Long ago, there was a lady who loved sewing with
a red bandana around her head.
She was called “the red bandana lady”.
The red bandana lady had seven friends
that never left her. They were
ruler, scissors, needle, thread,
thimble, traditional iron,
and iron.
One day, when the red bandana lady fell asleep,
Mrs. Ruler showed off her height
and said,
"The lady's sewing is all thanks to
me. Do you think she would be able to measure
the width and the length of the fabric
without me?
Ha, no way! That's why I'm the
most important tool among
us!"
After listening to her, Ms. Scissors jut her lip
and argued.
"Oh, what are you talking about?
You're not even considering my effort, and
you're just talking about yourself. Measuring means nothing
if the lady can't cut the fabric.
I'm the one who helps her the most."
Then Ms. Needle, who was listening quietly,
joined in
with her sharp words.
"Measuring and cutting can't make
clothes. Nothing is complete unless you sew
it into the final shape!
Clothes are only complete
when I stitch the fabric together.
Without me, sewing is
impossible."
Ms. Red Thread, the elegant lady, snorted
and began to praise herself
with ease.
"Ho ho ho, dear. It's not all
thanks to your effort. No matter how much you
work, a needle without a thread is
useless.
A stitch and even a half stitch is only done
when I join in. So I'm the most important
one among us. Ho ho ho!"
Madam Thimble, who was watching their argument
with ridicule, puffed on her pipe and
joined in.
"Ahem, maybe it's time for me to join chime in!
If you're talking about importance, I'm the one you
need. I'm the one who protects the lady's finger all day
from getting hurt.
Sewing is impossible when you hurt your
fingers! I'm the most important
one for sure."
Ms. Traditional Iron, who was simply listening because
she was younger,
joined in.
"You're all boasting too much.
Who looks through the rough stitches
and trims them sharply
to get them into shape?
I'm the best worker, so please stop
arguing."
The young iron finally spoke
as if she earned the courage to
to join in.
"Me too…. I also do the same thing
as Ms. Traditional Iron. I have to straighten
the wrinkles and the folded parts.
That's what makes clothes
look good…"
Meanwhile, the red bandana lady woke up to the sound
of the seven friends' argument. She listened to their
boasts and suddenly sat up,
speaking in an angry voice.
"Well, all of you think you're the
best. No matter how hard you try,
you can't do anything without my hands.
I'm the most important one, not
you! How dare you wake
me up with your noisy argument
without realizing the truth?!"
The angry lady shoved the seven friends in
her sewing box and
fell asleep again.
The seven friends were shocked by the lady's words
and stayed quiet for while.
Mrs. Ruler, Ms. Scissors, Ms. Needle,
Ms. Red Thread, Madam Thimble, Ms. Traditional Iron,
and young iron became very sad.
They were sad about the fact that
they were useless,
unimportant, and replaceable.
Ms. Scissors, who had a short temper,
was about to run out the door, and Madam Thimble
stopped her in time.
But in the red bandana lady's dream,
a strange thing was happening
as well. She looked for her seven friends
to sew, but they were nowhere to
be found.
She looked all over the place,
but she couldn't find
any of them. So she ended up
crying.
The seven friends saw the lady
crying in her sleep and
were surprised.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She seems to be having a nightmare."
"Oh, poor lady. Let's wake her up."
"Phew!"
The red bandana lady was relieved that it was
a dream.
Then, she spoke while lowering her head
in shame.
"Ladies, I'm sorry. I was too harsh
on you. I didn't realize how
important you
all are. We need each other to
do the job."
The red bandana lady and the seven friends
looked at each other and smiled shyly.
Since then, the lady and the seven friends worked
harder with joy.
Hurray, what a joy! Hurray, how exciting!
The seven friends are all here.
After Ms. Ruler measures the fabric carefully,
Ms. Scissors cuts them in good shape,
Ms. Needle's skill makes Jing-nyuh jealous,
Ms. Red Thread gets stitched beautifully,
Ms. Traditional Iron gets it into shape with her sharp foot,
and young Iron straightens every wrinkle with one slide.
Meanwhile, Madam Thimble keeps my fingers from getting hurt.
I'm so grateful. My friends are very important to me.
Hurray, what a joy! Hurray, how exciting!
The seven friends are all here.