Transfers

"Rub through a pounce composed of powdered cuttlefish for a white line on a dark material and a mixture of charcoal and cuttlefish which should be graded in colouring to the colour of the material used. A lighter pounce is used for more fragile material. When the pounce is prepared it can be kept in a small jar. It is applied with a small round pad made of a strip of interlining about 4 inches deep. This is tightly wound round and is stitched down the side. The flat end is dipped into the pounce, and before applying to the tracing it should be gently shaken against the side of the jar.

When all the design is transferred in this way take off the weights and carefully lift off the tracing, which will still have a certain amount of pounce left on it. Replace this in the jar. Gently blow any superfluous pounce from the material. The impression thus obtained must be traced over with a paint line. On materials with a rough or fluffy surface oil paint, thinned with turpentine, must be used. For a straight-weave linen water colour can be used, but if there is much work to be done in the hand oil colour is more permanent.

Use a fine sable brush, working with the tip only and keeping the brush in an upright position. For oil paint use black or white, and for watercolour new blue, because it washed out more easily than any other."

Weldon's Encyclopedia of Needlework, The Waverly Book Co. LTD, Farringdon Street, London E.C.4, ND, p.6/7