THE LADIES ' 1 FLORAL CABINET. 
59 
Child’s Afghan in Ribbon Embroidery. 
Tins work is very beautiful, and easy of execution, 
for the flowers, instead of being embroidered in the 
usual manner, are made of either the narrowest satin 
ribbon, or small bits of colored satin. Fine flowers, 
such as Forget-me-nots, or Daisies, either white or yel¬ 
low, are the simplest to work, as only one stitch is re¬ 
quired for each petal. For Forget-me-nots, thread an 
ordinary worsted needle with the narrowest blue satin 
ribbon, and knot the end to keep it from pulling out of 
the material when drawing it through. Take one stitch 
from the point of the petal to where it joins the stamens; 
flatten the ribbon in the middle, and the slight pucker¬ 
ing at either end gives it a more natural appearance. 
In order to shade the leaves light and dark, two shades 
of blue ribbon may be used, working two of the loaves 
light, and three dark. The stamens should be worked 
with yellow silk in knot stitch ; the stems and leaves 
embroidered with crewels in Kensington stitch. For 
Rose-buds a small bit of satin is doubled, using the 
folded point for the tip of the bud ; the edges are 
gathered and sewed to the material. The calyx is em¬ 
broidered with green crewel, the high lights with silk. 
If the design is of Moss Rose-buds they can be very 
beautifully .and perfectly executed by using Arasene for 
the calyx of the buds and the foliage, as it has the ap¬ 
pearance of Moss. Arasene is a sort of worsted chenille, 
not expensive, and may be procured in most of the 
large worsted stores. For the Roses, a piece of satin is 
doubled and gathered in the same manner as for the 
buds, and a skillful touch will give each petal the exact 
look of a Rose-leaf. The stamens are worked knot 
stitch with embroidery silk. The foliage is to be em¬ 
broidered in Kensington, with crewels for the darker 
shades, and silk for the light. Daisies or any flowers 
having narrow petals, may be executed after the direc¬ 
tions given for Forget-me-nots. A very beautiful 
Afghan for a child's carriage may be made of white 
California blanketing, and the word “Baby ” in Forget- 
me-nots and Moss Rose-buds, worked according to the 
above directions. The design should be lightly sketched 
on white tarletan with a soft lead pencil, as it is impos¬ 
sible to mark on the blanket without soiling it. Baste 
the tarletan on the blanket, and embroider the design 
through tarletan and blanket. When it is entirely 
finished, cut the tarletan oil as close as possible to the 
embroidery. A full fringe of double zephyr cream-white 
worsted is then knotted in round the four edges. It 
makes one of the daintiest and most beautiful carriage 
blankets that can be imagined. 
M. E. Whittemore. 
Knitted Mittens. 
For ladies use, this quick way of knitting mittens is 
very desirable. It makes a much prettier appearance 
when worn, as it does not spread out upon the palm, 
but makes the hand seem narrow. It is so easily done that 
any one that can do the plainest knitting can succeed 
with it as well as those who are accomplished in all the 
fancy stitches. Only two needles are required, as the 
knitting is done back and forth, having no right or 
wrong side. To make them: get seal-brown Saxony 
yarn and two needles about the side of a thread of the 
yarn. For a person who would take a No. glove, 
cast on seventy stitches, knit once across, and at the 
end add one stitch; knit back and forth again, making 
another stitch at the same end of the needle the first 
was added; repeat this until you have on your needle 
eighty stitches, then knit eight rows plain, after which 
narrow one stitch each time across until you have the 
same number of stitches you started with (70). This 
makes one-half the mitten, and shapes the top; repeat 
for the other side. 
The thumb is made separately by beginning at the 
gusset where the thumb joins the hand, and casting on 
one stitch, add one at the beginning of the needle every 
time across, so as to widen both sides, until you have 
twelve stitches; then on one side cast on fourteen 
stitches to make the length of the thumb; at the bottom 
add one every time across until half the thumb is made, 
while at the end where the fourteen stitches were 
cast on, you must add one stitch each time across for 
four times; then knit four rows plain, after which nar¬ 
row back one stitch at a time for four times, and you 
will have one-half the thumb, the other side being sim¬ 
ply a repetition, except, of course, that at the bottom, 
you narrow one each time, where one was added, and 
cast off the fourteen stitches instead of putting them on. 
When completed, sew together in overhand seam with 
some of the yarn, also sew the mitten together, leaving 
an opening for the sewing in of the thumb. 
At the wrist, work a border of single crochet the 
depth of an inch, then finish with rows of shells. You 
may think it is not shaped as prettily as the old way, but 
after it is worn a few times it is quite as satisfactory, and 
has the advantage of being made very much sooner, and 
always regains its shape when taken from the hand. 
They should not be knitted loosely, however, or they 
will not have so smooth and even an appearance. C. 
Needlework Notes. 
Some very beautiful designs executed upon plush with 
Arrasene are exhibited at the Decorative Art Rooms, 
and it would be difficult to find a material that would 
decorate as easily and beautifully as these bits of shaded 
chenille—at least that was our opinion as we admired 
the effect of a long spray of Clematis worked in a de¬ 
sign placed diagonally across a crimson plush chair- 
back, looking as though the graceful branch had acci¬ 
dentally lodged against it. The shaded green leaves 
contrasted beautifully with the background, and the 
delicate white blossoms, whose stamens and pistils were 
worked with gold thread and tiny beads, giving them a 
gliscening effect, added all that was lacking to complete 
the beauty. A large easy chair, a smaller one, and a 
footstool, all upholstered in crimson plush so that very 
little wood-work was seen, were ornamented in this 
way, and for ladies who have leisure to devote 
to such delightful pastimes, what could be more de¬ 
sirable than to ornament one’s own furniture in this 
way. The design was so graceful and delicate one could 
not weary of it. No other ornament was used except 
the one branch on the chair-back. 
A table-scarf in dark, olive plush was also shown, 
having a design of Amaranthus Candatus (Love-lies- 
bleeding) ; the leaves worked with Arrasene in lighter 
greens, and the drooping crimson blossoms in cut-stitch 
