LACY FRILLS
Margaret held up the dainty new white dress she had been making for her
doll. It was now all finished except the lace frills.
“When we sew the lace around the collar and sleeves for trimming, your
new dress will be ready for you to wear to the tea-party to-morrow,”
said the little mother to her doll as she tried on her new dress.
“Doesn’t she look sweet!” whispered all the little One-Eyed Fairies to
each other, peeping out of the work-basket to look at the doll in her
pretty white dress which they had just helped to sew. They were very
fond of Margaret and her doll.
[Illustration]
“Sir Bodkin!” Margaret called to the King.
“Here I am, My Lady,” he answered scrambling out of the work-basket and
up to the top of the table. He leaned himself against the pincushion.
“I think we’ll need a dainty Stitcher to sew these frills, don’t you?”
his little mistress asked him.
“Yes, and harness of fine white cotton thread,” answered his Majesty. He
then called all the Stitchers out of the work-basket. They were up on
the table-top in a twinkling, waiting for their King to choose those
needed for the work. Two Stitchers were selected, one larger than the
other.
“One for gathering the lace and one for sewing it on,” explained Sir
Bodkin.
“Before you begin, take a plunge through the emery to make you glisten
and glide,” said the King.
[Illustration]
Margaret took out her emery-bag and held it for the Stitchers to take
several quick plunges. They waited in the pincushion while she went to
wash her hands, to keep the lace clean as it was being sewed on the
dress.
The fine Stitcher was harnessed with white cotton thread number 80. The
larger one was harnessed with the same thread doubled for gathering the
lace.
“Make his harness longer than the frill is to be when finished,” said
the King.
“How much lace shall I cut off for the collar and sleeves?” asked
Margaret.
“This is the rule for the length of a ruffle or a lace edging,” said Sir
Bodkin and sang:
“When making a ruffle
Or sewing on lace,
Measure once and a half
’Round the sewing on space.”
[Illustration]
“How shall I finish these ends?” Margaret asked when she had measured
and cut a piece of lace for the collar.
“Tiny Stitcher will hem them for you before you begin to gather,” said
Sir Bodkin.
It was no sooner said than done.
“The lace for each sleeve is sewed together at the ends with a French
seam,” said the King.
“Oh, yes, I remember. Sew the ends together first on the right side,
turn the seam, and then sew it on the wrong side so no raw edges will
show, just like we did on the marble-bag,” Margaret cried.
“Yes, that’s right. This makes a very neat seam,” Sir Bodkin told her.
[Illustration: Gathering lace
Sewing on lace]
“Mark with pins, the half and quarters of each of the three lace frills.
Then mark the half and quarters of the collar and sleeve edges,” Sir
Bodkin said and sang this song:
“Mark the half and quarters of edge and of frill,
And the gathers will then the space evenly fill.”
“Now fasten your gathering-thread securely on the right side at one end
of the top (or straight edge) of the collar lace,” said the King.
“You don’t have to gather all kinds of lace, My Lady,” he went on to
say; “in some you just pull the cord in the top. Stitcher, step evenly
along the top and gather the frill. Let the needle hang loose at the
other end. Pin the frill half and quarters to those of the collar, right
sides together.”
When Margaret had done this and was ready to sew the tiny frill to the
collar, Sir Bodkin finished the song:
“Hold the gathers next to you
When frill is sewed on,
Then the ruffle will set well,
And never look drawn.”
“Draw up the gathering-thread to fit and wind it around a pin at the end
in a figure eight. You are now ready for tiny Stitcher to overcast the
lace on for you,” said the King.
[Illustration: “’Tis done at last”]
Tiny Stitcher fastened the thread at the right end of the collar frill
top. Then over the edge he stepped and came back through dress and lace
towards Margaret. She pulled the thread through and he stepped over the
edge away from her and through again, always going from her right
towards her left. Margaret guided him with her right hand and held the
dress in her left. When the frill was sewed on all around the collar,
the thread was fastened securely at the end and snipped off. The
gathering-thread was also fastened and snipped.
[Illustration]
“Now take a gathering-thread the proper length for each sleeve frill and
fasten it at the seam. Then gather each lace frill in turn and pin the
half and quarters of each to those of each sleeve edge and overcast just
as you did before,” said Sir Bodkin.
Margaret worked very carefully and soon snipped the threads, and put the
little Stitchers in the pincushion to rest.
She made some pretty blue satin ribbon bows to add to the little dress
as a finishing touch, and sewed them on.
“’Tis done at last,” she said, with a sigh of joy, slipping the lovely
party-dress on over her doll’s curly hair. “You’ll be the sweetest doll
at the tea-party, I know,” she said happily.
The tiny King and his subjects danced around in an admiring ring.
“We thank our little friends very much, don’t we, dear?” Margaret said
to her doll.
[Illustration]