THE DOLL’S CHRISTMAS PRESENT
[Illustration]
Margaret had been very busy all the fall. Now that Thanksgiving was over
the little girl turned her thoughts towards Christmas and Christmas
presents. She was making a present for her doll. It was a little cover
for the doll’s bed and one for the pillow. They were made of
cream-colored muslin and had designs stamped on them in black lines,
which were to be embroidered in a colored embroidery cotton.
“I know she’ll like a bed-cover, ’cause her bed hasn’t any to make it
look pretty after it’s made up in the morning,” said Margaret to
herself. “She’s a very good child and should have a nice gift.”
[Illustration]
“Sir Bodkin, Sir Bodkin,
I need your help to-day,
To work out this picture
In colors so gay!”
sang Margaret to the tiny King in her work-basket.
“I’m singing everything now, just like the One-Eyes,” she laughed to
herself.
Sir Bodkin hopped out of the basket.
“Good for you, and very well done,” said he climbing upon the arm of
Margaret’s chair. “Let me see the pictures to be embroidered.”
She spread the tiny covers on her lap for him to look over.
“They will be very pretty worked in outline-stitch in one color,” he
told Margaret as he turned himself this way and that to get a good view
from all sides.
“I would like to do the design in pink, ’cause my bed is pink and my
doll’s bed always stands over in that corner near mine,” replied
Margaret.
“Very good. You’ll need a fast worker. I’ll call out Race-Horse
Embroiderer. Harness him with pink embroidery cotton and he’ll step
quickly along and cover up those black lines in no time,” said the King.
[Illustration]
Race-Horse Embroiderer came sliding very quickly from the needle-book.
He stood very still while Margaret threaded some coarse embroidery
cotton in his eye.
“That coarse cotton will work up fast and make the picture stand out
better,” Sir Bodkin told his mistress.
“Yes, you’re right. I just love pink for a color and so does my doll,”
answered Margaret.
“I’m partial to it myself,” replied the King. “We’ll make this a very
pretty present. When the outlines are worked in pink you can
blanket-stitch the edge of each cover in this pink cotton and the whole
thing when finished will look charming.”
Margaret seemed pleased and took the little cover in her left hand and
Embroiderer in her right. He stepped on the stamped design where one of
the lines began and sang:
“To fasten the thread, I take a run
Towards you on the line.
Now I am ready to take the steps
That make the picture fine.
Always pointing to yourself
With my little toe,
On the line I take a step,
Then away with a jump I go.
Another step, another jump,
A straight trail left behind.
The black line now is covered up,
The picture’s pink you’ll find.”
[Illustration: Outline-stitch]
“Be sure, sir, you always swing your thread down on the same side,”
cautioned Sir Bodkin.
“Yes,” said Margaret, “we’re doing that all right.” She was so
fascinated with covering up the lines and making them pink with the
stitches that before she knew it the bed-cover was done.
“Doesn’t that look lovely!” she cried holding it up.
“It does look very dainty and dollified,” said Sir Bodkin peering down
from the chair
[Illustration: “My doll will be glad on Christmas morning”]
arm. “Can you finish the pillow-cover to-day, too?”
[Illustration]
“I’ll have to do that to-morrow, for it’s now time for my errands. Then
when the pillow-cover is outlined we can do the blanket-stitching ’round
the edge. It’s all very pretty and easy to do. I know my doll will be
glad when she sees this present on Christmas morning,” Margaret said as
she folded up her work to be placed in her bureau drawer until next day.
“I’m afraid if I leave it out on the work-basket she’ll see it,” she
explained to Sir Bodkin and the One-Eyed Fairies, “and I want it to be a
surprise.”
“To your place, sir,” whispered Sir Bodkin to Embroiderer, “and don’t
any of you breathe a word of this to the doll.”
“Thank you all very much,” said Margaret. “I wish I could do something
for your Christmas.”
“Christmas is not for us unless we are given away to some one in
work-baskets or help people get ready for it. That is pleasure enough
for us, My Lady,” Sir Bodkin answered.
“You are nice all-the-year-round friends, anyway, and I couldn’t get
along without you,” she said. So the sewing was put away for the day and
was taken up next day and the day after that until it was finished
entirely.