As before, the design, if at all elaborate, should be marked out beforehand on the open cloth, and the parts tied in accordingly. Much experience is required to know just how tight to tie the tape so as to get a desired effect with each particular kind of cloth, and each class of dyestuffs. In general, with small knots the string should be tied very tight, or otherwise no effect is produced at all. The larger the tied parts, however, the more pains should be taken to have the cloth folded before tying, so that some of the color may work down through the folds past the tape, and thus produce shaded effects, which may be of great beauty (see Plate IV, Fig. a). Of course, in this, much depends on the cloth; a thick heavy calico tying with difficulty, but not letting the dyestuff soak through; while soft open materials like scrim or cheesecloth, for instance, must be tied much tighter, or the color will work through so much as to spoil the design. The student is advised to practise, from the start, tying his tape with a slip loop, or at any rate a bow knot, and not with a fast square knot each time, so as to save trouble and bother when untying later. A skilful craftsman will tie quite a large piece of cloth, in an interesting and fairly complicated design, in a few minutes. But after dyeing, while the cloth is still wet, and the tape or string has shrunk, and the knots have tightened, it is often more trouble to untie, or cut it open, than it was to make it, and there is always the danger of cutting holes in it. A little pains in laying down one end of the tape, before starting to tie, so that, when the whole loop is tied up, the other end will come out alongside of the first so that it can be joined to it by a bow knot, will save any amount of time and vexation. =Sewed and Dyed Work.=—Besides protecting the cloth from the action of the dyestuff by tying string or tape around it, the same effect can be produced by sewing up certain parts of it, before dyeing, and then, after the rest has been colored, and the loose dye-liquor washed off, the sewed-up parts can be opened and pressed into shape. This modification of the process, so far as I can learn, is not practised by the Rajputs with their chundries, but in the Benedict collection can be seen some most extraordinary and elaborate pieces of dyed work made just in this way. The Japanese, also, have been in the habit of using this method, and sometimes they produce curious zigzag lines by taking coarse stitches across the cloth, alternately, first to one side and then to the other side of the centre line, and then drawing the thread tight. The needle is often used for borders—for straight lines can easily be made in soft materials (and such only should be used for tied work) by hemming the cloth with strong thread, and then drawing it up close and tight before putting it in the dye-bath. The development of this branch of the process, however, belongs properly to the fair sex.