s and shells were sewed to them in patterns,
and stitches taken with colored fibers, grasses, and shreds of wool. The
primitive tribes of Indians, especially in South America, use exactly
the same methods to-day. Embroidery was always distinctly women's work,
men never sharing in it as they did in making pottery. In Egypt,
Assyria, and among the Jews it became much more elaborate and artistic.
Tyre and Sidon were noted for their beautiful work. Homer describes
embroidered garments among the Greeks; Roman women wore showy colored
borders on their skirts and scarfs.

In the early Middle Ages ecclesiastical embroidery, done largely in gold
and silver threads, was known in Europe, and much exquisite work of the
kind was done in the convents. Matilda, the wife of William the
Conqueror, and her women made the famous Bayeux tapestry, which was
really embroidery.

The embroidery of the Orient, especially that of China and India, is
famous, though this is not done exclusively by women. Mention the
originality of the patterns used, the brilliance of the silk, and the
permanence of the colors. Note also the lovely white embroidery done by
the French and other nations.

IV--LACE-MAKING

This art grew out of that of embroidery, for the thin parts of the
latter were cut out, leaving the effect of heavy, colored lace. A book
was published in 1527, called The New and Subtile Book Concerning the
Art and Science of Embroidery, Fringes, and Tapestries, as Well as Other
Crafts Done with the Needle, and in this book there are patterns for
lace. The Venetians first mastered the making of white lace with the
needle, and produced heavy, effective designs. Under Louis XIV. delicate
lace was made in France, especially that called Valencon. Pillow-lace
made with bobbins was invented by a woman in Saxony about the middle of
the sixteenth century.

Have papers on the laces peculiar to different countries, and show
examples or pictures of them. English thread in white and black; Spanish
silk, hand-run; Irish crochet; Valenciennes, and others. See Palliser's
History of Lace for description and illustrations. If possible, visit a
museum which has a collection of laces; there is an excellent one in the
Metropolitan, of New York. Study also the conditions under which the
laces are made, the lives of lace-workers, and the prices received by
them for their work.

V--BASKET-WEAVING

Like the making of pottery, the weaving of baskets goes back