formed of red or yellow must be introduced. If maroon is the ground tone, the greens must have a russet hue, and the flower must be red. This method of coloring is capable of varied and exquisite treatment."
When a closer imitation of nature is attempted, the natural colors must be used in working them, and great care must be exercised in choosing a background, as carelessness in this respect may ruin a piece of work otherwise well designed and wrought out. A friend, wishing to ornament a dark blue flannel dress inexpensively, bethought her of working a simple design in crewels on revers and cuffs. She worked a small flower in orange shades, and the result was—well, the reverse of refined; substituting shades of dark red, her embroidery became an ornament, as it was intended to be, instead of attracting the eye by its "loudness." The authority already quoted says on the subject of a background:—
"There are a few other facts in the science of color which can be an assistance in the selection of a background. We are told that no 'one color can be viewed by the eye without another being created.' This is because the eye requires that all three primaries should be present; and, when this is not the case, it will of itself supply the deficiency. To exemplify this, let us suppose we worked a blue pattern on a neutral gray ground. The eye, in looking at it, would create the missing red and yellow; and as these in combination form orange, the grayish ground would have an orange hue. This is an important fact, and inattention to it will result in very serious defects. We often wonder why a piece of work which has for its foundation color black, looks rusty or dingy, when we may have taken great pains to select a rich, perfect black. The reason is, that if the design is worked in blue, orange is reflected on the black; if in red, a greenish hue is given; and in yellow, a purplish
