Art in Needlework: A Book About Embroidery

326 Pages·2016·35.13 MB·English

by  Day Lewis F.

ART IN NEEDLEWORK J_
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
ENAMELLING.
PATTERN DESIGN.
ORNAMENT AND ITS APPLICATION.
NATURE IN ORNAMENT.
Third Edition.
WINDOWS: A BOOK ABOUT STAINED
AND PAINTED GLASS.
Second Edition.
ALPHABETS OLD AND NEW.
Second Edition.
LETTERING IN ORNAMENT.
"
MOOT POINTS: FRIENDLY DPIUST-ES
UPON ART AND INDUSTRY.
In conjunction with Walter Crane.
ART IN
NEEDLEWORK
A BOOK ABOUT
EMBROIDERY
BY
LEWIS F. DAY
AUTHOR OF 'WINDOWS,' 'ALPHABETS,
'LETTERING IN ORNAMENT,' " OTHER
TEXT-BOOKS OV ORNAMENTAL DESIGN
" MARY BUCKLE
THIRD EDITION REVISED AND
ENLARGED
LONDON
B. T. BATSFORD, HIGH HOLBORN
94
1907
Printed at THE DARIEN PRESS, Edinburgh.
PREFACE.
EMBROIDERY may be looked at from more points
of view than it would be possible in book like
a
this to take up seriously. Merely to hover round
the subject and glance casually at it would serve
useful It be well, therefore,
no purpose. may as
to define our standpoint : we look at the art from
its practical side, not, of course, neglecting the
artistic,for the practical use of embroidery is to
be beautiful.
The custom has been, since woman learnt to
kill time with the needle, to think of embroidery
too much as an idle accomplishment. It is more
than that. At the least it is handicraft
very a :
at the best it is an art. This contention may be
to take it rather seriously ; but if one esteemed
it less it would hardly be worth writing about,
and the book, when written, would not be worth
the attention of students of embroidery, needle-
workers, and designers of needlework to whom
it is addressed. It sets forth to show what
decorative stitching is, how it is done, and what
it do. It is illustrated by samplers of stitches
can ;
by diagrams, to explain the way stitches are done ;
and by examples of old and modern work, to show
the artistic application of the stitches.
A feature in the book is the series of samplers
designed to show not only what are the available
vi ART IN NEEDLEWORK.
stitches,but the into which they naturally
groups
gather themselves, as well as the use to which
they may be put : and the back of the sampler
is given too the reader has only to turn the
:
page to see the other side of the stitching which
"
to a needlewoman is often the more helpful. Lest
that should not be enough, the stitches are dsec-ribed
in the text, and a marginal note shows
at glance where the descriptionis given. This
a
should be read needle and thread in hand
or
"
skipped. Samplers and other examples of nweoerdkle-
are uniformly on a scale large enough to
show the stitch quite plainly. The examples of
old work illustrate always,in the first place,
some
point of workmanship still they chosen with
; are
some view to their artistic interest.
In other respects Art is not overlooked ; but
it is Art in harness. Design is discussed with
reference to stitch and stuff,and stitch and stuff
with reference to their use in ornament. It has
been endeavoured also to show the effect nweoerdkle-
has had upon pattern, and the ways in which
design is affected by the circumstance that it is
to be embroidered.
The jointauthorship of the work needs, perhaps,
a word of explanation. This is not just a man's
book woman's subject. The scheme of
on a
it is mine, and I have written it,but with the
co-operation throughout of Miss Mary Buckle.
Our classification of the stitches is the result of
conference between The description
many a us.
PREFACE. vii
of the the stitches worked, and forth,
way are so
is rendering of her description,supplemented
my
by practicaldemonstration with the needle. She
has primed with technical information,and been
me
always at hand to keep me from technical error.
With reference to designand art I speak for myself.
My thanks are due to the authorities at South
Kensington for allowing us to handle the treasures
of the national collection,and to photograph them
for illustration ; to Mrs Walter Crane, Miss^Mabel
Keighley, and Miss C. P. Shrewsbury, for pseiromnis-
to reproducetheir handiwork ; to Miss Argles,
Mrs Buxton Morrish, Colonel Green, R.E., and
Messrs Morris and Co., for the loan of work
belonging to them ; and to Miss Chart for working
the cross-stitch sampler.
I must also acknowledge the part my daughter
has had in the production of this book without
:
her constant help it could never have been written.
LEWIS F. DAY.
January \st,1900.
NOTE TO THIRD EDITION.
IN addition to revisingthe text, I have added a
chapter on white work, which formed part of the
originalplan of the book, but not ready in
was
time for the first edition. I have to thank Mr
James Jeffreyfor his help in getting the samplers
of white work executed by trade workers in Belfast.
October 1907.