SEWING ON BUTTONS
Margaret was home again from the country. Vacation was nearly over and
in another week school would begin.
“How would you like to look over your clothes and see that they are in
good order?” her mother said to her one day. “Wouldn’t it be a good plan
to sew on the missing buttons and see that the others are on firmly and
not hanging by their eyelids?”
“Sir Bodkin would like it. He can sing me a little song all about
buttons. He loves to sing and tell you what to do, you know,” laughed
Margaret.
“That’s a very good idea. What he has to say seems always to be right,”
said Mrs. Allen.
Margaret went to her room to look over her clothes. Sure enough, here
was a button gone and there, one loose.
“’Most everything needs a little dose of thread and needle after a
vacation, I s’pose,” she said to herself.
[Illustration: There they all were]
When all the garments needing buttons were piled on her bed, Margaret
called her little friend, but he did not respond from the work-basket at
all.
“Whatever is the matter and wherever is he?” Margaret asked herself.
Then she remembered that he and the others were still in the sewing-bag
she had carried away on her trip. She found it hanging on a hook in her
closet. When she pulled open the draw-strings, there they all were.
[Illustration]
“Sir Bodkin!” she called.
“Where are we?” asked a sleepy voice.
“Safe at home again,” replied the little mistress. “I forgot to take you
out and put you in your home. But first I’ll give you all a rest in the
fresh air in the pincushion,” she said and stuck each one in as she
talked.
“What are we to do to-day, My Lady?” asked Sir Bodkin from the table-top
where he stood putting his crown on straight.
“I’m getting my clothes ready for school next week and there are some
buttons to be fastened on,” she said.
“That’s fun. Bring on your buttons and then we’ll know what to do,” said
the tiny King.
Margaret obeyed him and brought over the garments with missing buttons.
“Here’s a slipper-button gone, and a pearl one from my dress, a bone one
from my under-waist, one from my dress with the button trimming, and one
from my coat,” said Margaret all out of breath.
“First the shoe-button. That’s a shank button. Some black patent thread
and a thick Stitcher with a big eye will soon fix it,” he said to
Margaret.
“Measure your thread and wax it with your beeswax, make a knot in one
end. Find the place where the button was sewed before. Now, sir, push up
from the wrong side of the slipper-strap to the right side and straight
through the shank of the button, then back to the wrong side again,” he
said.
“Oh! that’s stiff. I had to push him hard with my thimble!” cried
Margaret.
“That’s the way. Now through again several more times, then fasten the
thread on the wrong side and that’s done!” Sir Bodkin said.
[Illustration: Shoe]
[Illustration: Pearl]
[Illustration: Thread Shank]
[Illustration: Trimming]
“Better give the button on the other slipper a few stitches to be sure
it doesn’t come off,” he then said when the first was on good and tight.
They did this.
“Bring on the next!” ordered the King. Margaret showed him her gingham
dress and a pearl button with four tiny holes in it.
“Come here,” the King then said to a medium-sized Stitcher who was then
harnessed with white cotton thread doubled. When the knot was made they
were ready to begin.
“Cross the center,” the King said to the Fairy, who stepped from the
wrong side of the dress through to the right side and up through one of
the tiny holes in the button which Margaret was holding for him. Then he
crossed over the center to the opposite hole and slid down through to
the wrong side again.
“Now up through the other hole and cross again,” said Sir Bodkin which
the Stitcher did and slid back to the wrong side again.
“See how neat that looks,” said the King to Margaret when it was sewed
on, as she and Stitcher wound the thread round and round underneath the
button to make a shank for it to play on, and then fastened the thread.
[Illustration: Ornamental shank pearl]
“A pretty way to sew on pearl buttons for trimming is to come out one
hole every time and go in the other three from it like this,” he said
taking his toe and pointing on the button.
“Now for that bone button, clumsy but useful,” said the King. It had two
holes and was sewed on the under-waist, with the thread doubled, the
same way as the pearl one.
“Now for the pretty pink pearl!” cried Sir Bodkin who was very fond of
that color. Margaret brought her dress and the button which was cut with
a shank on it. It belonged down the front of her dress in a row with
many other buttons.
“This goes on very much like the shoe-button, but doesn’t have to be
sewed so strong, for it is only an ornament,” Sir Bodkin explained.
[Illustration: Bone]
[Illustration: Covered button]
When this one was on Margaret brought her coat and a pretty cloth
covered button, all smooth on top and metal underneath, with a funny
little round place of cloth to sew through.
“You must not show on the wrong side where the button is sewed on a
coat. If you want to make it very strong you may sew through a tiny
little pearl button, the same color as your coat, on the wrong side. But
this one we shall fasten on the right side blindly but quite strong.”
The thick Stitcher was harnessed with heavy dark thread doubled and
waxed and knotted.
“Catch your thread on the coat, first on the spot where the button is to
go and then, second, sir, as you know, step through the sewing-place
underneath the button. Third, through the coat again and so on. But
whatever you do, don’t step through to the wrong side so it will show!”
said Sir Bodkin. Then the button was sewed securely and the thread
fastened and snipped. Stitcher rested in the pincushion.
“You haven’t sung to-day!” Margaret said to the One-Eyed Fairies.
“To be sure we haven’t, My Lady!” their King said.
Then one of the little Stitchers came out of the pincushion and began to
sing:
“Sewing on buttons
And mending your clothes
Are very good habits,
As every one knows.
So mind the old adage,
You’ll find it quite fine—
That one timely stitch
Is sure to save nine!”
Every one laughed and clapped their hands at the Fairy who ran back in
confusion to the pincushion.
[Illustration]