tton (made
expressly for padding) in slanting satin-stitch. Three threads of smooth
round silk are then attached to one side of the padding and carried
diagonally across to the other side, where they are sewn down with
strong thread of the same colour close to the underlay, so that the
stitches may not show. They are then brought back to the side from which
they started, sewn down, and returned again, and so backwards and
forwards to the end. The crossing threads make a sort of pattern, and it
is a point of good workmanship that they should cross regularly. Such
pattern is more obvious when threads of three different shades of colour
are employed. Threads of twisted silk may, of course, be equally well
used this way without padding underneath.

[Illustration: 66. RAISED WORK SAMPLER.]

[Sidenote: TO WORK F.]

In sprig F the underlay is of cardboard, pasted on to the linen. It is
worked over with purse silk, to and fro across the forms, and sewn down
at the margin with finer silk. This is a method of work often employed
when gold thread is used.

[Sidenote: TO WORK G.]

In sprig G the underlay or stuffing is of string, sewn down with
stitches always in the direction of the twist. It is worked over with
floss in satin-stitch.

[Sidenote: TO WORK H.]

In sprig H the underwork consists of stitching in soft cotton, over
which thick silk is embroidered in bullion-stitch. The rule is to work
the first stitching in such a direction that the surface work crosses it
at right angles. The small leaf is worked over with fine purse silk in
satin-stitch, which is used also for the stalk.

In the smaller sampler of laid-work, Illustration 50, the broad stem is
twice underlaid with crewel, excellent for this soft sort of padding, on
account of its elasticity. The leaves have there only one layer of
understitching.

Raised work in white upon white is often used for purposes which make it
inevitable that sooner or later the work will be washed. That is a
consideration which the embroidress must not leave out of account. In
any case, work over stitchery is more durable than over loose padding
such as cotton wool.

[Illustration: 67. RAISED WORK SHOWING UNDERLAY.]

The 15th century work reproduced in Illustration 67 is in flax thread on
linen, and the underlay (laid bare in the topmost flower) is of stiff
linen, sewn down, not at the margins as in the case of the parchment on
the sampler (Illustration 66), but by a row of sti