FINISHING THE HANDKERCHIEFS
Next day Margaret hurried to her room wearing a pretty little white
apron over her school dress.
“To keep my work clean,” said she to Sir Bodkin.
“Good plan. Now let’s get to work, for there is plenty to do,” he
answered her.
Margaret took up the handkerchief with the rolled hem.
“We’ll have to overcast around the entire edge once so you can turn and
go back the other way to finish,” said Sir Bodkin when the hem was
rolled.
He called Embroiderer to him and asked Margaret if she had any fine
French embroidery cotton.
[Illustration]
“Yes, Mother bought some for me to use,” she said holding up several
skeins in colors pink, blue, and red.
“Fine!” cried Sir Bodkin; “which color shall you use to work this edge?
You may use one or two.”
“I think blue and red would be pretty,” said Margaret.
“Very good. We’ll overcast red one way and blue the other. All ready?”
he said to Embroiderer, when he was harnessed.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied the Fairy.
“Then go!” cried the King. Margaret held the square with the hem at the
top, in her left hand rolled side away from her.
Fastening the thread under the rolled hem so it couldn’t come out and
didn’t show, the Fairy began to step over and over from right to left,
singing:
“Over and over from right to left
Along the hem I go.
Step over the edge and back ’neath the hem,
So fine and even, you know.
You keep the hem measured straight by a thread,
As you hold it for me to step over.
Slowly we go round the corner, my dear,
The rolled edge so neatly to cover.”
[Illustration: First overcasting]
“O dear,” said Margaret, “the thread gets so twisted as he goes over and
over.”
“Let him hang for a minute from the end and he’ll swing it around
straight again,” laughed Sir Bodkin.
[Illustration]
This was done and the overcasting went on. After a while they were
around the four sides of the handkerchief.
“What shall we do now!” cried Margaret.
“Fasten the red thread, take a blue one, then turn around and go the
other way from left to right and you’ll see how pretty it looks,” said
the King. The Fairy sang:
“Over and over from left to right,
To cross our first steps we go.
Jump over the edge, stick my toe ’neath the hem
Where I came through the first time you know.”
“Oh, doesn’t it look pretty!” cried Margaret as the tiny crosses began
to appear on the edge.
“Now leave that and start the third one,” said Sir Bodkin and Margaret
took up the third square.
[Illustration: Second overcasting]
[Illustration: Blanket-stitch]
“Turn a tiny hem all around, one-eighth inch both turns, and baste it,”
said the King.
When this was done, Sir Bodkin told Margaret of two ways to finish this
hem.
“You can hem it with tiny invisible stitches or you can blanket-stitch
it in pink,” he said. “Nothing is more dainty or charming than a plain
white linen handkerchief finely hemmed by hand, but for a Christmas
present, the pink blanket-stitching would be more festive,” he advised.
“And I know how to do that, too. I think these handkerchiefs will all
look sweet when they are finished,” said Margaret.
“Wash them in the bowl with lukewarm water and white soap, rinse them,
blue them, and then press them when damp and you’ll have three
first-class presents. Remember to take your time, make your stitches
even, keep your work clean as you do it, and you’ll come out all right,”
Sir Bodkin said.
Margaret was very busy after school for several days after this working
to finish carefully and daintily the edges of the three handkerchiefs.
At last all three were done.
“Thank you very much, Sir Bodkin, for showing me how to make such lovely
gifts. I know those who get them will like them very much. Thank you
all, and a very Merry Christmas to every one,” she said smiling as she
put each one away carefully in the needle-book.
[Illustration: Wrapping up her Christmas gifts]
“Don’t eat too much turkey or candy and don’t forget your little
friends,” laughed Sir Bodkin as he bowed to Margaret from the table.
“No, I’ll try to be wise and I’ll never forget you!” said she and then
she ran away and was soon busy wrapping up her Christmas gifts.
Outside the Christmas snow was falling, inside the little One-Eyed
Fairies all prepared to take a long rest until after the holidays.