Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving | Page 5

stretched between is
the link that keeps the frame together, for the screw ends fit just loosely
in the holes of the rollers. The side pieces are sometimes made of flat
laths of wood pierced with holes at regular intervals; in these are
inserted metal pins, by means of which the work is kept stretched. Fig.
9 represents a frame of this type. If the frame is a very large one it can
have a strengthening bar fixed across the centre from roller to roller.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.]
The frame is most convenient for work when fixed in a stand, although
it can be used leaning against a table or the back of a chair. A very
large frame would be supported upon trestles, but for ordinary purposes,
a stand, such as the one shown in fig. 2, is practical. It consists of two
upright wooden posts, a little over 2 feet in height, which are connected
near the base by a strengthening cross piece. Both this and the uprights
are adjustable; the centre part of the posts is arranged to slide up and
down, and can be fixed at any convenient height by the insertion of a
long metal pin; the width of the cross piece is regulated in similar
fashion, being made firm, by a screw, at the required width, thus
allowing various sized frames to be used in the same stand. The frame
is fixed in place by metal clamps, and a wooden pivot is arranged so as
to permit the stretched work to be inclined at any angle convenient.
Both stand and frame should be well made and of good wood, for they
must be able to stand strain and be perfectly firm and true when fixed
for work.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.]
A small circular frame, such as is shown in fig. 3, is useful for marking
linen or for any small work. This, formed of two hoops fitting closely

one within the other, can be procured in wood, ivory, or bone, of
various sizes, the one illustrated being about 6 inches in diameter. The
material to be worked upon is stretched between these hoops like the
parchment on a drum. These tambour frames, as they are called, are
sometimes fixed into a small stand or fitted with a wooden clamp for
fastening to a table; this frees both hands for work. These tambours
cannot well be recommended; the material is apt to stretch unevenly,
and a worked part, if flattened between the hoops, is liable to be
damaged.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.]
The illustration at fig. 4 shows a simple little instrument for making a
twisted cord. It is interesting to note that Etienne Binet, who wrote on
embroidery about 1620, when discussing some necessary equipment
for an embroideress mentions "un rouet pour faire les cordons."
There is sometimes a difficulty in procuring the cord just right to suit
the finished work; the texture may be too coarse to put beside fine
embroidery, it may not be a good match, and, even if so at first, it may
fade quite differently from the worked silks. For these and other
reasons it is a safe method to make the cord one's self, possibly with
some materials of the kind already used in the embroidery.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.]
This appliance enables the worker to make any kind of twisted cord; it
is as simple as a toy to handle, and gives excellent results. It is a metal
instrument about 8 inches in height. The three small discs are wheels,
supported on the arms of an upright cross which has a heavy circular
base. These three wheels are connected by a cord with a larger wheel
below that has a handle attached to it. The cord runs in a groove round
the circumference of each wheel, and must be held taut in position. By
turning the handle of the large wheel the three small ones are set in
motion. Three hooks, attached to the axles of the small wheels, are
therefore rotated with them. One end of each ply of the cord in making
is looped on to one of these hooks, the other ends are attached to three
similar hooks fixed into a block of wood which, when in use, is firmly

clamped to the table. Further instruction in the making of cords is given
in Chapter XIII.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.]
To trace the pattern on to the material the following articles may be
required: Indian ink, a small finely-pointed sable brush, a tube of oil
paint, flake white or light red, according to the colour of the ground
material, turpentine, powdered charcoal or white chalk for pounce,
tracing paper, drawing-pins, and a pricker. This last-mentioned tool is
shown in fig. 5. It is about 5 inches long, and is