THE ONE-EYED FAIRIES
[Illustration: He fell headlong to the floor.]
THE ONE-EYED FAIRIES
By
GEORGIA ELDREDGE HANLEY
With Decorations, Pictures, and Diagrams
By
JULIA GREENE
[Illustration]
BOSTON
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
COPYRIGHT, 1924,
BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO.
_All Rights Reserved_
The One-Eyed Fairies
Printed in U. S. A.
Norwood Press
BERWICK & SMITH CO.
NORWOOD, MASS.
FOREWORD
This book has been written to tell little girls how much fun it is to
learn to sew and make pretty things for their dolls, themselves, and
other people. Of course, as Sir Bodkin says, “We can’t have gains
without pains,” but it is much pleasanter to learn in play how to do
things the right way. This makes it easier for us when we are grown up,
because we have the knowledge “at our finger-tips.”
I hope that mothers, teachers, and those interested in girls will find
this book helpful, as my experience has been that children eagerly grasp
and absorb facts presented in story and rhyme.
A number of these sewing-lesson stories have appeared in the _Modern
Priscilla Magazine_. Acknowledgment is here gratefully made for
permission to use them.
GEORGIA ELDREDGE HANLEY.
[Illustration]
CONTENTS
PAGE
I. THE KING OF THE ONE-EYED FAIRIES 13
II. SIR BODKIN STEPS IN AND OUT 20
Using Bodkin.
III. THE STITCHERS, BASTER AND RUNNER 28
Basting and Running.
IV. DAINTY HEMMER 37
Hemming.
V. THE CREWEL ONE 46
Blanket-Stitch.
VI. OLD DOCTOR DARNER 54
Darning Stockings.
VII. THE DOLL’S BLANKET 62
Catch-stitch.
VIII. BROTHER JIM’S MARBLE-BAG 69
Back-stitch.
IX. MARGARET’S NEW MIDDY BLOUSE 79
Making Eyelets.
X. AUNTIE’S BIRTHDAY PRESENT 89
Cross-stitch.
XI. A THREE-CORNERED TEAR 96
Mending.
XII. LACY FRILLS 103
Making Ruffles.
XIII. JIM’S OVERALLS 112
Patching.
XIV. SEWING ON BUTTONS 121
Shank, Pearl, Bone, Cloth.
XV. A CREWEL FROLIC 131
Chain-stitch.
XVI. MARGARET MAKES BUTTONHOLES 138
Making Buttonholes.
XVII. TUCKING GRANDMA’S APRON 147
Marking and Basting Tucks.
XVIII. FINISHING THE GIFT 157
Gathering and Putting on Band.
XIX. RICKRACK TRIMMING 166
Sewing Rickrack Braid.
XX. THE DOLL’S CHRISTMAS PRESENT 176
Outline-stitch.
XXI. SOME MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS 184
Hemstitching, Rolled Hems.
XXII. FINISHING THE HANDKERCHIEFS 192
Double Overcasting in Color.
XXIII. LAZY-DAISIES AND FRENCH KNOTS 200
Lazy-Daisy Stitch, French Knots.
XXIV. A SURPRISE 209
ILLUSTRATIONS
He fell headlong to the floor _Frontispiece_
PAGE
“You can do it! You can do it!” 17
She ran to get a pretty dress 22
Running ribbon in beading 24
From the tip of her nose 30
Threading needle 31
Basting 32
Running 33
“Mark with pins” 41
Hemming 42
Blanket-stitch 49
“Blanket-stitching is quite easy” 51
Running around the hole 56
Darning up and down 57
Darning across 58
“Hold the stocking stretched on your hand” 59
Catch-stitch 65
“I’ll put you to sleep in your little bed” 67
“Hold the goods lengthwise and cut” 71
Basting and running on outside of bag 73
Basting and back-stitching on inside of bag 73
Back-stitching 75
Basting and hemming casing on inside of bag 76
Finished bag 76
Eyelet for casing 77
She went through some simple exercises 80
Making eyelets 86
Cross-stitch 92
“Press the letters on the wrong side” 94
The birds were singing 98
Mending tear 99
Gathering lace 107
Sewing on lace 107
“’Tis done at last” 109
“Ouch! I’m caught” 113
First bastings 116
Third basting 116
Sewing edge of hole 119
Sewing around patch 119
There they all were 122
Four kinds of buttons 125
Ornamental shank pearl buttons 127
Two kinds of buttons 127
Coming up the stairs singing to herself 132
Chain-stitch 134
“Follow a thread of the goods” 140
Bar half-way around 142
Bar 142
Overcasting half around 143
Buttonhole-stitch 144
Finished buttonhole 144
“Measure one inch up from the hem top” 150
Basting first tuck 152
Tucks basted ready for stitching 154
“I stitched ’em myself” 159
Basting gathers to band 161
Basting down band 162
Sewing on rickrack 170
“I’ll need to wear my apron gay” 174
Outline-stitch 180
“My doll will be glad on Christmas” 181
“Fold each square over diagonally” 186
Hemstitching 187
Hem rolling 190
First overcasting 194
Second overcasting 196
Blanket-stitch 196
Wrapping up her Christmas gifts 198
“For Mother as a surprise” 202
Lazy-daisy stitch 203
French knots 205
“A silver wrist-watch for my birthday!” 213
The One-Eyed Fairies
CHAPTER I
THE KING OF THE ONE-EYED FAIRIES
[Illustration]
Margaret Allen had just had a birthday. Her auntie had given her a
pretty new work-basket for a present. It was lined with pink silk and in
it was the dearest little needle-book of pink satin, an emery-bag shaped
like a strawberry, a cunning pair of steel scissors, a silver thimble,
several spools of black thread and white thread of different numbers, a
tape measure, and beeswax shaped like a tiny lemon.
[Illustration]
“Isn’t it just too sweet for anything!” cried Margaret clapping her
hands with delight. “Now if there really were fairies to help us, just
as in the story-books, what lots of things I could make. If I knew how I
could make clothes for my doll, pretty things for Mother and Auntie, and
marble-bags for Jim. Oh!” she cried out of breath, “I just wish I knew
how!”
Suddenly she felt funny sharp pricks on her hands and arms. Looking down
she saw a line of little shining figures, some short and some tall, come
dancing and prancing out of her new work-basket. Some had big eyes and
some tiny-teensy eyes but each had only one, however. They looked so
comical dancing on their skinny legs and waving their skinny arms that
Margaret wanted to laugh. Their thin bodies shone and glistened in the
sunshine as they skipped across her lap and up on the table beside her.
Then they sang this song:
“You can do it! You can do it!
We can always help you sew it!
With a piece of thread for harness
And your thimble bright to push us!”
“Oh! Oh!” cried Margaret her eyes very wide open indeed, “can you
really? Who are you?”
[Illustration]
Then out of the line stepped the largest one of all. He placed his hand
on his heart and made a very low bow before her and sang:
“How do you do, My Lady,
We’ve come at your command.
You wished the help of fairies,
We’re the One-Eyed Fairy Band.
We hide inside your basket,
And keep so very still,
Until you call upon us,
Then we’ll help you with a will.”
[Illustration]
“How wonderful! Thank you!” cried Margaret eagerly. “What is your name?”
“I am Sir Bodkin. Some call me Tape Needle. Anyway, I’m King of the
One-Eyes,” he answered proudly. “I’m the largest of all and not needed
so often to help. There are many fine workers among us, I can tell you.
Just say the word and we’ll show you what we can do.”
“I’m so glad,” said Margaret, “for there are lots of things I want to
learn how to make.”
The Fairies danced faster and faster in their joy at finding such a dear
little girl for a friend and mistress. They sang:
“When needlecraft you’d like to know,
Just call on us to help you sew.
Our stitching steps we love to do,
So let us show them all to you.”
[Illustration: “You can do it! You can do it! We can always help you sew
it.”]
“Thank you, kind Fairies,” cried Margaret. “I’m so happy. Won’t Mother
be surprised! I’m just crazy to begin!”
All the Fairies waited breathlessly to know who would be the first to
show Margaret what he could do.
“Your Ladyship, it is fitting that the King should be the first to show
what he can do,” said Sir Bodkin standing very stiff and straight.
“Oh, of course,” replied Margaret and was about to ask him to tell her
what he could do when she heard her mother’s voice outside her door,
calling to her. The Fairies sang:
“Stick to us, stick to us,
Then you’ll never, never fuss.
Good-bye, good-bye, we must away,
We’ll come again another day.”
They slipped quickly off the table and hid in the work-basket.
The King waited until the last one was out of sight then he said with a
bow, “We’re very glad to know you, My Lady. Just call my name when you
need help.” Then he, too, slipped away from off the table and into the
work-basket.
[Illustration]
“Aren’t they just too funny and dear!” laughed Margaret to herself as
she put the work-basket on her table and ran off to answer her mother.
“Now I must think up something nice to make for my doll,” she said to
herself.