FINISHING THE GIFT
Next day after school Margaret ran up to her room carrying the little
lawn apron to be finished.
“Sir Bodkin, I’m here. Just see how nice these tucks are sewed in by
machine. And look! Mother put a cunning pocket on the right hand side
for Grandma to tuck her handkerchief in,” she said.
[Illustration]
Sir Bodkin stood up quickly from the table-top where he had been resting
since yesterday.
“Yes, My Lady, it looks very neat indeed. Of course I’m old fashioned
and prefer hand-sewing to machine-sewing but I know there is so much to
do these days that time can be saved by using the machine,” he answered.
“Oh, I’m glad you think these tucks look well, ’cause I stitched ’em
myself. Mother let me try,” Margaret said proudly.
“I must say you kept it straight,” Sir Bodkin remarked. “Now, how about
the band for that apron to-day?”
Margaret showed him a piece of lawn about twenty inches long and two
inches wide. Sir Bodkin told her to fold it over lengthwise making it
one inch wide. Then he said to crease the fold for the top of the band.
Next he told her to find the center of the band from the ends and mark
it on the two raw edges with tiny notches.
“We are to allow one inch on each end beyond the gathers for the long
strings to be sewed on,” said Margaret.
“Then that will leave us eighteen inches to sew the gathers on. Oh, you
Stitcher!” called Sir Bodkin to one in the pincushion. He came over and
was harnessed for gathering with a double thread, longer than the
gathering-space was to be.
[Illustration: “I stitched ’em myself”]
“Don’t forget to knot the end,” said the King.
“No, indeedy,” replied Margaret.
“Find the center of the apron top and cut a tiny notch,” said Sir
Bodkin.
After this was done, Margaret held the right side of the apron next to
her and began to gather the top one-quarter inch from the edge, going
from right to left.
“Run a few stitches on Stitcher and then pinch them flat to set them,”
directed the King.
When the gathers were run in Margaret pinned the center of the apron top
to the center of one long edge of the band. Nine inches each way from
the center she pinned the ends of the gathers to the band and drew up
the thread to fit. After which she wound the thread in a figure eight
around a pin.
“You’re a Jim Dandy,” said Sir Bodkin watching his little mistress. “Now
take Stitcher in your hand and stroke the gathers with his toe and lay
them evenly along the band so they won’t be too bunchy here and too
skimpy there. But be careful you don’t scratch the goods,” he said to
his subject.
Then Baster was harnessed and basted the gathers to the band above the
gathering-thread. Margaret held the gathers next to herself.
[Illustration: Basting gathers to band]
“One-quarter inch from the edge sew the gathers to the band. Runner,
take back and running steps, catching up one gather at a time,” Sir
Bodkin said to Margaret and the Fairy. When this was done and thread
fastened, they fastened the gathering-thread, too. Then they snipped all
threads off and waited.
“Turn over the other edge of the band one-quarter inch towards you,
crease it and bring it down on the gathers. Now, Baster, your turn to
step again to hold this fold down firm,” said Sir Bodkin.
[Illustration: Basting down band]
“Then Mother will stitch it on the machine,” finished Margaret, “and
I’ll make the strings and sew them on and the darling little apron will
be ready to go to Grandma’s.”
“How will you make the strings, My Lady?” asked Sir Bodkin.
“Oh, I’ll turn over tiny hems on the sides and a larger one on the ends
and they’ll be stitched on the machine. Then I can easily sew the
strings to the ends of the band. And I’ll put a tiny pink bow on the
pocket,” cried Margaret eagerly.
[Illustration]
“Very fetching, and a lovely gift for a grandmother. She’ll like it, I’m
sure,” said the King.
“Maybe she’ll want me to sew some of her tatting around the edge ’cause
she makes yards and yards of it in her spare time,” said Margaret.
“That would be pretty, too,” agreed the tiny King. “It is a matter of
choice for:
“Some like them trimmed,
Some like them plain,
Whichever they are,
They are useful just the same.”
“Oh, you funny man, that doesn’t rhyme very well,” laughed Margaret.
“You get my meaning,” said Sir Bodkin laughing himself.
[Illustration]
“Look at the One-Eyes!” cried Margaret and they both turned to see the
shining little needle Fairies playing football with the beeswax from the
work-basket. They had been hearing so much about the game all the fall
they thought they would try it themselves. Baster was referee. They
would kick it high in the air and then catch it on their heads and run
away with it all around the pincushion in fine style.
“Thank you, dear King, and take good care of yourself and your Fairies,”
said Margaret before she left the room.
Sir Bodkin took a walk around the table-top then ordered his subjects
into the pincushion for the night.