Embroidery Silk.—There are many devices for keeping embroidery silk. A very simple and convenient one is is box in which gentlemen's fine ties are sold singly. It is just the right length and size to accommodate the holders.
Hemstitehing.—Always use e short needle in hemstitching. When hem stitching on linen the thread may be easily drawn if a yardstick is laid along a straight line, being careful to insure the proper margin on the outer edge of the piece. If a piece of hard white soap is rubbed along the linen, the threads may be drawn with ease.
Hemstitching on the Sewing Ka chine.—Draw the threads as usual. Instead of basting the hem just where the threads are drawn, baste it so that the stitch will come a little above the middle of the open work. The fine ness or coarseness of hemstitching is regulated by a short or long stitch.
Eyelet Embroidery. — An orange stick, such as is used for manicuring the nails, may be used as a substitute for the stiletto when making holes for embroidery. It is more satisfactory than the points of scissors, which often make the holes irregular.
To Prepare Linen for Embroider ing.—If new linen must be embroid ered without being shrunk, it will be much easier if you first rub it over with fine white soap. The threads are thus prevented from cracking.
Working Initials.—If handkerchiefs or napkins are to have embroidered initials, baste the corners of four of them together. Then slip the em broidery rings in place. Thus four initials can be worked without chang ing the rings.
Fancy Work that Has Become Drawn. — When fancy work has be come drawn in working, dip a cloth in cold water, wring it out, and lay it on a wooden table. Lay the worked piece over this, pinning it at intervals of half an inch until not a pucker re mains. Leave this for several hours, or over night, and when the pins are removed the drawn appearance will have disappeared.
To Cut Insertion. — Place the at tachment next to the quilter on the sewing machine and set on the edge of the insertion close to the work. Then adjust for the margin to be left. Place the needle just where the inser tion is to be cut. With unthreaded needle stitch the entire length. Then
follow the lines of the holes in cut ting.
Sewing Insertion on Garments.— When insertion is to be sewed on a straight strip, a very good way is to baste the lace or embroidery in the straight edge of the goods. If lace, allow enough of the goods to form a hem. If embroidery, just allow a seam, and stitch close to the cord of the embroidery or right on the edge of the lace. Then turn that which has been allowed for the hem, and stitch. This makes a first-class imitation of trimming that has been whipped in, and takes much less time.
Embroidery Edging for Underwear. —If underwear is to be trimmed with embroidery, the latter may be strength ened and made more durable by stitch ing around the scallops before putting the embroidery on the garment. Use a loose tension to avoid splitting be tween the scallops.
Ripping. — Garments for growing children have constantly to be made over—sleeves to be lengthened, new sleeves to be made, hems let out of skirts, and the like. An old-fashioned chain-stitch machine can be purchased for a song and will prove excellent for stitching up these particular seams; then when the garment is to be taken apart a child can rip it.
Nothing is better for ripping than the thin blade of a razor. If the men of the house shave themselves, old razors are occasionally discarded and are excellent for ripping.
Cutting. — Time may be saved by cutting two corresponding pieces of an apron. This avoids pinning the pattern to each piece separately. To mark the tucks, place a piece of im pression paper under the two pieces of material. Then with a common lead pencil mark all the perforations. Thus, the above pieces are marked ex actly alike, and half the time has been saved.
Cutting Bias Folds.—It is a good plan to turn the material over fre quently to make sure that it is kept quite bias. Any deviation therefrom will cause the threads to twist when sewing the folds on the garment.
Cutting Silk.—If silk is thin and slippery it may be placed between sheets of thin paper before the pat tern is laid on. Cut through the paper and material together, and there will be little fraying.