stinction and character to the work that might be missed if due
care and thought were not expended upon such details. This part of the
work might be compared to the garnishing of a boiled fowl with lemon and
parsley, a minor detail, but a very effective one.

It is possible, by the help of such expedients, to emphasise certain
colours and bring out points of the design, as well as to give
completeness and finish. Such things as fringes, cords, and tassels are
often more satisfactory when made by the worker and with materials like
those used in the embroidery, for such will be more likely to be in
keeping with the character of the rest, and to be more interesting in
detail. In the finishing off the same taste and neatness of execution is
required as in the embroidery. Good work can be very much marred in the
making up; on the other hand, a little extra interest added on a part
not often seen renders it doubly valuable.

The mounting of certain things should not be attempted at home; boxes
should be handed over to the cabinetmaker, books to the bookbinder, and
so on, for it is not possible for any one not an expert to do these
things properly, and even good work can look poor if badly set.

The question how to appropriately finish off an edge often arises; let
it be hem stitched rather than plain hemmed; or a narrow line of drawn
thread work may be inserted, for an open-work border is frequently a
set-off to the rest of the embroidery. If a binding is placed over the
edge this can be fixed with a pretty stitch, or the stitch alone can
bind the edge, one such as buttonhole, overcast, or that shown in fig.
76. With some stitches the edge of the material can be rolled over a
piping cord and the stitch worked over the thus emphasised margin.

The difficulty of procuring cord suitable for use with embroidered work
makes the appliance illustrated at fig. 149 a useful possession.[14] The
cords made upon this wheel can be of any thickness, according to the
number of plies and the substance in each. Different colours and
materials can be twisted up together, such as a gold and silk thread.

[Illustration: Fig. 149.]

To make a three-plied cord, cut three equal lengths of thread rather
longer than the required cord is to be, as it shortens in the
twisting. Make a loop at each end of the thread, or, better still,
attach tiny metal rings at the ends. Hook the threads in position as
shown in the diagram, and place the instrument