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Now, having cut off this length, the sides have to be hemmed. For this the edges must be folded over twice. The first fold is only enough to turn in the raw edge, the second fold should be ¼-inch wide. Now tack it, so as to keep the turnings straight, by making a long stitch on top and a short stitch underneath.

If you are not sure how to hem, look at the little picture on this page. Put the needle in just under the fold, slant it towards you, and put it through the fold near the edge. Repeat this stitch, taking up only a few threads of material each time.

HOW HEMMING IS DONE.

Having hemmed the sides, make a deep hem at the bottom, first turning down a little fold, and then a deep 2½ inch fold. Tack and hem it.

For the lowest tuck, crease the material 3½ inches from the bottom of the pinafore, and tack it about ½-inch below the crease, to keep the fold in place. Now, we only want our little tuck to be ¼-inch, so just at that distance below the crease, start running it along with tiny stitches as you learned to do for the work apron on page 4. To keep the tuck the same size all the way, you might keep testing it with a piece of paper notched in two places—the notches to be ¼-inch apart—the width of your tuck. When you have finished the tuck, take out the tacking stitches and turn the tuck down so that the stitches come at the top and the tuck below them.

THE FINISHED PINAFORE.

Make a second tuck above the first, the bottom of the second to be ½-inch above the top of the first. Make a third tuck, the bottom of which must be 2½ inches above the top of the second, and a fourth, having the bottom ¼-inch above the top of the third. In this way you have two tucks together, then a space, and two more tucks together. On to this space between the pairs of tucks you sew the insertion. Cut off enough to go across the pinafore, allowing a little more at each end to turn in. Tack it, and then when you are sure that it is quite straight, run the insertion along both edges on to the muslin, taking an occasional back-stitch to keep it quite firm.

The top part of the pinafore is now put into a band, which must be as long as your width across the chest. You were shown how to put material into a band on page 5. The little difference here, however, is that instead of gathering the material, you pleat it. Mark the centre both of the band and the material to be pleated into it, with a pin. Turn three little pleats on each side of the centre of the material. On the little girl in the picture these pleats are each ¼-inch wide, but you must test carefully and get them the size just to fit the band. The picture at the top of page 18 shows pleats being put into a band.

Now sew on to the band a little length of insertion, as you did at the bottom. At each end of the top of the band, however, leave about ¾-inch of insertion not sewn to the band. This makes two tiny pockets into which you can slip the pink ribbon afterwards, and you can then sew the ribbon and insertion through to the band. Then, as you won’t want to have the pink ribbon washed as often as you do the pinafore, you simply have to take out those few stitches each time the pinafore goes to be washed. Besides, you may not always want to wear pink. With some dresses you may prefer to have pale blue ribbon, or heliotrope, or even red. Whatever colour you choose, sew it into the pockets, and your pinafore is ready for wear.

The Pink Sun-bonnet.

A sun-bonnet—what does it make you think of? Doesn’t it remind you of your last summer holiday—the country, the birds, the flowers? Close your eyes and try to imagine it. Can’t you almost feel the heat, and hear the hum of the insects, and hear, too, the rattle of the pails, as you used to hear it when Maggie, the rosy-cheeked milk maid, wearing her pretty lilac sun-bonnet, went down to milk Brindle and Beauty and Cherry. You thought that sun-bonnet looked so pretty, and kept the sun from Maggie’s head and neck so beautifully, and you wished you had one too. You will wish it again, when you go to the country for your next holiday, and I expect you will want one when you are working in the sun in your own garden at home.

THE SUN-BONNET READY FOR WEAR.

Suppose, therefore, you start to make a sun-bonnet for yourself. This one, that is shown in the picture, is really very easy to make. It is of a pretty pink print, with tiny flowers on it. But perhaps your favourite colour is not pink. Probably, you want a lilac one. Whatever colour you decide on, get ½-yard of print that shade, and you are ready to start.

Cut off 18 inches along the full length of the print, and hem along one edge. About 1 inch from the hem make a ¼-inch tuck, and 1 inch from this, another tuck. Now fold your print in half, and join up the two edges for the back of the bonnet with a French seam, which is described in the chapter on “Dolly’s Underwear.”

Your sun-bonnet is now rather square in shape. To get it rounded at the back, take hold of the point and draw it down a little way on to the seam at the back. There catch it with a few stitches.

No sun-bonnet is complete without a frill, so the next thing is to sew this on. Cut off 18 inches of print 5 inches wide, hem along one side and both ends. Gather the other side, and draw it up until it is the length of the bottom edge of the bonnet beyond the second tuck. Sew it on the inside to the bonnet edge, leaving a little piece of the edge above the gathered piece. Turn in the edge, and hem it over the seam. This makes it quite neat. The edges along where the frill does not come are also hemmed up.

For the strings, cut off two lengths of 14 inches, each 1½ inches wide. Hem each side and one edge. Turn the opposite edge in, and sew it neatly to the inside of the bonnet.

Your sun-bonnet is now finished, and you will be able to ask nurse to put it into the trunk the next time she is packing to take you to stay at the farm. Won’t Maggie be surprised when you arrive with a bonnet like hers, only just a few sizes smaller!

A Red Satin Housewife.

THE NEEDLE-CASE CLOSED.

What a tiresome way needles have of getting lost, haven’t