“That’s fine, for I want to make two in the band of my new bloomers,” said Margaret. “Have you any buttonhole scissors?” he then asked her. “I think Mother has. I’ll run and get them,” Margaret replied, hurrying out of the room. In a jiffy she was back again with a pair of odd-looking scissors in her hand. They had a notch in the blades and a screw on the handle. “There we are,” he cried; “now show me the buttons to go through the holes.” Margaret showed him two black bone buttons. [Illustration: “Follow a thread of the goods”] “The top of the button will show how large to cut the buttonhole,” Sir Bodkin said. “Turn the screw until the blades cut a slit a tiny bit longer than the button top is wide. Test or try the size on a scrap of cloth before cutting the holes in your band.” When Margaret had done this and the scissors were set just right, she slipped them over the edge at one end of the band where the buttonhole was to be and waited. “Begin to cut one-quarter inch from the edge of the band. Follow a thread of the goods to cut the hole straight,” said Sir Bodkin. “Cut one hole at a time, then work it.” Margaret cut the first hole. Sir Bodkin called a stout Stitcher and he was harnessed with black cotton thread, a small knot at one end. “Now to your work!” the King said, “and don’t forget you begin at the end farthest away from the edge,—turning your work as you sew.” He told Margaret to hold the buttonhole along her left forefinger with the starting end next the finger-tip and the top of the band towards her. Stitcher slipped between the two layers of cloth at the starting end and came out towards Margaret, a little distance away from the edge of the slit. Then Stitcher jumped along the side of the buttonhole to the other end, across the end under the goods, out and around back along the other side. [Illustration: Bar half-way around] “The bar we place along each side, To keep the slit from stretching wide,” [Illustration: Bar] explained the King as Stitcher stepped through the cloth again at the place where he started. Then he sang: “Now over and over the edge we skip, So it won’t ravel and so it won’t rip. Along each side, ’round each end go, Catching down the long bar threads as we sew.” “That’s the overcasting,” said Sir Bodkin, when they were through. “The buttonhole stitch will need heavier thread.” [Illustration: Overcasting half around] Stitcher was harnessed with some, and then stepped on the wrong side of the buttonhole at the starting end to fasten the thread with tiny back steps. “This buttonhole-stitch will cover the bar and overcasting,” he said. “Now turn your work around, so that the starting end will be at your right hand, and do as I tell you.” Then he sang: