SOME MORE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
Margaret came into her room a few days after the doll’s Christmas
present was finished.
“More presents to be made?” asked Sir Bodkin jumping off the pincushion.
[Illustration]
“Yes,” answered Margaret, “and these will be the last.”
“What are they to be?” asked the King again.
“Mother bought me a third of a yard of handkerchief linen to make some
handkerchiefs. Can you tell me how?” she asked her friend, holding up
some fine white cloth.
“I suppose the linen is thirty-six inches, or a yard, wide?” he said.
Margaret took her tape measure from the work-basket and measured the
goods.
“That’s the width,” Margaret told Sir Bodkin.
“Then you can cut it into three twelve-inch squares. First cut off the
selvedge on each end. That’s the woven edge on the sides of the cloth;
and fold the linen in three across the long way of the piece,” directed
Sir Bodkin.
“Take a One-Eyed Fairy in your hand and with his toe pick up a thread
running the same way you wish to cut the squares apart. Pull the thread
out and cut where it leaves a little track. This is called cutting by a
thread,” said he to Margaret.
“Fold each square over diagonally to see if it is the same on all four
sides. If it is, then it’s a perfect square and we can go on with the
edges,” Sir Bodkin told his mistress.
[Illustration: “Fold each square over diagonally”]
“Each one is perfectly square now,” said Margaret; “how shall we sew the
first one?”
“The first one we’ll hemstitch,” said the King. “Measure one-half inch
in from the edge and pick up and pull out a thread very carefully across
the square. Use the Fairy’s toe as before. Do another thread towards the
center. Do five threads on each side,” said Sir Bodkin.
[Illustration: First stitch
Second stitch
Hemstitching]
Margaret soon had the sides drawn and ready. Then she turned a tiny hem
and basted it down to the place where the threads were drawn. Fine
Stitcher was harnessed with number 80 white cotton thread.
She held the hem at the top over her left forefinger. Stitcher came up
through it and out at the right hand corner ready to start. He left a
trail of thread under the hem to fasten it. Then he sang:
“I start at right corner where threads are drawn
And with my little toe,
Pick up a tiny bunch of them,
Slip underneath towards you.
Back over I go and step towards you
Beneath the bunch again,
But this time stick my little toe
Up through the edge of hem.”
“There!” cried Sir Bodkin, “you’ve made your first hemstitch. Keep the
bunches of threads the same size as you go from right to left and
they’ll look even when finished.”
Margaret and Stitcher went very carefully along one side to the other
corner.
“You have to be careful when you pick up the threads in the tiny spaces
at the corners where the cloth is double. Whip the outside edges of the
hems together at the corners so they won’t fray out when washed,” said
Sir Bodkin and waited for this to be done and the thread fastened.
[Illustration]
“Oh,” said Margaret, “that takes care to make it look nice. And you have
to keep your hands very clean or your work gets dirty.”
“Well, My Lady, we can’t have any gains without pains, you know. Take
your time and be sure to get the bunches of threads even and all sewing
threads fastened well. Then this fine white linen handkerchief
hemstitched by hand will be a present fit for a queen,” Sir Bodkin
replied.
“And that will be my Mother!” said Margaret proudly.
Sir Bodkin nodded approval of this. “Suppose you lay this one away for
to-day and start the next one. Then you won’t get so tired. You have
plenty of time to finish the three before Christmas,” said he.
[Illustration: Hem rolling]
“I’ll run and wash my hands again to be sure they’re clean,” said
Margaret.
“Wait a minute. Wet a clean little sponge or cloth to moisten your
fingers when you roll the hem in this handkerchief,” cried the King to
her before she got out of sight.
When she came back Margaret picked up the square of linen. Sir Bodkin
told her to trim the corners off round with her scissors.
“Roll the edge of the linen between your left thumb and forefinger
towards you until the raw edge is out of sight. Moisten your fingers a
tiny bit and don’t get the hem too big and clumsy,” cautioned Sir
Bodkin.
In a few minutes Margaret learned the knack of hem rolling.
“It’s kind of fun, isn’t it?” she said.
“Yes, and that one looks good for a first attempt,” said the King.
Margaret looked pleased. Then she folded her work away in the basket.
[Illustration]
“Good-bye, dear,” she said to her friend, “I must run and do my errands
now. You’ll see me to-morrow.”
All was quiet in the room, after she had gone, with the mystery of
Christmas presents loaded with pleasant thoughts, waiting to be finished
by their happy maker.