he edge of a
folder. You must be careful not to press so heavily upon the pattern
paper as to tear it; by the pressure exercised on the two sheets of
paper, the oily substance of the blue paper discharges itself on to the
stuff, so that when it is removed all the lines you have traced are
imprinted upon the stuff.

This blue tracing paper is however only available for the reproduction
of patterns on washing stuffs, as satin and all other silky textures are
discoloured by it.

TO POUNCE PATTERNS UPON STUFFS.--The modes of copying, hitherto
described, cannot be indiscriminately used for all kinds of stuff; for
cloth, velvet and plush, for instance, they are not available and
pouncing is the only way that answers.

The patterns, after having been transferred to straw or parchment paper,
have to be pricked through. To do this you lay the paper upon cloth or
felt and prick out all the lines of the drawing, making the holes, which
should be clear and round, all exactly the same distance apart.

The closer and more complicated the pattern is, the finer and closer the
holes should be. Every line of the outline must be carefully pricked
out.

If the paper be sufficiently thin, several pouncings can be pricked at
the same time, and a symmetrical design can be folded together into four
and all pricked at once.

The pricked pattern has next to be tacked upon the material, the side
from which the pricking was done next to the stuff and the little
funnel-shaped holes uppermost. Paper and stuff must be firmly fastened
down and kept in position by drawing pins, so that neither of them may
move during the process, otherwise you will have double lines on the
stuff which you will find very confusing afterwards.

For the pouncing, use either powdered chalk or charcoal, according to
whether the stuff be dark or light in colour. Dip the pouncing
implement, a thing like a small drum-stick, stuffed and covered with
cloth, into the powder and rub it lightly over the whole surface of the
pricked pattern, so that the powder penetrates through the pin-holes to
the stuff. In default of a proper pouncing implement take a small stripe
of cloth, roll it up round a stick and wind a string round, and dip this
into the powder.

When the powder has penetrated to the stuff, remove the paper and if the
pattern is to be repeated, lay it on again further on, taking care to
make the lines meet exactly so that the join may not be seen.

When you hav