There is a certain dignity and calm with this work but it must be remembered that it depends entirely on the quality of the design for its success and must , therefore , be very carefully planned .sx In all-over or solid cross-stitch , where the ground material is entirely covered in the manner of a tapestry , the colour arrangement is very important as it is this that makes the pattern .sx In designing a piece of work a coloured sketch made on squared paper before the embroidery is started will be of great help .sx Graph paper is the best , as the squares are small enough to allow one square for each cross .sx An experienced worker may not find this necessary , except for elaborate work , but it is much easier to make adjustments at this stage than when the work is in progress .sx For a large piece of work the design can be marked on the canvas from the sketch , with black waterproof ink , otherwise it can be followed by the process of counting the squares .sx In planning your designs try and get fun into your work as they did in the old samples of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries , on which were depicted all kinds of quaint little figures , birds and animals , and in many cases scenes and pretty verses .sx Do not always be satisfied with purely geometrical shapes .sx By this it does not mean be naturalistic , for one of the first principles of cross-stitch is that all forms or shapes should be adapted to suit the square mesh of the canvas or material .sx In planning a border pattern some workers find difficulty in arranging a satisfactory corner .sx The following suggestion will no doubt be helpful .sx Most borders consist of a repetition of one or more complete units .sx Take a small pocket mirror , preferably without a frame , or with a very narrow one , and place it diagonally across one of the pattern units .sx You will then see reflected in the mirror the completion of the corner pattern .sx Move the mirror along the border until you get the best result , as it will vary according to the shape of the pattern unit used in the border .sx MATERIALS .sx To be suitable for cross-stitch the material should have a clear , even mesh , that is , with the warp and weft threads of equal thickness and not too fine so that they can be counted in working the crosses .sx Cross-stitch is sometimes worked on very fine materials of which it is obviously impossible to count the threads .sx This is done by tacking a piece of canvas over the material and working the crosses over it , afterwards drawing the threads of the canvas away when the work is complete .sx This is allowable but is not recommended for general use as there are so many other methods of embroidery suitable for such materials .sx In most of the old work , linen was used for the ground material and is still very popular .sx This being somewhat loosely woven to suit its purpose , became known as canvas , and during the nineteenth century to facilitate the working of the stitch a special canvas was introduced in which the threads were grouped in twos so that the spaces between were more obvious and yet the canvas retained its strength .sx A piece of this canvas is illustrated above , and it is still used for the coarser type of " all-over " cross-stitch , while for finer work that with a single thread is used as shown .sx There should not be any difficulty in finding suitable materials as there is quite a variety to be had to-day , either .sx for the all-over cross-stitch , in which the ground is entirely covered or where it is only decorated , leaving the main part uncovered .sx The material should be of reliable quality , for it is only a waste of time to use poor material .sx The threads for working cross-stitch can be either wool , cotton or silk .sx Whichever is chosen should be smooth and firm so that it gives the crosses a clear and regular appearance .sx The thickness of the thread should be chosen in relation to the ground material .sx For the solid or all-over cross-stitch it should be thick enough to cover the ground canvas entirely , for otherwise it may have a thin , meagre appearance .sx This usually applies also in working the solid shapes of a design which only decorate the material , but it is not essential , for on the piece of Chinese cross-stitch on plate 8 one can see the ground material peeping through between the crosses making a very pleasing and dainty effect .sx This needs handling carefully , however , to avoid the work looking scrappy .sx At the same time the thread should not be too thick or it will look clumsy and bulky and will be difficult to work .sx A little practice will soon show the right thread to use .sx Stranded mercerised cotton is very useful as the main thread is composed of six finer threads and it can therefore be divided as required .sx For coarse materials wool is the most suitable as it is not easy to get a thick cotton or silk .sx I5 .sx THE WORKING OF CROSS-STITCH .sx To be successful cross-stitch must be regular and even in appearance , and it is only possible to get this effect by working each cross in a like manner .sx Of the two stitches forming each of the crosses it is necessary to have the same stitch uppermost throughout .sx Cross-stitch can either be worked from left to right or right to left , whichever direction is convenient during the working .sx In order to preserve the uniformity of appearance it is worked as shown in the diagrams above , from which it will be seen there is only a slight variation between the two in the direction of the needle , i.e. , the needle is passed downwards in working from left to right and upwards in working from right to left .sx If this is done the underside , although not like the front , will also be uniform and appear as shown in the diagram .sx There are many ways of working cross-stitch but the one shown is recommended .sx For filling in large patches of solid cross-stitch , sometimes the first stitch of each cross is worked along a row and then the crosses completed by returning along the same row .sx This does not give such good results although it is quicker .sx In the diagram , working from left to right , the first stitch of the cross is marked A , the position of the needle for this being shown by the dotted line .sx The needle is shown in position for the second stitch which completes the cross .sx Working from right to left is similarly shown , but the needle is pointed upwards each time instead of downwards .sx The illustrations show the crosses worked over a square of two threads , but the number can be increased according to the size of cross required .sx It is not often worked over one thread as the stitches are inclined to slip along the threads of the material except with the double-threaded canvas , in which the pairs of threads are interwoven at the crossing points and are used as one thread .sx This is a finer stitch than cross-stitch and therefore allows for finer details in the design .sx It was largely used for the needlework pictures , tapestries and chair seats of the seventeenth century .sx In some instances it is found used in conjunction with cross-stitch .sx In appearance it is similar to one-half stitch of cross-stitch and , therefore , to completely cover the canvas ground it must of necessity be worked finely .sx Sometimes , to ensure the canvas being hidden , a strand of the embroidery thread is laid on the canvas at the commencement of each row and the stitches worked over it .sx The diagram gives the working of the stitching including the back of the work .sx Plate 9 shows a section of a chair .sx seat worked in tent-stitch .sx The rectangular shape in the lower half which in reality is the top portion of the vase holding the flowers , suggests a complete design for a pochette .sx DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS .sx It is only necessary to give quite a short description of the articles illustrated , mainly with regard to the materials used , as in addition to the photographs enlarged details are given in diagram form on plates 5 and 6 .sx PLATE I. ( Frontispiece) .sx Such SAMPLERS as these , which might be called an embroideress's notes , are invaluable not only to the worker herself but to others in later years .sx The small flower units and borders can be adapted and used to make a number of designs .sx PLATE 2 .sx For this VERSE PICTURE a very fine canvas material of a cream colour is used with stranded mercerised cottons for the cross-stitch embroidery .sx The lettering is black and the flowers are worked as far as possible in their natural colours .sx See Nos .sx 8 , 9 , 11 and 12 , plate 5 .sx PLATE 3 .sx For the HANDKERCHIEF CASE a fawn coloured cotton fabric known as cross-stitch material is used with stranded mercerised cotton for the embroidery .sx The bluebell spray is worked in its natural colours on a mound of green grass , while the border is also worked in blue and green .sx See No .sx 15 , plate 6 .sx The small MAT is also on fawn coloured cross-stitch material worked with stranded mercerised cottons .sx The colours used are given in No .sx 10 , plate 5 .sx The small HUCKABACK FACE TOWEL with a square weave , shows the distinctive appearance given by working a simple cross-stitch border , in red , blue , orange , or green , just above the hem .sx See No .sx 17 , plate 6 .sx The NIGHTDRESS CASE is of natural coloured linen worked with stranded mercerised cottons .sx The main part of the coach is in tawny orange , outlined with golden brown , with red wheels and shafts , while the horses are brown and the reins blue .sx The tree is green with a light brown trunk .sx The border consists of large blue cross shapes with centres and smaller crosses of varied colours between .sx See No .sx 13 , plate 5 .sx PLATE 4 .sx The two SMALL PURSES are worked on fine canvas in tent-stitch , strands of wool being placed over the canvas as mentioned on page 17 .sx The ground work of the smaller one is of a greyish colour with crossing lines of lilac coloured wool , while the flowers are of a reddish pink and the stems and leaves in shades of green .sx See Nos .sx 11 and 12 on plate 5 .sx Vegetable dyed wool is used , giving the colours a slightly uneven appearance , which is particularly pleasing .sx Deep blue vegetable dyed wool is used for the background of the larger purse .sx The daisies are white , tipped with red , and have yellow centres , while the leaves and stems are green .sx See No .sx 16 , plate 6 .sx For the POCHETTE in the centre of the plate , a Chinese red shade of cross-stitch material is used , worked with stranded mercerised cottons .sx The embroidery consists of diagonal lines of cross-stitch arranged in groups of three with a single line between , this being orange throughout .sx Although they appear the same in the photograph , there are two sets of colours in the groups , these being arranged alternately , .sx i.e. , one line green , black , yellow , for one group , and one line buff , black and red for the other group .sx The edge of the pochette is outlined with two rows of black cross-stitch .sx The lower POCHETTE is worked on the double-threaded canvas with a fairly coarse wool .sx The plain border round the edge is of deep blue and also the single rows , running across the pochette , which appear dark on the photograph .sx The other dark parts of the pattern are of a greenish blue worked on a background of light grey which appears almost white .sx The two intermediate lines which appear somewhat darker are of red and fuchsia .sx PLATE 7 .sx The RUG shown here is made with the ordinary rug canvas and thick rug wool .sx The effect of the cross-stitch gives a pleasing alternative to the usual hooked rug .sx Each cross is worked over one double thread of the canvas , the colours used being given in No .sx 14 , plate 6 .sx The STOOL shows an excellent use for cross-stitch .sx The small MAT , of which only a portion is shown , has a cream-coloured ground embroidered with interesting pattern units in coloured cottons .sx