Georgia Eldridge Hanley

“Look out or you’ll tear your clothes!” cried Margaret to her brother Jim one day as they climbed through a barbed-wire fence out in the fields.

They were visiting Auntie’s farm. It was great fun to go swimming, hunt eggs, feed chickens, ride on top of the big hay-loads and just be outdoors all the time. Both children had exactly the right clothes for such good times—middy and bloomers for Margaret, blouse and overalls for Jim. Besides these, not much else was needed, for Auntie let them run barefoot most of the time.

“Oh, pshaw! now I’ve done it! Ouch! I’m caught!” the next minute Jim cried out to his sister, who was herself clambering very carefully over the wire so the sharp little barbs would do no damage.

“Ouch! I’m caught”

“Wait! I’ll get you loose!” Margaret exclaimed coming to his rescue. With pulling and tugging he was soon free, but a big ugly hole was torn in the seat of his overalls.

“Would you look at that! And the last clean ones I have, too,” Jim said in despair. It certainly was a sad accident, for this was their last day on the farm and there were lots of things to do for the last time.

“Never mind. I’ll mend them for you,” Margaret said. “Jump into your bathing-suit and while you’re taking a swim I’ll be mending these. Boys certainly are a care,” she said to herself with a sigh on her way up to her room. But in her heart she was really quite delighted at the chance to show her sewing skill.

“Sir Bodkin!” she called when she was up-stairs in her bedroom. All the One-Eyes were hiding in a pretty sewing-bag that she had made to carry them in when travelling. She loosened the drawing-string and out popped Sir Bodkin.

“Well, well, I wondered when you’d be calling us out this trip,” he said shaking himself and walking around the bureau-top to stretch his legs.

“What’s the trouble now? I s’pose it’s trouble or you wouldn’t be needing us on a vacation,” he went on to say.

“Yes,” laughed Margaret, “it’s trouble and it needs to be doctored right away.” She held up the torn overalls for him to see.

“Well, I should say so. Patching is the thing for that big tear. Take your scissors and cut off the ragged edges to make the hole as round as you can. Have you some of the same goods for a patch?” he asked.

“I think Auntie has. I’ll go see,” and Margaret ran off to inquire.

Sure enough, Auntie had something in her scrap-bag that would do very well. Margaret ran back eager to begin patching.

Wrong side First bastings

Right side Third basting

“Cut a square piece, an inch and a half larger all around than the hole. Baste this to the wrong side of the garment. Be sure the patch runs the same way of the goods as the overalls,” said Sir Bodkin beckoning to Baster, who was sticking his head out of the bag.

While he and Margaret were working Sir Bodkin sang:

Margaret laughed at this song.

“Now on the wrong side turn in the four sides of the patch and baste them down,” said the King.

They soon had this done.

“Snip the cloth all around the edge of the hole, turn it under and baste it down to the patch. Do this on the right side,” said Sir Bodkin.

“Hemmer,” he called. She came and was harnessed with strong thread. After that she neatly sewed down the edge of the hole to the patch on the right side. Then she sewed the four edges of the patch to the overalls on the wrong side.

“Be sure your steps are tiny and firm so the patch will stand wear,” the King cautioned. Then as they worked he sang this song:

When the patching was done, Margaret held up the mended overalls so Sir Bodkin and his helpers could see.

“Good work,” said he proudly. “Looks as fine as a patch can. We don’t use patches where they will show if we can help, for they aren’t very pretty, but anything useful is not to be despised. They are very useful on underwear, aprons, table-linen and bed-linen and many other things.”

Right side Sewing edge of hole

Wrong side Sewing around patch

Margaret was sorry to have to shut the King and his fairies away again in her sewing-bag.

“It seems a shame to pull the string so tight but as Sir Bodkin says, ‘In summer we One-Eyes have to keep away from the damp or we’ll lose our charming brightness.’”

Jim was delighted when he came back from his swim and saw his mended overalls ready to put on.

“Some day I’ll do something for you,” he said, “for ‘One good turn deserves another.’”