CHAPTER XXVIII

MARY MARIE HAS A PARTY DRESS

“DEARIE me! Thimble People,” exclaimed Mary Frances. “I’m so excited! I’m so excited! Mary Marie has been invited to a party.”

“To a party!” exclaimed Scissors Shears. “To a party,―excuse me, but don’t you mean, ‛by a party?’”

“How could you buy a party?” asked Tommy Pin Cushion.

“It’s been known to be done,” answered Scissors Shears.

“Will her mother let her go?” asked Silver Thimble anxiously.

“Yes, indeed,” laughed Mary Frances. “If she has a party dress―”

“What a guess! Why, what a guess! Next lesson is A party dress!”

sang Sewing Bird, hopping on one leg on the table, and fluttering her wings,

“Mary Marie, How sweet she’ll be In finery: Not spoiled she’ll be By vanity, Or finery.”

“Just be her own sweet self, won’t you, dear?” said Mary Frances, hugging the dolly close.

“If you were As pretty as she, You might be Spoiled by finery,”

sang Tommy Pin Cushion, pointing to Scissors Shears. “By the way, how’s business?”

“Dull! Fatty,” began Scissors Shears, “You―” then, seeing Mary Frances’ look, he added lamely, “Pretty is as pretty does, and beauty is only skin-deep. If you lost your skin, Tommy, we’d knock all the stuffin’s out o’ you!”

“Hush!” whispered Sewing Bird,

“Now, let’s to work, Now, let’s not shirk, But sew with purpose hearty! With love and fun, Work is begun On the dress for dolly’s party!”

“Oh, thank you,” exclaimed Mary Frances, opening Mary Marie’s trunk. “What shall we use, Magic and Mystery?”

“Let me see?” said Fairy Lady, flying down beside the trunk.

Mary Frances was too surprised to say anything when she saw the lovely gauzy wings spread out, and Fairy Lady sailing down from the table.

“Oh,” said the little fairy in her bird-like voice, “little Lady Seamstress, this is only a small surprise compared to the lovely ones in store for you.”

“More yet, dear Fairy Lady?” asked Mary Frances, her eyes opening in wonder. “Why, it seems to me―”

“I must not tell you another word,” said the little lady; “I shouldn’t have said even that!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t have dared whisper that,” said Tommy Pin Cushion to Emery Bag. “Why, the King would have shaken the stuffing out of me!”

“This,” exclaimed Fairy Lady, “is just the thing to make a party dress for Mary Marie,” and she held up a piece of most beautiful fabric.

“What is it?” asked Mary Frances. “I didn’t see that in the trunk!”

“Didn’t you?” asked Fairy Lady.

Mary Frances held up the sparkling goods. It was very, very fine, and thin, yet not veil-like. It shone like spun glass, and was made of the colors of the rainbow.

“How exquisite!” breathed the little girl. “Isn’t it beautiful! Please, dear Fairy Lady, where did it come from?”

“It came,” said Fairy Lady, “from your friend, the King of Fairy Thimble Land.”

“Oh,” said Mary Frances. “Did you, dear Fairy Lady, did you bring it?”

“In this,” nodded Fairy Lady, and she held up a little satchel that looked like Mary Frances’ mother’s pearl earring.

“Will it go in such a tiny satchel?” asked the little girl, in an awed voice.

“Yes,” smiled Fairy Lady, “but the pattern takes up more room.”

“Did you carry that, too?” asked Mary Frances.

“Yes, in a little suit case,” said Fairy Lady.

“May I see the pattern?” asked Mary Frances.

She wondered how Fairy Lady would get back on the table, but the little lady spread her wings again―this time showing the lovely coloring and golden tips.

Flying high above the table, she came down and settled herself in the doll’s rocking chair.

Then she spread open

PATTERN 19.―DOLL’S GUIMPE (FOR PARTY DRESS)

See Insert III

Suggestions for material.―Dimity or lace.

To cut out―

1. Pin pattern with edge having two rings (oo) on a _crosswise_ fold of goods. Cut out.

2. Cut guimpe sleeve-band, with arrow lengthwise of material.

To make―

1. Gather end of each sleeve.

2. Fold sleeve-band through center, lengthwise. (See dotted line on pattern.)

3. Sew sleeve-bands in place at ends of sleeves, in same way as band of little “tie around apron.”

4. Join guimpe under arms with French seams.

5. Make a half-inch hem down each side of back.

6. Make a half-inch hem in bottom of guimpe. Through this hem run a narrow tape, threaded into a bodkin.

7. Turn the _narrowest hem possible_ in the neck. Do not attempt to hem this with hemming stitches, but overhand it closely.

8. Overhand narrow lace edging in the neck and sleeves.

9. Make three button-holes, and sew on buttons.

PATTERN 20.―DOLL’S PARTY DRESS

See Insert X

Suggestions for material.―Flowered dimity or lawn.

To cut out―

1. The skirt should be cut: five and one-half inches long―with the _lengthwise_ of the material.

Thirty-two inches wide―_across_ the material.

2. To Cut Out the Waist―

Fold material crosswise. Pin pattern with edge having two rings (oo) on the fold. Cut out. Remove pattern.

3. To Cut Neck.―Cut pattern along the row of pinholes, marked FRONT.

Fold back along other row of pinholes.

Spread waist _open_ on table.

Pin pattern in place on one end of waist. Cut neck by the turned-in V-shaped outline.

To make―

1. Join skirt and make placket as in white lawn petticoat.

2. Make a three-quarter inch hem at the bottom.

Gather top, using two gathering threads. Begin each thread in center top of skirt.

3. Fold waist _lengthwise_. Cut open the back _from center of square_ of neck. Make half-inch hems down the backs.

4. Make a _narrow_ hem around the neck-opening.

5. Spread waist open on table. Cut a piece of baby ribbon two and one-quarter inches long. Cut another piece one and one-half inches long.

6. Fasten, by sewing through a bead, one end of each piece of ribbon to one side of the V-shaped neck opening, in the place shown by the pinholes in the pattern.

7. Fasten other end in same way, making the front neck opening one and one-quarter inches wide at the top, and three-quarters of an inch wide at the pointed end.

8. Join with French seam _from notches_ to _bottom_ of waist.

9. Hem armholes above the seams.

Gather across the shoulder fold, making the gathered goods measure _one inch across_. Fasten thread.

10. Cut a belt of half-inch-wide white tape, making it eleven inches long.

Gather bottom of waist. Turn in ends of tape belt one-quarter inch.

11. Baste gathers of waist flat to tape belt, having tape on wrong side. Baste gathers of skirt flat to other edge of tape belt.

Stitch in place. Sew lace insertion, or ribbon beading over the gathers on the right side.

12. Make button-holes, and sew on buttons.

13. Trim the hems around the neck-opening and armholes with

38.―FRENCH KNOTS

1. Thread embroidery needle with embroidery cotton. Make knot. Draw needle through from wrong side.

2. With left hand, wrap cotton, _where it comes through the material_, three times around the needle, holding needle with right hand.

3. Holding the coiled thread firmly in place with left thumb, insert needle-point downward, at place where it first came through. Pull through to wrong side.

4. Push needle upward where next stitch is to be made. Pull through to right side. Proceed as above.

“Won’t it be charming?” said Mary Frances. “Oh, won’t Mary Marie be the happiest doll!”

“But how can you keep it a secret, if she goes to a party?” asked Scissors Shears anxiously. “I don’t want to be a Never-Never.”

“Oh,” said Mary Frances, “the party isn’t to be given until next summer. She’s only invited―that’s all.”

“Strike me pink!” exclaimed Tommy Pin Cushion. “I was feeling scared white.”

“Shows how silly it is to worry,” said Emery Bag.

“I beg all your pardons,” said Mary Frances. “I didn’t mean to be―to take advantage. I almost forgot how long it is till next summer. I am very sorry if I did wrong.”

“Gives you longer to finish the dress,” said Fairy Lady. “There’s a good deal of work on it.”

“I’ll work very hard,” said Mary Frances, “and I’ll be more careful what I say in the future.”

“We understand, of course we do, That your kind heart is always true; You wouldn’t do a thing that you Would not have others do to you,”

sang Sewing Bird,―and perhaps, the little bird smiled.

* * * * *

This is how the dress looked when Mary Frances had finished it.