“Sir Bodkin!” called Margaret one warm spring day. The One-Eyed Fairies had been having a long rest in their home. They were very glad to hear Margaret’s voice again.

“She wants us!” they cried excitedly.

“Hush!” commanded their King, “she wants me. Everybody wait until I see who is needed to-day.” He hopped so quickly out of the work-basket that he fell headlong to the floor.

“Goody me!” cried Margaret picking him up and sticking him in the red tomato pincushion. “Are you hurt?”

“Oh no! that’s nothing. One of the chief sports of our band is floor-falling. We love to slip to the floor so we can be picked up. It’s very good for your waist-line,” said Sir Bodkin.

Margaret laughed. “You’re a funny man,” she said.

“Did you want me for anything to-day, My Lady?” he asked.

“Yes, I wanted to make a good strong bag for Jim’s marbles. They’re always falling out of his pockets and rolling all over the floor for us to step on. We nearly break our necks,” she replied.

“Well, upon my word, that’s a shame. However we’ll soon remedy that. Get a piece of heavy, strong cloth, like denim or gingham. Be sure it’s a dark color, blue or brown or green, so it won’t show the dirt, and we’ll start,” he said.

So Margaret hunted through her mother’s piece-box again until she found some cloth that suited her purpose.

“Here we are!” she exclaimed to Sir Bodkin, as she came back to the room. Taking her little steel scissors out of the basket she made ready to cut the cloth as she was directed.

“That’s the thing; blue denim makes excellent marble-bags. You can make sewing-bags of cretonne or silk and laundry-bags of chintz or linen, but marble-bags must be of very tough cloth. All bags are about the same when it comes to the way of making. It’s just good, strong seams with no raw edges showing, a proper casing for the drawing-strings, and the right kind of openings to pull the strings through. The bags differ only in size and shape. Now for this bag, fold the goods lengthwise, and cut it six inches wide and seven inches long,” Sir Bodkin told her.

“Now, Baster,” said he, “come out for your harness and step along the seam at the bottom and up the side, on the right side of the bag, keeping one-quarter inch from the edge.” Baster stepped quickly across the bottom, around the corner and up one side.

“The fold makes the other side,” explained Sir Bodkin. “Now we’ll need a stout Stitcher for finishing the seams of this heavy material.” So he called out all the Stitchers and selected one with a large eye. Margaret harnessed him with blue cotton thread, then they were ready to sew the seam.

“Run along the seam, across the bottom, around the corner and up one side a little less than one-quarter inch from the edge beside the basting. Take tiny steps close together,” he said, “and fasten the thread well at beginning and ending.”

When this was done and Baster and Large Runner were resting in the pincushion on the table, Margaret pulled out the bastings and turned the little bag wrong side out.

“Run your finger all along the seam inside to push it well out to the sewing. Now baste the seam a little more than a quarter inch from the edge, so there will be no raw edges showing on the finished felled seam,” the King said.

“Is this a felled seam?” Margaret asked.

“Yes, it is a French fell,” Sir Bodkin said.

When the seam was basted, Sir Bodkin asked Large Runner to come and back-stitch it.

“It must be sewed good and strong to stand the strain of holding heavy marbles,” said Sir Bodkin.

With Margaret’s right fingers holding him, Large Runner went to one end of the seam, at the corner of the bag, and began to step along, singing:

Across the bottom, around the corner, and up the side they went, busily sewing the seam good and strong. At the end the thread was fastened with three steps on one spot, and then the basting-thread was pulled out.

“One side of back-stitching looks very pretty while the other looks something like a chain,” said Sir Bodkin, “but when done properly it’s as strong as machine-stitching, and as near to it as we can do.”

Margaret was told to turn down the top of the little bag one-quarter inch for the first turn and three-quarters inch for the second turn. Then Baster stepped down this casing for the drawing-string so Large Runner could hem it down to stay. When done, Margaret turned the bag right side out. On the fold side of the bag Sir Bodkin showed her how to cut a half-inch slit up and down in the casing. This she blanket-stitched with blue thread to cover up the raw edges.

“The drawing-string goes in and out here,” he said. “You need only one in a marble-bag. A shoe-lace will be strong enough.” Margaret found an odd one of Jim’s.

“I don’t need to run this in the casing for you ’cause the metal tip will do the work,” Sir Bodkin said. Margaret put the shoe-lace tip in the slit and pushed it through the casing until it came out again at the slit, with the ends even.

“Tie the ends tightly together and your marble-bag is made,” the little fellow said to his mistress, as he bowed very low.

“Thank you, thank you,” said Margaret. “Won’t Jim be tickled to get this to hold his snappers, croakies, agates, and glassies.”