working these flowers.

[Illustration: FIG. 880. LETTER M OF THE ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE. MODE OF
SEWING ON THE SOUTACHE.]

[Illustration: FIG. 881. LETTER W OF THE ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE. MODE OF
PLACING THE BARS AND EMBROIDERING THE LEAVES.]

[Illustration: FIG. 882. LETTER A OF THE ALPHABET IN SOUTACHE IN ITS
FINISHED STATE.]

FLOWERS EXECUTED IN SOUTACHE AND EMBROIDERY (fig. 883). Flowers and
sprays, such as here represented, make a charming trimming for summer
dresses, sunshades, aprons etc. and can be executed with admirable
effect in the D.M.C Soutache, now to be had in all the colours of the
D.M.C colour card. A very pretty running pattern can be formed out of
the spray, fig. 883, by turning the flowers first to the right and then
to the left and making the stalks come out underneath the ears of corn.
In order to reverse the position of the flowers thus, you will have to
make two tracings of the spray, one negative and one positive.

Thread a tapestry needle with the Soutache and draw it into the stuff,
and then pass it through from the right side to the wrong at the bottom
of one of the petals of the flowers, secure it on the wrong side by two
or three stitches and then bring the working thread, which should be of
the same colour as the Soutache, out again at the point of the petal,
then carry the Soutache back to the bottom of the petal and fasten it
down, like the gold threads in fig. 242, by a stitch rather wider than
the Soutache, fold the Soutache over again to the starting point, and
secure it by a stitch, and so on. In order to give a different character
to the flowers, use Soutache of different widths, fold it over more or
less closely and lay it down in shorter or longer lengths, as required.
The natural irregularity of the petals of a flower can be very
faithfully imitated in this manner. Fig. 883 shows the way in which, for
the ears of corn, the braid is folded back upon itself and fastened
down, whilst in the white flowers the two layers of the braid that form
each petal are separated at the bottom.

The stamens of the marguerites are worked in knot stitch with yellow
cotton and those of the cornflowers with dark blue.

The other little details are executed in flat and stem stitch in the
colours indicated at the foot of the engraving. With the pattern to go
by, the distribution of the colours for the different parts can present
no possible difficulty.

[Illustration: FIG. 883. FLOWERS EXECUTED