A page from Gracious. Geillustreerde Aglaja 4 (1869), p. 118

Embroidery with metal purl was a staple of eighteenth century European ceremonial embroidery. It continued to be carried out in the late nineteenth century, when women's magazines carried illustrated instructions for this type of embroidery. This page shows the different ways in which purl threads could be stitched, including "S-ing" with sequins.