty is to make the satin stitch smooth and close. The pa tern is run round and lightly crossed as a foundation, and then sewed over and over very carefully till the flowers or stars bulge out roundly from the groundwork. The hearts of the stars or flowers are done in open lace-work patterns, and great skill and labour used to be spent upon them; but they proved so trying to the eyes, being very fine and delicate, that of late years few people think them worth the trouble required.

Broderie Anglaise has come much more into vogue, being simple and easy of accomplishment: the nuns at Madeira are especially adepts at this kind of embroidery. The flowers and stars are here cut out with a fine pair of scissors, then run round, and sewed over and over till the edges are quite firm. The effect is open and showy.

Patterns may be purchased cut out by machinery; but it needs a very light hand to prevent these holes from tearing while in process of sewing, especially if the pattern is an elaborate one, and the holes close together.

There is a pretty imitation of Guipure lace, which is done with button-hole stitch and satin stitch for the heavier parts of the pattern, and the connecting links sewed with thick thread or fine braid, or button-holed on very fine thread. The spaces are then cut out, and the result is very handsome and strong.

Chain stitch, done with rather coarse cotton (Brooks's No. 2 or 3), may be used for all braiding patterns, and is very effective. As it is quickly done, a pencil tracing on the material is quite sufficient, and any pattern can thus be copied by being held up against the light in the window-pane.

A new kind of ingrained black filoselle or spun silk may be used as a variety. There is also a pretty way of stitching with this filoselle in stars and diamonds combined, with black or speckled thread. It makes a good trimming for skirts, pinafores, children's jackets, and pelisses.

Per

In braiding with ingrained black braid, care should be taken to use ingrained thread or silk, as otherwise the first washing will blanch the common thread, and leave unsightly white specks along the pattern haps no kind of fancy work is cheaper than white embroidery for washing purposes, as the materials are inexpensive, and a little of them goes a long way, particularly if the worker traces her own patterns.

WORSTED WORK.

This term is chiefly applied to the art of copying with variously shaded wools, on open-threaded canvas prepared for the purpose, coloured pictures

printed on paper intersected with crossing lines, each intersection of which represents a corresponding stitch on the canvas. These pictures are mostly designed in Germany, and vary from simple geometric curves to the most elaborate fruit and flower pieces. Nay, about five and twenty years ago there was a mania for translating, as it were, the finest oil paintings on to worsted; and young ladies wearied their eyes and fingers and spines, in vain attempts to render Landseer's "Baronial Halls," Da Vinci's "Christ," or Raphael's "Madonna," in the blues and crimsons of the work-bag.

Of course they failed. However praiseworthy their industry, it was a kind of faint renewal of the antique tapestry-work of the medieval dames; but good taste soon dictated its abandonment. The power of expression is not given to wool: the flesh tints and carnations of the basket brought a blotch instead of bloom into the faces portrayed; the squares and cross stitches made little steps in the warriors' noses-the lovers' eyes became a hideous goggle under the needle.

Arabesques, Etruscan and Turkish designs lend themselves more readily to this kind of representation. Flowing scrolls of bright metal tints, brilliant jewels, and kaleidoscopic stars have a good effect also, and flowers, which are so adaptable in form and so gorgeous in hues, can be twisted into any suitable design. I have seen ladies copy them direct from nature, merely sketching them lightly on paper as a guide. A good flower painter can easily trace the outlines with white chalk on cloth or silk, and work them in with silks or worsteds in satin stitch or tent stitch.

But to those who require an exact pattern the canvas is preferable, as every stitch there is counted for them, so that they cannot go astray. The favourite stitches are cross stitch, in which one of the canvas squares of two

threads each way is crossed diagonally at opposite angles, thus:

and tent stitch, in which only one thread is crossed once diagonally, thus:

four stitches occupying the space of one in cross stitch.

Many new stitches have lately been introduced: star stitch; railway stitch, long and straggling, and quickly worked, as its name imports; velvet stitch, done on a mesh, and cut like velvet pile with a blade for the purpose; tambour stitch, done in a tambour frame, with a tambour needle, much used for ladies' muslin dresses. But I am wandering from canvas work.

It is a good plan, when the ground is to be dark, to smear the canvas over with paint of the same colour, as it prevents white spaces from peeping through where the dark wool works thin, as it is apt to do, the heavy dye making it shrink more than pale colours do.

At present beads are fashionable for the pattern itself on grounds of brightly tinted worsted. The beads are generally neutral tints, dead white, transparent white, steel, and black; and they have a good effect, and are

more durable than soon-fading worsteds. But they should not be used for slippers, I think, being gritty to the tread, nor, indeed, for any soft or warm wrap. They are best for banner-screens, hand-screens, fender-guards, &c.

In grounding with cross stitch, it is not necessary to cross every thread: the worsted should be drawn across the line of stitches, and once crossed diagonally as if for tent stitch; this saves both wool and time. At present large patterns on coarse canvas are preferred, and they are certainly the best for the sight; but they are very expensive, as they consume a large quantity of worsted. Indeed, this kind of work is costly in every way, and should not be undertaken without first calculating its expense.

I have not named the frames often used for canvas work, because I think them unnecessary, having done the largest pieces always on the hand; but to many people they are absolutely essential. They can be bought at any fancy shop, with instructions for use. It seems superfluous to remind workers that in cross stitch the uppermost stitches should all slant the same way, or the effect is broken and patchy.

PLAIN NEEDLEWORK, AND USEFUL HINTS FOR YOUNG LADIES.

In these days of machinery much of the old plain work of women is done by the swift needle of the sewing machine, rather than by the hand, and it is to be expected that by and bye our old hemming, sewing, stitching, and gathering will be as much forgotten as the old tambour stitch and embroidery of our ancestors. But it is always possible that work may be needed when no machine is to be had, therefore we strongly recommend our young readers to learn every one of the useful modes of using the needle. We will give them such directions as are possible in the art, begging them at the same time to remember that one lesson from a good sempstress is worth a dozen pages of print.

A HEM should be (generally) narrow, and very even; the stitches taken through, but so small as to be nearly invisible. A hem on clear muslin will look neater if it is finely run like the seam of a dress.

In SEWING, the stitches should be taken on the edge of the two sides, and should lay quite close to each other, so as to look like pearling,

In STITCHING, you should take only two threads every time, both behind and before the needle.

GATHERING is done on the needle, two threads taken up on it, and four left, and the line should be kept very straight by a thread, if possible. The gathers, when finished, are drawn very tightly together on the thread, and stroked down smoothly with a strong needle or pin.

DARNING is done by taking every other thread (in a stocking), and leaving a long loop at the end of each line. The darn is crossed by taking every other thread alternately, each way. It used to be called "weaving." If