Then it was that the family would induce her to try to make something for herself, and when once she became interested in her work, and found that by her own ingenuity she could manufacture, from odds and ends, many interesting little toys, her restlessness vanished, and she was once more cheerful, happy, and contented.
At one time she had a book presented to her which gave the patterns and directions for making a few little articles—a very few it seemed to her, for she speedily did all the work laid out there, and was again thrown on her own resources for new ideas.
A Make-believe Sewing-machine
When she was quite a small child, too young to be allowed to sew on a real sewing-machine, she constructed a machine which, with the aid of her imagination, did very good work. Of course she could not really sew on it, but neither could she have done so had it been a “sure-enough” sewing-machine, and there was sufficient reality about it to make her play very absorbing.
The small wheels on top went round with a whiz and a whirr that filled her soul with delight. There were two wheels, because they were the remnants of a mechanical toy, a horse and sulky, which was once driven by a handsome tin jockey. The horse and jockey were gone, but the wheels and machinery remained. The key to the clock-like works was likewise missing, but it was very easy to wind up the spring by turning one of the wheels round and round a number of times. Once wound up, the wheels were bound to go until the machinery ran down again, and it was while going at full speed that the pretended sewing was done.
No, these two wheels were not all of the sewing-machine by any means. There was the arm made of pasteboard, with needle attached, which, shaken by the vibration of the turning wheels, moved up and down quite naturally. All this was on top of a small table, underneath was the treadle made of the back of an old geography laid across a piece of kindling wood. The treadle would sometimes slip out of place with the rapid movement of the little girl’s feet, but that was of no consequence, since it was only the work of a moment to replace it. The fact that there was no large wheel mattered nothing either, for the little seamstress felt her feet moving up and down, saw the wheels whirling on top, and was satisfied without a wheel that could not be seen anyway.
The sewing-machine was such an ambitious idea that it required some imagination to carry it out successfully, but there were other things this little girl made which were quite complete in themselves, such as toy houses, furniture, and dolls.
Knowing how thankfully this same little maid received any suggestions which would assist her in the manufacture of her home-made toys, I take it for granted there are other children who will be just as grateful for new ideas and who are just as happy in carrying them out. If you happen to be such a little girl, you will be glad to learn about this impromptu game of croquet which you can make for yourself in half an hour and enjoy the use of for many a long day.
To Make a Parlor Croquet Set
Diagram No. 612 shows the arches, of which there must be nine, all made of wire bent in the shape you see, with each of the ends thrust into a button-mould. To prevent the wire from slipping out, fill the holes with beeswax, and then push the wire in; this will make the arches quite strong and steady.